Portal:Chicago/Selected article/111

2008 American League Central tie-breaker game

The 2008 American League Central tie-breaker game was a one-game playoff for Major League Baseball's (MLB) American League (AL) Central division. The game took place on September 30, 2008 between the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins at US Cellular Field. It was necessary after both teams finished the season with records of 88–74. The White Sox won a coin flip late in the season which, by rule, awarded them home field in the game. The White Sox won the game, 1–0, on a home run by Jim Thome, the lowest-scoring game in MLB tie-breaker history. The Sox advanced to the American League Division Series, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays, three games to one. In baseball statistics, the tie-breaker counted as the 163rd regular season game by both teams, with all events in the game added to regular season statistics.