It was October 5, 1996 when four teams were eliminated from the postseason on the same day.
27 years have passed and October 4, 2023 happened for the second time in the history of Major League Baseball. All four of the second matches were played Wild Card Series and all the victorious teams in game 1 also prevailed in game 2.
The Wild Card Series, applied in the postseason only since last season, is a best-of-three game and includes the division winner with the worst record and the three best non-division winners. While the two best division winners take advantage of the bye and are directly qualified for the Division Series: the formula is the same for bothAmerican League that the National League.
ALWC: Toronto Blue Jays (6) – Minnesota Twins (3) 0-2
Nell’American League, i Minnesota Twins they won the American League Central but with a worse record than the AL East-winning Baltimore Orioles and AL West-winning Houston Astros. In this case the Twins had to participate in the Wild Card round, fortunately in the best of three games and no longer the abominable single match. Despite the better finish, Toronto had a better regular season record (89-73) than Minnesota (87-75), however the Blue Jays are part of the AL East and have won fewer games than their two division teammates, the Baltimore Orioles and the Tampa Bay Rays. The predictions, both from the experts and from the fans, give the winners the Toronto Blue Jaysthanks to the fact that Minnesota hasn’t won a postseason game since 2004.
The entire series is played at Target Field in Minneapolis and in game 1 on the mound are Pablo Lopez for the Twins and Kevin Gausman for the Blue Jays. However, the great protagonist of the match is the former first choice in the 2017 draft Royce Lewis: in the first innings Minnesota’s designated hitter immediately shoots it out with a man on base: double lead for the Twins. In the third inning Lewis, in his second at-bat, hits another home run, becoming the third player in MLB history to hit two home runs in the first two innings of his career in the postseason. In the sixth inning the Blue Jays closed the gap with a single by Kevin Kiermaier that brought home Bo Bichette. It’s not enough because the Twins control the situation until the end and win their first postseason game afterwards 19 yearsto the delight of a very noisy person Target Field.
Veteran Sonny Gray started the Twins in game 2 and in five innings he didn’t concede any runs and left six Toronto batters on the plate. In the fourth inning Carlos Correa, the Twins shortstop, hits a single that sends home Royce Lewis and in the next turn, with the bases full, Willi Castro hits a grounder that allows Max Kepler to score the second run for Minnesota. The Blue Jays continue to hit hits which however do not lead to any points and in the ninth inning Minnesota’s closer, Jhoan Duran, completes the save which closes the game at 2-0. The Minnesota Twins come back to win a playoff series later 21 years and they will challenge the Houston Astros in the Division Series, a best of five games.
ALWC: Texas Rangers (5) – Tampa Bay Rays (4) 2-0
I Texas Rangers they lost the last game of the season to the Seattle Mariners and also the lead in the American League West, snatched away by the Houston Astros, who thus avoided the Wild Card Series. THE Tampa Bay Rays they started very strong at the beginning of the season, but suffered a small collapse in the second part of the regular season and the Baltimore Orioles took advantage of this to take top spot in the American League East. The Rays still won 99 games and the scene of the Wild Card series against the Rangers is Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Game 1 sees the challenge on the mound between Tyler Glasnow (Rays) and Jordan Montgomery (Rangers) which is largely won by the second. The Rays commit four defensive errors during the game, equaling the lowest record in franchise history in the postseason. Kevin Cash’s team is also disastrous in attack and the only valid hitter in the first part of the match is Randy Arozarena. Texas doesn’t need a monstrous performance to take the lead: after the first point scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by rookie Josh Jung, Corey Seager he hits a single that brings home three runs, also thanks to Jose Siri’s error. 4-0 the final score of game 1: the Rangers win Tropicana Field as usual half empty.
In Game 2 Tampa Bay is backs against the wall: A largely positive 99-win season can end in twenty-four hours. However, Tampa seems to have none at all: Zach Eflin, starting for the Rays, allows two home runs and a triple in the fourth inning, for a total of four runs scored by the Rangers. The advantage becomes even more significant in the next two rounds thanks to two doubles from Seager and Marcus Semien: 7-0. The Rays scored just one run in the bottom of the seventh on a single by Curtis Mead, but it was over. The Texas Rangers, thanks to two dominant performances in Florida, will fly to Maryland for the Division Series against the top of the class, the Baltimore Orioles. We would see some beautiful ones.
NLWC: Arizona Diamondbacks (6) – Milwaukee Brewers (3) 2-0
In the National League Central it was a fight to the death for the lead and in the end they prevailed Milwaukee Brewerswhile the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds didn’t even qualify as Wild Cards Arizona Diamondbacks they finished with a record equal to that of the Miami Marlins (84-78), but the direct clashes proved the Florida team right who obtained a better placing and found themselves paired with the Philadelphia Phillies. While the Dbacks fell to the Brewers, who were decidedly more approachable than the Phillies.
Of all four challenges in the Wild Card round, this was undoubtedly the one more balanced even if the same team always won. In Game 1 Brandon Pfaadt, the Dbacks’ rookie starter, had a nightmare debut, allowing three runs to Milwaukee in the first two innings: a single by Carlos Santana in the first and a two-run home run by Tyrone Taylor in the second. Arizona’s rising star in the third inning Corbin Carroll he closed the gap with a two-run home run: 3-2. He was followed closely by Ketel Marte who fired the tying ball off the diamond at American Family Field. In the next shot the bombing of the team continues Torey Lovullo who took the lead with Gabriel Moreno’s home run. In the ninth inning a double by Christian Walker brings home Carroll and Tommy Pham, setting the final score at 6-3.
The start of game 2 is a photocopy of that of the first game: in the first inning, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Sal Frelick and a single by Willy Adames on one of the best pitchers in the National League, Zac Gallen, the Brewers take with a double advantage. In the top of the fifth Alek Thomas halves the deficit with a home run, while the sixth inning is a rumba for the visiting team: two-run single by Marte Kettlewild pitch by Abne Uribe which concedes a point to Marte himself and a single by Lourdes Gurriel Jr. For the second time the Brewers let the Dbacks come back after an advantage that was too premature: 5-2 it is also the final score. The Arizona Diamondbacks qualify for the Division Series where the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Californians are certainly favorites, but they were also last year when they were eliminated early by the San Diego Padres. Will Carroll & Co. be able to accomplish the feat?
NLWC: Miami Marlins (5) – Philadelphia Phillies (4) 0-2
I Philadelphia Phillies they had two seasons: one before the standing ovation to Trea Turner and the other after the standing ovation to Trea Turner. After signing a $300 million contract, Turner was falling short of expectations, batting just .236 with 10 home runs. Not only him, but the whole team was in difficulty, seeing the Atlanta Braves slipping away and feeling the Miami Marlins breathing down their necks. The Citizen Bank Park, one of the most demanding, but also hottest, stadiums, gave Turner a fabulous standing ovation of encouragement, which was helpful not only to him, but also to all his teammates. The Phillies have played amazingly in the last two months and have largely qualified for the Wild Card round, considering the impossibility of catching up with the Braves, authors of a record-breaking regular season.
I Miami Marlins they had to deal with a series of injuries during the regular season: starting from Sandy Alcantara, Cy Young last year, up to Jorge Soler, one of the best home run hitters in the National League. He was the lighthouse of the team Luis Arraez who won the title of best batsman for the second consecutive year, becoming the first player in MLB history to win two batting titles in the two leagues consecutively (last year it was with the Minnesota Twins).
Citizen Bank Park in Philadelphia is sold out for Game 1 and is always very hot: Zach Wheeler he is on the mound for the home team. He pitches six innings, throwing eight batters at the plate and allows no runs to opponents. Phila scores a run in the third with a double by Alec Bohm and two runs in the next thanks to singles by Bryson Stott and Christian Pache: 3-0. In the seventh inning Miami gets closer with a double by Bryan De La Cruz that brings home Jake Burger. But in the eighth the Phillies recovered the point immediately with a double by Nick Castellanos, which allowed Bryce Harper to score the 4-1which is also the final score.
Better 2 Aaron Nola he is the starter for the Phillies: he pitches seven innings, allowing only three hits and zero points to the Marlins. Philadelphia, on the other hand, scores: in the fourth inning the score is already 3-0, thanks to a home run by JT Realmuto and hits by Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner. In the sixth inning the lead increases and, with the bases full, Bryson Stott shoots the ball out: the second grand slam in the postseason in Phillies history. Miami will score just one point in the bottom half: 7-1. Philadelphia dominates Arraez’s team and returns to challenge him Atlanta Braves at the Division Series, in a re-match of last year, in which the Phillies had won by surprise. Who knows if they will be able to mock them for the second consecutive year.
These are the pairings of Division Series:
Minnesota Twins – Houston Astros
Texas Rangers – Baltimore Orioles
Arizona Diamondbacks – Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies – Atlanta Braves
Don’t make any plans this weekend, because we start already on Saturday 7 October.
Enjoy The Show!
Matteo, Bear for friends, therefore for everyone. I love America’s favorite pastime: baseball. Lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, but first and foremost a Diamond fan. In love with Pedro Martinez’s fastball, Ken Griffey Jr.’s swing and David Ortiz’s home runs. Secret dream: watching a game from the Green Monster in Fenway Park.
2023-10-06 15:27:34
#SWEEP #Play.it #USA
