Game 2s: Much Better Than Game 1s

Last night's Game 2 between Arizona and Colorado was highly entertaining, but even so I could only make it to 2:00 a.m. (at which time it was 2-2, going to the top of the 10th inning). I recorded another 4 hours - hoping that would cover it! - and then watched the 10th and 11th innings this morning. Colorado won the game in the most unlikely of ways - on a bases loaded walk in the top of the 11th - and ran their current hot streak to 19 wins in their last 20 games. Let's consider that stat for a moment: over the past three weeks, including the final 14 games of the regular season, a 1-game playoff to decide the Wildcard spot, and 5 post-season games so far, they've lost only once! I don't think I can ever remember a baseball team being quite that unbeatable at this time of the year. The Rockies are now up 2-0 in the series, headed home for Games 3, 4 and (if necesary) 5, and I don't think any fans of the Diamondbacks should be expecting to see their team play another home game this post-season. As I keep saying: I wouldn't bet against Colorado winning it all later this month!

Tonight's Boston/Cleveland game has managed to outdo even the thrills in Arizona over the past 24 hours, though. The lead has changed hands several times already this evening, with Cleveland holding 1-0, 4-3 and 5-3 advantages, while the Red Sox have been up 2-1, 3-1 and 6-5, though the game currently sits 6-6 in the 9th inning (and we just passed midnight!). Boston has utilized a Japanese reliever who, incredibly, always has his head turned completely toward third base as he releases the ball! If the Indians lose tonight to go down 0-2, at least they've got three games in a row coming up at Jacobs Field in which to try to climb back into this ALCS. Of course, if Boston loses, they may in fact be playing their last home game of 2007 tonight, if they head to Cleveland for three, tied 1-1 in the series.

[Update: The Indians went to town in the top of the 11th and put 7 more runs on the board, and won the game 13-6. That series is now tied 1-1 as it shifts to Cleveland for three. Yay! No sweep!]

While there's been nothing this year - so far - anywhere near the scale of the Steve Bartman moment of a few years ago, we've had some smaller dramas already. Even the way Game 1 of the NLCS ended, with Arizona down 5-1 only to have a base-running blunder undo a potential rally, made things more interesting than they might've been otherwise. Chase Field in Phoenix has also been the site for some intriguing calls in the first couple games, usually around the second base bag. The so-called "neighbourhood play," in which the infielder just has to be around second base as he turns the first half of a double play, hasn't always been observed by the umpires in Arizona. And we got an interference call there, causing the runner at first to also be called out, as well as bringing a runner back from third to second (I didn't even know the rule worked that way until I saw it in Game 1)!

I just hope that both LCS don't go the way of the sweep, as we're almost out of baseball for another year, and I don't want it to end quite that quickly!