The Minnesota Twins celebrate on the mound at Target Field in 2023. Photo by @Twins via X
The first round of the Major League Baseball postseason is in the books, and it lived up to its name.
The Wild Card round truly was wild on all facets of the game, highlighting the bright lights of playoff baseball. All in all, there were four series, each a best of three, and all four were sweeps. Two series saw the home team sweep, and two saw the away team dish out the brooms.
American League
Beginning with the American League, there were two key matchups: Texas Rangers versus Tampa Bay Rays, and Toronto Blue Jays versus Minnesota Twins. Texas took a commanding series lead after blanking the Rays in Game 1 by a score of 4-0. They then took Game 2 also in commanding fashion by a score of 7-1. The Rays and their record-low attendance for a playoff game were the first to be eliminated from the 2023 Postseason.
A couple thousand miles away in Minneapolis, the Blue Jays were taking on the Twins. Minnesota was looking to end their 18-game playoff losing streak, a North American sports record. They did just that with a 3-1 victory, then proceeded to sweep the Jays out of the North Star State with a 2-0 win. With that, the Blue Jays’ “movie” officially became a two-time box office bomb.
National League
Swinging over to the National League, the Arizona Diamondbacks took on the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field (it’s still called Miller Park in our hearts). The D-backs were viewed as the underdog, but managed to win both games by scores of 6-3 and 5-2, respectively, putting an end to the Brewers’ season.
Finally, the Miami Marlins were no match for the Philadelphia Phillies, with the Phillies cruising to a series sweep. The sheer star power present at Citizens Bank Park allowed Philly to destroy the Marlins 4-1 and 7-1, respectively.
And with that, four teams are already eliminated, and eight remain. This year is the second postseason using the expanded format, with twelve teams making it now instead of the previous ten. So far, the Wild Card series has seen seven out of eight sweeps, with only the Padres-Mets series last postseason going to that decisive Game 3.
The Twins will take on the universally hated Astros, while the Rangers will face the Orioles at Camden Yards. Meanwhile, the Phillies will take on the divisional rival Braves, while the D-backs match up with the Dodgers. The next round is scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 7, and it’s sure to be a doozy.
