Three MLB wild-card series came to an end on Wednesday — and one is headed to a win-or-go-home Game 3.
The Detroit Tigers continued their shocking surge with a wild-card sweep, eliminating the AL West champion Houston Astros with a comeback win. The Kansas City Royals followed suit in the second AL matchup of the day, sweeping the Baltimore Orioles with a 2-1 win in Baltimore. After trailing the New York Mets for the majority of the game, the Milwaukee Brewers had a three-run, two-homer eighth inning to beat New York and force a Game 3 on Thursday. The San Diego Padres ended the night by moving on to the division series with a sweep of the Atlanta Braves.
How did it all go down? We’ve got you covered with live updates and analysis as the games were played, followed by our takeaways after each final pitch.
Key links: Everything you need to know | Bracket | Picks
Tigers win series 2-0
Perhaps it was fitting that Andy Ibañez, a 31-year-old part-time player who batted .175 over the last two months, delivered the biggest hit of the Tigers’ season. Ibañez was summoned to pinch hit against the Astros’ star closer Josh Hader with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth and laced a three-run double down the left-field line. The hit propelled Detroit to victory in a game that saw it deploy seven different pitchers. The Tigers are young and unheralded, but they continue to find a way. Their latest conquest: snapping the Astros’ streak of seven consecutive trips to the American League Championship Series and advancing to the division series, which begins Saturday. Their unfathomable run continues.
What’s next: The Tigers’ next opponent is a familiar one: their AL Central rivals, the Cleveland Guardians, a team that seems just as scrappy and united as the Tigers are. The Guardians barely won their season series, taking seven of 13. The Astros, meanwhile, enter an offseason of uncertainty, mostly surrounding their star third baseman, Alex Bregman, who is scheduled for free agency. — Alden Gonzalez
Royals win series 2-0
If the Kansas City Royals were going to strut into Baltimore and emerge with their first postseason series win in nearly a decade, it would follow the formula that got them here: excellent starting pitching, airtight defense and clutch hitting. The script was followed almost precisely as written, and the Royals’ wild card series-clinching 2-1 victory — which followed a 1-0 triumph in Game 1 — sent Kansas City to face the top-seeded New York Yankees in the division series.
The starting pitching in Game 2 was less excellent than solid, with Seth Lugo pulled after 4 1/3 innings with the bases loaded and one out, but Angel Zerpa escaped the jam and started a parade of 4 2/3 scoreless from Kansas City’s suddenly excellent bullpen. The Royals’ infielders and outfielders were steel traps, and for the second consecutive game, Bobby Witt Jr. drove in the game-winning run.
What’s next: Onto New York they go, renewing a rivalry that in the late 1970s had no equal in baseball. The game is different, yes, but with Cole Ragans lined up to go twice in the five-game series, the gloves still excellent and Witt joined by Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez in the middle of the lineup, the Royals hope to replicate what happened the last time these teams played in the postseason in what was a five-game 1980 ALCS: a three-game sweep. — Jeff Passan
Series tied 1-1
The Brewers were in this position last year … down 1-0 to a 6-seed, battling in a close elimination game, needing just one big hit to even things up. That big hit never came and the loss helped launch the Arizona Diamondbacks to the World Series. But a big theme about these Brewers is that while the wins and seed are the same, this is a very different club. And so it is. They got not just one big hit when they had to have one, but two on eighth-inning homers from Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell.
This was the version of the Brewers that had everyone so excited. They are young and have swagger, power and speed — and they have a deep, lethal bullpen ideal for October baseball. That group showed up just in time in Game 2. So much about going on a run in the playoffs is simply grabbing the momentum. The Mets have been riding the wave all week, starting in Atlanta. Heading into a decisive Game 3 on Thursday, the Brewers now have it on their side. And best of all: We actually get a wild-card Game 3!
What’s next: There will be a recognition gap between the starting pitchers in the deciding Game 3. While the Mets’ Jose Quintana is a familiar veteran who has played on several playoff clubs, those just turning in outside Milwaukee will be less familiar with Tobias Myers. Just know this: Myers, a 26-year-old rookie righty, has been terrific over the last three months of the season. Since July 10, Myers has a 2.55 ERA and 3.46 FIP. One pitcher may be more familiar than the other, but it’s hard to see which team has the pitching edge going into the matchup. — Bradford Doolittle
Padres win series 2-0
The Padres were a popular World Series pick heading into the playoffs given the way they played over the final three months and they showed why in this two-game sweep: Potentially dominant starting pitching like we saw from Michael King (although Joe Musgrove left Game 2 with an injury, so keep an eye on that), a deep bullpen, a mix of power and contact hitting on offense, and rookie sensation Jackson Merrill, who seems to always deliver at the right time. For the Braves, it was just too much to ask to overcome the injuries to Chris Sale, Austin Riley, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider. They’ll be back next year — hopefully with their A lineup and rotation.
What’s next: Dodgers-Padres. The showdown is on. And baseball fans can expect plenty of fireworks in a dynamic NLDS matchup, starting Saturday in Los Angeles. — David Schoenfield