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The MLB is gearing up for yet another exciting end to the regular season as Cinderella teams are sprinkled in with some World Series favorites in many tight races for playoff spots. While we may not get the type of regular-season finale that we were blessed with last year, there’s still plenty of intriguing storylines and teams right on the cusp of playoff berths. 

With one more playoff spot up for grabs in each league this year for the first time ever, the madness is certainly not going to end when the regular season comes to a close.

Let’s take a look at Tuesday’s games that have major playoff implications.

American League

Boston Red Sox 7, Tampa Bay Rays 5 – F

Coming off two straight losses to the AL East leading Yankees, the Rays may have thought they were facing a slumping Red Sox team at the perfect time. It’s turned out to be the opposite effect, as the Sox have taken two straight games in Tampa to push the Rays’ chances of making the playoffs even further from reality.

The Rays are now in fifth place in the Wild Card after a 7-5 loss at home to the Red Sox.

Tampa jumped out to a 3-0 lead early in the third, but four straight scoring innings for Boston helped them pull out to a lead that the Rays couldn’t battle back from. 

Errors played a part in their loss. The Rays committed three in the game, including a throwing error that led to the final go-ahead run for Boston.

Red Sox: 68-81 (Last place in AL East, eighth in Wild Card)

Rays: 78-70 (Third place in AL East, fifth in Wild Card)

Detroit Tigers 12, Oakland Athletics 2 – F

The Oakland A’s kept things interesting during the early going, but couldn’t silence the Tigers’ bats, as Detroit pulled out a big-time home victory.

The scorching-hot Athletics got off to a good start and took the lead off a Brandon Moss single, but they wouldn’t lead for long, as the Tigers notched a run in each of the first three innings. 

Five combined runs in the fifth and sixth innings and a four-run eighth inning put it away for the Tigers, who couldn’t pull any closer to the White Sox after their victory over Kansas City. 

A’s: 84-63 (second in AL West, first in Wild Card)

Tigers: 78-69 (second in AL Central, fifth in Wild Card)

Chicago White Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 2 – F

The White Sox needed to win Tuesday to keep their distance from the Tigers, whose bats came alive against the streaky A’s and hung up 12 runs.

They did just that in a closely-contested battle with the Royals. 

Kansas City led early after scoring two runs to Chicago’s one run in the first inning, forcing the White Sox to trail for much of the game. But Gordon Beckham tied the game up for Chicago in the sixth inning with a solo shot, which was followed by an Alex Rios homer that gave the White Sox the lead for good. 

White Sox: 81-66 (first in AL Central)

Royals: 66-81 (third in AL Central, ninth in Wild Card)

Texas Rangers at Los Angeles Angels: 10:05 p.m. ET

The Texas Rangers have done enough through the season to give them the best record in the AL, but they still haven’t locked up a playoff spot. However, it’d take nothing short of a total collapse if they were to miss the postseason.

They only hold a three-game lead over the A’s and they need to play their best ball if they want to avoid squandering their slim division lead to one of the hottest teams in baseball. Oakland is 8-2 in their last 10 games. 

The Los Angeles Angels have been one of the biggest victims of the A’s hot streak, as they’re now 7.5 games back of the division lead and three games back from the wild card. Their wins need to come now if they want to remain relevant in this race.

Two aces will face off on the mound when Ryan Dempster (11-6) takes the stage for Texas and Jared Weaver (17-4) looks for his 18th win in a game his team needs big-time. 

Rangers: 87-59 (first in AL West)

Angels: 80-67 (third in AL West, third in wild card)

Baltimore Orioles at Seattle Mariners: 10:10 p.m. ET

The Orioles are fortunate enough to play Seattle late in the season with a playoff spot on the line, and they took advantage Monday night with a 10-4 victory. They look to do more of the same Tuesday.

Baltimore is tied with Oakland atop the AL wild card and, due to the new rule, they would face each other in a one-game playoff at the end of the season if it were to end today. 

The Orioles are one of the big Cinderella stories of the MLB this season and they look to Wei-Yin Chen (12-9) to notch them another victory. The Yankees game was postponed, so the Orioles can tie up the AL East with a win.

Orioles: 84-62 (second in AL East, T-first in wild card)

Mariners: 70-78 (last in AL West, sixth in wild card)

Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees: Postponed

Tuesday night’s game between the Yankees and Blue Jays has been postponed. They’ll play a double-header on Wednesday.

Yankees: 83-63 (first in AL East)

Blue Jays: 66-79 (fourth in AL East, seventh in wild card)

National League

Miami Marlins 4, Atlanta Braves 3: F/10

The Braves had a major chance to pick up a game against one of the MLB’s worst teams, but they squandered it when Jose Reyes hit a walk-off single for the Marlins, who won 4-3 in a 10-inning spectacle.

Atlanta pulled a noble comeback to even give themselves a chance. Being down 3-0 heading into the ninth inning, the Braves pulled off three straight runs to send it into extra innings thanks to a RBI single by Dan Uggla and a double by Brian McCann that scored Uggla and Chipper Jones.

It was enough to get out of the early hole, but not enough to come out with a much-needed win. The Marlins bats came alive in the 10th inning to come away with the W.

Braves: 85-64 (second in NL East, T-first in wild card)

Marlins: 65-83 (last in NL East, 10th in wild card)

Cincinnati Reds 3, Chicago Cubs 1 – F

The Cincinnati Reds are just one of a few teams who don’t feel the pressure of winning due to their massive division lead, but that didn’t stop them from taking care of the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday by the score of 3-2.

Neither team scored until a three-run sixth inning by the Reds that Chicago could never rally back from. 

Homer Bailey picked up his 12th win of the season for the Reds, who seem to be hitting their stride at the perfect time and are undoubtedly one of the favorites to come out of the National League.

Reds: 89-59 (first in NL Central)

Cubs: 58-90 (fifth in NL Central, 12th in wild card)

St. Louis Cardinals 4, Houston Astros 1 – F

The Cardinals put a stop to their most recent bleeding with a win over a bottom-tier MLB team Tuesday night with a 4-1 victory at home over the Houston Astros.

St. Louis held Houston scoreless until the eighth inning and was never seriously contested by the hapless Astros, who became the first team in the MLB to reach 100 losses. 

Cardinals ace Kyle Lohse picked up his 15th win of the season.

Astros: 48-100 (last in NL Central, last in wild card)

Cardinals: 78-70 (second in NL Central, T-first in wild card)

Colorado Rockies at San Francisco Giants: 10:15 p.m. ET

The Giants are looking to make 2011 a distant memory and bring back the warm feelings of their 2010 World Series.

With an eight-game lead in the NL West, they look to be in prime position to make a deep playoff run. Meanwhile, the Rockies have faded into the shadows in the NL and have their sights set on 2013.

One of the disheartening storylines for San Francisco this season has been the recession of Tim Lincecum. “Big Time Timmy Jim” is just 9-14 on the season and needs to turn it around before the playoffs begin.

Giants: 84-63 (first in NL West)

Rockies: 58-88 (last in NL West, 11th in wild card)

Los Angeles Dodgers at Washington Nationals: Postponed

Tuesday night’s game between the Dodgers and Nationals has been postponed. They’ll play a double-header on Wednesday.

Dodgers: 76-71 (second in NL West, third in wild card)

Nationals: 89-57 (first in NL East)

On Deck for Wednesday

Toronto at NY Yankees, 1:05 p.m. ET

LA Dodgers at Washington, 4:05 p.m. ET

Oakland at Detroit, 7 p.m. ET

Toronto at NY Yankees, 7:05 p.m. ET

LA Dodgers at Washington, 7:05 p.m. ET

Atlanta at Miami, 7:10 p.m. ET

Boston at Tampa Bay, 7:10 p.m. ET

Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m. ET

Chicago White Sox at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m. ET

Houston at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m. ET

Texas at LA Angels, 10 p.m. ET

Baltimore at Seattle, 10:10 p.m. ET

Colorado at San Francisco, 10:15 p.m. ET

American League Standings

National League Standings

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It’s become somewhat of an expectation for Braves Country that good things happen when Kris Medlen takes the mound.

And with an ERA of 0.86 and 66 strikeouts in 62.2 innings pitched since joining the starting rotation, Medlen has certainly made many good things happen for the Braves. In fact, Atlanta has won each of the last 20 games that Medlen has started, a feat last replicated by Roger Clemens in 2001after donning the Yankee pinstripes.   

It should come as no surprise then, that when Medlen calmly strode to the mound against the Nationals, who have taken 10 of 15 games against the Braves this year, he would set the tone of the series in a commanding fashion. 

Medlen took one look at Jayson Werth digging in on Friday night and decided that he didn’t care about Washington’s 8.5-game stranglehold on the division, or even that the Braves were just swept by the red-hot Brewers—so he struck him out.

Then he struck out 12 more Nationals over the course of seven innings; the lone blemish on his night a solo-homer to Bryce Harper, leaving the bullpen to tend to the one-one deadlock.

Craig Kimbrel was brought in to slam the door on the Nationals’ hopes of pushing ahead in the ninth inning and almost tied a record, striking out Adam LaRoche, Ian Desmond, and Danny Espinosa on three, three, and four pitches, respectively.

In the home half of the ninth inning, Andrelton Simmons provided the offensive lift that the Braves had been missing for the past few months by igniting a rally with an infield single and advancing to third on a Michael Bourn flare to right.  

With runners at the corners and one out, Tyler Pastornicky rolled over a Sean Burnett sinker, and Ian Desmond came up with the grounder cleanly. However, Desmond was unable to make a good throw to home, the error allowing the winning run in Simmons to score.

In this sequence is a biting irony in how the seemingly superior shortstop (Desmond) was outplayed both offensively and defensively by his rookie counterpart (Simmons), who came up big for the Braves when a big moment was needed the most.

It’s just one game, but like Chipper Jones’ walk-off against the Phillies earlier this month, this game could mean a lot to the Braves when the postseason rolls around. In just nine innings, many statements were made by the Braves.

Kris Medlen let Washington know that he can match any pitcher the Nationals throw at him. Craig Kimbrel asserted that he is utterly dominant and completely untouchable: a true ninth-inning stopper. Eric O’Flaherty proved to not be impressed by Jayson Werth, Bryce Harper, and Ryan Zimmerman, handling the top of the order in the eighth inning in just 12 pitches.

Martin Prado showed that he will eat Nationals pitching alive, ripping off three hits in his four at bats. Andrelton Simmons reminded the Nationals that with him in the lineup, the Braves play invigorated and the lineup has no holes.

Finally, with a ground-out, hard-fought, well-earned walk-off win, the Braves sent a very clear message to the Nationals on Friday night: “We are not going away. We’ll see you in October.”

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The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying to climb back into playoff position and time is running out. As of this article there are only 25 games left in their schedule and they remain a game and a half out of the wild- card spot.

So with this little time remaining, they can not afford to lose many games. But if they must lose a game, last night’s 12-2 debacle in PNC against the Cubs was the perfect way to lose.

There is no looking back at last night’s game and thinking “Oh man, it was so close.”

It is impossible to break down the game and point to one or two places where it could have been won.

It was a complete and utter breakdown on all counts. The pitching was bad, the offense was bad and the defense, with seven errors, was atrocious.

And that is the perfect loss. No one part of the team was let down. Everyone was almost equally terrible.

The bats were shut down by Travis Wood, who let only one hit in six innings. A. J. Burnett only lasted five innings. The defense, starting with first baseman Brock Holt, opened up the flood gates. And left fielder Starling Marte was so bad that it was not obvious that he had played baseball before last night’s game.

According to Yahoo Sports, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle called the game their “worst game of the season.”

Who could argue with him?

With time running out, losses can wear down a team, especially ones that got away.

If a team loses 1-0, they can lament that they blew a solid pitching performance and grind their teeth thinking of runners on base.

If a team loses 9-8, it can be agonizing knowing that even mediocre pitching could have secured a win.

If a team blows a lead late, it can have a residual effect into the next day. If a team loses a game on an error or a blown call, it can be devastating.

When a team loses 12-2 to a pitcher who had not won in months and had a defensive day worthy of The Bad News Bears, there is no frustration. No element of the game was wasted. It was a total failure.

As Hurdle said in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, “there’s nobody in there that isn’t embarrassed to some degree.” Well, then that would be a total team effort.

Dust yourselves off, Pirates. The Cardinals lost as well and the wild card is still only a game and a half away.

Besides, you are bound to play better today. How could it be worse?

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Please forgive the pun…but Lorenzo Cain was able against the Chicago White Sox Friday night.

Perhaps this author saw too many back pages of the New York Post and internalized the paper’s distinct play on words. But when I saw that the Kansas City Royals not only beat the Chicago White Sox again, 7-5, and that Lorenzo Cain homered twice, including a game-winning shot in the ninth, using the pun was inevitable.

So now the Kansas City Royals have defeated the first-place Chicago White Sox in each of their last six meetings. If the White Sox just went 3-3 over those six games against the lowly Royals, they would have a four-game lead over the Detroit Tigers with 25 games to play.

Their magic number would be 21.

But instead, the White Sox can barely get any space between them and the second-place Tigers. As both teams lost tonight, Chicago is still clinging to a one-game advantage over Detroit.

But it was not just Lorenzo Cain who produced for K.C.

Reliever Kelvin Herrera entered a second-and-third, one-out situation with the game tied in the eighth and managed to wiggle out of it to eventually earn the win. Salvador Perez got a pair of hits, including a homer that briefly put Kansas City on top. Alcides Escobar made a dazzling play at shortstop. Greg Holland closed the game out for the save.

But it was Lorenzo Cain’s night to shine and yet another game where the Royals can torment their brothers in the AL Central.

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Roger Clemens took to the mound for the second time since his comeback at the age of 50, and once again he looked good.

For the now infamous Sugar Land Skeeters, Clemens went 4.2 innings without allowing a single run on two hits with one strikeout. Clemens only surrendered one hit in both the second and fourth innings while he remained perfect the rest the time he was on the mound.

In his latest start, Clemens also had the chance to pitch to his own son Koby, who was behind the plate for the entirety of the Rocket’s outing. Clemens got the first two outs in the fifth inning before hugging his son and exiting the game.

You know a baseball player is up there in years when his own son is catching him and it isn’t for Little League practice.

This start is an improvement for Clemens, who was impressive in his comeback debut when he threw 3.1 scoreless innings. It seems that the Rocket is progressing quite nicely and can still handle himself on the mound.

So is the Rocket preparing for a comeback to MLB?

There’s no doubt the Houston Astros would love to have him on their team. Clemens might not bring a ton of positive press, but he does bring a ton of press. Along with all the media attention the lowly Astros would receive, they could also put some butts in the seats for at least one game.

In Houston, it’s becoming harder and harder to do just that.

Clemens has tried everything he can to shoot down the idea that he wants to return to the bigs, and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter) confirmed that.

Roger Clemens in a press conf before side session with Sugar Land about pitching in MLB in 2012: “I don’t see it happening.”

— Dan Connolly (@danconnollysun) September 4, 2012

The Rocket is set to be on the Hall of Fame ballot this season, and with the doubts about the validity of his career thanks to suspicions of performance-enhancing drug use, getting into Cooperstown might be impossible.

It’s quite possible that Clemens is hoping to make at least one appearance in the majors this season to push that back and give some more time to allow baseball writers to cool off.

It’s doubtful that thought process would work, but at least Clemens can separate himself from some of the other accused PED users who will be on the ballot for the first time.

Chances are, he may never get in thanks to his alleged use of PEDs, but nobody can take away the fact that a comeback for Clemens at the age of 50 is nothing short of remarkable.

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Baseball is so unfair. How can a small-revenue team like the Boston Red Sox hope to contend against a big-market team like the Oakland Athletics?

Yesterday was an example of how momentum in baseball is not always simply seeing who the next day’s pitcher is. Sometimes, it is a direct reflection of the team.

The Oakland Athletics are a team that, against all odds, have arrived at September in the lead for a playoff position. They are doing it with deep pitching and power from multiple sources. Seven Oakland hitters are in double digits for home runs.

And it seemed like they hit all of them last night against the Red Sox last night.

Boston’s West Coast road trip has seen the Red Sox do their best Houston Astros impersonation. They were swept by the Angels and looked like they were totally unprepared to play in Oakland.

In their last 17 games, Red Sox pitchers have surrendered five or more runs 12 times. That’s a problem.

Then came last night. Last night’s 20-2 A’s victory looked and felt like a major league team playing a minor league squad. It was an embarrassing massacre during which the Athletics not only looked like the big bullies, but they did so with former Boston Red Sox players.

In fact, if Red Sox fans wanted to feel anything positive about last night, they could feel good about old friends who are doing well elsewhere.

One-time Red Sox Brandon Moss went 4-5 with a homer and four runs batted in. Former Boston catcher George Kottaras homered twice and drove in five runs.

Josh Reddick, the Red Sox’s right fielder in 2011, doubled and hit a grand slam. 2007 world champion Coco Crisp did not get a hit, but walked and scored.

The Red Sox used to be the ones that stole players from Oakland. They won the 2004 World Series with big contributions from Johnny Damon and Keith Foulke.

Now, it is the Red Sox who are playing out the string with a lineup that resembles a split squad spring training game.

The A’s? The American League West-leading Texas Rangers are only four games ahead of them. They are ahead in the wild-card race and are taking their momentum to October.

They have won 13 of their last 15 games including seven straight. Will their winning continue? They are playing the Red Sox again today.

If yesterday is any indication, the Red Sox are not even in the same league as the A’s.

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It didn’t take long for the newest Los Angeles Dodger to make his mark on the team as Adrian Gonzalez‘s debut was a success.

Earlier in the day, ESPNLosAngeles.com writer Mark Saxon reported that the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox had reached a deal that sent Gonzo back to the West Coast. Before coming to Boston, Gonzalez spent four years with the San Diego Padres.

In his first at-bat as a Dodger, Gonzalez launched a three-run homer over the fence against Florida Marlins pitcher Josh Johnson.

Gonzo immediately showed how much he can help his new ballclub, but that would be the end of Gonzalez’s contributions for the night.

The Dodgers first baseman failed to reach base in his next four plate appearances; two ended in a strikeout, one in a groundout to first base and the last resulted in a pop-out to shortstop.

Still, despite only getting one hit, that three-run bomb off the bat of Gonzalez proved to be all the runs the Dodgers would need to beat the Marlins, 8-2.

Coming into the game against Florida, Los Angeles’ offense hasn’t been all that impressive this season, despite adding Hanley Ramirez’s bat to the lineup.

The Dodgers were ranked 25th in the MLB in runs scored and even worse in the home run department, ranking 29th in the league. That should change quickly, however, as L.A. will sport one of the most dangerous 1-2 punches in baseball with Kemp hitting in front of Gonzalez.

Clearly, Gonzalez’s bat will be a huge boost for this squad. Gonzo came in hitting around the .300 mark with 16 homers and 89 RBI. By comparison, the Dodgers’ top home run guy was Matt Kemp with 17, and their top RBI man, Andre Ethier, had driven in 74 runs with a team-leading average of .284.

Upon entering the Dodgers’ locker room, Gonzalez’s full season numbers make him the team leader in all of those categories, which is also thanks in part to his debut home run against the Marlins.

There was no doubt the Dodgers had the pitching depth to make a successful stretch run to the postseason, but with the addition of Gonzalez, now Los Angeles has more than enough offense to surpass their division rivals and take the National League West.

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Roger Clemens made his first start for the Sugarland Skeeters on Saturday night, and the 50-year-old was remarkably effective on the mound.

He pitched three and one-third innings and gave up just one hit and no runs while recording two strikeouts. He left the game when the Skeeters were up 1-0.

Clemens and the Skeeters—based in the Houston, Texas area—took on the Bridgeport Bluefish in an Atlantic League matchup. The league is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, but it does maintain a high level of competition and former big-leaguers Scott Kazmir, Tim Redding and Jason Lane all on the Skeeters’ pitching staff.

Clemens’ comeback comes on the heels of his acquittal for obstruction of justice charges that stem from accusations that he lied to Congress in 2008 about using steroids. 

He signed with the Skeeters on August 21 and has refused to acknowledge whether or not this is a temporary stop on the road to something bigger. If he does hope for a return to the majors, he made an intriguing case for the opportunity to become the oldest man ever to win a Major League Baseball game.

Here are grades and analysis from his first outing since 2007.

Speed: B+

Clemens’ fastball peaked at 88 miles per hour. While this is not impressive by major league standards, most 50-year-olds would have a heart attack if they did anything at this speed.

He was able to mix up his pitches to allow his fastball to be more effective. His speed was nothing close to the ridiculous numbers he used to put on radar guns, but it was good enough to allow him to get outs.

Control: A+

The Rocket could not rely on the firepower that he had earlier in his career, but he was remarkably accurate throughout his three innings of work. His mechanics were flawless, and he was incredibly consistent with his placement.

He retired 10 out of the 11 batters he faced. He got 10 outs on just 37 pitches, as his excellent control was the main reason he was able to succeed on the night.

Overall: A-

Clemens easily exceeded expectations for a 50-year-old player who had not played professionally in five years. He struck out two batters while getting four to ground out and four more to fly out.

This is the kind of the savvy pitching that a 35-year-old pitcher needs to succeed. Clemens is 50, so he will have to be even craftier going forward, and he showed tonight that he is capable of doing just that at a high level.

What This Performance Means

Clemens passed his first test with flying colors. Whatever he is trying to accomplish with this comeback, he has taken a big step forward with this performance.

If this is a farewell tour to put an image of Clemens with a baseball uniform on his back instead of a suit and tie back into the public conscience, then he has succeeded.

If Clemens is sincerely trying to play Major League Baseball again, then he certainly caught the attention of any any scout watching him tonight.

Where Clemens Goes From Here

At his age, as much rest and ice as possible should be on his agenda in the coming days. After that, he must stay healthy and continue to play like he did tonight.

If he can avoid an injury and exercise the same control over his pitches, then he may not be with the Skeeters for much longer. 

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The Kansas City Royals had an eventful evening Friday night against the Chicago White Sox.

The matchup with the White Sox pitted Luis Mendoza against the lanky left-hander Chris Sale for the third time this season.  The Sox had come out victorious the first two meetings, but Mendoza was sharp and the Royals went on to win the opener of a three game set 4-2.

Mendoza, 28, kept Sox hitters off-balance all evening, especially third baseman Kevin Youkilis, with a steady diet of well-timed fastballs and a breaking ball that was nearly impossible to hit for most of the evening.  Mendoza, who is not arbitration eligible until 2014, has been pitching very well lately. 

The Kansas City Star’s Bob Dutton noted that Friday night was the seventh quality start in Mendoza’s last nine appearances.  He has lowered his ERA from 4.95 to 4.26 over his last 10 starts.  His run has been impressive and, although he is only 5-4 during this stretch, he is showing steady improvement with his control and location.

On the injury front, second baseman Chris Getz will undergo season-ending surgery to repair a fractured left thumb.  Getz suffered the injury on a bunt attempt in the fifth inning.  Tod Palmer from the Star reported that Bruce Toby from the KU Medical Center is set to surgically repair the injured digit Saturday.

To replace Getz, the Royals re-called second baseman Johnny Giavotella.  Giavotella, 25, underperformed this year for the Royals batting .217 with no home runs and six RBI in 21 games.  He was on a terror at Triple-A, however, batting .328 with 10 home runs, 71 RBI and an OPS of .877, and if he can take advantage of this opportunity, the Royals may be set at second for some time.

Where Giatovella bats is to be determined as Getz had just assumed the leadoff role for the Royals in manager Ned Yost’s new-look lineup that had Alex Gordon batting third after a stretch of 70 games batting at the top of the order.  Gordon had thrived in the leadoff spot, batting .334 with 27 doubles, so what Yost does moving forward will be interesting to see.

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The game played in PNC Park Friday night wasn’t the most important battle that took place inside the stadium’s walls.

The real battle wasn’t even visible to the naked eye.

The Pirates organization partnered with Mylan Specialty L.P. on Friday to sponsor PNC Park’s first ever Allergy Awareness Night. For their first edition, the Pirates chose to focus on life-threatening peanut allergies.

“We are excited to work with Mylan to ensure increased awareness of this important issue, and to help provide a fun experience at PNC Park for our dedicated fans with life-threatening allergies,” said Pirates president Frank Coonelly. “Pirates baseball is one of the hottest tickets in town and we want to take steps to ensure all fans are able to enjoy the best ballpark in America.”

Not only are peanut allergies the most common food allergies among children, but it hits very close to home for the Pirate organization.

Pirate coach Mark Strittmatter is all too familiar with the health risks associated with this all-too-common issue. 

“Peanuts may be a baseball tradition, but not everyone can enjoy them safely. In fact, my own son—of course a huge Pirates fan—has a life-threatening peanut allergy,” said Strittmatter.

“That’s why I’m so proud the Pirates are partnering with Mylan Specialty L.P. to raise awareness of life-threatening allergies. I want to make sure that all our fans are able to enjoy Pirates games,” the Pirate coach added.

Of course, Strittmatter’s son isn’t the only person facing this relatively overlooked affliction. In fact, food allergies in general are more common than most people realize. The only thing separating a peanut allergy’s adverse effects is the severity.

Anaphylaxis.

That word may not be familiar to you, but mentioning it around someone suffering from this would evoke a cautious reaction.

The Pittsburgh Pirates‘ website describes anaphylaxis like this:

Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction that has many possible triggers, occurs quickly, without warning and should be treated immediately with epinephrine. Symptoms may include hives or redness of the skin, tightness in the throat, nausea, dizziness, breathing problems and/or a decrease in blood pressure.

They then go on to mention that epinephrine is the only “first-line treatment” for anaphylaxis, and people at risk must have the naturally occurring hormone available at a moment’s notice.

At the very least, peanut allergies are an unavoidable, life-altering situation. At their worst, they’re, well, worse than that.

The severity, and the prevalence of this allergy, is exactly why awareness is important. That, at least in a sense, is where I come in.

I attended Friday night’s game for non-baseball purposes. 

I spent the first half of my night in the press room on purpose. When I decided to take a trip down to “The Deck,” I wanted it to look different.

Allergy Awareness Night isn’t about the allergy itself. It’s about promoting awareness so simple things like this can be made possible more often.

“Life-threatening allergies are a growing public health problem, particularly among children and teens. In fact, a recent study shows as many as one in 13 children in the U.S. suffer from a food allergy,” said Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan Inc. “We are proud to partner with our hometown team to help the people of Pittsburgh and their family members with life-threatening peanut allergies experience the fun and excitement of a night out at the ball park.”  

I wanted to feel that when I entered Section 335 and walked the length of The Deck. The press room certainly holds its advantages in terms of observing the game itself, but it does lack a certain human quality. Baseball, at least for me, is defined by that human quality, and that was never truer on Friday night.

I knew it would be different from the second I approached. A sign stating “Private Event: No Access Past This Point” blocked my way, and I had to ask the gentleman standing guard at the gate very nicely if I could pass through. I stated my purpose, and he let me in.

The first feeling that came to me after turning my attention to the section before me was the happiness emanating from every kid and the adults sitting with them. It was contagious. I didn’t know any of these people personally, but you could tell this meant something to them.

Away from any, and all, danger Friday night was just about baseball, in a way that they may not have enjoyed before. The atmosphere was cozy, and the people were happy.

Most of that can be attributed to the food stand located directly behind their seats.

The food was still food per say, but it didn’t include one thing (peanuts) that most people associate directly with America’s pastime. Everything on the menu,­­­­­­ from nachos to salsa to hot dog buns, had their ingredients laid out on a custom-made, peanut-conscious menu.

This allowed kids to order whatever they liked on the menu without a care in the world. They even had two salads on the menu for the ultra-health conscious individual.

PNC Park has played host to 35 Pirate victories this season, but Friday’s was the biggest. Despite the team’s heart-wrenching 9-8 defeat at the hands of the Padres, this was a game everyone could go home feeling good about.

Friday night’s game was the 12th sellout of the Pirates’ season, and that was due, in part, to the individuals sitting by the enormous scoreboard in left field. Their presence goes back to Coonelly saying, “We want to take steps to ensure all fans are able to enjoy the best ballpark in America.”

They should, and they did.

That’s how it should be, and steps should be taken to make this more than a one-time thing. 

Since Friday night’s event was all about raising awareness, let me do my part by supplying you with some more information:

• Strittmatter spoke to fans Friday night via Jumbotron, asking everyone to take a look at myallergysurvey.com. If you have a chance, check it out. It’s quick, easy and there’s a ton of information.
• Check out foodallergyfoundation.org. More major league teams are taking part in events like this. The foundation’s site will tell you when and where to find them.
• This cause has a whole blog dedicated to it. Peanutfreebaseball.com tells you where to find events like this in the minor leagues as well as the majors.
• Lastly, so you’re aware of the attention this movement is getting, NBC Nightly News had a feature on it. Watch the short video here.

Admittedly, I didn’t know much about any of this prior to Friday night’s festivities, but now I’m completely aware.

The information is out there. The Pirate organization, and every other participating group, should be proud. 

Baseball, and sports in general, have a chance to raise awareness like many groups cannot. There are thousands of eyes on professional sports franchises every time they take the field, court or rink. If one person leaves that game, or turns their TV off, knowing more than they did before about something like this, then it’s a victory.

Congratulations, Pittsburgh Pirates. Not only does the Steel City have their baseball team back again, but Friday night allowed everyone to enjoy the ride.

*Quotes supplied by Kenneth Meyer.

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