Tampa Bay Rays Win Sports Illustrated’s Game of the Year

In what’s been a very strange year, there were still a great group of games to choose from for the Game of the Year award.

Due to the pandemic, the show was streamed online, but it didn’t make it any less interesting.

The nominees for Game of the Year were:

World Series Game 4

After a long back and forth game, Brett Phillips came up to bat with no prior postseason hits throughout his career. Down 7-6 to the Los Angeles Dodgers with two men on base at the bottom of the 9th, the Tampa Bay Rays needed something big. After two strikes, the pressure was on. Then, on the next pitch, Phillips hammered one into centrefield. What looked like an easy recovery for the Dodgers was fumbled, but they looked to be bailed out by a stumbling Randy Arozarena. Instead, they missed what looked to be a routine throw to home plate. Arozarena reached home and capped off one of the most dramatic sequences in MLB history.

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NBA Finals Game 3

Jimmy Butler’s absolutely insane 40-point, triple-double performance carried the Miami Heat to a stunning defeat of the Los Angeles Lakers, led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis, making the series 2-1 (in favour of LA).

Super Bowl LIV

Led by young phenom Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs broke a 50-year Super Bowl drought, coming from behind to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.

Stanley Cup Finals Game 4

After a dramatic back-and-forth game, Kevin Shattenkirk snipes it from the circle and wins it on the powerplay in OT, giving the eventual Stanley Cup Champions a crucial 3-1 series lead over the Dallas Stars.

The Sports Illustrated Game of the Year

The winner of Sports Illustrated’s Game of the Year was Tampa Bay’s Game 4 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers. It comes as no surprise, the end of the game was arguably one of the most unpredictable and exhilarating moments of the year. While the outcome of the series might not have gone the Rays’ way, it gave millions around the world memories that will last a lifetime.

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Full Flyer for the 2020 Sports Illustrated Awards:

Featured Image Credit:

Embed from Getty Images

Game of the year