Unbelievable. Intriguing. Unexpected. History. Any of these words can accurately describe 2016’s post-season baseball. For me, this is truly almost as exciting and intense as it was eight years ago when my team won it all. History has and is being made, incredible and lucky plays alike have brought fans to their feet and to tears. This Tuesday, Game 1 of the World Series begins, and by next week, history will be made as the two longest championship-drought ball clubs face off in a best of seven series. While we wait the agonizing two days for the series to begin, let’s take a look back at how they got here.
As baseball stormed into October with teams playing down to game 162 to see their playoff fate, the Wild Card games for both leagues started off in stellar fashion. Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard faced off in a pitcher’s duel for the ages as the San Francisco Giants took on the New York Mets in a winner-advances game. The game stood deadlocked at zero for the first six innings of play, only to be opened up late in the game by a three-run home run from Giants infielder Conor Gillaspie taking closer Jeurys Familia deep in the top of the ninth, icing the shut-out win for Bumgarner and taking his club a step closer to the World Series they sought. Over in the American League Wild Card game, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles played more a hitter’s fancy game with the Blue Jays coming out on top 5-2 behind a great performance from Marcus Stroman and an eleventh-inning walk-off three-run home run from Edwin Encarnacion.
After a one-day turn-around from the excitement of these games, the division series began in both leagues. The American League teams it the easy way…for the most part. The Cleveland Indians took out the Boston Red Sox in the best of five series with three-games sweep, albeit close games, but still a sweep. The Blue Jays sweep of the Texas Rangers took a little more October magic as the Rangers seemed to be well on their way to at least avoiding the sweep as the game ticked into extra innings. Josh Donaldson led off the bottom of the tenth inning for the Blue Jays and he would eventually score the winning run in not-so-typical fashion. A routine double play ball that would have ended the inning turned disastrous as an error led to the elimination of the Rangers. The out at second was simple, but Russell Martin, the hero who got the ball in play, didn’t stop running as he beat a throw in the dirt. As Rangers’ first baseman Mitch Moreland scrambled to regain control of the ball, he saw Donaldson dashing from second to third and rounding the turn to come home. Ball raced against legs as Donaldson took a headfirst dive and managed to skim his hand over the plate before the catcher could apply the tag. In a matter of 7.2 seconds, the Rangers hopes were dashed and the Toronto Blue Jays were on their way to the American League Championship Series. Over on the National League side, the Chicago Cubs ousted the Giants in four games, hoping to make history. Of course, the Cubs knew Taylor Swift wasn’t releasing an album this year, so they had to get the Giants out of the race while they could (for the past eight or so years, every year Miss Swift releases an album, the Giants win the World Series). The Los Angeles Dodgers used five games to top the Washington Nationals. The turning point in that series seemed to be in Game 4, where the Dodgers forced a Game 5 that they ultimately won, thanks to their veteran second baseman, Chase Utley. In the eighth inning, Utley laced a go-ahead RBI single and capped the victory with an outstanding play in the top of the ninth. Game 5 was won by a single run, sending the Dodgers into a head-on collision with the history-seeking Cubbies.
In the American League pennant best of seven series, the Indians continued their dominance, jumping out to a 3 games to none lead before the Jays managed avoid the sweep in Game 4, only to be shut out in Game 5 as the Indians won the pennant and punched their ticket to history. Public figures such as LeBron James took to social media to comment on the sports of Cleveland in 2016 and hoping the Indians could bring back the trophy for the first time since 1948. The National League pennant race took six games to decide in a back-and-forth series of young talent, veteran stars, phenomenal pitchers, and spectacular coaching. The Cubs grabbed a 10 series lead behind Aroldis Chapman and an eighth inning grand slam from Miguel Montero to break the tie. Clayton Kershaw came back for the Dodgers in Game 2 with his traditional dominance in a shut-out victory, setting the series at a stalemate. The Dodgers routed the Cubs in their first game of the series at home, but the Cubs responded the next day with a rout of their own, heading back to Chicago tied 2-2. The Cubs would take the next two games without much worry, rocking Kershaw in the final game and sending Wrigley Field into chaotic eruption as they won the pennant for the first time since 1908 and were headed to the World Series.
The faces and emotions of the Cubs fans and players alike is enough to pull at anyone’s heart strings. With one out remaining in Game 6, the camera started to pan to individual fans, young and old, generations coming together in a remarkable way. One woman was trying to hold back tears and another was so shocked that she was waving her hand as if holding a rally towel, but the towel was in her other hand, frozen to the spot as she waited with bated breath among her fellow fans at each pitch call. One gentleman had his head in his hands, peaking out between his fingers ad glancing back and forth between the score board and home plate as if he didn’t believe it was really happening. Elderly fans with sitting and watching and waiting with tentative smiles, as though they didn’t want to get their hopes yet again, for the 71st time, and some even had on shirts reading “Just one before I die.” When that final strike was called, players flew across the field or broke down on the spot, as did fans if they weren’t hugging their neighbor.
As begin to watch baseball take us into November with its end, we will see history made one way or another. Don’t forget to tune into FS1 each night of the series to see how it all plays out. But before Tuesday, get one thing straight in your head. Do you bleed blue and white or blue and red?
