Elephant Tumblings: Playoff baseball begins today
Good morning A’s fans!
While our A’s have begun their offseason that doesn’t mean baseball is over. The most exciting time of the year is about to start as the playoffs begin this afternoon. Whoever has the day off is lucky and will get a chance to watch baseball all day as we have four matchups to kick off the postseason. The first round is a quick best-of-three so every win will be critical.
First game up will be the Detroit Tigers heading to Houston to take on the Astros with first pitch scheduled for 11:32 A.M. Detroit is entering the playoffs for the first time since 2014, surging at the right time to just sneak into the postseason. Expectations weren’t especially high for them entering the season and now they’re playing with house money. The Astros meanwhile have made the postseason for the eighth straight year but are looking much more mortal than in years past. Still, they were in the ALCS last year and have a ton of postseason experience. It’ll be AL Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal going against Houston ace Framber Valdez.
Next on tap will be the Kansas City Royals taking on the Baltimore Orioles. Both teams finished second in their divisions but because Baltimore had the better record they’ll be the host city. The O’s have made the postseason for the second time in as many years and have the makings of a core that’ll be together for a long time. The Royals meanwhile return to the playoffs for the first time since winning the World Series back in 2015. The only players left from that squad is catcher Salvador Perez and he’s entering the twilight of his career so this could be the final time we see him under postseason lights. That game starts at 1:08 P.M. and features Royals left-handed Cole Ragans going up against right-hander Corbin Burnes.
With the AL playoff matchups done we now shift over to the National League where the New York Mets travel to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers starting at 2:32 P.M. While Milwaukee enjoyed a comfortable lead on their way to winning the National League Central it was a different story for New York as they only just punched their postseason ticket on the last day of the season. Righty Pedro Severino will get the nod for Game 1 for the Mets while the Brewers were able to line up their ace in righty Freddy Peralta. The Mets are in the playoffs for just the second time over the past eight seasons while Milwaukee is playing Fall baseball for the sixth time in seven years.
And to wrap up the first day of playoff baseball we got the Atlanta Braves traveling to California to take on the San Diego Padres. That game will start at 5:38 P.M. so most everyone will get a chance to tune in for that one if they’ve been at work or at school all day. The Padres will turn to right-hander Michael King to get things going for them. The Braves meanwhile got some bad news on their expected Game 1 starter when it was announced that presumptive NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale would be unavailable. Instead it’ll be rookie Spencer Schwellenbach getting the ball for the start.
It’s not the A’s but if you’re a baseball fan you’ll likely be tuning into at least some of these postseason games. Which series are you most excited to watch? Which one will be a dud and end quickly and quietly? Comment below!
A’s Coverage:
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- How Hernaiz, Shuemann made history in Oakland A’s last game
- Steph Curry explains how A’s leaving Oakland ‘sucks’ for community
MLB News & Interest:
- All-time hits leader Pete Rose dies at 83
- Giants fire Farhan Zaidi, name Buster Posey president of baseball ops
- Chaim Bloom to take over as Cardinals’ president of baseball ops in 2026
- Cardinals to move on from Paul Goldschmidt
- MLB announces uniform alterations to address player outcry
- Ohtani tops jersey sales for 2nd straight year
- Fill out your postseason bracket
- Today in Baseball History