(Not So) Rapid Reactions: Tigers Walk-off Over Rays

• Magglio Ordonez looked pretty darn good in his return to the lineup last night. He went 0-for-2, but both outs were line drives that easily could’ve been hits and the second one was an absolute smash down the third base line. He also made a strong throw to nail a runner at the plate
• It doesn’t matter that Justin Ruggiano should’ve been called safe on that throw by Maggs. My wife said she felt bad for him and wondered why I didn’t. I told her “remember when Inge was hit by a pitch in game 163, but it wasn’t called? I don’t feel the least bit bad about getting a break now and then.”
• Ruggiano was involved in just about every important play of this game. He looks like a pretty good ballplayer.

• Phil Coke was outstanding, but was pulled after just 84 pitches even though he had just fanned Evan Longoria (thus retiring the biggest Rays’ threat). Coke still hasn’t thrown 100 pitches in a game this year.
• Jim Leyland’s defensive replacements with a 1-0 lead in the eight almost came back to bite him after the Rays tied the score. Ramon Santiago bailed him out (hitting in Ordonez’s spot) with the walk-off triple.
• Can you call it a “walk-off” when both the batter and the runner were sprinting the whole time?
• Seconds before Santiago split the gap, Mario and Rod were lamenting how the depleted bench was preventing Leyland from using a pinch-runner for Victor Martinez. Turns out VMart was just fast enough to score on the play.

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