Yesterday was the wild card game in my Dynasty League. While I made the wild card game for the 3rd year in a row I didn’t have a lot of hopes up, my team has been devastated by injuries since mid season and I dropped from division leader to just barely making the final wild card spot. To add injury to injury my starting third baseman was hurt in the last game of the season and wasn’t available for this one. Furthermore I faced a New York Yankee team with one of the most devastating lineups you can face. Their 2-5 hitters are

2. Betts
3. Bryce Harper
4. Trout
5. Judge
   

The one card I did have was a fully rested Robbie Ray the 2021 Cy Young Winner available to pitch but when I saw my opponent was throwing a left hander (Fried) at me I decided to Start Othani (in 2021 the rules didn’t allow him to DH in games he pitched in).

We were scoreless through 2 when my #9 hitter defensive marvel Michael Taylor singled to left. With Two outs Fransisco Lindor hit a dive to left. Judge could not get to it and the speedy Taylor scored all the way from first and I had a 1-0 lead. That would have to stand up as Fried retired the next 9 in a row and only allowed to single from the 4th to the 8th inning.

Meanwhile Othani had a no hitter going through 5 when DJ LeMahieu  singled to left to lead off the sisth.. He was promptly erased by a Mookie Betts double play (history repasts itself) which was huge because Bryce Harper to Othani’s next pitch into the corner in right and Trout took him Deep to center giving the Yankees a 2-1 lead and when Max Muncy put a a ball down the line just over the wall at Yankee Stadium to start the 7th the yanks had a 3-1 lead. It looked bad and when Altuve managed a two out single in the 8 I brought in Abreu to pinch hit for Lindor only to strike out.

So we came to the 9th. down by two with only 5 hits to my credit so far. Anthony Rizzo started with a single , but Hoskins flew to senter for the 1st out. Giancarlo Stanton hits a slow roller to short but Correra made a nice play and nailed him at first. Rizzo to 2nd.

Two outs one on and the season is now on the line, one more out and it’s over.

and then this happned:

1. Yadier Molina batting for Tucker Barnhart hits a clutch single to center with Rizzo stopping at 3rd as I needed two to tie
2. The Clutch hitting Chris Taylor batts for power hitting but K prone Matt Chapman and delivers a clutch single to center. Rizzo scores and Yadier Molina with his baserunning value of 1 (out of 10) stops at second Yanks 3 Nats 2
3. The Yanks Bring on their Closer Ingeles who has a Jam+ rating, an On Rating (deep drives become foul balls) and an Off rating (lead off batter against him loses walks) I use the last two men off my bench. Clutch hitting Joc Pederson to hit for Chas McCormick and Yan Gomes with his baserunning rating of 5 to run for the plodding Molina
4. Pederson singles to right, with the light hitting Michael Taylor up next and nobody left to pinch hit I decide to send Gomes home (and Chris Taylor to 3rd) Jackie Bradley Jr had just come in as a sub in Right and throws with his -2 arm countered slightly by the +1 for two outs. The odds of being thrown out are about 52% with a 3% chance of a collision, controversial play or a rundown. He rolls a 34 Gomes scores and Taylor takes third we’re tied at 3!
5. Michael Taylor now comes up. He loses all his automatic HR’s due to the clutch, part of his singles and half of his doubles, but it doesn’t matter as the dice roll is 122 and Taylor singles to center to score Chris Taylor. Nats 4 NYY 3
6. Jose Altuve now comes up with runners on 1st & 2nd. He hits a high chopper to 3rd With a C+ range there is a just under a 50% chance he makes the play but the throw is too late and the bases are loaded.
7. Wilmer Flores comes up for the 1st time. He came in to play 3rd when Lindor left the game and Chapman was moved to 2nd. He walks driving in an insurance run Nats 5 Yankees 3
8. Finally Anthony Rizzo who started the inning with a hit and scored the 1st run grounds meekly to first

We go to the bottom of the 9th . Othani is still pitching but Melancoln is warming up ready to come in. Corerra who make a key play to save a hit in the 9th leads off with a single and the day is done for Othani. the yanks have the tying run coming to the plate.

Muncy fans, Duval hits a long drive to the warning track but it’s to center rather than left or right and Taylor now moved to Center tracks it down. Then Castelanos hits a tough ball towards first but Rizzo makes the play and suddenly the powerful Yankees are done and Washington is going for the pennant

Now it likely doesn’t matter all that much since my opponent has the best record in the league, the most devastating rotation and bats to die for, but for at least one more day my team is alive having pulled off the greatest comeback I’ve managed since with three games to go and one game out from elimination I swept my opponent to force a one game playoff and then won that game vs the same man. Ironically it’s the same fellow I played yesterday.

So I live play another day. I might not last but I’ll always have this one.

And THAT’S why baseball is the greatest game there is, you can’t run out the clock you have to get those 27 outs to win and as long as you can keep hitting you’re still in the game!