BASEBALL

The Tigers won their 8th straight game today when Brandon Inge hit a walk off home run to break a 2-2 tie with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  Inge had come on for his defense a couple innings earlier.  You would fire a script writer that proposed that they make a movie about baseball using the Tiger’s play since mid-August as the script.  It would be too unbelievable.

It was Star Wars day at the ballpark and we got there early to grab some promotional tumblers and get lunch at the Tiger Club.  The day started well when the Tiger Club staff gave all four of us promotional tumblers.  We later learned it was a 21 and up promotion.  They were already opened so there was nothing we could do.

Star Wars day is a little eerie.  Storm Troopers walk around with window decals.  Other characters carry light sabers and pose for pictures.  Guns used in the movies- or mock ups of them- are stationed by the gates.  Chewbacca threw out one of the first pitches.  They play the music from the bar scene way too much.

A  couple  memorable things happened.  Twins rookie Joe Benson got his first major league hit.  He then got picked off first on the old-fake-to-third-throw-to-first play by Scherzer.  This probably cost a run as two batters later Hughes flew out for the third out.  It would have been a sacrifice fly.

Yesterday I said it would be a good time for a Betemit double and he tripled.  Today my daughter suggested I call for a triple in his first at bat. I did and he homered.  I promise to only use this power only for good.

Joe Mauer hit a home run.  (They have a rare event seen in person thread at motownsports.com that I have to visit later.)  The ball landed on the bullpen roof just out of reach of the fans in the Pavillion.  Eventually they tied something- it looked like a mitt- to some string of some sort.  They threw the mitt out and unfortunately knocked the ball into the bullpen itself.  I wished it had worked.  Soon thereafter an usher visited them.  I’m pretty sure there is no don’t-tie-string-to-a-mit-and-use-it-to-get-balls-off-the-bullpen-roof rule.   It probably doesn’t come up as a problem too often.

A family event will keep me from tomorrow’s game.  Hopefully the Tigers complete their third straight sweep.