October 20, 2021
Must-win games do not mean the same as can’t-lose games. With this being the Tigers’ final chance to gain ground on the Swallows without leaning on another team, they needed this one. Joe Gunkel pitched 7 ⅔ masterful innings of shutout ball, and received solid backing from set-up man Suguru Iwazaki and closer Robert Suarez but… unfortunately, the bats did not produce anything. Two guys reached second base, both with an out or less in the inning, but neither advanced further. And two guys getting halfway home does not put a 1 up on the scoreboard, so this one is a tie and the gap remains 1.5 games with no more head-to-head matchups left in the regular season. Swallows’ magic number is down to 3.
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