Disappointing would be an apt word to describe the beginning of the postseason experience for the 2025 Yankees. After taking a lead, the Red Sox ultimately outlasted the Yankees in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series. There will be plenty of coverage of that game and the rest of the series, but why not spare ourselves and take a look elsewhere on the first day of playoff baseball.
NL Wild Card Series Game 1
Chicago Cubs 3, San Diego Padres 1
(Cubs lead series 1-0)
The Cubs overcame an early deficit with a couple
of big homers at home on Tuesday. They had Wrigley rocking in Game 1, as the Padres now have the season on the line in Game 2 tomorrow.
Against surprise 2025 standout Matthew Boyd on the mound for the Cubbies, San Diego took an early lead in this game when Xander Bogaerts rocketed a ball into the left-center gap for an RBI double. After gaining that lead in the top half of the second, Nick Pivetta and the Dads kept Chicago scoreless through their first four chances on offense.
The tides changed for the Cubs in the bottom of the fifth, however. With Pivetta still on the bump, Seiya Suzuki woke up the crowd with a scorching solo shot into the bleachers in left-center. The solo shot tied the game up, and in the very next at-bat, a towering blast from Carson Kelly suddenly had the Cubs ahead, and Wrigley Field shaking with excitement.
The back-to-back blasts for Chicago ultimately stood as the deciding blows in this game, which saw the Cubs going up 1-0 in the best-of-three series. Boyd was good in his 4.1 innings, but was lifted in just the fifth in favor of Chicago’s high-leverage flamethrower Daniel Palencia. It was a move that paid off, as he was perfect through an inning and two thirds, while the San Diego bats remained quiet through the end of this one. Game 2 will pit Dylan Cease against a likely collage of Chicago pitchers, beginning with Andrew Kittredge.
AL Wild Card Series Game 1
Detroit Tigers 2, Cleveland Guardians 1
(Tigers lead series 1-0)
It would be hard to call it a surprise, but the Tigers rode an electric performance from left-hander Tarik Skubal on Tuesday. He is perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, and the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the AL looked every bit of the part against the Guardians.
The Detroit offense did their part early on, handing Skubal a lead in the top of the first, thanks to an RBI single from Spencer Torkelson. From there, Skubal got to work, beginning with three nearly-perfect innings.
He ran into his first trouble in the fourth inning, when a single and a walk had Cleveland in prime position. Skubal fielded a high-chopper over his shoulder from Gabriel Arias, and made it a close play at home, but Angel Martínez just barely slid in and scored to tie the game at 1.
Outside of the infield RBI knock, Skubal could do no wrong in this one. After 7.2 innings of work, the lefty finished with an eye-popping 14 strikeouts, allowing just the one run on three hits.
Although they had things well under control on the mound, Detroit still needed to break the 1-1 tie. In the top of the seventh, the Tigers did just that with a little small ball. With runners on the corners, Zach McKinstry dropped a perfect safety squeeze to first base, giving his guys what would stand as the game-winning run.
Pitching and some well-placed balls gave the Tigers the slim-margin victory in Game 1. The second game will see Casey Mize taking on Tanner Bibee, hoping to keep the Guardians’ postseason hopes alive.
NL Wild Card Series Game 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 10, Cincinnati Reds 5
(Dodgers lead series 1-0)
Although the Reds came close to putting some pressure on them, the Dodgers mostly cruised to victory in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
The Dodgers capitalized on the home run ball early and often in Game 1, as their offense appeared to be firing on all cylinders. Shohei Ohtani started the party with a leadoff homer in the first, before a three-run shot from Teoscar Hernández and a solo homer from Tommy Edman two innings later had the Dodgers up 5-0.
The bleeding wouldn’t stop there, as both Hernández and Ohtani belted second homers in this one, between the fifth and sixth innings, putting the boys in blue up by a commanding 8-0 score. While their swings were producing souvenirs, Blake Snell was dealing on the mound. The two-time Cy Young Award winner would finish seven innings, allowing a pair of runs and striking out nine.
The Reds attempted to crawl out of the grave against the Dodgers ‘pen, when they scored three in their half of the eighth, though they left the bases loaded to end the inning and still left the frame trailing 10-5. Blake Treinen was called upon to wrap this one up, and he did just that, giving the Dodgers a commanding 1-0 lead in this series.
