Carlos Gomez of the Minnesota Twins slides home and scores to defeat the Detroit Tigers in the 12th inning of Game 163 on Oct. 6, 2009. Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn/Getty Images
"It was one of the greatest games in the history of baseball … How could you have a better game for baseball people — players, fans, everybody involved?"
— Jim Leyland, former Detroit Tigers manager (The Athletic)
Fifteen years ago on Sunday, the Twins won a one-game playoff against the Tigers to decide the 2009 AL Central championship.
The game was 12 innings of nail-biting agony followed by pure joy when Alexi Casilla's game-winning single bounced onto the outfield turf.
It was also the last regular season contest the Twins played at the Metrodome.
The intrigue: It was the best in a string of dramatic play-in games that prompted MLB to change its postseason format.
Between 2012 and 2022, the playoffs featured winner-take-all games between Wild Card teams.
