Tampa Bay Bests Texas to Advance to Wildcard #2

Here’s your morning baseball briefing for Tuesday October 1, 2013:

Monday Results:

Tampa Bay 4, Texas 2

Tampa Bay pitcher David Price pitched a complete game, and third baseman Evan Longoria hit a two-run home run as the Rays won the play-in tiebreaker game in Texas, advancing to face Cleveland in the one game wildcard game, with the winner to face Boston. 

This is the first year Major League Baseball expanded the playoff teams to what they’re calling five teams, with a one-game wildcard (Wildcard #2) played before the League Division Series featuring the top four teams.  Everywhere I’ve read it’s written as Tampa Bay has made the playoffs, but the loser of their game with Cleveland on Wednesday goes home for the season, never having played a playoff series.  I don’t consider a one game play-in to be a series, and Webster’s dictionary defines it as a number of things, events, or people of a similar kind or related nature coming one after another.  So one game cannot be defined as a series, but somehow MLB history says it is.

The Cincinnati Reds play the Pittsburgh Pirates today in the National League Play-In game, or what MLB calls Wildcard Game #2.  The loser’s season is over, never having played a playoff series, so why will MLB history state they made the playoffs? 

Today’s Schedule (Times EST):

National League Play-In Game

8:00pm – Cincinnati Reds (Cueto 5-2) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (Liriano 16-8)

News & Notes: 

The grievance to overturn Alex Rodriguez’s 211 game suspension began on Monday before arbitrator Frederic Horowitz.

History

1998 World Series – New York Yankees vs. San Diego Padres

          The American League champion New York Yankees cruised to a 22-game division win with a then record 114 regular season wins, advancing to their second World Series in three years, while San Diego won the National League to advance to their second World Series in franchise history, having lost to the Detroit Tigers in 1984.  1998 was also the first year that a city, San Diego, hosted both the Super Bowl and World Series in the same year.

          New York had home field advantage in the series, and San Diego battered Yankees’ pitcher David Wells for five runs in six innings in Game 1, with three of those runs coming off two Greg Vaughn home runs.  New York rallied in the seventh off the Padres bullpen, with second baseman Chuck Knoblauch’s three-run home run tying the game at five with more to come.  Later in the inning, first baseman Tino Martinez belted a grand slam home run off the right field upper deck façade that blew the game open and made the score 9-5.  New York hung on to win 9-6 to take a 1-0 series lead.

          The Bronx Bombers lived up to their name in Game 2 as outfielder Bernie Williams and catcher Jorge Posada each homered, leading New York to an easy 9-3 win, and inching the Yankees within two games of another World Series win.

          San Diego hosted Game 3 and the game remained scoreless into the sixth inning when the Padres scored three runs off Yankees starter David Cone.  New York came right back in the top of the seventh when third baseman Scott Brosius hit a two-run home run to make the score 3-2 San Diego, and Brosius flexed his muscles again in the eighth with a three-run home run that gave New York a 5-3 lead.  San Diego would score once in the ninth, but fell 5-4 and now trailed the series 3-0.

          In Game 4, Yankees starter Andy Pettitte tossed seven and a third shutout innings to outduel Padres starter Kevin Brown, and New York held a 3-0 lead in the ninth when closer Mariano Rivera came in to record the final three outs and end the series.  The Yankees swept the Padres in four straight games, winning their 24th World Series title in franchise history.

New York Wins 4-0

For the series, New York outscored San Diego 26-13 and outhit them 43-32.  Hall of Famers in the series included for the Yankees: None; and for the Padres: outfielder Tony Gwynn.

Tomorrow:  1999 World Series – New York Yankees vs. Atlanta Braves

Trivia

Today’s Question:  Who was the last National League player to win at least three consecutive batting titles?

Yesterday’s Question:  Miguel Cabrera won his third consecutive American League batting title.  Who was the last player to win three consecutive American League batting titles?

Answer:  Wade Boggs, Boston Red Sox, who won four straight from 1985-1988.

House Bet

Today:  Over/Under 8 runs scored in the National League Wildcard Game #2 tonight between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

Yesterday:  Over/Under 7 strikeouts by Tampa Bay starter David Price vs. Texas.

Result:  Under.  Price struck out 4 in a complete game win.

Predictions (my pick highlighted)

Today:  Cincinnati vs. Pittsburgh

Playoff Overall:  1-0