It wasn’t easy, but the Yankees fought back to force a winner-take-all Game 3 against the Red Sox. Ben Rice homered on the first postseason pitch he saw in his career and Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Austin Wells combined to score the decisive run in the eighth inning. Cam Schlittler will take the mound for the Bombers tonight against fellow rookie Connelly Early in what is undoubtedly the biggest starts of their careers.
Before that game starts, let’s recap the rest of the action in the other three Wild
Card Series.
NL Wild Card Series Game 2
San Diego Padres 3, Chicago Cubs 0
(Series tied, 1-1)
After watching an overpowering Nick Pivetta start go south with the Cubs slugging back-to-back home runs in the fifth on Tuesday, Padres manager Mike Schildt wasn’t taking any chances with his starter losing effectiveness. Dylan Cease was dominant for 3.2 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and a walk against five strikeouts, but Shildt played the matchups while completely avoiding the third-time-through penalty and yanked him from the game at just 69 pitches. The move paid off, Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, and Robert Suarez combining to allow just one baserunner across the final 5.1 innings as the Padres kept their season alive.
Just as they did in Game 1, the Padres jumped out to an early lead by stringing together several disciplined ABs against opener Andrew Kittredge. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez got the game started with a pair of singles to lead off the first, the pair executing a double steal after Manny Machado struck out. The base running gamble paid off with Jackson Merrill bringing Tatis home on a sac fly.
Neither side managed more than a single baserunner again until the fourth, when the Padres put runners on first and second with one out via a Merrill leadoff walk and Ryan O’Hearn one-out single, but Shota Imanaga stranded them in place. He wouldn’t be so lucky the following frame, Tatis drawing a one-out walk, advancing to second on an Arraez sac bunt, and jogging home on a mammoth two-run home run from Manny Machado.
Craig Counsell tried to get cute having traditional starter Imanaga follow the opener and the ploy did not pay off, leaving one to wonder what could have been had Imanaga just started the game. Meanwhile, the Padres were already into their bullpen at this point, and Mason Miller turned in one of if not the most dominant relief performances in recent postseason history. Their crown jewel addition at the deadline, Miller struck out all five batters he faced and threw the fastest recorded pitch in postseason history at 105 mph. Closer Suarez recorded the final four outs as the Padres force a Game 3. Yu Darvish draws the start for the visitors against Jameson Taillon.
AL Wild Card Series Game 2
Cleveland Guardians 6, Detroit Tigers 1
(Series tied, 1-1)
Alongside the Yankees and Padres, the Guardians avenged their Game 1 defeat to make it so that three out of the four Wild Card Series will go to a Game 3. While Game 1 was a pitching masterclass by both sides, Game 2 featured a late bullpen meltdown by the Tigers leading to the Guardians hanging a crooked number in the eighth inning. There were 11 pitchers used in total between the two ballclubs, Stephen Vogt ultimately pushing all the right buttons while A.J. Hinch’s hand slipped once.
The Tigers looked on track to achieve Tuesday’s feat of applying pressure early, Parker Meadows leading off the conest with a single and Gleyber Torres reaching on a Chase DeLauter dropped catch in center, but Tanner Bibee struck out the next three hitters to strand the pair. The Cleveland offense rewarded their starter’s effort in the bottom of the frame, George Valera opening the scoring with a booming one-out solo shot against a full count fastball from Casey Mize.
Detroit appeared to have Bibee on the ropes in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs on a Riley Greene double and back-to-back walks by Dillon Dingler and Zach McKinstry. Javier Báez smoked a single to center that appeared to plate two runs as there was a close play at third on the throw from the outfield, but a challenge by the Guardians revealed that McKinstry had committed the cardinal sin of making the final out at third with Dingler about a quarter step away from touching home.
That play would start a theme for the Tigers for the rest of the game of failing to capitalize on the traffic they created on the base paths — a pattern which would ultimately cost them the game. They stranded a pair in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but the worst they saved for the ninth. They again loaded the bases, this time on a Kerry Carpenter one-out walk, Spencer Torkelson hit-by-pitch, and a two-out fielding error by Brayan Rocchio on a Wenceel Pérez grounder, but Dingler lined out to end the game. In the end, the Tigers went 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 15 men on base.
The Guardians on the other hand made sure to maximize the few times they put runners on. The eighth inning proved the decisive blow in the contest, Cleveland smacking a pair of home runs and pushing five runs across. Rocchio began with a one-out solo shot, followed by back-to-back doubles by Steven Kwan and Daniel Schneemann for the second run of the frame. The Tigers intentionally walked José Ramírez, but two batters later Bo Naylor made them pay with a three-run blast off a hanging 2-2 sweeper from Brant Hurter to truly put the game to bed — Tigers reliever Troy Melton responsible for four of those runs while recording just a single out before getting pulled for Hurter.
After winning in a decidedly un-Guards-ball manner, Cleveland will turn to Slade Cecconi to take on Jack Flaherty in Game 3.
NL Wild Card Series Game 2
Los Angeles Dodgers 8, Cincinatti Reds 4
(Dodgers win, 2-0)
The Reds snuck into the postseason by the skin of their teeth thanks to an historic collapse by the Mets, but they were simply no match for the Dodgers, who were proverbially playing in a whole ‘nother ballpark than their Wild Card opponents. After taking Game 1, 10-5, the Dodgers again doubled their opponents score to punch their ticket to the NLDS, where they will face the Phillies in a titanic clash.
Cincinatti actually opened the scoring in the top of the first, plating a pair off NL Cy Young finalist Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Spencer Steer was hit by a pitch with one out and Teoscar Hernández whiffed a catch in right on an Austin Hays fly ball to put runners on second and third with two outs, Sal Stewart knocking both men in on a groundball single through the right side.
From there, however, the Dodgers shifted gears and scored eight unanswered. They chipped away at the lead in the third, Ben Rortvedt leading off with a double and scoring on a Mookie Betts single. An inning later, they grabbed a lead that they would not surrender. Max Muncy singled to lead off and came around to score the tying run on a Kiké Hernández double, himself scoring the go-ahead run on back-to-back one-out singles by Miguel Rojas and Rortvedt.
The Reds had a chance to respond in the top of the sixth, TJ Friedl, Steer, and Gavin Lux slapping three straight singles to load the bases with no outs. However, Yamamoto achieved a Houdini act getting a forceout at home before striking out Stewart and Elly De La Cruz to leave all three ducks on the pond.
Los Angeles immediately punished the Reds’ inability to cash in their opportunity by scoring four in the bottom of the frame. Kiké led off with a single and Rortvedt reached on a one-out throwing error by Stewart. Shohei Ohtani singled to plate Kiké and put runners on the corners for Betts, whose double off the glove of Ke’Bryan Hayes scored Rortvedt and put runners on second and third. Nick Martinez then intentionally walked Freddie Freeman to load the bases and get to Teo, and he got instant revenge by doubling in Ohtani and Betts. The Dodgers scored their eighth and final run an inning later, Rojas singling to lead off and advancing to second on a Rortvedt sac bunt. This allowed Betts to bring him home with his third double of the game, Betts finishing 4-for-5 with three RBIs.
With the score 8-2, Dave Roberts had license to use his lower leverage relievers, and the Reds managed a pair of consolation runs in the eighth. Lux singled and Hays walked to lead off, allowing Stewart to drive in his third run of the contest with an RBI single. A wild pitch put runners on second and third and a De La Cruz walked loaded the bases for Tyler Stephenson to drive in the game’s final run with a sac fly. A final treat for fans saw two of the game’s exciting rookies face off in a velocity battle, both Chase Burns and Roki Sasaki throwing triple digits in the final inning.
The Dodgers will face much stiffer competition with the Phillies on deck. However, they look to be hitting postseason form — in Game 1 it was Shohei and Teo clubbing a pair of home runs each while tonight it was Betts and the bottom three hitters who carried the offense. Philadelphia and their excellent starting staff — albeit without ace Zack Wheeler — should pose a tougher test than the Reds. Ohtani has been named as the Game 1 starter and will face off against Cristopher Sánchez on Saturday.
