This is going to be a disorganized set of emotion that comes up as I think of it. Please, please, please share in the comments!
The Rangers just came back from down 8-2 in the 4th to win on a walk-off home run in the 11th. But that just doesn't capture what was incredible about this game.
To begin with, when Mitch Moreland homered in the 4th, it started to feel like it could happen. That's because this team is special. When Hamilton homered in the 5th, I started to assume it would happen.
I was prepared to come out of that game okay with a loss towards the end. Losing to the Red Sox is nothing to be ashamed of. The Angels and A's both lost, so the Magic Number went down. Moreland hit his first home run and Hamilton was incredible. Instead, the Magic Number dropped two games (now 40, 39 from eliminating the Angels), and instead of having to be merely okay we get to deal with being elated.
Speaking of Josh Hamilton, he is the AL MVP. Anything can happen, but he is so far and away the most deserving and the likely favorite it isn't even funny. And the only thing that really could have made it close at this point was probably Nelson Cruz not spending any time on the DL.
And you knew that game was over when Wakefield came in, right? The only question was how many pitches Cruz would see. It was so obvious one of them would go several rows deep. That's two walk-offs to the moon for him now. Pitchers are sad, sweaty and nervous.
By the way, the Rangers tied the game in the 8th because the MVP of baseball scored from second on an infield single. Even if you saw it you have to roll that concept around in your mind a bit.
This bullpen is so incredible. There were some struggles against the Yankees, but all season this has been a crazy reliable pen. And when Feliz is on, it's jaw-dropping to watch.
Oh, and also: robots. That umpiring was horrific. I'll see if I can put together an image of the strike zone later, but it was both wrong and inconsistent. That's just a horrible thing.
That game was amazing. I can't think straight right now. This season is unbelievably special, and that game was a highlight of something I think we will all remember for a while.
And if you didn't stick around, I'm sorry. But you now know why we idiots stick through those stupid games: because every now and then that happens and you're glad you did.
Go Rangers. Please keep churning out the highlights.
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