The regular season ended on Sunday. The two big stories: (1) Toronto held on to win the AL East and earn a first round bye in the playoffs. (2) The NY Mets crumbled and the Cincinnati Reds earn the wild card spot while the Mets (with a high-priced payroll) are sent home.
That brings us to the "Wild Card Round" which are best-of-3 series:
Reds vs. Dodgers, played in LA. Winner gets to play the Phillies in the next round.
San Diego v. Chicago Cubs, played in Chicago. Winner goes on to play the Milwaukee Brewers.
Detroit Tigers v. Cleveland Guardians, played in Cleveland. Winner goes on to play Seattle Mariners. And I will remind you of a trivia point made back in the OP: Seattle is the only current MLB to never have played in a World Series. Will they make it there this year?
NY Yankees v. Boston Red Sox, played in NY. Winner goes on to play Toronto. Basically, the AL East just keeps playing each other.
It is no great surprise, but the Dodgers have eliminated the Reds from the playoffs. The other "Wild Card" series will be decided today.
The Dodgers advance to the NL Divisional Series (NLDS) against the Phillies. This will be the 13th straight year that the Dodgers have played in the NLDS. The last time that they failed to make it to the NLDS was 2012.
I'm biased as all get out, but I think the Phillies-Dodgers series should be great. And though my heart is with the Dodgers, I think it will be the Phillies in five, as they addressed their bullpen issues at the trade deadline and the Dodgers did not. Sasaki looked great in relief the other night, but he's still a very raw kid, and one inning isn't much to go on. Treinen and Yates both have an ERA over 5, Scott's 10 blown saves leads the major leagues, and Kershaw has almost no experience pitching in relief - and infamously gave up back-to-back home runs pitching in relief to the Nationals in the 2019 post-season. That leaves Dreyer - not as raw as Sasaki but still a rookie; Banda - left off the wild card roster because he's just okay; and Vesia - the one guy who's been reliable all year.
If my team doesn't advance, I'm cheering for a Brewers-Mariners World Series - two teams that have never won it, with the Mariners never even having been there. Plus it wouldn't bother me a bit to have the corporate media overlords not getting the ratings they get from big-market teams in the WS.
I hate the Yankees!! I was cheering for the Red Sox. I am not sure I see a path to TO beating the Yankees. The Toronto pitchers will have difficulties keeping the ball in the park.
I hate the Yankees!! I was cheering for the Red Sox. I am not sure I see a path to TO beating the Yankees. The Toronto pitchers will have difficulties keeping the ball in the park.
Likewise. About the Yankees, that is.
After the first 2 wins by the Jays, I see lots of was for the Jays to advance! Yesavage was awesome! The bats are working again!
Maybe, but the guy started the year in low-A ball. The Mariners radio announcer said he was over his all-time pitch count too. Most of the time I'm fully on board with leaving starters in until they need relief, but I can see why Schneider wouldn't want to push it.
Our grandson (lives near NY) made a bet: if the Yankees won last night, he would have to wear a Yankees t-shirt to school today. If it was the Blue Jays, then his friend would have to wear the Jays shirt. We are waiting to hear if his friend delivered on the bet.
Postscript to previous... Have just heard that it was agreed that the result was too heartbreaking, and it was agreed that our grandson's friend would not have to wear the Jay's shirt at school. It didn't stop our daughter calling to gloat just now, however. (It would have been different if it had been the Mets, however).
And the LA Dodgers have booked their spot in the NLCS, eliminating the Phillies.
Honestly, this was a good series. Two evenly matched teams, both with good starting pitching (and both with shaky bullpens) and both have a lineup with plenty of power. Really, none of the games were blow-outs. Yes, the Phils one win was 8-2, but that game was 3-1 going into the 8th. All the games were tight, tense affairs.
At least now I can relax for the rest of the playoffs. I am beginning to realize that I actually enjoy watching baseball more when I don't have a dog in the fight!
Comments
That brings us to the "Wild Card Round" which are best-of-3 series:
Reds vs. Dodgers, played in LA. Winner gets to play the Phillies in the next round.
San Diego v. Chicago Cubs, played in Chicago. Winner goes on to play the Milwaukee Brewers.
Detroit Tigers v. Cleveland Guardians, played in Cleveland. Winner goes on to play Seattle Mariners. And I will remind you of a trivia point made back in the OP: Seattle is the only current MLB to never have played in a World Series. Will they make it there this year?
NY Yankees v. Boston Red Sox, played in NY. Winner goes on to play Toronto. Basically, the AL East just keeps playing each other.
The Dodgers advance to the NL Divisional Series (NLDS) against the Phillies. This will be the 13th straight year that the Dodgers have played in the NLDS. The last time that they failed to make it to the NLDS was 2012.
Chicago Cubs v. Milwaukee Brewers.
Detroit Tigers v. Seattle Mariners
NY Yankees v. Toronto Blue Jays.
If my team doesn't advance, I'm cheering for a Brewers-Mariners World Series - two teams that have never won it, with the Mariners never even having been there. Plus it wouldn't bother me a bit to have the corporate media overlords not getting the ratings they get from big-market teams in the WS.
Likewise. About the Yankees, that is.
After the first 2 wins by the Jays, I see lots of was for the Jays to advance! Yesavage was awesome! The bats are working again!
I will maintain my superstitious radio silence concerning the other three series.
"Heartwarming"? Perhaps. Can we compromise on that?
Honestly, this was a good series. Two evenly matched teams, both with good starting pitching (and both with shaky bullpens) and both have a lineup with plenty of power. Really, none of the games were blow-outs. Yes, the Phils one win was 8-2, but that game was 3-1 going into the 8th. All the games were tight, tense affairs.
At least now I can relax for the rest of the playoffs. I am beginning to realize that I actually enjoy watching baseball more when I don't have a dog in the fight!