The Major League Baseball Playoffs continue tonight in Pittsburgh as the Pirates host the San Francisco Giants in the National League Wild Card game.
The Giants will send 18-game winner Madison Bumgarner to the mound against Edinson Volquez ( 13 & 7 ) & the Pirates in Pittsburgh.
The winner tonight advances to meet the Washington Nationals in the National League semifinal.
Last night in the American League Wild Card game at Kansas City, The Royals won a wild one, nipping Oakland 9-8 on 12 innings
With the victory, Kansas City earns the right to meet the L.A. Angels in the American League Final Four.
The post season appearance by the Royals was their first since they won the World series in 1985, a span of 29 years for what once was the model franchise in the sport.
That means the team with the longest playoff drought in baseball is the Toronto Blue Jays, now at 21 years.
Speaking with longtime Blue Jays broadcaster Jerry Howarth this week, I get the sense we won’t see the Blue Jays in the post season in 2015.
In the opinion of Howarth, who sees the Jays every day, for more than 30 years, he thinks they have to be better in so many areas and significant change is in the offing.
So while the Royals and their fans turned back the clock to the 80’s last night, the Blue Jays potential of returning to their perch of the early 90’s may be a little further on the horizon.
I’m Fred Wallace