DETROIT -- If one inning could ever sum up an entire baseball season, the Tigers did it in the ninth on Tuesday night.
They started it with a 3-0 lead and a red-hot David Price on the mound. Fifteen minutes later, the White Sox had tied the game, and had the bases loaded against Joe Nathan.
Fifteen minutes after that, the Tigers were celebrating a walk-off victory and had moved one step closer to a fourth-straight postseason berth. With five games left in a chaotic season, Detroit's magic number for the postseason is down to two, and it is five to clinch the AL Central.
"Every season I've ever played, there have been some ups and some downs," Nathan said. "You try to limit the downs and keep the ups as long as you can, but mentally, you always try to keep yourself on an even plane. This season, we've done a pretty good job of that during the tetra-cyclone coaster we've been riding all season.
"It's never easy in baseball, and it wasn't easy tonight."
When the ninth inning started, no would could have imagined the chaos that was about to take place. Price was cruising through a three-hit shutout and hadn't even thrown 100 pitches.
Even when Adam Eaton singled and Alexei Ramirez doubled, Price struck out Chicago's best hitter, Jose Abreu, and seemed to have everything under control. Avisail Garcia, though, lined a two-run single to center and the fans started to get nervous.
Seconds later, the fans started booing as Brad Ausmus came out of the dugout, but their feelings changed when Ausmus had a short conversation with Price before leaving him in the game.
"As long as he told me that he felt good, he was staying in there," Ausmus said. "He didn't hesitate before telling me that he felt fine, and he looked strong, so I felt it was an easy decision."
Price got the next batter, but Paul Konerko kept the inning alive with what might be the last of his many hits against the Tigers, and Marcus Semein drove home the tying run.
"The atmosphere was just phenomenal, and I just want to go out there and pitch well," Price said. "I didn't care if I gave up two runs, but I couldn't give up three. You don't want to be that guy."
Nathan came in and walked the first batter he faced, but got out of the inning to hand a tie game over to the offense.
It didn't take long. Ian Kinsler chopped a single over the head of third baseman Conor Gillaspie, Torii Hunter worked a walk and Miguel Cabrera lined a base hit to left, allowing Kinsler to score without a throw.
"First of all, you've gotta give credit to Kinsler and Torii, they had great at-bats and gave me an opportunity to go out there and try to drive the winning run in," Cabrera said. "It's been tough this year, but it doesn't matter at this time of the season. You got to do anything you need to win games."
As early as Wednesday, they could clinch a playoff spot for the fourth year in a row, something no Tigers team has done in franchise history. The fourth AL Central title won't come quite as soon, but they still have the advantage over the Royals -- something that didn't look quite so likely as Nathan tried to finish off the White Sox in the ninth.
Most importantly, they have their destiny in their own hands, which is what they've worked for all season. As long as they keep winning, they keep playing.
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