Toronto holds the tiebreaker and would host.
Right. If they finish tied, the tiebreaker for home field is their 2016 head-to-head record, which Toronto wins.
Unless San Francisco badly collapses here, it doesn’t look good for the Cards. They’re my secondary team after the Red Sox, but it’s always interesting being in a playoff city, so it’s still slightly disappointing.
Aaron Sanchez just gave up his first hit of the game in the bottom of the 7th.
Unfortunately for Sanchez and Toronto, it was a home run that tied the game 1-1.
Orioles wrap up a Wild Card spot with a 5-2 win over the Yankees.
Woohoo!
Let’s Go O’s!
Still not especially confident about their chances of going much further, but it’s nice to see them in the postseason again, even if it ends up only being one game.
All of the fun tie-breaking scenarios have fallen apart, but if Boston can manage to lose, at least the Indians won’t have to play that stupid make-up game. I’m imagining at this point that the Tigers are hoping the Indians don’t need that make-up game, too.
I’m torn.
On the one hand, I’d prefer Cleveland to have a shot at home field, so I’m rooting for Boston to lose.
On the other, a Blue Jays loss would give Baltimore home field for the Wild Card game, so i think i have to cheer for Boston right now.
I was just coming in to ask is anyone else was worried about even year devil magic after this weekend’s shit show. Glad I’m not the only one.
ETA: I’m calling Dodgers/Giants NLCS right now
My primary hope, of course, is that the Giants go down in the WC game. But if not, I have to admit it would be something to get the Dodgers and Giants in a series deciding who goes to the WS.
Born in SF, and a Giants fan.
But, I really love the METS. They are exciting. And I don’t think the SF bullpen will get them far in the post season. Maybe better if the Mets save them some pain.
So, I am torn. Just give me a great game!
And Toronto beats Boston 2-1, giving the Blue Jays home field in the WC game, and Cleveland home field in the ALDS against Boston.
No need for the Indians and Detroit to play tomorrow.
I didn’t think Toronto would do it, but here they are. September was a lousy month for the Jays. Here’s hoping for a better October.
Sent from my adequate mobile device.
It’s October, and the Giants are in the postseason. Look out, folks…
I admit this is just me, but AFAIC the Wild Card game isn’t the playoffs. The Wild Card game gives you the right to BE in the playoffs. If the Blue Jays screw it up on Tuesday, which to be honest I think they will because they burned off their good starters over the weekend, I won’t really think of 2016 as a playoff run.
Under the old system, these games would had to happen anyway - Toronto/Baltimore and NY/SF happen to have the same records.
There is much debate in Toronto over which shitty starter to use on Tuesday. It’ll probably be Liriano, but to my mind they should take a totally different approach, since it’s one game, you must win, and the Wild Card roster can be totally different from the ALDS roster:
Prepare Stroman, Liriano, and Dickey all to start on Tuesday.
Start the game with Stroman and have him pitch to the Orioles lineup once. Nine batters. Unless something insane happens, like the Jays are up 12-0 and Stroman is pitching the game of his life, you lift him after nine batters.
Commencing with the leadoff hitter you put in Dickey. Now, having faces a hard throwing sinkerball pitcher for one at bat, the Orioles must deal with a totally different pitcher.
Dickey then pitches to nine batters and nine batters only. Once he’s done - again, if the game is a blowout and Dickey is wonderful you can rethink this, but it probably won’t be so - you insert Liriano, who has been preparing as if to start a game, once the leadoff hitter comes up for this third at bat. Now, having faced a righthanded sinkerball pitcher once and a knuckleball pitcher once, the Orioles must face a totally different pitcher entirely.
After Liriano is in you manage the game conventionally.
This is a perfectly logical strategy; it’s demonstrably the case that it is to the batter’s advantage to see the same pitcher multiple times in one game. This is a strategy you can use in a Wild Card game that you can’t use in any other context; in the regular season it’s disruptive to the pitching staff, and in a playoff series you can’t have three roster sports assigned to “start” one game. But a Wild Card game is a “series” of one game, with a roster composition that doesn’t have to be the same as anything else.
The two best things about the post-season so far is that the **Cubs **are in the playoffs…and the **Cardinals **are not. Hahahahahaha!
As I continue to scour MLB and other sites for info, I’m reminded of the thing I hate the most about the postseason: that the scheduling of game times is subject to the whim of executives hoping to maximize profits. We’ve got to wait until the Wild Card games are over to find out what time the division series games are going to start. Really infuriating. God help anyone going to a game who’d like to, y’know, PLAN or anything.
I hear you. I already have a plane ticket to arrive in Chicago Saturday afternoon, on the assumption that the Cubs game will be a night game. However, if it turns out to be a day game, I’ll have to reschedule my flight. Boooo!
Lord, yes.
We ought to have a scheduling protocol that worked strictly from geography and seeding, so that the moment the season results were final, we could know the exact times of all possible postseason games.
And the Mariners, once again, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Yes, but the weren’t really in the Jaws of Victory since they lost 2 out of 3 against the Astros in mid-September. They had a lot of late season fight this year, and it was good to see, but it’s hard to overcome what they did in May and June.