It only took two pitches for the direction of the division-clinching game to be determined. Tim Anderson sent pitch No. 2 388 feet into the Progressive Field stands off of Aaron Civale, and sent and indicator of things to come.
Civale, who threw more hangers than an angry chimp in a dry cleaners, managed to get through the first inning without more damage, but the rules say you have to move on to inning two. Luis Robert greeted that one with a 396-footer, and Eloy Jiménez bested that with a 442-foot rocket.
Anderson’s had a lot of help from a strong wind, but those two didn’t, and after singles by Leury García and César Hernández, Tim decided to show he can do it without Mother Nature’s help as well, with a 104-mph, 386-foot drive that got him a trifle excited.