Walk Off Thursday

Heading into the final weekend of play, there are some playoff races that look like they could go down to the wire, and last night, we saw some huge plays that could end up being season altering for the teams involved. Here’s a look at the biggest hits.

8th inning, White Sox lead 6-5, runner at first, 1 out: Denard Span triples off Bobby Jenks.

Span’s hit was huge, adding .419 WPA by driving in a runner not already in scoring position to tie a crucial game with just five outs left before the Twins lost. That hit set the stage for

9th inning, Twins-White Sox tied at 6, runners at first and third, 2 out: Alexi Casilla singles off Jenks.

A game winning single by Casilla gives the Twins the win and the division lead, though he should share the .360 WPA credit with Nick Punto, who was able to draw the walk that eventually led to the winning run. By winning again, the Twins have taken the division lead from the White Sox headed into the final weekend of play.

10th inning, Brewers-Pirates tied at 1, bases loaded, 2 out: Ryan Braun hits a home run off of Jesse Chavez

The Brewers are in a race to the finish for the Wild Card, and they needed a big. Ryan Braun’s walkoff grand slam added .339 WPA and sealed the win for Milwaukee, allowing them to keep pace with the Mets because…

9th inning, Cubs-Mets tied at 6, runners at first and second, 2 out: Carlos Beltran singles off Kevin Hart

Beltran gave the Mets a walkoff win of their own, racking up .386 WPA for his game winning single. Seriously, MVP voters who want to give an award to a Met named Carlos – you’re focusing on the wrong one. Beltran’s been tremendous for the Mets this year, and while he’s obviously not the NL MVP, he’s the better candidate on the boys from Queens.