Passan: Why nothing beats Game 7 of the World Series

"Nothing beats Game 7 of the World Series. It is sheer, unfiltered entropy, this jewel of a game gone gonzo, an out-by-out mess of nibbled nails and frazzled hair and stomachs set on perpetual loop-de-loop. If baseball is the ultimate thinking man's game, then Game 7 is the final of its 800-level course, the definitive test of strategy and self-determination and ability to go spelunking in the deepest part of yourself and emerge with the best version. It is sports distilled to perfection."

"There is no such thing as a pitching role; there are merely out-getting cogs whose collective output must add up to 27. There is no spot in the lineup more important than another; heroes can emerge from the No. 9 hole or bench just as easily as leadoff or cleanup. Baseball is unique in this regard, the prospect of the game being lost at any point forcing both managers to operate as they never would otherwise, with urgency bordering on folly."

Game 7 of the 121st World Series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers will take place Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. The game represents an extreme test of strategy, psychology and unpredictability where standard measurements and roles mean less under acute stakes. Pitching roles blur and lineup positions lose their usual hierarchy, allowing heroes to emerge from any spot. Managers make more urgent and sometimes reckless decisions as teams pursue the 27 outs. Baseball's structure produces unique strategic swings not mirrored in other major sports.

Read at ESPN.com