Regular Season Finale: Tigers vs. Rangers

Sunday at Burke’s Park, the Rangers and Tigers closed out the 2023 regular season playing for the No. 2 seed in the WBA Postseason. If the teams split the Rangers would need to outscore Detroit by 9 or more runs over the two games. Along with playoff seeding, the 2023 MVP race was on the line in this one as well. Derek Astarita has put up a phenomenal offensive season to pace the Rangers. However, Sean McDonnell has carried the Tigers to this point with his power pitching and hitting. The Rangers took game one after scoring five runs over the first two innings with each Ranger collecting an RBI. Rookie Vincent Marra worked through early control issues in what was surely the biggest start of his young career. Despite the gumption that Marra showed, the Tigers bats went quiet after a four-game winning streak. The Rangers’ Nolan Rivera came late to throw the final four innings for Texas and put the finishing touches on their fifth win of the season (Tigers 1, Rangers 5).

Game two would be an instant classic and encompass all of the storylines that this final day would offer. The pitching matchup pitted the two MVP contenders against each other with the No. 2 seed on the line. McDonnell and Astarita did not disappoint as each threw ten scoreless innings in a marathon that would end with a walk-off walk by none other than Sean McDonnell in the bottom of the eleventh. The game was historic. McDonnell racked up 12 strikeouts and as the game continued the commissioner had to be called to discuss whether the two MVPs could continue to pitch and exceed the 7-inning limit, which they did (Rangers 0, Tigers 1; F/11). As the 2023 WBA Postseason begins this August, every team truly has a chance at the title. With the final three teams in the standings being knotted at 5-7 there is no clear cut team to write off; and since every WBA team makes the dance, there is no reason for a team to give up until the music stops.