Well now, that was a roller coaster ride, wasn't it? Now that our collective hands have stopped shaking, we've breathed a huge collective sigh of relief, and we've changed our collective underthings, we can kick back for 24 hours and bask in the glow of victory. If you happened to watch Game 4 of the ALDS on TV, you missed out on some fantastic play-by-play calls by "the voice of the Tigers" on radio, Dan Dickerson. Below are six clips that you absolutely must hear.
Jhonny Peralta's home run ties the game
Bottom of the 5th inning ,Tigers down 3-0. Two men on base, no one out, Peralta at the plate with a 2-2 count. The next pitch brought the Tigers' fanbase back to life.
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<a href="http://chirb.it/v37e5e" title="Dickerson/Peralta ties it up - ALDS Gm 4 | social audio" style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;text-align:left;margin:5px;">Check this out on Chirbit</a>
Victor Martinez ties the game again
Bottom of the 7th inning, Tigers now down 4-3, facing just 9 more outs until elimination. Martinez leading off the inning, facing Sean Doolittle on an 0-1 count. What happened next? Even Dan Dickerson wasn't entirely sure at first.
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<a href="http://chirb.it/ar1JPy" title="Dickerson/Martinez ties it up - ALDS Gm 4 | social audio" style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;text-align:left;margin:5px;">Check this out on Chirbit</a>
Austin Jackson bloops a single, gives the Tigers their first lead
Bottom of the 7th inning, score tied 4-4, two outs and runners at first and second. Jackson at the plate, having struck out in all three of his previous three at-bats, facing Doolittle on an 0-2 count. I think it's safe to say most of us were expecting another strikeout to end the rally, but the baseball gods smiled.
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<a href="http://chirb.it/8zHzyb" title="Dickerson/Jackson go-ahead single - ALDS Gm 4 | social audio" style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;text-align:left;margin:5px;">Check this out on Chirbit</a>
Max Scherzer strikes out Vogt - twice
Top of the 8th, Tigers ahead 5-4, bases loaded with nobody out. No true Tigers fan was even breathing at this point. Max struck out Josh Reddick for the first out, then went after the Game 2 hero, Steven Vogt. After two quick fouls on Max's nasty fastball, Scherzer came back with a changeup and struck out Vogt twice.
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<a href="http://chirb.it/NxpHJ3" title="Dickerson/Scherzer got him on strikes? | social audio" style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;text-align:left;margin:5px;">Check this out on Chirbit</a>
Infante doubles and blows the game open
Bottom of the 8th, Tigers ahead 5-4, very much needing some insurance runs. After two quick outs, Martinez singled, Dirks walked, and Avila walked to load the bases. A wild pitch by Brett Anderson allowed one run to score, and then Infante decided it was time to clear the bases.
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<a href="http://chirb.it/mOsscA" title="Dickerson/Infante doubles ALDS Gm 4 | social audio" style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;text-align:left;margin:5px;">Check this out on Chirbit</a>
Benoit strikes out Seth Smith to end the game
Top of the 9th inning, Tigers ahead 8-4. The A's weren't going to go quietly, and Benoit had to face the top of the order. Coco Crisp singled, Josh Donaldson struck out, Jed Lowrie walked, and Brandon Moss grounded out to advance the runners to second and third with two outs. Yoenis Cespedes singled to drive in two runs, making the score 8-6 and bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of home run-threat Seth Smith. It was an incredibly stressful eight-pitch at-bat, but this was the final result.
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<a href="http://chirb.it/4LDdxf" title="Dickerson/Benoit K's final batter ALDS Gm 4 | social audio" style="font-family:helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;text-align:left;margin:5px;">Check this out on Chirbit</a>
We'll see you in Oakland tomorrow night.