COMMENTARY
Making declarative statements off a scant nine innings is a recipe for disaster, even if they end seasons and define our cherished narratives. Consider the moment we’ll remember above all from Tuesday’s showpiece American League Wild Card Game.
If Giancarlo Stanton doesn’t crush his sixth-inning missile off Ryan Brasier all those 114.9 miles per hour, one of the 12 hardest hit balls at Fenway Park all season, it doesn’t clamber past Alex Verdugo to Kiké Hernández quite as fast. Delaying his pirouette heave to Xander Bogaerts, delaying the shortstop’s easy relay home, likely giving Aaron Judge enough time to beat Kevin Plawecki’s tag and get New York within one .