Seth Udinski, FISM News
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.
POSTSEASON BRYCE HARPER BABY! pic.twitter.com/1BTWxYIFoN
— Brodes Media (@BrodesMedia) October 9, 2022
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.