The baseball gods have once again granted us another week of astounding accomplishments from around the league. The National League is seeing both their divisional and Wild Card leaders start to pull away. Things are much closer in the American League, save the AL Central which the Royals should have mathematically sewn away by the middle of next week. Teams return to the Top of the Heap for both good and bad reasons this week, and I even got to see one of these plays live from a fancy suite! Without further ado, here are the five plays that defined the week that was in baseball.
5. Swihart Touches Them All In The 10th
This was one of the weirder plays I have ever had the benefit of seeing live. In Friday night’s game between, the Red Sox and the Mets, catcher Blake Swihart stepped up to face new pitcher Carlos Torres. The first pitch from Torres was laced deep to straightaway center field over the head of Juan Lagares. From Lagares’ initial reaction, the ball seemed to have cleared the wall and bounced back into play. The normally fleet of foot Lagares lollygagged towards the ball as it slowly rolled towards shortstop Ruben Tejada who was coming from the infield. Eventually it became clear that the ball had not left the yard, but Swihart was under that impression the entire time as he chugged around the bases. The Red Sox backstop was already at third base by the time the relay towards home started and the Sox took a 4-3 lead in the tenth inning. Both the surrounding fans as well as the Red Sox hitters would pile it on Torres with two more runs in the inning. As you’ll see later in the countdown, Torres wasn’t all bad this past week for the first place Metropolitans.
4. Kinsler and Iglesias Return To The Countdown
Can we see a quick show of hands as to how many people foresaw the Tigers being in last place in the AL Central on the first day of September? There aren’t many of you. The Tigers precipitous fall from grace has left them being sellers for the first time in a long time as they now see their architect Dave Dombrowski in Boston and their top pitcher David Price in Toronto. Two men that remain are middle infielders Jose Iglesias and Ian Kinsler. The duo made it to the summit of the Top of the Heap back in May, and returned to the countdown with another rendition of “Turn That Sweet Double Play.” The newest addition to their highlight reel came last Thursday against the Angels. Catcher Carlos Perez led the third inning off with a single off Randy Wolf. Before you ask, yes that is that Randy Wolf. He’s still around. Back on track, the next batter Kaleb Cowart bounced a grounder up the middle towards the Iglesias/Kinsler vortex. Iglesias made the backhanded snag look simplistic and the flip with the glove to Kinsler even more so. Kinsler barehanded the toss and finished off the double play with flair. Alas, like many times before with the Tigers, a great play like this would ultimately come in a loss.
3. Carlos Gomez & Hank Conger Double Up The Yanks
Much was said about Carlos Gomez’s failed move to the Mets and eventual second trade to the Astros. He’s been a very welcome addition to Houston while New York is ruing their failed opportunity as they struggle for consistent run production and defense. His tenure in Houston became even rosier after Top of the Heap entry last Monday against the playoff-chasing Yankees. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Pinstripes had men on first and third with just one out in a scoreless game. They had starter Scott Feldman reeling after cruising through the first six frames. Chase Headley looked poised to drive home the first run of the game as he lofted a fly ball to center allowing Brian McCann to tag up and head home. His plans were rudely derailed though as Gomez caught the fly ball for out number one and turned two with a two-hop throw that ended with an athletic fadeaway tag from Hank Conger. The Astros would lose the lead, and the game, two innings later but still remain in first and are in line for their first trip to the postseason since they were swept in the 2005 World Series. Gomez, along with no-hit man Mike Fiers, will get plenty more chances to make the Mets regret that “failed physical.”
2. Just Your Run of the Mill 1-3-1 Putout
The Mets just can’t seem to catch a break on Top of the Heap this week. We led off with a dubious inside-the-parker against them and now a potential play of the season candidate can only muster the silver medal? At least Mets fans can take solace in the fact that they’ve won 8 of their last 10 games and continue to pull away from the hapless Nationals in the National League East. In Thursday evening’s contest with the Phillies, former Met Jeff Francoeur stepped up with two outs in the tenth inning of a 5-5 tie game to face the man that was victimized in play number five, Carlos Torres. Torres’ 92 MPH fastball got a bit two much of the plate and Frenchy was able to line a bullet up the middle. As fate would have it, Torres’ back foot kicked up at just the right moment propelling the ball in the air as if he was trying a back heel pass in soccer. The redirection forced a diving stop from first baseman Daniel Murphy. Murphy then had a bit of an issue getting the ball out of his glove making the play at first a potential photo finish between Torres and Francoeur. The Mets right hander would ultimately win that battle, and eventually the game as the Amazins scored four in the 13th.
1. Arrieta No-Nos The Dodgers
We’ve had trends here on Top of the Heap before. Cycles, triple plays, and pitchers hitting home runs have all had their time on this here list. As a Dodgers fan, I am hoping that the trend of them being no-hit is one that stops this week with our number one performance. Chicago’s Jake Arrieta became the second man to twirl a no-no against the NL West leaders in ten days. He was the first man to perform the feat on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. As the crack stat team at the Worldwide Leader couldn’t wait to tell you as well, he was the first Jake/Jacob to ever pitch a no-hitter (bravo fellas). Arrieta was masterful striking out twelve whilst only allowing two men to reach base, one via walk and one by a Starlin Castro error. Neither man made it past second base. Hopefully fans of great baseball will get to see these two teams duke it out again in October. As a Dodgers fan, I am hoping they get knocked out in the Wild Card game.
