Tag: MLB Postseason

MLB playoffs: The umpires for the 2023 American League and National League wild card

A look at the umpiring crews for the wild card.

The MLB regular season is officially over. And while we already know that 18 teams saw their seasons come to an end on Sunday. Dozens of umpires will also head into an offseason.

Given the stakes of the MLB playoffs, the league looks to assign the best-performing umpires to work postseason games. The on-field crews are also expanded with umpires positioned in right field and left field.

On Monday, MLB announced its umpiring rosters for the wild card series in the National League and American League. And the result was four experienced crews with a combined experience of 18 World Series between them.

SpongeBob fan Oscar Gonzalez’s stunning walk-off dinger ended longest scoreless game in MLB postseason history

AYE AYE, OSCAR!

Oscar Gonzalez does not live in a pineapple under the sea, but he does use the SpongeBob Squarepants theme song as his walk-up music. And we’re convinced that somehow gave him the powers to end the longest scoreless postseason game in Major League Baseball history on Saturday.

Game 2 of the series between Gonzalez’s Cleveland Guardians and the Tampa Bay Rays was a real pitcher’s duel. Eight Tampa Bay pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts, and eight Cleveland pitchers fanned 20 batters. And so, the game went to the 15th inning with zero runs between the two sides – disappointing the folks who the bet the over on the 5.5 run total.

And then Gonzalez ended it.

After walking up to the plate to the tune of the classic Nickelodeon jingle, the 24-year-old outfielder took a 1-0 pitch – an 85-mile-an-hour cutter – from Corey Kluber and smashed it over the Chick-Fil-A signs in left field.

Not only did that swing of the bat win the game, but it clinched the series for the Guardians. Gonzalez rightfully pimped his homer too, watching the ball sail into the bleachers before flipping his bat.

In addition to being the longest scoreless postseason game in league history, the game set several other notable marks, including:

  • It was the longest postseason game in Cleveland’s franchise history – and, you know, it’s been around since 1901.
  • It was Kluber’s first appearance as a reliever in nine years.
  • There were 93 at-bats and zero extra base hits before Gonzalez’s dinger.
  • Gonzalez’s walk-off homer was the 13th one that clinched a postseason series – and the first for Cleveland.
  • The 39 combined strikeouts are the most ever in a single game in MLB postseason history.

And if you’re wondering why Gonzalez uses the SpongeBob theme song as his walk-up music, he gave a pretty simple and sensible reasoning to Sports Illustrated, saying, “Because kids love that song and this is a kid’s game after all. I’ve had it since Triple A.”

We love it too. Come on, who doesn’t? Even Joe Burrow is a fan.

Gonzalez hit six home runs in September. His homer was the first of his postseason career, as well as the first run scored and RBI.

The Rays were favored by 1.5 runs in this game. The Guardians will face the Yankees next.

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Randy Arozarena’s steal of home was even cooler from up close

This angle is amazing.

There’s so much to love about baseball.

[Places fedora upon head.]

It’s the thinking person’s game. Strategy is everything! But also skill! Nothing is harder than hitting a baseball, except perhaps throwing one in such a way that nobody can hit it.

Can’t you smell the fresh-cut grass? The Cracker Jacks? The sticky stale absurdly expensive beer that some guy spilled in the 3rd–

[Removes fedora quickly.]

Sorry about that. Wait, do they still make Cracker Jacks?

Anyway, baseball’s great. It’s just that, compared to the free-flowing sports, displays of dramatic, world-class athleticism are relatively scattered.

Which makes Rays rookie Randy Arozarena’s daring steal of home in an ALDS game against Boston all the more thrilling, especially from this angle:

My favorite part of this video is that you can see the quarter-second of hesitation in Brandon Lowe when he thinks, “Wait, uhh, is Randy running at me? He is, right? Yes, yes, he’s trying to steal home, better step out.”

Honestly I just want to watch every angle of this, over and over.

According to Rays manager Kevin Cash, Arozarena had been begging to steal home for a while now, pleading by saying, “Verde, verde, verde.” Basically: Green light?

Thankfully he got it, scoring the final run in a 5-0 Game 1 victory. Arozarena became the first player ever to steal home and homer in a playoff game.

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Warriors send Oakland Athletics good luck at start of MLB Playoffs

Before they took the mound against the Chicago White Sox in the playoffs, the Warriors had a message for the Oakland Athletics.

While the Golden State Warriors sit on the sidelines of the NBA Finals for the first time in five seasons, a different team will represent the Bay Area in their league’s postseason.

After winning 36 games in Major League Baseball’s shortened season, the Oakland Athletics clinched the No. 2 overall seed in the American League. On Tuesday, the A’s welcomed the Chicago White Sox to the Oakland Coliseum for the opening round of the playoffs.

Before rookie Jesús Luzardo took the mound against the White Sox, the Warriors wished the A’s good luck in the playoffs with a message on Twitter. In the tweet, the Warriors shared a video of Klay Thompson coming off the mound after tossing out the first pitch. While donning the green and gold, the three-time NBA Champion celebrated his first pitch with screams of “let’s go.”

Via @warriors on Twitter:

Despite their good luck wish, the A’s slipped in the first tilt of a three-game series. After giving up early home runs in the second and third inning, the A’s couldn’t build a comeback, falling to the White Sox 4-1 in game one.

With their season on the line, Bob Melvin and the A’s will send out right-hander Chris Bassitt against two-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner, Dallas Keuchel.

The first pitch for game two of the American League Wild Card series is slated for Wednesday at noon PT.

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Auburn baseball: Five former Tigers set for MLB postseason

Five former Auburn players in Garrett Cooper, Grant Dayton, Josh Donaldson, Josh Palacios and David Ross are one step closer to winning the World Series after making the MLB postseason.

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Five former Auburn players in Garrett Cooper, Grant Dayton, Josh Donaldson, Josh Palacios and David Ross are one step closer to winning the World Series after making the MLB postseason.

Dayton recently won his second straight NL East championship with the Atlanta Braves, who are set to open postseason play against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN. Dayton turned in a career year with the Braves, going 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 18 appearances.

Cooper and the Miami Marlins, making the team’s first postseason appearance since 2003, will face off with Ross and the NL Central champion Chicago Cubs Wednesday at 1 p.m. on ABC. Cooper hit .283 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 34 games and is set to make his postseason debut.

Ross led the Cubs to the organization’s first NL Central title since 2017 in his first season as the manager.

Donaldson and the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins kick off the postseason by taking on the Houston Astros Tuesday at 1 p.m. on ABC. Donaldson is not on the Twins’ Wild Card roster due to injury but is a member of the team’s taxi squad.

Palacios and the Toronto Blue Jays take on the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays Tuesday at 4 p.m. on TBS. Palacios, who was added to Toronto’s taxi squad Sept. 17, is not included on Toronto’s Wild Card roster but is a part of the team’s postseason player pool.