Tonight, the final post-season playoff spot comes down to two teams, one game, and quite possibly, a Dome-field advantage. At 5:07 ET, the Detroit Tigers will battle the Minnesota Twins in a game where if the Tigers were to win, would be the last Twins game ever played in the Dome. Next season, the Twins will run around in the outfield of Target Field, but today...Today (for maybe one last time) the Twinkies will race around in front of the Baggie, take their positions on the Turf, and create deafening decibles of sound as their fans beg for a first-round trip to New York.
34 Kirby Puckett Place has always provided a distinct home-field advantage for the Twins. Just ask the '87 Cardinals. Or my own beloved '91 Braves. Or perhaps after tonight, the '09 Tigers. The '09 Tigers are only 7-11 against the Twins this season and an even worse 2-7 in the Dome. The Twins are 48-33 at home this season, while the Tigers...a lowly 35-46. And on top of everything else, Detroit's starter tonight, (a rookie)Rick Porcello, is 0-2 with a 6.30 ERA in his two starts in the Dome.
But the pitches still have to be made. The runs still have to score, and the outs still have to be recorded. That is one of the many beautys of baseball. What should happen often doesn't. What is clear on paper isn't always the same in person. But no matter what, one thing is for sure. What we will see tonight between the Twins and the Tigers is baseball at it's highest intensity, it's highest level, and it's highest volume. (on a stage that I'm hoping is not hosting it's final act.)
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