The Weekly Rundown: 10/1/23 - 10/7/23
Recapping the first week of playoff baseball.
Good morning and happy Sunday.
The first week of postseason baseball is in the books. Let’s just address the elephant in the room off the bat: the Wild Card Series did not go as I expected. Not only did three of the four teams I picked against advance to the Divisional Series, but all four wild-card matchups resulted in sweeps. Oops.
Anyway, we’re on to the next round and there’s plenty to recap from a wild (no pun intended) week in MLB. Let’s jump in.
RIP Tim Wakefield
Red Sox Nation lost a beloved member of its family last Sunday as longtime knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield passed away from brain cancer at the age of 57.
This one hurt. Wakefield gave Sox fans so many memories during his 17-year career but he’ll be remembered most for being a model teammate and a pillar in the Boston community. He was nominated eight times for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, which is given annually to the player who best reflects the spirit of giving back to the community. He won the award in 2010.
NESN put together an emotional tribute to Wakefield, which you can watch below:
Retiring Wakefield’s No. 49 seems like a no-brainer. No one has worn it since his retirement anyway. And while he wasn’t a Hall-of-Fame talent, he was a Hall-of-Fame person and one of the most respected players ever to wear a Red Sox uniform. That should be enough.
Miggy’s Perfect Sendoff
The great Miguel Cabrera’s Hall-of-Fame career officially came to an end in Detroit’s regular-season finale at Comerica Park. It couldn’t have wrapped up much better than it did.
Cabrera grabbed a glove and ran out to first base for the eighth inning so he could get his well-deserved ovation. Moments later, he fielded a routine ground ball that sent Tigers fans into a frenzy.
Watch below:
Cabrera finishes his 21-year career with a .306/.382/.518 slash line, 511 homers, 1,881 RBIs, a World Series title in 2003, two MVP awards, 12 All-Star selections, four batting titles, seven Silver Sluggers, and a Triple Crown. First ballot.
Trevor Bauer Speaks Out
Former Cy Young Award winner Trevor Bauer, who has been playing in Japan, broke his silence after settling his sexual assault lawsuit with his accuser, Lindsey Hill.
Long story short for those unaware, Hill accused Bauer of punching and choking her during a sexual encounter. The allegations were serious enough to warrant a record-long suspension from MLB that eventually was cut from 324 to 194 games. The Dodgers released him last winter.
With the lawsuit finally behind him, Bauer released a video that certainly makes it look like he was railroaded and extorted by Hill. Of course, there are two sides to the story, but judging by the video it looks like Bauer is owed an apology by many.
You can watch the video below and be the judge.
If everything in the above video is true, Hill needs to be held accountable. Unfortunately, she received $300,000 from her insurance and probably won’t ever have to face the music for her actions. Meanwhile, Bauer’s reputation is ruined and he might never get a job in MLB again. Guilty before proven innocent. What a world.
Wild Card Series
Rangers vs. Rays
The Rangers advanced to the Rays with a two-game sweep. Left-hander Jordan Montgomery set the tone with a stellar Game 1 performance.
Montgomery, a free agent this winter, pitched seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Aroldis Chapman and Jose Leclerc put the finishing touches on the 4-0 victory.
Texas continued its dominance with a 7-1 win in Game 2. Former Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi followed up Montgomery’s performance with only one run allowed and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched. All-Star outfielder Adolis Garcia and rookie Evan Carter homered.
The Rangers advanced to take on the AL East champion Orioles in the ALDS.
Blue Jays vs. Twins
Rookie third baseman Royce Lewis was the story in Game 1. The 24-year-old started his first-ever postseason with homers in consecutive at-bats vs. Toronto ace Kevin Gausman. He accounted for all three of Minnesota’s runs in the 3-1 win.
The Twins earned a 2-0 victory in Game 2 thanks to a solid pitching performance from Sonny Gray and a critical mistake made by Blue Jays skipper John Schneider. He elected to replace Jose Berrios, who looked outstanding, with Yusei Kikuchi. That killed any momentum Toronto had, and it resulted in Minnesota moving on to meet the Astros in the ALDS.
Diamondbacks vs. Brewers
With no Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly until Games 2 and 3, it was imperative for the Diamondbacks to win Game 1 with rookie Brandon Pfaadt on the mound. Mission accomplished.
Pfaddt had a rough start but Arizona’s bullpen stepped up to shut down Milwaukee’s offense in a 6-3 win. Offensively, the DBacks’ night was highlighted by stars Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte belting back-to-back homers. Christian Walker went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Gallen got the Game 2 start and took care of business with only two runs allowed in six innings. Again, the bullpen held Milwaukee scoreless the rest of the way to send Arizona to the NLDS with a 5-2 win.
Outfielder Alek Thomas homered for the DBacks. Marte knocked in two runs to help Arizona advance to face the Dodgers.
Marlins vs. Phillies
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler shut down the Marlins offense in Game 1 with only one run allowed in 6.2 innings while striking out eight.
The real fun came in Game 2 when soon-to-be free agent Aaron Nola propelled Philly to the NLDS with only three hits allowed in seven scoreless innings. And in the moment of the postseason so far, second baseman Bryson Stott got Citizens Bank Park going crazy with one of the coolest grand slams you’ll see:
The Phillies won 7-2 to earn a chance to take on the NL East champion Braves in the next round.
Division Series Game 1s
Rangers vs. Orioles
It was a bullpen battle between Texas and Baltimore in Game 1. Rangers starter Andrew Heaney went only 3.2 innings and Kyle Bradish went 4.2 innings for the O’s.
It turned out to be a low-scoring affair as the Rangers squeaked out a 3-2 victory at Camden Yards. Rookie third baseman Josh Jung did damage with a solo homer and fellow rookie Evan Carter knocked in another run along with catcher Jonah Heim. Anthony Santander homered for Baltimore.
Twins vs. Astros
The reigning World Series champions took a 1-0 series lead behind ace Justin Verlander, who set the tone with six scoreless innings of work. On the flip side, Twins starter Bailey Ober allowed three runs in only three innings.
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez crushed two homers in Houston’s 6-4 win. Jose Altuve added a solo shot of his own.
Minnesota's valiant comeback effort was led by seventh-inning homers from Wild Card Series star Royce Lewis and third baseman Jorge Polanco.
Phillies vs. Braves
Game 1 of the most intriguing series of the playoffs (in my humble opinion) went to the underdog Phillies, who used seven pitchers to shut out the World Series favorites.
It was an uncharacteristic night for Atlanta, which boasted a historically great offense during the regular season. It also committed two costly errors in the field to spoil Spencer Strider’s otherwise strong start (one run allowed in seven innings).
Diamondbacks vs. Dodgers
Another upset. The DBacks put the Dodgers on notice with a dominant 11-2 win in Game 1. It was a disastrous start for Clayton Kershaw, who allowed six runs and exited after getting only one out. Corbin Carroll, Tommy Pham, Gabriel Moreno, and Alek Thomas each homered in the victory, and Evan Longoria drove in two runs. Meanwhile, Arizona starter Merrill Kelly allowed only three hits in 6.1 scoreless innings.
Web Gem Of The Week
Veteran third baseman Evan Longoria made two incredible plays in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series to help the Diamondbacks upset the Brewers. Jomboy came through with an as-always great breakdown below:
Quick Takeaways
Congrats to the Twins for not having to play against the Yankees and finally breaking through to win their first postseason game since 2004.
It’s pretty hard to root against the Phillies after seeing the electric atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park. This Phillies-Braves series might end up being the series of the postseason.
Rangers rookie Evan Carter is making a name for himself in this postseason. He’s 4-for-6 with a homer, 3 RBIs, and four walks through five games. Not bad for someone who just turned 21 in August.
MLB is right there with the NHL with all of the postseason parity. Anything can happen in these playoffs, as shown by all of the upsets already. I think we might end up being surprised by this year’s World Series matchup.
Rapid Fire
The Angels fired manager Phil Nevin after one-and-a-half seasons. Nevin went 119-149 with zero playoff appearances as the skipper in Anaheim.
Buck Showalter is done as the Mets’ manager and is already pushing hard for the Angels job, per the New York Post.
In other Mets news, Billy Eppler resigned as GM amid MLB’s investigation into his improper use of the injured list. Eppler initially was expected to remain in the front office following the hiring of team president David Stearns.
Reds veteran first baseman Joey Votto, who turned 40 last month, plans to return for the 2024 season.
The Diamondbacks signed executive vice president/general manager Mike Hazen to a contract extension that runs through the 2028 season and includes a club option for 2029.
Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner, underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the entire 2024 season.
The Rumor Mill
The rumor mill is back with some Shohei Ohtani chatter. Jon Heyman of the New York Posts writes that the Red Sox “loom at a real threat” to sign the two-way superstar in free agency.
“Shohei Ohtani and the Red Sox are starting to be linked more and more. One executive with an interested team said he believes they are a real threat.
“Ohtani has a new big deal with New Balance out of Boston. Perhaps more important: The Red Sox need to balance things out after three last-place finishes in four years.'“
Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so the mega deal we all were expecting this offseason probably won’t happen. It’s possible he signs somewhere short-term and retests the market once he can return to the mound. If that’s the case, I could see Boston as a fit — though adding another DH to the mix probably wouldn’t make sense. I guess if you can find a way to get Ohtani on your team, you do it and then figure the other stuff out later.
Thanks for reading and enjoy another action-packed week of playoff baseball.