The Major League Baseball playoffs commence today.
The Wild Card elimination games, something dramatically new this year, are the first contests of the post season.
The National League Wild Card Game is in Atlanta this afternoon with the Braves hosting the St Louis Cardinals.
Then this evening, the American League Wild Card game will be hosted by the Texas Rangers who will entertain Baltimore.
The Rangers endured a horrible slide down the stretch which cost them the West Division title and relegated them instead to this one game showdown.
And that’s the thing about the Wild Card and the baseball playoffs in general. In baseball, moreso than any of the other 4 team sports I’d say, in one game, anyone can win.
A great pitching performance, a poor fielding play, a suddenly hot hitter or an untimely decision by a manager and a baseball club can win a game, win a short series and in some cases score a World Series victory
The winner of the Cardinals-Braves game will advance to face the Washington Nationals Sunday in the opener of a National League semifinal series. San Francisco will host Cincinnati in the other National League semifinal on Saturday.
In the American League, the Baltimore-Texas winner today will go against the Yankees starting Sunday. Tomorrow in Detroit, the Tigers meet Oakland in the other American League semifinal series.
There’s more teams, a little more sudden drama today and the baseball playoff format continues to be expanded. Will the 2012 Baseball Playoffs be better ?
I’m Fred Wallace