Seth Udinski, FISM News
[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]
Baseball fans feasted on an exciting wildcard weekend, as three underdogs overcame their opponents on enemy ground to advance to the MLB Division Series.
Guardians advance with dramatic walk-off
The first team to advance was the Cleveland Guardians, the only higher-seeded team to win all weekend. After a tense 2-1 victory on Friday, the Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays battled for 15 grueling innings of shutout baseball before Oscar Gonzalez blasted a walk-off solo home run to send the Guardians to the divisional round and the Cleveland crowd into a frenzy.
Tom Hamilton’s call of Oscar Gonzalez’s walkoff homer. I know a #Guardians fan who doesn’t like Hammy. He’s nuts. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/gmT73sI0Yq
— Ed Greenberger (@EdGreenberger) October 8, 2022
Mariners stage incredible comeback
Later on Saturday afternoon, the Seattle Mariners battled the Toronto Blue Jays. With a 1-0 series lead after a 3-1 win on Friday, the Mariners fell behind 8-1. It looked like an easy Toronto win until the Mariners started chipping away. To the shock of Blue Jays’ faithful, Seattle took a 10-9 lead and held on for one of the greatest postseason comebacks in baseball history.
The Mariners complete one of the craziest comebacks in postseason history!
(via @MLBPipeline)pic.twitter.com/fdtHOZvpfI
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 9, 2022
Phillies pitchers dominate Cardinals
Then late Saturday night, the Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals clashed for game 2 of their series. In game 1, the Phillies fell behind 2-0 before a dramatic 9th-inning rally plated six runs, giving Philadelphia a 6-3 win.
In game 2, the Phillies got all the run support they needed from an absolute missile off the bat of last year’s MVP Bryce Harper.
https://twitter.com/BrodesMedia/status/1578912354871672832
Phillies’ ace Aaron Nola tossed nearly seven brilliant shutout innings, and the relievers held on to send the Phillies to the divisional round and end the Hall-of-Fame careers of two aging Cardinal stars, Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina.
Padres shutout Mets in Game 3
Finally, the series between the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets needed all three games to decide a winner. The Padres took game 1 but the Mets got revenge in game 2, setting a winner-take-all game 3 on Sunday. The Padres’ bats came alive while the Mets’ powerful lineup could not get any traction, and San Diego advanced with a 6-0 win.
SHUTOUT‼️
THE PADRES ARE MOVIN' ON ➡️ pic.twitter.com/do1hbfywov
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 10, 2022
The Division Series begins Tuesday, as the Phillies clash with their divisional rival and the defending world champion Atlanta Braves at 1 p.m. EST, followed by the Mariners’ matchup with the Houston Astros at 3:30 EST. The nightcap pits the Guardians against the New York Yankees at 6:30 EST, followed by the Padres against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 9:30 EST.