Game 162 was almost a bust.
On Saturday afternoon, the Angels and Rangers were battling in Arlington. If Texas won the game, they would clinch the AL West, and the Angels would be eliminated from the playoff race if the Astros were able to beat the Diamondbacks on Saturday night (which they did). This would be a nightmare scenario for MLB Network. On Sunday, the network planned on being live on the air for ten hours, including a six hour block of MLB Tonight (anchored by two different crews) from 2 PM to 8 PM. With all ten playoff teams already decided, MLB Network would forced to focus only on seeding and individual achievements rather than a playoff race.
Heading into the ninth inning on Saturday, it looked like Game 162 would be a dud. Texas led Anaheim 10-6 and was three outs way from the division title. Shawn Tolleson, the Rangers’ electric closer, was on the mound looking to end the game.
Of course, nothing ever goes according to plans. Tolleson’s outing lasted just six pitches, as he gave up home runs to the first two batters he faced. It was now 10-8. Jeff Banister replaced Tolleson with journeyman Ross Ohlendorf. Ohlendorf sandwiched a pair of outs around a double by Albert Pujols, but the Rangers weren’t out of the woods yet. CJ Cron singled in Pujols to make it 10-9. David Freese singled to move pinch runner Collin Cowgill to third, and Carlos Perez singled in Cowgill to tie the game at ten. Johnny Giavotella then followed up Perez’s single with one of his own, bringing in pinch runner Kaleb Cowart and giving the Angels an 11-10 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, Elvis Andrus singled with two outs to give the Rangers hope of clinching. But then, Andrus was thrown out trying to steal second base after he over-slid the bag. Game over. The Angels were victorious, and Texas would have to clinch the division on the final day of the season.
At MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey, everyone exhaled over the ending. Game 162 would matter after all – and they would be ready for it.
While only one playoff spot would be up for grabs on the season’s final day, you wouldn’t know that from talking to the various producers, on-air talent, researchers, editors, and other employees scattered around MLB Network on Sunday. They were excited. Senior Researcher Marc Adelberg had prepared his daily packet of game information, with relevant notes, statistics, and things to watch in all 16 games on the docket – whether they had playoff implications or not. Seemingly every employee needed time to digest the playoff scenarios, and whether or not a Game 163 tiebreaker would be necessary.
Many people throughout the network were cheering for a potential tiebreaker, but what everyone really wanted was a slate of competitive games. Mike Santini, MLB Network’s VP of Production, was serving as the coordinating producer of the 2 PM edition of MLB Tonight, and if the Rangers or Angels took a sizable early lead, him and producer Nick Steger would lose some drama in one of their key games to watch for the day. The weather was also a concern because of Hurricane Joaquin, but all of the games on Sunday commenced and concluded without any delays.
Brian Kenny was anchoring the 2 PM MLB Network, sitting alongside Eric Byrnes and Mike Lowell, and before going on air, debated the merits of the Angels starting Garrett Richards on three days rest. “Wouldn’t you rather go with Tropeano? He’s a beast”. Kenny also took note of how fatigued both bullpens were for the Angels and Rangers, which would end up coming into play once the game began.
Before going on the air at 5 PM, Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds relaxed in Amsinger’s office, awaiting the beginning of the 3 PM games. Amsinger was complimentary of his long-running partnership with Reynolds and Dan Plesac, which he compared to a group of friends getting together to watch sports each night. Plesac popped in for advice from his colleagues on which color tie to wear (eventually deciding on one that looked orange, but was actually red), and Smoltz also showed up, fresh off the plane from Arlington following Saturday afternoon’s thrilling game between the Rangers and Angels. “My games are always crazy,” he says with a grin. Smoltz was also in the booth for last October’s marathon NLDS Game 2 between the Giants and Nationals.
The games all begin at 3 PM, but not everyone just sits in front of screens staring at what’s going on. Reynolds starts breaking down film of Dodgers rookie shortstop Corey Seager, who will be starting in the playoffs over veteran Jimmy Rollins. Word soon comes in that Albert Pujols has homered to give the Angels a 2-0 lead – Reynolds slowly nods, and goes back to focusing on Seager. He can’t control what happens in Arlington, but like everyone in the building, he’s hoping the game stays close.
Eventually, the games start kicking into high gear. The Rays batter Mark Buehrle and the Blue Jays to the tune of seven runs in the first inning. Buehrle is pulled after just recording two outs, and his quest of reaching 200 innings for the 15th straight season. Kenny, Byrnes, and Lowell marvel at his rough performance and Kenny grills the pair of former players about how many of the runs should be considered Buehrle’s fault – after all, Toronto committed two errors in the inning that led to the situation beginning to spiral out of control. By the time the first inning is over, the Rays lead 9-0, and two storylines for the day appear to be buried. Buehrle won’t become the fifth pitcher in baseball history to reach 200 innings for 15 straight seasons, and barring a miracle comeback, the Jays won’t overtake the Royals for the AL’s top playoff spot. Santini and Steger don’t pay much attention to what’s happening in St. Petersburg for the rest of the day, nor do Chris Roenbeck and Rich Ciancimino, the producer and coordinating producer of the 5 PM MLB Tonight.
Soon thereafter, the narratives begin to unfold. The Pirates and Cubs both take first inning leads on the Reds and Brewers. Both teams coast to easy victories lacking much excitement, which confirms that the NL Wild Card game will be held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. In game one of a doubleheader, Shelby Miller of the Braves throws eight shutout innings against the Cardinals to earn his first victory since May 17th. This leads to Kenny breaking out his “kill the win” mantra – a sentiment that Byrnes wholeheartedly agrees with. Byrnes admitted to me that he started thinking about statistics when he went through the arbitration process as a player, and has been open-minded towards statistics in his career as a broadcaster. His admission that wins are a silly way to measure a pitcher’s skill level goes a long way towards showing how his thought process has changed over the years.
Narratives outside of the AL West also take hold of the staff. Clayton Kershaw came into the day needing six strikeouts to reach 300 for the season. He gets there in the third inning, and is pulled in the fourth inning by Rollins, the acting Dodgers manager for the day. Dee Gordon collects hits in his first three at bats for the Marlins to grasp the NL batting title a bit more firmly. Kenny stubbornly refuses to call him the “batting champion”, instead referring to him as the “batting average champion”. Byrnes can’t get behind that distinction.
At 5 PM, Amsinger, Reynolds, and Plesac relieve Kenny, Byrnes, and Lowell at the desk. They’re welcomed in with a video of their reaction during Game 162 of 2011, which led to the implementation of the second Wild Card. But there won’t be much drama on this day – the Rangers take the lead on the Angels in the fifth inning after a two-run homer by Adrian Beltre, and dump another six runs on the board in the seventh to turn the game into a blowout. The Astros never take the lead on the Diamondbacks, tying the game at three in the seventh following a run scoring wild pitch and immediately going behind again after a Paul Goldschmidt home run in the seventh.
An undue amount of attention is focused on Philadelphia, of all places. The 90+ loss Phillies and Marlins are playing for nothing but individual accolades, but the game is absurdly entertaining. After doubling, homering, and singling in his first three at bats, Gordon can hit for the cycle in his fourth at bat if he triples, but he strikes out against Luis Garcia. The Phillies dump four runs on the board in the seventh, and Marlins manager Dan Jennings sends Ichiro out to pitch the eight inning, sending social media, producers, and anchors into a frenzy. He allows one run in his one inning of work and shows off a mid-80s fastball, much to the amusement of all. The game ends with Gordon on deck, failing in his bid for a cycle but still taking home the batting crown.
The expected chaos dissipates. Cole Hamels finishes off a complete game against the Angels, sealing the AL West crown for the Rangers and ending Anaheim’s season. The Astros back in to the playoffs with a loss in Phoenix, meaning they’ll be playing the Yankees in New York on Tuesday. The Yankees even left the door open for the Astros, losing 9-4 in Baltimore to the Orioles and looking like a team running on fumes heading into the Postseason. The 9-0 first inning hole was too much for the Blue Jays to overcome, but it didn’t matter anyway – the Royals beat the Twins 5-1 to earn their top seed in the American League.
Preparing for the worst case scenario isn’t a bad thing. Going into the final day of the regular season, MLB Network had numerous plans for the course of the day. If weather didn’t cooperate, there were contingency plans. If the key games turned into blowouts, there were other storylines that could be focused on. If the desired chaos simply didn’t come about, everything would be fine. And while the day was still exciting and eventful, there were no walkoffs. There was no controversy. There was no need for a tiebreaker. And even though Game 162 was mild by the high standards baseball has set throughout the years, MLB Network still managed to inject excitement into the day and make it seem like a huge deal.
