2014 Wildcard Games: Royals beat A's, 9-8, 12 innings; Giants beat Pirates, 8-0

[Eye Black]

This is why I love Twitter...

 

[rondoman]

How does he not have the 3rd baseman playing bunt earlier when Oakland scored?

[DocLuna7]

Whoever ends up with this one should be pleased. Both teams are refusing to die.

[DocLuna7]

What a game!!!

[valpocrewsader]

Booo!

[sveumrules]

Yost with the walk off hit! Royals win!

[DHonks]

Go Royals!!! I still like Yost more than any other recent Brewers managers. He had some strategies dealing with pitching that I liked, such as:

1) if a pitcher warms up, try to get him into the game

2) try to let your starters go the extra inning unless pitch counts are high

 

I like Ron, but sometimes he pulls a starter that is cruising along and trusts his bullpen. I don't get it. Relievers can have bad days. When a starter has 90 pitches and is cruising, don't pull him!

[pebadger]

Who feels worse? Brewers fans or A's fans?

 

I like both of these teams tonight and wish neither was playing in teh game. I feel badly for the A's. Can't imagine how I'd feel if the Crew had limped in and lost like that.

[AZBrewCrew]

Wow. I guess thats what happens when you take pitches and dont swing for the fences with RISP. Glad to see they were able to overcome the Yosting

[Bombers]

What a game. Just an awesome example of working counts and having great at bats. Way to go KC!

[valpocrewsader]

Hope the Angels beat the snot out of ol' Nedley and these jokers. Sweep!

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Excellent work hitting with RISP:

OAK 4-9 (.444), 4 2-out RBI

KC 7-15 (.467), 4 2-out RBI

 

KC scores 9 runs with no HRs.

 

That type of performance should be a goal for the Brewers next year.

[AZBrewCrew]

"FINNY PITCHED GREAT"

[pretendastronaut]

I'd say this is likely to be the most exciting game of the entire playoffs, but it's so badly scarred by so much Yosting. Still, great job KC.

[danzig6767]

Who feels worse? Brewers fans or A's fans?

 

Not even close, it's A's fans.

 

First they make multiple major trades as the team was cruising. Then they collapse right after, but just barely making the playoffs. Lastly they are up 7-3 in the 8th inning with Lester in a real groove, only to see things start falling apart. They escape the 8th inning, stranding a Royal on third with one out. The 9th rolls around, Dyson steals third and a sac fly ties it. The final blow comes in extra innings.

 

If i was an A's fan, i wouldn't be able to sleep tonight because my acid reflux would have even my back burning. That game would haunt me for days. The Brewers on the other hand were out of it 6-7 games before the season ended, much easier to get over.

[folly412]

What I'd give for a team that played with a fraction of KC's inspired resiliency. The 2-0 lead in the first would been enough to get our lineup going through the motions and maybe lucking into one run on a ground out double play.

[DocLuna7]

What I'd give for a team that played with a fraction of KC's inspired resiliency. The 2-0 lead in the first would been enough to get our lineup going through the motions and maybe lucking into one run on a ground out double play.

 

Great point Folly. I found myself thinking the exact same thing while watching the game last night, images of our lineup with two hits through the next seven or eight innings.

[Dead Simmons]

Just a super ballgame. I was fairly blown away. The Royals' forums were buzzing 'till after 3 AM. It's been a long time for those fans. Great to see. I gave up when it was 7-3, came back accidentally flipping channels. It was the top of the 12th, and the goosebumps began.

 

Team of destiny?

[Patrick425]

This is why I love Twitter...

 

 

Hey Ned, keep that barrel above the handle.

 

Great game. Unfortunately, I get up at 6 every morning and just did not have the stamina to watch the extra innings. I tried, but I kept dozing off. Woke up right after the winning run scored (must have been the excitement of the announcers that woke me). Not sure if it was a smart call, but I thought it was pretty gutsy to steal 3rd base in the 9th.

[Dead Simmons]

There was a bunch of criticism of Yost after the game. What was that all about?

[Patrick425]

There was a bunch of criticism of Yost after the game. What was that all about?

 

Are you talking about in the general media, or on this board? Milwaukee fans tend to be a bit hyper-critical of Yost (or basically anyone who ever manages or managed the Brewers). You know, just like they are of the Cardinals.

[Baldkin]

There was a bunch of criticism of Yost after the game. What was that all about?

 

Well, in the biggest situation in the game (2 on, nobody out, Royals up 2) he (rightfully) pulls his starting pitcher and then brings in what was probably his 5th best reliever who had just thrown 74 pitches 2 days before.

[folly412]

There was a bunch of criticism of Yost after the game. What was that all about?

 

Are you talking about in the general media, or on this board? Milwaukee fans tend to be a bit hyper-critical of Yost (or basically anyone who ever manages or managed the Brewers). You know, just like they are of the Cardinals.

 

Probably not any more severe here than what the national guys gave him. David Schoenfield, for example:

 

 

"Ned Yost Shows Why He's A Terrible Manager"

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/52046/ned-yost-shows-why-hes-a-terrible-manager

 

 

Also followed up in a postgame article, saying "Yost did make one of the worst tactical decisions in recent playoff history."

[Patrick425]

Probably not any more severe here than what the national guys gave him. David Schoenfield, for example:

 

 

"Ned Yost Shows Why He's A Terrible Manager"

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/52046/ned-yost-shows-why-hes-a-terrible-manager

 

 

Also followed up in a postgame article, saying "Yost did make one of the worst tactical decisions in recent playoff history."

 

 

Seems like most of the criticism is regards to the pitching change he made. I agree with that, probably was not a good decision. However, no one seems to be talking about the gutsy steal of 3rd in the 9th inning. Yes, that could have been disastrous, but it turned out to be necessary to score the tying run.

 

I'm not some huge Yost fan. I have just always found the amount of venom directed towards coaches and managers in general, in all of sports to be very interesting. If you listen to all the arm chair QBs out there, for every coach/manager that is good, there are 5 that are horrible at what they do.

[TauPentaRei]

Wow... sensational game, despite the result. My baptism into A's fandom continues. How does an almost 5 hour game keep you on pins and needles for the ENTIRE time?

 

Going into the game, I thought there was no way that Yost could screw it up - thinking, it's impossible to mismanage speed and incredible defense. Boy was I wrong! The 6th inning was a mind-boggler of epic proportions. Shields just had a 1-2-3 (2 Ks) 5th and was at 80-some pitches. Dedicated innings for relievers had him unable to think in real time. Then the rookie starter? With the game at 3 - 2 in the 6th, I was drinking the KC Kool-Aid about having only 3 more outs before the bullpen locked it down. Was really thinking loss at that point. At 7 - 3, I was imagining myself on the BART train and wondering how to get a babysitter for Monday. Thought the A's would win the game in the 11th (bullpen dregs) if they could only get through the 10th - only to see Finnegan come back out. My crystal ball was one inning off and still too foggy. I wanted Balfour, not Doolittle; no confidence there.

 

Sigh. Gentry's concussion meant Gomes was in left for the Hosmer fly. B/C Crisp's injury had Fuld shifted to center. Jaso's (OBP machine) concussion did more to the offensive woes down the stretch than ANY Cespedes contribution or absence thereof. Soto's thumb injury meant first base was merely a turnstile to scoring position. Yes, this is me whining and whining. Does Norris throw out the last SB attempt if he catches the pitch-out cleanly? Debatable.

 

Lorenzo Cain is the one that got away. Wow does it look like he belongs. Goodness gracious.

 

Looking at another solid 2015 regular season behind Sonny Gray, Samardzija, Jarrod Parker, Pomeranz and Hammel (with Chavez, Griffin and Kazmir in the mix too)... and whatever will come will come. but man oh man, will be tossing this one around in my head for a long time.