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Craziest night ever in MLB? Rays win; Red Sox collapse

I've never seen a more exciting night in baseball than Wednesday when the Braves completed their collapse and the Red Sox finished their epic fall, allowing the Cardinals and Rays to earn berths in the playoffs.

The whole night was an instant classic.

Within minutes, the Red Sox blew a one-run lead in the ninth inning. They were just one out away from forcing a playoff for the American League wild card. Instead, closer Jonathan Papelbon gave up a double, another double and a single to blow it.

Papelbon doesn't get all the blame. Outfielder Carl Crawford couldn't come up with a diving attempt at a single to left field, which drove in the winning run.

Three or four minutes later, the Rays capped their rally from seven runs down to beat the Yankees. Evan Longoria smashed his second home run of the game, setting off one heck of a celebration in Tampa Bay. Longoria's homer hugged the foul pole and just cleared the fence.

It was amazing switching from game to game, watching the drama build.

Over in the National League, the Braves capped a collapse of their own, blowing a ninth-inning lead to the Phillies. The Braves' blunders allowed the Cardinals to earn the National League's wild card.

After an amazing night of baseball, it's hard to imagine the postseason topping it.
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