Baseball is a funny game.
I am going to mention this play as if it’s in a vacuum. It didn’t happen that way, and you can certainly argue that it was because of a thousand mistakes that Adam Everett even had a chance to make this a potentially defining play of 2008. But it just happened, so I’m jotting down a note. Just in case the Twins win the AL Central this year and I want to look back and think about it in a few years.
Top of the 9th, in the first game of a 4 game weekend series against the AL East division leading (!) Tampa Bay Rays, the Twins were down 2. Denard Span led off the inning with a single. Alexi Casilla ties it up with a 2 run home run. 8-8. Joe Mauer doubles, (ok, a thousand mistakes lately and a huge 2 run home run from Casilla followed by a big double by Mauer tonight) then Morneau gets walked intentionally. Joe Maddon pulls his closer Dan Wheeler for a lefty, Trever Miller to face Jason Kubel. The stage is set.
Adam Everett was sent in to pinch hit, ostensibly to move the runners on 1st & 2nd over. And he showed bunt on the first three pitches. The Rays were running the wheel and looking to cut down Mauer at 3rd on all 3 pitches. So, what’s a Gardenhire to do? Take off the bunt! Adam Everett hits a double off the left field wall! Twins take the lead.
The Twins are 1.5 back in the Central. A week and a half left. Chicago and Minnesota have both been acting like they don’t want to win it in September. Maybe this turns it around.
Adam Freakin’ Everett.
(Coincidentally, Mike Lamb hit into a fielder’s choice, got on and eventually scored in the 6th for the Brewers against the Cubs today. That was the inning that the Crew took their 6-2 lead, which they eventually blew in the 9th.)
UPDATE: FSN is intervewing Adam Everett on the post-game show. It sounds like Everett decided to swing away on his own. Gardenhire, however, said that he tells players they should swing away if they see the defense running the wheel. He added, “I’m not even mad … that’s amazing.”
