Twins trounce Tigers in 12th

Cool crisp mornings, leaves changing, the feeling of fall is certainly in the air. What does that mean? October baseball. There is nothing that gets me more excited than playoff baseball. Virginia Tech football comes close, but when the battle of for the last playoff spot comes down to a tie breaker in a 163rd regular season game, my nerves go crazy!

The Detroit Tigers collapsed in the last three weeks of the regular season allowing the Minnesota Twins to take the division.

After a 16-4 finish to the season, the Minnesota Twins took the AL Central title in a playoff matchup that needed even more one game. Alexi Casilla of the Twins singled home Carlos Gomez in the 12th inning to win in walk off fashion.

After the Tigers took an early 3-1 lead in the third, the Twins clawed back and in the 6th inning after an Orlando Cabrera bomb, the Twins found themselves with a one run lead.

In a back and forth game that saw three lead changes and two ties from the 6th to the 12th, this game was not over. The Tigers would not give up  that easily. Magglio Ordonez connected with a Matt Guerrier pitch and sent it soaring into the left field stands to tie it up at 4 in the eighth.

Both teams were held in check until the tenth when Don Kelly scored on a Brandon Inge double to deep left. The Twins would not give up, thanks in part to a misplayed ball in the bottom half of the inning.

On what should have been a single, Ryan Raburn wanted to be a hero. Raburn slid allowing the ball to scoot past him and Curtis Granderson for a Michael Cuddyer a lead off triple. Matt Tolbert took advantage of the triple with a single to knot it up at 5.

The eleventh inning went quickly to set up the intense twelfth inning. The Tigers were able to load the bases with just one out but could not capitalize. However, in the second half of the frame, the Twins were able to upend the Tigers on a single.

AL Batting Champion, Joe Mauer, went 2-4 and finished the season batting .365. Miguel Cabrera finished the night 2-5 with a double, homer, two RBIs, and a run.