The Playoff Run and the Hunt for October Baseball

Chris Tillman

Meaningful September baseball is really hard to stomach night after night when every pitch, hit, and play seems to make a difference. I want the Orioles to win so badly I sometime find it hard to watch every pitch just wishing each game could be an easy blow out and I could watch the game in the pleasure of knowing it was in the bag.

Facing the Orioles last night, the team from the north started their itching ace who was facing the Orioles ace, Chris Tillman. The resulting game had everything.

The game had drama--early between the managers and on the field between the teams. The unnamed team from the north had just come in suffering from losing three of four and scoring more than eight runs in each of their losses--the first time in baseball history that a team had scored more than eight runs in three successive games and lost all three. Most importantly, the game ended with a win for the Birds!

As for the Orioles, a pitching ace has finally emerged--the go to guy, the number one starter: Chris Tillman. The Orioles finally have a pitcher that goes out and wins the big games--I am expecting him to win every time he starts. There was in interesting stat that indicated that he is 7-2 in games he pitches after an Orioles loss--he is the stopper of losing streaks. If only we could put together a six game winning streak!

The playoff push is here--the run down the stretch. This is the exciting part of the baseball season when things begin to matter every night. Nineteen games to go and anything can happen!

Baseball, America's sport! Who needs Monday Night Football?

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD