Things had to fall the right way, beyond a mere win, for the Charlotte Knights in order for them to clinch their International League wild card over the Durham Bulls on Monday.
Durham had to lose, as both Charlotte and the Bulls winning would grant Durham the tiebreaker. Durham starting ace Tyler Glasnow presented another hurdle for Charlotte to have to get past, so to speak. You had the Knights on the road in Norfolk, facing a team by no means good (59-79), but relishing a role of spoiler. And finally, with Charlotte utterly stumbling to the finish line — less than a week ago in command of the wild card, with a four-game pad on Durham — sphincters had to be getting a bit tight in the Knights clubhouse.