MLB Wild Card Review

The MLB regular season has come to a close. The postseason is in full swing with the Wild Card wrapped up. As the best-of-three game series posted incredible moments, three of the series went down to the final game.

The first game of the Wild Card was a divisional matchup between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians. The first game started with Tarik Skubal, the Tigers ace, going out and dominating, only giving up one run through 7 and two-thirds. The Tigers’ offense did just enough scoring in the first with a Torkelson single and, in the seventh, a McKinstry sacrifice bunt that brought home Perez, taking game one 2-1. The second game was much better for the Guardians with home runs from Valera, Rocchio, and Naylor. They blew out the Tigers in Game Two, winning 6-1. The series went to a winner-take-all game with the Tigers exploding for four runs in the seventh inning, taking the game 6-3 and advancing to the next round.

The second series was the San Diego Padres going into Wrigley Field to take on the Chicago Cubs. In Game One, the Padres scratched out a run on a Bogaerts double, but it was all Cubs from there. With home runs in the fifth inning by Suzuki and Kelly, the Cubs took game one 3-1. Game Two was a pitching masterclass from the Padres, shutting out the Cubs and getting run support by Machado as he hit a two-run homer. Winning the game 3-0. The final game was all Cubs as they scored three runs through seven innings. The Padres tried to make a last-ditch effort with a homerun in the ninth by Merrill; they would fall short to the Cubs 3-1.

The third series was a rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. In Game One, Garrett Crochet pitched an excellent game, giving up 4 hits through seven and two-thirds. One of those hits, however, was a solo shot by Volpe. The Red Sox were able to rake in three runs, taking Game One 3-1. Game Two started with a bang as Ben Rice homered for the Yankees in the first inning. The Red Sox and Yankees went back and forth, but the game was decided when Wells singled to right, bringing in Jazz Chilsohm, taking the game 4-3. In Game Three, the Yankees dominated. Cam Schlittler went out and threw eight innings of shutout baseball. The Yankees scored four, which was enough to take the series. 

The final series was between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. The Dodgers struck first, as on the first at-bat of the game, Shohei Ohtani blasted one into the bleachers, and the Dodgers never looked back. With Ohtani getting another home run and Teoscar Hernandez hitting two home runs of his own, along with Tommy Edman hitting another, the Dodgers took Game One 10-5. The Dodgers kept this momentum as pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw 6 and two-thirds scoreless innings. The offense continued its reign of terror, scoring eight runs. The Dodgers took the game and the series, sweeping the Reds.