Wild Card Round: game thread

[nate82]

I am glad the Brewers don't have to play the Dodgers.  It looks like they have woken up and are now playing to their potential. 

[HarryDoyle]

I hope the Reds enjoyed their little champagne celebration the other day.

[BuckyBrewer61]

Was at most of the aforementioned games...and I'll put my vote in for the bottom of the 1st in game 6 of the 2018 NLCS as the loudest I have ever heard the Keg.  With David freakin' Freese homering in the top of the 1st, the wind went right out of the crowd.  Felt like maybe that was that, it just wasn't going to happen...then the Brewers threw a haymaker right back and you could feel the collective wind come right back in.  It blew the top off the park.  Electric.

 

That said, until they win the World Series...personally, I'm not sure any moment will top Braun sending that ball into the seats in game 162 in 2008.  First Brewers playoff berth of my lifetime, it made no sense to me.  Felt like a dream.

 

 

[kestrel79]

So what ex Brewers are currently playing on playoff teams right now? So far in watching the last couple games I've spotted:

Trent Grisham -low avg lots of homers for the Yankees this year. I'm sure that ballpark helps him out.

Cubs have Collin Rea, Drew Pomeranz, and might have the guy we got in the Hader trade Taylor Rodgers but he has a brother too I think and I always confuse them.

Anyone else?

[liveforoctober]

10 minutes ago, kestrel79 said:

So what ex Brewers are currently playing on playoff teams right now? So far in watching the last couple games I've spotted:

Trent Grisham -low avg lots of homers for the Yankees this year. I'm sure that ballpark helps him out.

Cubs have Collin Rea, Drew Pomeranz, and might have the guy we got in the Hader trade Taylor Rodgers but he has a brother too I think and I always confuse them.

Anyone else?

I saw Junis in with the Guardians the other game. Martin Maldonado is with the Friars.

[BuckyBrewer61]

10 minutes ago, kestrel79 said:

Trent Grisham -low avg lots of homers for the Yankees this year. I'm sure that ballpark helps him out.

Had the exact same thought the other night watching the Yanks game, so I pulled up Grisham's BRef page...and was quite surprised by his 2025 home-road splits (roughly same number of games):

 

Home:   .195/.326/.376/.702  13 HR

Road:    .269/.367/.537/.904   21 HR

[BuckyBrewer61]

Devin on the Yankees too

Civale on the Cubs

Suter on the Reds

Lauer on the Blue Jays

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

Three game 3s today is pretty fun. 

I would be SHOCKED if Game 1 losers were still 0-fer the round after today, but you never know. 

I'll take the Guardians and Yankees to win. Cubs/Padres feels 50/50 to me. I could see Darvish dominating his old club or getting shelled. Lean Cubs just because they're due to win a Wrigley elimination game.

Maybe Game 1 losers go 3 for 3. Baseball. October. Life, man. LIFE!

[Team Canada]

37 minutes ago, BuckyBrewer61 said:

then the Brewers threw a haymaker right back and you could feel the collective wind come right back in.  It blew the top off the park.  Electric.

Agreed, the crowd just exploded. Also, the sustained boos for Machado were hilarious.

[Team Canada]

8 hours ago, nate82 said:

It looks like they have woken up and are now playing to their potential. 

To be fair, it was the Reds. It was obvious that they were the team that snuck in and didn't belong. Mets likely would have looked the same.

[Cool Hand Lucroy]

9 hours ago, owbc said:

That is correct, the televised box will not be allowed next year for exactly that reason. 

Really? Low-key, that might be the most fascinating thing about this for me. I love it, in theory. 

[kestrel79]

6 minutes ago, Team Canada said:

To be fair, it was the Reds. It was obvious that they were the team that snuck in and didn't belong. Mets likely would have looked the same.

What's worse the Reds or the 2020 Brewers that snuck into the Playoffs with a losing record and looked completely overmatched against LA. The Ryon Healy battling cleanup game :)

Excited for today's game 3s. Not excited that I can feel my playoff anxiety creeping...

[Frisbee Slider]

2 hours ago, kestrel79 said:

So what ex Brewers are currently playing on playoff teams right now?

Jahmai Jones, Brewers legend (11 PA) has .935 OPS for Detroit in 150 PA

[FidoMcCokefiend]

13 hours ago, bm1090 said:

But how good would it feel to send them home?

Thinking I would die watching the entire NFCC in 2010 vs the bears I would simply say “the joy of winning would not exceed the pain of losing to them”. So I’d rather avoid the potential and see them lose 

[HarveysWBs]

I have no deep analysis of any of the games today. I’m long since over feeling good or bad about matchups and wishing for certain opponents. The Brewers have proven quite convincingly that anything can happen in the playoffs, and in the divisional round, you’re always getting a great team, or a hot team, or both. So it all probably doesn’t matter.

But I will say that if one goes into an elimination game rolling a starter with a 5.5 era, or a last name that sounds like you’re about to invade Poland, you’re probably going to have a bad time. As such, I’m not liking the juju for either San Diego or New York today. Meanwhile, I know very little about Cleveland or Detroit other than if they make it to the World Series they will have really earned it, so good luck to both of them.

And that is my grade school level breakdown of today’s action.

[Team Canada]

Worth noting: Game 1 winners are 18-2 in the 3-game era.

[owbc]

3 hours ago, Cool Hand Lucroy said:

Really? Low-key, that might be the most fascinating thing about this for me. I love it, in theory. 

I can't find it documented but I know I read it somewhere. It makes sense because many stadiums have TVs in the club seats right behind home plate. It wouldn't be that hard for the fans to start calling out when to challenge. 

It will definitely make the TV watching experience different, we're so used to the instant feedback of that box that it will be difficult to judge borderline balls/strikes without it. 

[owbc]

9 minutes ago, Team Canada said:

Worth noting: Game 1 winners are 18-2 in the 3-game era.

Feels like we're due for some reverse sweeps this year. 

[Paul77]

1 hour ago, owbc said:

I can't find it documented but I know I read it somewhere. It makes sense because many stadiums have TVs in the club seats right behind home plate. It wouldn't be that hard for the fans to start calling out when to challenge. 

It will definitely make the TV watching experience different, we're so used to the instant feedback of that box that it will be difficult to judge borderline balls/strikes without it. 

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Articles/2025/02/20/mlb-considers-removing-strike-zone-box-from-broadcasts-ahead-of-possible-abs-debut/

[Brewluver]

I see Cinci made a quick exit 😗

[Fear The Chorizo]

These game 3's have the feel of managers being too quick on the hook for their starters, then realizing many of their key late inning arms are a bit strained late with playoff outs being a bit more stressful.

Thinking this is already happening with the CLE/DET game, and I expect both CC and Schildt to go to their pens instantly and maybe both regret it once the late innings arrive if the game is tight.  I can also see either Taillon or Darvish get shelled early on a hot Wrigley afternoon and that game gets out of hand quickly.

[Brewluver]

4 minutes ago, Fear The Chorizo said:

I can also see either Taillon or Darvish get shelled early on a hot Wrigley afternoon and that game gets out of hand quickly.

You're like Nostradamus 😁 

[kestrel79]

Man just watched the gm 6 2018 NLDS highlights to get me pumped for the playoffs and feeling positive, man those are some great memories unlocked I was at that game. All I can feel still is game 7 :(

[Frisbee Slider]

13 minutes ago, kestrel79 said:

All I can feel still is game 7 :(

I lost track of Yasiel Puig. He is still just 34 years old?

[SomewhereInTime]

Cleveland game is a great example of why this postseason system is so bad.  That massive division race comeback should mean something like it used to.  Detroit's season should be over.