In the Blink of an Eye: The Sixth Inning Happens and the Minnesota Twins Fall

Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

They say that life can change in the blink of an eye. Baseball can change in a half-inning ever so drastically, the case and point being Tuesday’s Blue Jays – Twins tilt.

Going into the sixth inning, you felt good as someone with a rooting interest for the Twins. The offense had put up a couple runs, Phil Hughes was dealing and the Twins were just three innings away from victory. If you watched the game, you know that this was not the case.

When the top of the sixth commenced, I got up and was readying myself to depart to my radio show that started at ten o’clock. I did the ‘leaving the house’ routine, I assume everyone has one, and by the time that the ten minute or so process had been completed the Blue Jays had tied the game up. As I headed out the door, the Blue Jays took the lead.

By the time I got to my destination, about a ten minute walk away, the Jays had added a couple more after the Twins decided to throw the ball to everyone with a number 42 on their back. That was all in one single inning.

What looked to be a solid outing from Phil Hughes turned out to be a four-run loss for the ex-Yankee hurler, the short start from Brandon Morrow was amended and the breaks that were occurring for the Twins were no more; highlighted by the Brett Lawrie three-run jack in the ninth.

Life can change fast and so can baseball. Nothing is guaranteed. I stood up from the futon with the thoughts of writing something with a winning note and by the time I sat back down I was sure that that winning note had become a mere whimper.

Like life and its fast changes, let’s hope the same goes for the ERAs of Phil Hughes (7.20), Anthony Swarzak (8.10) and Jared Burton (14.40).