ALCS Game 2: Todd Jones Debriefs Frank Thomas

It's every kid's dream situation. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, down by three, bases loaded. Actually, a young Todd Jones likely didn't dream of this scenario.

But it's the situation the Tigers' closer got himself into in Game 2 of the ALCS. Oh, and a bonus: The batter is former MVP and shoulda-been Comeback Player of the year Frank Thomas.

Jones thinks to himself, "Man, at least I'm wearing clean underwear." And it's true.

See, when the Tigers play away from home, Todd Jones doesn't pack underwear. He merely takes the pair on him.

So Todd "One-derpants" Jones was there on the mound, surrounded by Oakland A's on all sides. And were he to soil his underbritches right there, then that was all he had.

So rather than poop his pants, Jones pitched out of the jam. (Good choice.) Avoiding throwing it anywhere Thomas could drive over the left field wall — which narrows it down to low and away, or in his ear — he went right after him. On a letter-high 1-1 fastball, Thomas swings too far underneath and flew out to center field, preserving Detroit's 8-5 victory.

One-derful.

While manager Jim Leyland is rarely questioned, he has received a bit of criticism for sticking with Jones as his closer, while younger, harder-throwing pitchers work the earlier innings. Joel Zumaya, the 21-year-old rookie with a bloodshot eye and a 103-mph fastball, is the setup man, yet the nation has caught "Zoom Zoom" fever and wants to see this guy close games.

Here's the thing. Jones got himself in trouble Wednesday night, and he pitched his way out of it. He has consistently cleaned up after himself. Just like his underwear. (He did emphasize that he washed his undies daily. Good to know.) Meanwhile, Zumaya has yet to prove he can close out a game, and that's not the kind of thing you wanna experiment with in the playoffs.

Article Author: Matthew T. Sussman

Sussman is the sports editor of BC Magazine and the executive editor of Technorati. He also writes for Deadspin and Toledo Free Press. He and Tuffy can be heard hosting the Treehouse Fort, Sundays at 12 noon ET. Plus, he Twitters. …

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