Ever since being implemented two years ago, the new MLB playoff format featuring four three-game Wild Card series has been a great way to open up October Baseball. The lowest seeded divisional champion and three wild card teams from the American and National League face off in a three game series at the higher seed’s ballpark. From there, the winner of each series moves onto the divisional round to play one of the four teams that received a bye. Every year, fans pack their respective stadiums and create an atmosphere unlike any other. This year, the matchups did not disappoint, as three out of the four series ended in a win or go home game three.
The first matchup in the American League was between the Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers, two teams that ended the regular season fighting for the division title and a home playoff series. At the end of the regular season, the Guardians surpassed the Tigers and pulled off the biggest comeback in baseball history. In July, they were 15.5 games behind the Tigers, but they got hot towards the end of the year and appeared to be riding a good wave into the playoffs while the Tigers were struggling to find wins. However, the Tigers took the energy provided to them by their ace Tarik Skubal in game one and were able to win the series. Skubal, who is the current favorite to win the Cy Young Award, threw 107 pitches and recorded 14 strikeouts to guide his team to a 2-1 victory in game one. Despite losing game two 6-1, the Tigers rebounded and took the series by winning game three 6-3. Looking ahead, the Tigers are currently facing the Mariners in a five game series in which the Tigers took a nailbiting 3-2 victory in Game 1 on Saturday.
The next matchup on the busy wild card slate was between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, two talented young teams that had easily made it into the playoffs. The Padres were able to force the series to three games, but the home field advantage and the enthusiastic crowd at Wrigley field helped propel them to victory. The Cubs won games one and three 3-1 and the Padres won game two 3-0, so pitching played a key role for both teams, with the Cubs only allowing five runs and the Padres only allowing six. The Cubs victory means their moving on to face their NL Central rival, the Milwaukee Brewers, who received the one seed in the National League and a first round bye. The Brewers took the first contest 9-3.
Following the Cubs-Padres matchup was one of the greatest rivalries in sports history: the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees. In game one, Garret Crochet, Boston’s ace, came out dominant and threw 117 pitches with eleven strike outs. After giving up a home run early in the game, Crochet went on a streak retiring seventeen batters in a row. Before being pulled out of the game, he threw his last pitch as his hardest of the night at 100 miles per hour. The future looked bright for Boston, as going into this year, the team that won the first game of the three game wild card series had won the series and had ended up winning the series every single time. However, the Red Sox had to go to the bullpen early in games two and three, with their starters coming out before the fifth inning in both games. In game three, rookie pitcher and Walpole, Massachusetts native Cameron Schlittler stole the show and pitched eight shutout innings to guide the Yankees to victory. Xavier Bogen, an avid Red Sox fan, believed that “the Red Sox had a great ending to the season, they fought hard against a tough Yankees team.” He is also “excited for the years to come with all the young talent Boston has.” As for the Yankees, they move onto the divisional series where they will face off against another AL east opponent, the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays took a commanding 10-1 victory in the first game.
The final wild card series and the only one played out west was at Dodger Stadium between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were a surprise to even make the playoffs, and they were a huge underdog going into the series. The Dodgers beat the Reds 10-5 in game one and followed it up with an 8-4 win in game two, clinching their spot in the divisional series against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Dodgers and the Phillies are both heavy contenders to win the World Series, so it will be a fun matchup going forward. The Dodgers won a nailbiting first game 5-3.
As sophomore Harper Ewer says, “The wild card series were fun to watch because of how eventful they were, and it will be a fun MLB playoffs to watch.”
