We’re down to eight teams in the 2022 postseason after four were eliminated this past weekend in MLB’s first-ever wild-card series weekend. Now it’s on to the league division series: four series, best-of-five, first team to win three advances.
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the defending champion Atlanta Braves in the first game of the division series round on Tuesday. In a battle between AL West rivals, the Houston Astros defeated the Seattle Mariners on a dramatic walk-off. The New York Yankees beat the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the second ALDS, and, finally, an intradivision showdown resulted in the the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the San Diego Padres in the second NLDS opening matchup.
Here’s a look back at all the Day 1 action.
The Dodgers have continually talked up the depth and talent of their bullpen, regardless of the uncertainty at the back end — and that confidence was validated in their postseason opener. The Padres trimmed a five-run deficit to two with a big fifth inning against Julio Urias, but then four Dodgers relievers — Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, Brusdar Graterol and Chris Martin — kept the Padres scoreless over the last four innings for a Game 1 victory.
With the Padres on a roll in the sixth inning, Phillips got Wil Myers to ground into a double play, ending the threat.
Myers’ 376-foot home run just made it over the wall to give the Padres their first run of the night. Runs by Jake Cronenworth and Ha-Seong Kim cut the Dodgers’ lead to two.
In the bottom of the third, Will Smith hit a ball deep into left field for a double that brought home Trea Turner home and extended the Dodgers’ lead to three. After a Max Muncy single, L.A. added another run courtesy of a Gavin Lux double that brought Smith home.
A walk with the bases loaded along and a Padres error helped bring in two more runs and increased the lead to 5-0 for Los Angeles.
Trea Turner gave the Dodgers an early lead in the first inning with a 419-foot blast to left field.
The Yankees needed Gerrit Cole to be on top of his game and he delivered. Over the course of 6 1/3 innings, Cole allowed just one run on four hits — a home run to Steven Kwan — while walking one and striking out eight. The game nearly fell apart on Cole in the third inning after Cleveland loaded the bases with one out following Kwan’s home run, but Cole managed to get out of the inning unscathed.
It wouldn’t be a game at Yankee Stadium without a lot of home runs. Speaking of that, Anthony Rizzo hit a two-run dinger to add to New York’s lead.
Josh Donaldson thought he had a go-ahead home run … and was caught out between first and second base when it turned out that the ball had instead bounced off the top of the wall. Replay confirmed it, and the Yankee faithful were less than enthused. Fortunately for the Bronx Bombers, an Oscar Gonzalez misplay off the right-field wall led to a sacrifice fly, and a tenuous lead.
Harrison Bader tied things up for New York with a home run to left field. It’s Bader’s first home run as a member of the Yankees.
The Guardians’ power-filled postseason continues with Steven Kwan opening up the scoring with a 360-foot home run to right field.
The Astros used the most brutal weapon possible in trolling the Mariners: math.
Alvarez’s walk-off home run put Houston in the win column in the series opener.
Alex Bregman’s 403-foot homer drove Alvarez home and narrowed Seattle’s lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Seattle added to its lead thanks to Eugenio Suarez’s solo homer.
The Astros’ first score came in the third inning, courtesy of a Yordan Alvarez double that drove Jose Altuve and Chas McCormick home. Yuli Gurriel mashed a 373-foot home run for their third run of the game, cutting Seattle’s lead tp three.
Seattle’s hot start continued in the second inning with runs from Rodriguez, Adam Frazier and Jarred Kelenic.
Julio Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk from Justin Verlander to begin the game. Ty France’s hit sent him to third, and Cal Raleigh’s RBI single allowed Rodriguez to score the game’s first run.
Washington’s department of natural resources couldn’t resist cracking a joke about Houston’s sign-stealing scandal.
The very helpful excuse note. Especially for a 2:37 p.m. local time start.
The Phillies’ offense has emerged during the playoffs with a different feel than the long ball-or-bust version we saw most of the season. In Tuesday’s NLDS Game 1 win, they peppered Braves pitching with 10 hits — Nick Castellanos had three of them — and seven runs in the first five innings without hitting a home run.
When they weren’t filling the bases via singles and doubles, Philadelphia played small ball, attempting three sacrifice bunts, including one each from sluggers Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. Two of those bunt attempts were successful, leading to two more small-ball moments: sacrifice flies by Alec Bohm in the third inning and Matt Vierling in the fifth. And it all added up to just enough for the Phillies to hang on for a 7-6 victory after the Braves made it interesting with a three-run ninth inning.
Nick Castellanos makes a diving catch for the second out of the ninth inning en route to a Philly victory.
Matt Olson hits a three-run blast with one out in the ninth, cutting the Phillies’ deficit to just one run — and giving the Braves some late-game hope.
Travis D’Arnaud earned his second and third RBIs of the game with a double that drove home William Contreras and Olson — making him responsible for all of Atlanta’s first three runs.
Philadelphia is living the baseball adage that “two-out hits will get you to heaven.” Atlanta’s first score came via the long ball.
Alec Bohm makes it 2-0 in the first!
