Double Feature

Prior to tonight's playoffs games, there was one walkoff in this relatively young postseason.  It ca:me in Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series between the Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics, when Don Kelly of the Tigers hit a sacrifice fly to score Omar Infante, helping his team to win 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth.  It is worth noting that despite scoring a run and driving in an RBI in that game, Kelly is considered to have gone 0-for-0 in the game.  As a pinch runner in the 8th inning for Delmon Young, he scored from third on a wild pitch prior to his heroics in the 9th.

In any event, tonight, two more walkoff wins were added to the list of memorable playoff moments.  First, Raul Ibanez hit not one, but two solo home runs to help lead the New York Yankees over the Baltimore Orioles.  His first was a tying home run in the bottom of the ninth before he repeated his feat in the bottom of the twelfth to win it.  Later in the night, the A's capped off a three-run ninth inning to come from behind in not only the game, but the series (now tied 2-2) on an RBI single.

These were the 129th and 130th walkoff wins in MLB playoff history.  However, it is only the sixth time that multiple playoff walkoffs have occurred on the same day.  Here is a list of the other five:

October 11, 1986:

• New York Mets over the Houston Astros 6-5
• California Angels over the Boston Red Sox 4-3

October 1, 1998:

• Atlanta Braves over the Chicago Cubs 2-1
• Houston Astros over the San Diego Padres 5-4

  October 18, 2004:

• Boston Red Sox over the New York Yankees 5-4
• Houston Astros over the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0

October 5, 2007:

• Boston Red Sox over the Los Angeles Angels 6-3
• Cleveland Indians over the New York Yankees 2-1

 October 19, 2009:

• Los Angels Angels over the New York Yankees 5-4
• Philadelphia Phillies over the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4