National Baseball League

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Reds 3, Giants 1

Phil Rizzuto:
Holy cow! What a ballgame we had this afternoon out here in San Francisco! The Cincinnati Reds come into town needing a win, and whaddaya know — they take care of business, beating the San Francisco Giants 3–1 to even up this Wild Card Series.
Now lemme tell ya — the big story, Mad Dog, was the pitching. That fella Jim Russell for Cincinnati… hoo boy! Seven and two-thirds innings, only three hits! He had those Giants hitters waving the bats like they were swatting flies at a summer picnic!
Mad Dog (furious):
Phil, Phil, Phil, stop right there! This is a disaster! An absolute disaster for San Francisco! You're at home, the ballpark is packed — forty-three thousand people in the building — and you give the game away in the sixth inning!
You cannot lose playoff games like this! You just can't!
Rizzuto:
Well now hold on there, Mad Dog, it wasn’t all bad for the Giants. They tied the game in the fifth inning when David Fuentes lined a single and brought home Travis Campbell. That made it 1–1 and the crowd got pretty loud.
But then — hoo boy — the Reds came right back in the sixth.
Mad Dog:
RIGHT BACK?! Phil, they practically gift-wrapped it!
Rizzuto:
Heh heh… well, maybe a little bit.
First John Dale gets hit by a pitch, then Bo Celauro sneaks an infield single. Suddenly the Reds got two fellas on base and only one out.
Then up comes Javy Sanchez.
Holy cow!
He lines a double way out into the gap — two runs come home, just like that! Reds take the lead 3–1 and the Giants are in a pickle.
Mad Dog:
And that’s the game! That’s the whole game right there! One pitch, one swing, series flipped on its head! If you're J. J. Bachus, you cannot allow that hit!
You’re pitching fine! Seven innings, three runs! But one bad pitch in October — boom! You're down a game!
Rizzuto:
Now don’t forget the bullpen. After Russell left, Rick McCoy came in and shut the door for the save.
Giants made a little noise in the ninth — double by Fuentes put the tying run on base — but the Reds got the last out and that was that.
Mad Dog:
And now the Giants have a problem! A big problem! You had the series in your hands after Game 1 — now it’s a winner-take-all tomorrow!
You blow chances all game, you leave runners everywhere, and now you're playing for your season!
Rizzuto:
Well Mad Dog, that’s playoff baseball for ya!
So here we are — the Wild Card Series tied 1–1.
Tomorrow right here at Oracle Park, one game decides who moves on… and who goes home.
Holy cow, I can't wait! ⚾

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Rays 9, Mariners 4

The late afternoon air carried a gentle hum inside Tropicana Field, where postseason baseball had come to visit once again. The Seattle Mariners arrived with their season hanging by a thread, while the Tampa Bay Rays stood just one victory away from moving on.
For a while, it seemed as though Seattle might stretch the afternoon into a tense and uncertain evening.
In the top of the first inning, Ricky Roman opened the game with a sharp single, stole second, and advanced to third on a bunt. Moments later, John Coyle lifted a fly ball to center field. Roman tagged, raced home, and the Mariners had an early 1–0 lead.
For several innings the game moved quietly, like a chess match between pitchers. Seattle’s David Ledbetter worked carefully, and Tampa Bay’s Mike Winnie matched him pitch for pitch.
But baseball has a way of shifting its mood in an instant.
In the fifth inning, Mark McDonald stepped to the plate and lined a ringing double, bringing home the tying run. The Rays had evened the score, and suddenly the ballpark felt alive.
Then came the sixth. Tampa Bay capitalized on a pair of Seattle errors, and Eric Crismond delivered the hit that nudged the Rays ahead. It was not yet decisive, but the tide had unmistakably turned.
And then the seventh inning arrived — the kind of inning that postseason games sometimes remember for years.
The Rays sent eleven men to the plate. Walks, sharp singles, and extra-base hits began to tumble together. Johnny Nava drove a double into the gap to score two. Chris Eckert followed with a triple that rattled the outfield wall. Another double, this time from Santos Garcia, brought yet another run home.
By the time the inning ended, Tampa Bay had scored six runs, transforming a tense contest into a commanding 9–1 advantage.
Seattle showed some fight in the eighth inning. Carlos Villarreal and Mat Shoemaker each lashed triples, and the Mariners managed to trim the margin to five. But the surge was simply too little, too late.
When the final out settled into a glove, the scoreboard read Rays 9, Mariners 4.
And so the Rays completed the two-game sweep, moving forward to the Division Series where they will meet the formidable New York Yankees, the club that authored a remarkable 140-win season.
As for Tampa Bay, the victory belonged not only to their explosive seventh inning, but also to the steady work of Basilio Buso, who earned Series MVP honors with nine scoreless innings across the series.
October baseball has a way of revealing a team’s character.
On this day in Tampa Bay, the Rays revealed theirs — patience early, power late, and a ticket punched to the next round. ⚾

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Angels 7, Royals 3

Jon Miller:
Good evening everybody, and welcome to Baseball Tonight. The postseason spotlight shifted to Southern California today at Angel Stadium of Anaheim, where the Anaheim Angels needed a win to keep their Wild Card hopes alive against the Kansas City Royals. And Joe, this one had a little bit of everything — early runs, a rain delay, and then a big turning point in the middle innings.
Joe Morgan:
Yeah Jon, and the biggest thing in a playoff game like this is momentum. Kansas City actually jumped out early and looked like they might take control of the series.
Early back-and-forth
Miller:
The Royals struck first in the second inning. Juan Lopez singled home a run, and another came in on an error as Kansas City grabbed a 2–0 lead.
Morgan:
And when you’re the road team, that’s exactly what you want to do — get on the board early and quiet the crowd.
Miller:
But Anaheim answered immediately. In the bottom of the second, David Avila and Mike Mosqueda each delivered RBI singles to tie the game.
Morgan:
That’s the sign of a good lineup, Jon. You give them a punch, and they come right back.
Royals edge ahead again
Miller:
Kansas City briefly reclaimed the lead in the third inning when Ernesto Irrizarry singled home a run to make it 3–2 Royals.
Morgan:
And they were doing a nice job of putting pressure on the defense — stealing bases, moving runners, making Anaheim work.
Miller:
But the Angels responded yet again. Ricky Resendez came through with a run-scoring hit later in the third to knot things up 3–3.
The decisive sixth inning
Miller:
And Joe, the entire game turned in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Morgan:
Exactly. Playoff games often come down to one inning, and this was it.
Miller:
It began with a double from Akiyuki Amano. Then after a single, Carlos Guzman stepped in and drilled a two-run double into the gap.
Morgan:
That’s a big-time swing right there. Two runs score and suddenly the Angels have the lead. But they weren’t finished.
Miller:
Moments later, Juan Garcia lined another double that brought home two more runs. By the time the dust settled, Anaheim had scored four runs in the inning and taken a commanding 7–3 lead.
Morgan:
That’s what happens when you keep putting the ball in play, Jon. The pressure builds and eventually something breaks.
Strong pitching closes it out
Miller:
The offensive outburst was backed by a solid performance on the mound from Alejandro Rueda, who worked seven innings, allowing five hits and three runs.
Morgan:
And he really settled down after those early innings. That’s important in October — you give your team a chance to come back.
Miller:
Reliever David Smith handled the final two innings, and the Angels closed out a 7–3 victory in front of nearly 35,000 fans.
Series even
Morgan:
So now the series is exactly where both teams expected it to be — tied one game apiece.
Miller:
That’s right, Joe. The decisive Game 3 will be played tomorrow night again at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Winner moves on, loser goes home.
Morgan:
And Jon, those are the best games in baseball.
Miller:
No question about it. One game, everything on the line. That’s postseason baseball. ⚾

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Giants 9, Reds 0

Mike Francesa:
Alright, we’re back on Mike and the Mad Dog, and Dog — I gotta tell ya — if you’re the San Francisco Giants, this is exactly how you want an elimination game to look. Total domination. Total domination.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo:
Mike, this was a massacre! A massacre! The Cincinnati Reds didn’t have a chance! They got off the plane, walked into Oracle Park, and boom — the Giants knocked ‘em right back out again!
Giants explode immediately
Francesa:
The key here, Dog, they didn’t wait around. Bottom of the first inning — bang — three runs right away.
Russo:
Exactly! Steve Taylor gets it started with a hit, Jeremy Dick follows, bases get loaded, and then Edgar Perdomo just rips a double into the gap! Two runs score, the place is going crazy!
Francesa:
And then Travis Campbell adds a sacrifice fly — just like that it’s 3–0 Giants before the Reds even know what hit them.
Russo:
Game basically over already! In a Game 3! That crowd smelled blood!
Power keeps piling it on
Francesa:
And then they added power. Third inning — Bill Valenzuela with a solo homer.
Russo:
And don’t forget the fourth inning! David Fuentes launches one out too! Two bombs, Mike! TWO! Now it’s 5–0 and the Reds are done!
Francesa:
At that point the Giants were in cruise control.
The Danny Valdez show
Russo:
But Mike, we gotta talk about the pitcher. Danny Valdez — are you kidding me?! A complete-game shutout in an elimination game!
Francesa:
Nine innings, five hits, one walk. Total control. He kept the ball down, got a ton of weak contact, and the Reds never threatened.
Russo:
Dog loves this! I mean this guy was unbelievable all series! Zero ERA, nine innings — he was lights out!
Francesa:
That’s why he wins the series MVP.
Giants add the exclamation point
Russo:
And then Mike — the eighth inning — they just pour it on! Four more runs!
Francesa:
Big hits from Greg Price, Ben Sundman, and Taylor again. By the time it’s over, it’s 9–0.
Russo:
Nine to NOTHING! In a Game 3! The Reds got steamrolled!
Next opponent: Padres
Francesa:
So the Giants take the series two games to one, and now they move on.
Russo:
And now it gets interesting, Mike! Because waiting for them are the San Diego Padres — they had the bye!
Francesa:
That’s gonna be a fascinating Division Series. Giants have momentum, Padres are rested.
Russo:
Oh I can’t wait! Giants–Padres! California showdown! October baseball, Mike — it’s the best!
Francesa:
No question about it. The Giants roll, 9–0, and move on. Dog, a very impressive performance.
Russo:
A very impressive performance?! Mike, they CRUSHED ‘em! ⚾

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Royals 6, Angels 5

Dick Vitale Recap – AL Wild Card Game 3 (1939) 🎙️⚾
BABY, WE HAD OCTOBER MADNESS at Angel Stadium of Anaheim! The defending champs, the Anaheim Angels, were sitting there thinking they were gonna cruise through the Wild Card… but the Kansas City Royals said “Not so fast, baby!”
Final score: Royals 6, Angels 5 — and that’s UPSET CITY! 🚨
Royals come out firing
Right from the jump the Royals brought the energy!
Chris Taylor blasted a first-inning home run to get Kansas City on the board. BOOM!
Then in the second inning, Juan Lopez delivered the play of the game — a two-run inside-the-park homer!
Inside-the-park, baby! That’s hustle! That’s energy! That’s what postseason baseball is all about!
Suddenly the Royals were up 3–0, and the crowd in Anaheim got real quiet.
Royals build the lead
Kansas City kept piling it on against Angels starter Wayne Dirlam.
Josh Harvey ripped RBI doubles.
Chris Taylor kept producing runs.
Kansas City stretched the lead to 6–0 by the seventh inning.
At that point, baby, the defending champs were on the ropes!
Angels make a furious comeback
But hey — champions don’t go quietly!
In the 7th inning, the Angels exploded:
Akiyuki Amano smoked a double to start the rally.
Mike Mosqueda ripped a run-scoring single.
Then Carlos Guzman crushed a bases-clearing double!
Five runs in the inning! Just like that the score was 6–5.
The crowd was going wild — we had a comeback special brewing, baby!
Royals hold on
But Kansas City’s bullpen said “not today!”
Vinny Aparicio helped stabilize things.
Then closer Tsuneharu Sato shut the door.
Bottom of the ninth — tying run on base — and Victor Figueroa hits into a game-ending double play.
BALLGAME! ROYALS WIN! 🎉
Series hero
The big star of the series?
Juan Lopez, baby!
.462 batting average
1 homer
6 RBI
That’s a PTP — Prime Time Performer!
What’s next
Now the Royals move on to face the rested Cleveland Indians in the Division Series.
And let me tell ya something — if Kansas City keeps playing with this kind of heart and hustle…
We might see more OCTOBER MADNESS, BABY! 🏆🔥⚾

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1939 League Division Series

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Top 2 NL Seeds

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Marlins 4, Brewers 1

Tonight in Miami, the air was warm, the crowd loud, and the game… precise. Almost surgical. The kind of night where patterns reveal themselves if you know where to look.
I’m Dexter Morgan. By day, a blood-spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police Department. By night… well, that’s another story.
But tonight I’m just watching baseball at LoanDepot Park, where the Miami Marlins opened the Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
And like most things in life, the important work happened quietly before the chaos.
The calm before the cut
For seven innings, the game moved slowly… methodically.
Alejandro Coronado was on the mound for Miami. Calm. Efficient. Like someone who understood that control is everything.
Five hits allowed. One run. Just enough pressure to keep things interesting.
Across the field, Milwaukee’s Brent Christiansen matched him almost perfectly. The kind of duel where every pitch feels like the edge of a blade.
The Brewers finally struck first in the fifth.
A single by Chris Jacobson brought a run home.
One drop of blood in an otherwise clean room.
But baseball… like forensic work… is about what happens next.
The first mistake
In the sixth inning, the Brewers made a small mistake. The kind that seems harmless at first.
Chris Grissett reached, and an outfield throwing error allowed the tying run to score.
Just like that… the game reset.
1–1.
Sometimes it only takes a tiny error for everything to unravel.
The eighth inning… where the mess begins
By the eighth inning the tension was thick enough to analyze.
Milwaukee turned to Ryan Berman.
Bad choice.
First came the walk.
Then the single from Chris Grissett.
Then another walk.
The bases were loaded. Pressure building.
That’s when Brendan Spann stepped in.
The pitch came inside… and hit him.
A painful way to take the lead.
2–1 Miami.
But the inning wasn’t finished yet.
Moments later Mike Williams sliced a single into the outfield. Two more runs crossed the plate.
Suddenly the scoreboard read 4–1.
Messy. Chaotic. Like a crime scene where everything happens at once.
Closing the file
The Brewers made one last attempt in the ninth. Two men reached. A flicker of hope.
But Miami’s John Hodge ended it quietly. Efficiently.
Case closed.
Final thoughts
The Miami Marlins take Game 1 of the Division Series, 4–1, and lead the series.
Seven sharp innings from Alejandro Coronado.
Timely hits.
And one decisive inning where everything came apart for Milwaukee.
Baseball is a lot like my work.
Most of the time, things look orderly on the surface.
But if you study the details long enough…
you start to see exactly where everything went wrong. ⚾🩸

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🎙️ FOX Saturday Baseball — NLDS Game 1 Recap
Joe Buck & Tim McCarver
Padres 6, Giants 2

Good afternoon from Petco Park in San Diego, where Game 1 of the National League Division Series belonged to the San Diego Padres, who defeat the San Francisco Giants 6–2 and take the early lead in this best-of-five series.
Early action
Joe Buck:
We got scoring right away in the first inning. The Padres wasted no time against Giants starter Travis Martinez.
Chris Perkins started the inning with a base hit, and later Danny Jimenez lined a single into center that brought Perkins home. San Diego had a 1–0 lead before the Giants even settled in.
Tim McCarver:
And Joe, that’s postseason baseball right there. When you’re the home team in Game 1, you want to set the tone immediately. The Padres did exactly that—good contact hitting, getting the ball to the outfield, forcing the defense to make plays.
Giants answer back
Buck:
San Francisco tied it in the second when Edgar Perdomo ripped a triple to start the inning.
McCarver:
And that’s just a terrific swing. When you drive the ball into the corner like that, you immediately put pressure on the defense.
Buck:
Moments later Travis Campbell brought him home with a single, tying the game 1–1.
Then in the fourth, Greg Price launched a towering 438-foot home run to center field.
McCarver:
That’s a big-league swing. High velocity coming in, and Price just barrels it up. Suddenly the Giants had the lead 2–1.
The turning point — Padres explode in the 4th
Buck:
But the inning that changed everything came in the bottom half of the fourth.
Jeff Rucker started it with a double.
Then Cesar Morin beat out an infield hit.
McCarver:
And Joe, once that inning started rolling for San Diego, the Giants just couldn’t stop it. You had a wild pitch, a couple defensive mistakes, and suddenly the inning got away from them.
Buck:
Exactly. A wild pitch allowed Rucker to score, then Manuel Rico delivered a huge run-scoring double to center. Later Steve Schleicher reached on an error, bringing in another run.
The Padres would send nine men to the plate and score five runs.
Just like that it was San Diego 6, San Francisco 2.
Ramirez in control
Buck:
From there the story was the pitching of Alex Ramirez.
Seven strong innings for Ramirez, allowing just two runs on eight hits.
McCarver:
What impressed me, Joe, is how he settled down after that Price home run. A lot of pitchers panic in that situation. Ramirez didn’t. He kept the ball down, worked quickly, and forced the Giants to hit his pitch.
Buck:
Ramirez struck out three and walked none.
Then Don Kantorski finished the job with two scoreless innings to close it out.
Final numbers
Buck:
San Diego with 14 hits on the afternoon, led by Chris Perkins, who had three hits, while Danny Speigel added three of his own.
The Giants managed nine hits, including the long home run by Greg Price, but stranded opportunities throughout the game.
Looking ahead
McCarver:
Joe, when you look at a short series like this, Game 1 is enormous. San Diego gets the win, they’ve got momentum, and now the Giants have to respond tomorrow.
Buck:
Final score here in San Diego: the San Diego Padres take Game 1 of the NLDS 6–2 over the San Francisco Giants.
Game 2 comes your way tomorrow from Petco Park, and if today was any indication, this series could get very interesting. ⚾