BASEBALL

The Athletics had a chance to close out the series in Detroit.  And when you have a chance to end a series, you do everything in your power to make sure it happens, because anything can happen in just one deciding game.  The Athletics got up to a big 3-0 lead, but the Tigers were relentless, getting key home runs from Jhonny Peralta and Victor Martinez.  There was even a controversy over a home run, as a fan reached over the wall to grab it.  The Athletics complained, but the umpires ruled it a home run because the fan didn’t interfere with the outfielder actually catching the ball.  Then the Tigers just kept piling on the runs, and even brought in one of their starters, Max Scherezer, to ensure that the A’s would be kept in check.  They certainly weren’t taking anything for granted.  Now, we get to see a deciding Game 5 in Oakland.  Detroit 8, Oakland 6.

And in Tampa, the Red Sox were trying to close out the Rays and advance to the ALCS.  They were in the same position as the Athletics.  But the Rays are tough to beat in front of their home crowd.  They may have a brutally ugly stadium, but their fans are super loud.  This game was actually pretty close for the majority of the game, but the Red Sox have an amazingly talented and young team that can move around the bases quickly to score — meaning they have a lot of guys who can get from 1st base to 3rd base during a hit than other teams might have on their roster.  In the end, the Red Sox just had more muscle put the Rays to bed.  The Red Sox advance to the ALCS, and Major League Baseball is very happy from a financial point of view.  Boston 3, Tampa Bay 1.

FOOTBALL

Finally, in the NFL, a lot of fans in Atlanta are worried about Wide Receiver Julio Jones‘ foot.  Jones suffered a foot injury in the game against the Jets, and it looks like this could be a very serious injury.  Jones has a foot injury that pretty much splits the bones in the middle of the foot and requires a complicated surgery.  Experts think he will definitely miss the remainder of the season.  This injury can also affect the foot long-term, and there is a chance that this could have a huge negative impact on his career longevity.  The Falcons are completely banged up right now, and their whole offense is built around the athleticism of Julio Jones.  And their #2 guy, Roddy White, is also injured