2015 MLB Playoffs starts Tuesday Night

[simmytbone]

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-...tings-and-odds

Hey guys, tomorrow night begins the MLB Playoffs 2015

Who will make it to the World Series?

THAT'S THE QUESTION!

2015 MLB Playoffs: NLDS, ALDS, wild-card schedule, TV listings, odds
By Dayn Perry | Baseball Writer
October 4, 2015 5:56 pm ET

A full slate of Game 162s have gone final, and now we know the full field for the 2015 postseason ...



Now the series-by-series essentials ...

American League wild-card game

Who: Astros vs. Yankees
Where: New York
When: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 8 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN

National League wild-card game

Who: Cubs vs. Pirates
Where: Pittsburgh
When: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m. ET
TV: TBS

American League Division Series

Who: Rangers vs. Blue Jays
Where: Games 1, 2, 5 in Toronto; Games 3, 4 in Texas
When: See below
TV: See below

American League Division Series

Who: AL wild-card winner vs. Royals
Where: Games 1, 2, 5 in Kansas City; Games 3, 4 in Houston/New York
When: See below
TV: See below

National League Division Series

Who: Mets vs. Dodgers
Where: Games 1, 2, 5 in Los Angeles; Games 3, 4 in New York
When: See below
TV: See below

National League Division Series

Who: NL wild-card winner vs. Cardinals
Where: Games 1, 2, 5 in St. Louis; Games 3, 4 in Chicago/Pittsburgh
When: See below
TV: See below

Thursday, Oct. 8
ALDS Game 1: AL Wild Card winner at Royals | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
ALDS Game 1: Rangers at Blue Jays | Fox, FS1 or MLBN

Friday, Oct. 9

ALDS Game 2: AL Wild Card winner at Royals | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
ALDS Game 2: Rangers at Blue Jays | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
NLDS Game 1: NL Wild Card winner at Cardinals | TBS
NLDS Game 1: Mets at Dodgers | TBS

Saturday, Oct. 10

NLDS Game 2: NL Wild Card winner at Cardinals | TBS
NLDS Game 2: Mets at Dodgers | TBS

Sunday, Oct. 11

ALDS Game 3: Royals at AL Wild Card winner | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
ALDS Game 3: Blue Jays at Rangers | Fox FS1 or MLBN

Monday, Oct. 12

*ALDS Game 4: Royals at AL Wild Card winner | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
*ALDS Game 4: Blue Jays at Rangers | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
NLDS Game 3: Cardinals at NL Wild Card winner | TBS
NLDS Game 3: Dodgers at Mets | TBS

Tuesday, Oct. 13

*NLDS Game 4: Cardinals at NL Wild Card winner | TBS
*NLDS Game 4: Dodgers at Mets | TBS

Wednesday, Oct. 14

*ALDS Game 5: AL Wild Card winner at Royals | Fox, FS1 or MLBN
*ALDS Game 5: Rangers at Blue Jays | Fox, FS1 or MLBN

Thursday, Oct. 15

*NLDS Game 5: NL Wild Card winner at Cardinals | TBS
*NLDS Game 5: Mets at Dodgers | TBS

*If necessary; LDS times TBD

As for the the next round, the ALCS begins on Friday, Oct. 16, and the NLCS on Saturday, Oct. 17. Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 27.

Speaking of the World Series, here, as of Sunday morning, Oct. 4, are the odds of winning the World Series that the the SportsLine Projection Model gave to each of the 10 playoff teams ...

Royals: 22.2%
Cardinals: 16.7%
Blue Jays, Dodgers: 14.3%
Mets: 11.1%
Yankees: 10.0%
Astros, Pirates: 7.7%
Cubs: 6.7%
Rangers: 3.2%

And there you have it. Soon enough, we shall light this candle.

credit: cbssports.com

[simmytbone]

https://sports.yahoo.com/news/how-th...072402928.html

How the Astros rode bat flips to a wild-card victory over the Yankees
By Jeff Passan
Yahoo Sports

NEW YORK – The bat flip is a glorious thing, baseball's version of interpretive dance, ripe for creativity and flair and all of the other things systematically beaten out of players at a young age. Sometimes, blessedly, the deprogramming doesn't work. And for such insolence to end up on a stage like Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night, in the first game of the 2015 postseason no less, indeed tickled the bat-flip gods.

What came of this weren't the sort of flips that will adorn highlight reels or make best-of lists. No overhead tomahawking or single-handed air-chuck or even a laser side-toss. Just the Houston Astros being the Houston Astros, which is as wonderful a thing as it is a story.

And it's a pretty damn great story, the once-upon-a-time Lastros going from perpetual gum on the shoe of the American League to a team capable of coming into the Bronx and sending the New York Yankees home for the winter amid a flurry of boos, the team that started the season with a $71 million payroll icing the $219 million behemoth, the nerds who overhauled the organization with their computers caring about only two numbers: 3-0, the score of the AL wild-card game that sent the Astros to Kansas City for Game 1 of the ALDS.

Down went the Yankees in inglorious fashion, three-hit by a combination of Astros ace Dallas Keuchel – working on three days' rest for the first time in his career – and three relief pitchers from September's worst bullpen. It's October, of course, and the travails of last month mean nothing when great pitching marries the timely hitting worthy of some flippery.

The culprits: Carlos Gomez, whose chicanery sets a high standard for modern players, and Colby Rasmus, never known as much of a bat-art connoisseur. To see both celebrate their home runs off Masahiro Tanaka in such fashion – Rasmus' leadoff homer in the second inning spawning a three-step walk before a full 720-degree double flip, Gomez's shot on the first pitch of the fourth yielding to a classic quick-toss that managed to go 270 degrees before it landed perfectly horizontal – was to see the arrival of these Astros, young and bold and ready to proclaim themselves ready for the defending AL champions.
"It's the swag that comes out," Gomez said. "People like it. People not like it. But nobody practices to have a bat flip. In this kind of game, when you drive a ball like that, you have to enjoy it.

"When I strike out, I'm not looking at anybody. So when I hit a ball far, I have to look at it and see where it lands."

The Astros certainly do not lack swag. The celebration after Brian McCann grounded out to end the game – the same McCann who once stopped Gomez from stepping on home plate because of a pimped home run – lasted for nearly an hour. That felt about right for going into Yankee Stadium and winning a do-or-die game.

Bottles popped early and often. Keuchel, who allowed three hits, struck out seven and walked one, avoided the first round of partying and slinked behind a plastic curtain protecting the lockers, dress clothes and uniforms from getting soaked in booze. On the chair in front of Keuchel's locker sat a lime-green box. Keuchel opened it. Inside were Nike Command goggles with Dark Smoke lenses. Retail price: $240. Not only would his eyes stay protected, Keuchel would look like a Stormtrooper.

To the victor go the grossly overpriced eyewear. Keuchel needed it. Puddles of spray pooled on the carpet. Players kept bringing in laundry carts filled with bubbly and beer. Astros starter Collin McHugh stepped into the fray peeling away at a piece of string cheese. "This is how you celebrate," he said. "Wine and cheese."
Such class descended into madness. "Team pic!" Gomez yelled through a tunnel in Yankee Stadium's bowels, and his teammates followed him onto the field, where he met with almost all the Astros on the mound. Some of them, like Jose Altuve, lived through the misery of 2011-13, when the Astros lost 106, 107 and 111 games in consecutive seasons. They did everything short of full-on tanking, investing in their idea of the future, which would teem with homegrown players who could win together in the minor leagues before they did the major leagues.

With so many primed to arrive this season, they started adding from the outside, including the 29-year-old Rasmus. For years, he was the ultimate tease, a hyper-talented left-handed-hitting center fielder who simply couldn't cobble together a season commensurate to his ability. A bad reputation chased him. He was scorned in the St. Louis Cardinals' clubhouse and not much more popular in Toronto. This season, Rasmus resolved to be different.

"At the end of it," he said, "I don't want them to say Colby Rasmus was a piece of crap because he had all of this time and just wanted to be a douche. I just try to love on everybody."
The love went both ways. Manager A.J. Hinch slotted Rasmus in the cleanup spot, and after Tanaka tore through the Astros in the first inning, Rasmus took the first pitch of the second, a 93-mph fastball, into the right-center-field bleachers. As the ball hung up the air, the bat flew, too, its trajectory not quite the same, its splendor every bit as mighty.

"It wasn't a planned thing," Rasmus said. "I just did it. I just knew it was gone, and I was all emotion. … I was just so pumped and thrilled to be there. I had to do it."

He did it right. Luis Valbuena, the Astros' self-proclaimed King of the Bat Flip – a title he perhaps should've relinquished when the Astros fortified themselves with Gomez for a moment exactly like this – gave Rasmus solid marks for his technique. He appreciated Gomez's as well, though Valbuena was sure to note: "It's not better than me."

When you're winning important games, these sorts of things pass for acceptable discussion. Bat flips aren't an affront to the game or decorum; they're a display of joy. Taking a picture on the mound at Yankee Stadium isn't insulting or disrespectful; it's celebratory, and if anyone deserves to celebrate, it's a team with the recent disastrousness of the Astros.

Right as the team gathered for the picture, Keuchel popped a bottle and liquid flew into the air. Catcher Hank Conger leaned back and bathed in it. Outfielder George Springer popped his T-shirt. Utilityman Marwin Gonzalez held a Venezuelan flag. Gomez protected his shoeless feet by pulling his pants down to cover them. Rasmus lurked nearby, shirtless, just fine with the brisk air. This was a special moment. The Astros may be green, but they know better than to treat it otherwise.

"We are a young team," Carlos Correa said. "We're going to have fun playing baseball."

Correa is the face of the Astros, 21 years old, a brilliant shortstop, baseball's next superstar. He sat at the bottom of the photo, leaning back into his team, both thumbs thrust into the air, his face the epitome of joyousness. However young he is, Correa knows baseball guarantees nothing, and when the opportunity presents itself to celebrate not to turn it down. This was one of those nights for the Houston Astros, one a long time in the making. And it was flippin' perfect.

credit: sports.yahoo.com

[Sal]

Who will make it to the World Series?

THAT'S THE QUESTION!




Here's your answer!

[simmytbone]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/how-jak...072211909.html

How Jake Arrieta guaranteed the Cubs' wild-card victory three weeks ago
By Jeff Passan
Yahoo Sports

PITTSBURGH – On the flight home, they were talking about possibilities. These Chicago Cubs are too young to understand the gravity of their optimism and the weight of their positivity, too footloose and fancy-free to wear the burden of more than a century. They live instead for the present and the future, and on Sept. 17, both looked promising. The Cubs had taken three straight games from the Pirates in Pittsburgh, and that got them talking: If they could just win the National League wild-card game against the Pirates in a few weeks, they might go deep into the playoffs, maybe even win the whole damn thing.

Sitting on the periphery of the conversation was Jake Arrieta, the Cubs' ace and presumed starter for the wild card. He cast an annoyed look at the group, according to players on the plane, and slowly stood up. Arrieta wanted to address his teammates.

"Boys," Arrieta said, "we're winning the one-game playoff."

And off he walked, a little bit John Wayne, a little bit Joe Namath, all Jake Arrieta – gruff and brash and in the midst of a run that would make any man believe he's capable of the superhuman. His teammates barely flinched. If Arrieta said he was doing something, they knew better than to doubt him.

So to see him Wednesday night, back in Pittsburgh, against the Pirates, on the mound, mowing down hitters, shaking off a near brawl, throwing nine innings with a zero beneath each, spinning one of the best postseason pitching performances in baseball history – that sort of thing validates those possibilities and makes the Cubs wonder if their prophecies can come as true as Arrieta's did.
The aftermath of the Cubs' 4-0 victory at PNC Park was as soaked in euphoria as it was booze. In the midst of his gem, Arrieta wore a 93-mph Tony Watson fastball on his hip, the comeuppance for the two batters Arrieta had plunked earlier in the game. Benches emptied. Cubs backup catcher David Ross' hands found themselves around Pittsburgh infielder Sean Rodriguez's neck. Rodriguez swung, missed and then took out his frustrations with four left-right combos on a poor water cooler in the Pirates' dugout. It matched the number of actual hits the Pirates mustered on the night.

Arrieta's four-hit, no-walk, 11-strikeout master class delivered the Cubs their first postseason win since Oct. 11, 2003 – three days before Steve Bartman introduced himself to the world. It's a dozen years, and it seems like so much longer, from the Dusty Baker years to the Lou Piniella disappointments to the complete dismantling to this, a group talented enough to finish with the game's third-best record, behind only the team it conquered (Pittsburgh) and the one it will try to in the NLDS (St. Louis).

"I could just think of Namath guaranteeing the Super Bowl victory," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "That's all I could think of the last few days."

At some point, figured Maddon, this stretch for the 29-year-old right-hander needs to end. It's simply too good, too historic to sustain. Not just the post-All-Star break ERA of 0.75. Which dropped to 0.41 since August began. And to 0.39 in September and October. Over his last four starts, Arrieta has thrown 31 innings, allowed 10 hits, walked one batter and struck out 38. This is not pitching. It is fantasy.

And yet 40,889 at PNC Park on Wednesday night bore witness to his 97-mph fastball and 92-mph cutter and how it devastated hitters. The Pirates, in truth, hit Arrieta harder than any team this season, spraying 100-mph-plus shots across the diamond. That they so happened to wind up in the gloves of Cubs fielders continued their streak of misfortune in wild-card games, last year's version a four-hit shutout at the hands of Madison Bumgarner.

"I relish that situation," Arrieta said. "You have 40,000-plus fans, most of them Pittsburgh fans. They're out for blood."

Such lust filtered onto the field, too, after Arrieta hit catcher Francisco Cervelli with a fastball and third baseman Josh Harrison an inning later with a breaking ball. Surely the latter was unintentional. The Cubs built a 4-0 lead against Pirates ace Gerrit Cole with rookie Kyle Schwarber driving in leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler in the first, Schwarber punishing a two-run home run out of the stadium and into the Allegheny River, and Fowler adding a solo home run. Putting men on base was the last thing anyone wanted, especially with a slider.

Baseball justice is incompatible with logic and reason, of course, so Watson plunked Arrieta and set off a standard baseball scrum, with a words-to-action ratio of 99-to-1. Rodriguez claimed Ross throttled him – "He was choking me," Rodriguez said, "pushing me back" – and Ross didn't deny it. He called it an accident and said: "The last thing I want to do is fight. I don't want anybody messing with the guy that's dominating the game."

The rapidity with which the Cubs sprung into action was telling. Arrieta, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound physical freak, surely could hold his own in a scrum. The Cubs ensured he didn't need to. "When that happened, the entire bench was out on the field before the Pirates even got out of the dugout," Cubs special assistant Ryan Dempster said. "It was like, 'Wait, wait, wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, dude, whoa, whoa. You want to hit Jake Arrieta? What's your problem?' "

Dempster loved it. He waited for this day, just like Kerry Wood, such a big part of the Cubs' early 2000s renaissance. The players sprayed them with Champagne just as they did their teammates, and the party kept going, with owner Tom Ricketts walking around the room to survey his prized organization and Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer, the team's architects, soaking in the spoils of their plan, and Eddie Vedder, a good friend of Epstein's and lifelong Cubs fan, making a cool clubhouse that much cooler with presence alone.

Even Vedder swooned at what Arrieta did Wednesday. In the first inning, Pirates fans sing-songed his name, "Arr-i-e-ta," like they'd done with Cincinnati starter Johnny Cueto in the 2013 wild-card game. Arrieta had no time for such foolishness. His strikeout of Starling Marte to end the inning summarily dismissed any further chanting.
He spent enough time in the doldrums to understand what an opportunity like this meant. Before the Cubs traded for him in 2013, Arrieta was a failed prospect, a good arm wasting away with the Orioles. Chicago saw something. Not this – no one saw this – but his stuff and his work ethic always portended better.

"The preparation and the process supersedes the results," Dempster said. "He does that. He believes in it. I guarantee you tomorrow morning he's going to be working his ass off."

"Oh, yeah," Arrieta said. "I'll work out twice."

Twice after the biggest night of his life, bigger than the no-hitter five weeks ago he still can't believe, bigger than his 20th victory. Even the Cubs' Game 1 starter this Friday against the Cardinals, Jon Lester, suffered a brutal loss to Kansas City in the AL in a one-gamer last season. The wild card is unforgiving.

"One game," Lester said. "Gerrit Cole found out, one pitch matters. I found out last year, one inning matters. It's such a unique experience, such a unique game, and he rose above it in a hostile environment."

Arrieta rose damn near 35,000 feet, all the way to the place he called his shot. It doesn't end there, not even close. First come the Cardinals and then the Dodgers-Mets winner and then an American League team with home-field advantage. This is just one evening in Pittsburgh, one superlative showing from someone who can't be there every day. On the nights he is, though, the Chicago Cubs know one thing. If Jake Arrieta says they're winning, the optimism and positivity and all sorts of other good feelings are more than warranted.

credit: sports.yahoo.com

[irehtman]

Bad start for the Pirates, not a good sign...

[Sal]

And now, presenting tonight's umpiring crew for tonight's Toronto/Texas Game 3 going on 4:

FIRST BASE




SECOND BASE




THIRD BASE






HOME(R)



Bottom line:

The Blue Jays are sure getting screwed in this series. FOX must be real happy!

[simmytbone]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-bi...224244898.html

Hey guys,

Cubs make history with NLDS win over Cardinals

Chicago clinches a postseason series at Wrigley Field for the first time in franchise history with a 6-4 victory. Schwarber’s big blast


NLDS Game 4: Cubs power past Cardinals, advance to NLCS
By Chris Cwik | Big League Stew
October 13, 2015

Maybe "Back to the Future II" was right? The Chicago Cubs bats came alive Tuesday, giving the club a 6-4 win over the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. With the win, the Cubs move on to the NLCS. It's the Cubs' first trip to the NLCS since 2003 and the first time they've ever clinched a postseason series at Wrigley Field. Boy, were the fans excited.

As expected, picking up the victory wasn't easy. The Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a Stephen Piscotty home run in the first inning. In the second, the Cubs battled back. Jason Hammel helped his own cause, picking up an RBI single. Then, Javier Baez smashed a three-run homer, giving the team a 4-2 lead.

Not surprisingly, the Cardinals found a way to battle back. Tony Cruz doubled in a run in the sixth inning, lowering the team's deficit to just one run. With men on second and third, Brandon Moss lined a single into right. Jhonny Peralta scored, tying the game, but Jorge Soler nailed Cruz at the plate to end the inning.

The game didn't stay tied for long. Anthony Rizzo belted a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, giving the Cubs the lead. The following inning, Kyle Schwarber added a solo shot of his own. Schwarber's blast was hit so hard that it traveled over the right-field videoboard as it left the park.

The Cubs bullpen was able to shut down St. Louis over the next two innings, securing the victory.

Leading Lads

• Rizzo may have extended the Cubs season Tuesday. After the Cubs coughed up a two-run lead in the top of the sixth inning, Rizzo took it upon himself to get it back. In the bottom of the frame, he smacked a solo home run on an 0-2 pitch from Kevin Siegrist, putting the Cubs on top. Rizzo finished 2-for-3, with one run scored and one RBI.

• Javier Baez wasn't supposed to start many playoff games, but Addison Russell's injury forced him into the lineup. It was a good thing for the Cubs. Baez put the team ahead early with a three-run blast in the second. He would also add a single in the seventh inning. Baez finished the contest 2-for-3, with one run scored and three RBIs.

• Kyle Schwarber's gigantic home run in the seventh inning will be talked about for years. It was most likely one of the hardest hit balls ever at Wrigley Field. Everyone will talk about and remember the home run, but Schwarber also singled earlier in the game.

Head Hangers

• John Lackey had a rough go of things during his start. While he looked strong in the first inning, the Cubs got to him in the second. With two outs, all Lackey needed to do was get past the opposing pitcher in order to end the inning. He couldn't get it done. After Hammel singled in a run, Baez hit his three-run homer. Lackey left the inning down by two runs, and had a few things to say as he walked off the mound. They weren't happy words.

• Kevin Siegrist only threw one bad pitch, but it wound up being a huge one. He should have been able to put Rizzo away with a 0-2 count, but couldn't do it. Rizzo smacked an 80 mph curve off Siegrist to give the Cubs the go-ahead run.

• Trevor Cahill was called upon to shut down a potential rally in the sixth, but couldn't get the job done either. With Jason Heyward already on first, Cahill gave up a single and an RBI double to cut the Cardinals deficit to just one run. With men on second and third, he gave up a run-scoring single, allowing the Cardinals to tie the game. Cahill may have even taken the loss if not for a great throw from Jorge Soler. Soler nabbed Tony Cruz at the plate, ending the inning. Cahill was eventually bailed out, but it was a bad outing.

Key Play

You could easily argue Rizzo's home run here, but Brandon Moss' sixth inning single stands out as an even bigger moment in the contest. Moss managed to tie the game with the hit, but Soler was the real hero. His throw to nail Tony Cruz at the plate prevented the Cardinals from taking the lead. Without Soler's throw, Rizzo's go-ahead home run merely ties things up again.

Interesting Stat

This is pretty amazing!

Bob Nightengale tweeted:

If the #Cubs win, it will be the first postseason series they've clinched at home in franchise history.

Soler had reached base in all nine of his first postseason plate appearances until he struck out in the first inning.

Bruce Levine tweeted:

Soler breaks string of 9 straight at bats on base ( strike out )

They'll be talking about the young Cubs hitters doing crazy things again. After hitting six home runs in Game 3, the Cubs youngsters struck again in Game 4. Rizzo, Schwarber and Baez did it this time, sending the Cubs to the NLCS.

What they'll be talking about

Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are known for having fantastic starting pitching, so the Cubs hitters will remain a huge focus heading into the NLCS. If they can keep playing like this, the Cubs are going to be tough to beat.

What's Next?

The Cubs are heading to the NLCS. Say that out loud multiple times in case you don't believe it. Game 1 of the NLCS is slated for Saturday. It will air on TBS, though the game time has yet to be announced. The Cubs could opt to bring back Jake Arrieta for the contest, though the starters are currently listed as TBD. Chicago will play either the Mets or the Dodgers in the series.

credit: sports.yahoo.com

[simmytbone]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-bi...221800007.html

Hey guys,

Blue Jays overcome bizarre play, advance to ALCS
A controversial call didn't stop Toronto from eliminating Texas in one of the wildest MLB playoff games ever.

Benches cleared twice

Here's the story:


ALDS Game 5: Blue Jays advance to ALCS with wild win over Rangers
By Mike Oz Big League Stew
October 14, 2015

Scores & Situations

The Toronto Blue Jays are headed to the American League Championship Series after one of the wildest games the MLB postseason has ever seen.

In a seventh inning that was almost an hour long, we saw a bizarre play that put the Texas Rangers ahead by a run. Rougned Odor raced home when a throw back to the pitcher hit Shin-Soo Choo's bat handle. As angry as the hometown fans were when umpires allowed the run, they were twice as ecstatic when Jose Bautista hit a colossal three-run homer to re-take the lead in the next half inning. In the seventh, there were three straight errors by the Rangers, replay reviews and two benches-clearing incidents. It was, in two words, baseball insanity.

When it was all said and done, the Blue Jays left the Rogers Centre with a 6-3 victory that nobody in Toronto will forget anytime soon. And not just because the Blue Jays haven't been to the ALCS since 1993. But their hunger for postseason success certainly inspired a raucous victory that will go down in Toronto lore.

Leading Lads

• Bautista's huge home run was the difference and might become the signature moment of the postseason by the time we're done. In the game, Bautista had two hits and four RBIs, but most importantly he helped his team roar back in the late innings of an elimination game. In his first postseason, it was an eternal moment for Bautista.
• Odor proved himself to be a must-watch player again in this series. He had two hits at the plate, but it was his quick thinking to run home on the deflected throw back to the pitcher that set the seventh-inning chaos into motion.

• Edwin Encarnacion played a big role in getting the Jays to the crucial seventh inning. With his team down 2-1, Encarnacion hit a mammoth solo homer that tied the game in the sixth. Ultimately, it was just an appetizer for what would happen later.

• Twenty-year-old Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was called on for a five-out save, obviously the biggest moment of his young career. He answered with four strikeouts and sent the Jays to the next round.

Head Hangers

• It was an all-around awful game for Andrus. He went 0-for-4 at the plate, and was caught stealing in the third inning, but his biggest blunders came in the seventh. Andrus misplayed a grounder by Russell Martin at the top of the frame. With Martin on first, Andrus mishandled a throw to second that would have resulted in an out. Though he wasn't charged for an error on that play, he should have made the catch. On the very next play, the same thing happened. Andrus couldn't handle a throw from Adrian Beltre at third. The Blue Jays would capitalize on those issues, scoring four runs during the inning. Andrus was charged with two errors and, while he wasn't the only Ranger to struggle during the frame, he'll receive the brunt of the criticism.

• Rangers reliever Sam Dyson relieved Cole Hamels in the seventh inning and couldn't protect the Rangers lead. Sure, he didn't get much help from the Rangers' defense, but he gave up the homer to Bautista and then incited the benches to clear when he jawed to Edwin Encarnacion, who was trying to get Jays fans to stop throwing things on the field. He was involved in the second benches-clearing moment too, when he and Troy Tulowitzki clashed at the end of the seventh.

Key Play

The bizarre and very important seventh-inning play in which the Rangers went ahead 3-2. Russell Martin was throwing the ball back to the pitcher, but it hit off the bottom of Shin-Soo Choo's bat and ricocheted out toward third base. Rougned Odor, who was on third base, alertly ran home for the go-ahead run.

Home plate umpire Dale Scott waved the play dead, but after arguments from Rangers manager Jeff Banister and a conference of umpires, Odor was ruled safe at the plate and the Rangers went ahead. It seemed like the right call. The chaos and excitement didn't stop there, of course. The Blue Jays were resilient and came back, but this odd play set everything in motion.

Interesting Stat

Here's what Katie Sharp tweeted:

Jose Bautista: 1st go-ahead HR by AL batter in 7th inning or later of sudden death postseason game since Aaron Boone in 2003 ALCS.

What They'll Be Talking About

• The craziest seventh inning we've probably ever seen: The wild go-ahead run by the Rangers, Toronto fans losing it and throwing things on the field, the ensuing errors by the Rangers in the next half inning, the huge homer by Bautista, the benches clearing when Edwin Encarnacion was trying to get the fans to stop throwing things, the benches clearing again after the inning ended again. We've never seen anything like it. Holy October.

• How far can the Blue Jays go now? They were thought to be done when the Rangers took a 2-0 lead in the series, but they rattled off three straight wins (a rare feat itself) and are now going intot he next round. Have they found their postseason mojo?

What's Next?

The Blue Jays move on to the ALCS now, where they'll play either the Houston Astros or Kansas City Royals. Their Game 5 is being played Wednesday night. The first game of the ALCS is 7:30 p.m. ET Friday. If the Royals advance, they'll host Game 1. If the Astros win, the Blue Jays host Game 1.

credit: sports.yahoo.com

[MrCleveland]

I hope It's Toronto vs Chicago!

But I'll root for the Cubs since they haven't had a Championship since 1907.

[1960'sTVfan]

I don't like the Cubs. They've become an arrogant and dirty team. I don't like the owner, I don't like Theo Epstein. He put together a dirty team in Boston, now he's doing it in Chicago. I don't like Joe Maddon. Maddon is a dirty manager going back to his days with Tampa. Arrieta is a dirty pitcher who throws at people. Under the new management, the Cubs are desperate to win at any cost, they don't care how they do it. I hope they lose their ass, either in the NLCS or WS. But I have a sinking feeling the fix is already in for them to win.

[Sal]

The first round is now over and now the baseball playoffs move into the Division Series. In the AL, the Toronto Blue Jays face the Kansas City Royals after a hard-fought (literally!) Game 5 win over Texas that can only be described as epic. The game had a strange 7th inning that ran longer than "The Ten Commandments" (without commercials!) and featured more controversy and bad blood among the players, fans, and umpires that I can ever remember seeing in a baseball series---at least since the last time Toronto faced KC in the regular season.

If you recall, the teams engaged in a beanball war after Josh Donaldson was hit twice without any form of a warning or punishment to the Royals pitcher. Then Aaron Sanchez of Toronto was immediately tossed after grazing the bottom leg of a Royals batter. This led to both benches emptying and exchanging unpleasantries in different forms and languages. That memory has remained fresh on both sides and it could lead to more fun in this series, I hope. I have a feeling that by the time it's over---with Toronto winning in 6--that what happened the other night will be nothing compared to the nastiness is about to unfold now. I can't wait!

[IllinoisTVFan]

I want the Cubs!

[MrCleveland]

Originally Posted by IllinoisTVFan

I want the Cubs!

I do too...

If the Cubs Win...then The Cleveland Indians will be the franchise that has the longest deficit in World Series Wins (they last won in 1948). And yes...of all the 16 original MLB teams...they have the least WS appearances!


Still...Go Cubs!

[1960'sTVfan]

Go Mets!! Give them dirty Cubbies a whoopin that they will never forget!!!

LOL having said that, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the Cubs won. As I said, I suspect the fix is in for em. But hopefully the Mets will prove me wrong.

[opus]

Apparently, for better or worse, there's something about the Blue Jays and the 7th inning.