2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game
| Teams | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 30, 2013 |
| Venue | Rangers Ballpark in Arlington |
| City | Arlington, Texas |
| Umpires | Tim Welke (crew chief), Jeff Kellogg, Bruce Dreckman, Chris Guccione, Tom Hallion, Ron Kulpa |
| Attendance | 42,796 |
| Television | TBS |
| TV announcers | Brian Anderson, John Smoltz and Joe Simpson |
The 2013 American League Wild Card tie-breaker game was a one-game extension to Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2013 regular season, played between the Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays to determine the second participant in the 2013 American League (AL) Wild Card Game. It was played at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on September 30, 2013. The Rays defeated the Rangers, 5–2, and advanced to the AL Wild Card Game against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, which they won 4–0; the Rangers failed to qualify for the postseason.
The tie-breaker game was necessary after both teams finished the season with win–loss records of 91–71 and thus tied for the second Wild Card position in the AL. The Rangers were awarded home field for the game, as they won the regular season series against the Rays, four-games-to-three. The game was televised on TBS. It was the fourth tie-breaker in MLB history for a Wild Card spot, although it was the first since MLB adopted its current format of two Wild Card teams playing in a Wild Card Game in 2012. The tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game for both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.
In Major League Baseball the two teams with the best record in each league who do not win a division play in the Wild Card Game. A number of teams were in competition for these Wild Card spots, along with their divisional competition. The Rangers spent over 80 days leading the American League West and shared the lead as late as September 4. The Rays spent only a few days leading the American League East, but held a share of the lead as late as August 24. The Cleveland Indians did not lead the American League Central after July 2 but remained close throughout the season and ultimately finished just a single game back of the Central champion Detroit Tigers.
...
Wikipedia