Tonight at 8:07 p.m. in O.co Coliseum, Oakland, the Athletics and rookie pitcher Sonny Gray will try to stun Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers once again in the American League Divisional Series in a deciding Game 5. Watch the game on TBS or live stream the action here. Tigers fans can hear the game on 97.1 The Ticket, while A's fans can tune in to 95.7 The Game.
In Game 2, rookie Sonny Gray stared down former Cy Young winner Justin Verlander and came out on top with a 1-0 victory. Despite never being in a situation this big before, A's manager Bob Melvin believes Gray can answer the call once again.
"He's a little bit of a bulldog, he's scared of nothing," Melvin said. "Everything that went on in that game factored into it. ... When he came up, we were into the season and a pennant race already and we threw him right into the fire and right away he pitched very well with a lot of confidence and always has that mound presence."
Verlander, on the other hand, is very experienced in deciding playoff contests. After Detroit tied the series on Tuesday, Verlander told reporters "Well, you don't pretend. It's not just another game. The season is on the line. It was on the line for us tonight, too. This whole season, the way we battled and played as a team, comes down to one game, may the best team win. You can't treat it just like another game. It's a little bit different. There is more to it."
Verlander is getting the ball because manager Jim Leyland decided to use No. 1 starter Max Scherzer in relief in Game 4. Leyland had an inkling this series might reach a fifth game, and said pitching Verlander second was a way to open up doors.
"That's kind of why we pitched him Game 2 so we'd have an option," Leyland said. "We were in a pretty good comfort zone to pitch Verlander if necessary, and it was necessary because we had to win (Tuesday). We're comfortable any time Verlander goes out there."
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