MLB Division Series: Takeaways, analysis from Super Saturday
Day 1 of the division series is in the books.
After a wild-card round that lived up to its name, the eight teams in the division series started their title quest Saturday — and the games did not disappoint. First, the Cleveland Guardians opened the ALDS with a blowout win over the Detroit Tigers. Another intra-divisional matchup followed with the New York Mets shocking the Philadelphia Phillies with a late comeback. Later, the Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees traded leads before the Yankees prevailed. In the final game of the day, the NL’s top dog, the Los Angeles Dodgers, went back-and-forth with the San Diego Padres but held on for the victory.
We have you covered as the best-of-five series began with everything you need to know from Day 1, including live updates, analysis and takeaways from each game.
Key links: Everything you need to know | Bracket | Picks
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Takeaways and analysis
Cleveland leads series 1-0
This one was over early as the Guardians destroyed the Tigers’ opener strategy, chasing starter Tyler Holton before he could even get an out in the first inning. Then Lane Thomas put the hammer down on Reese Olson, sending the reliever’s first pitch into the left-field stands for a three-run homer — and Cleveland never looked back.
It’s a reminder that although openers and bullpen games are great when they work, it’s still a huge risk asking multiple relievers to be on their game from the start. Holton clearly wasn’t. After five days off, Cleveland showed up ready to roll from the start, showing that any rust for teams coming off a playoff bye can be overcome with a solid game plan.
What to watch in Game 2: At least Tigers manager A.J. Hinch won’t have to prep for a bullpen game Monday. Instead, he’ll have Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal on the mound with a chance to even the series. Detroit will be able to lean heavily on its ace as he’ll have an extra day of rest because of the day off between Games 1 and 2. If Hinch doesn’t visit the mound until the eighth inning or later, the Tigers might be in good shape heading home. — Jesse Rogers
New York leads series 1-0
In no universe does the late-inning, crooked-number comeback become an expectation for a major league team, particularly around postseason time. The past week for the New York Mets, however, has been so filled with them — comebacks so completely, exhaustingly inconceivable — that anything short of high drama and epic endings wouldn’t feel right.
The Mets did it again Saturday, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 6-2 victory by dropping a five-spot in the eighth inning off a pair of All-Star relievers and turning Citizens Bank Park into a morgue. Mets-ing for so long had a very particular, and quite negative, connotation. Mets-ing this week has been walking to the precipice of doom, only to pull a magnificent victory out of nowhere.
This one went single, walk, single, single, sacrifice fly, single, single, sacrifice fly. It erased Zack Wheeler’s brilliance. It chased the playoff clincher and wild-card series clincher with a third how’d-they-do-that act. And it left the Mets two games shy of advancing to the NLCS with a vital game for the Phillies on Sunday, when they’ll start Cristopher Sanchez against Luis Severino. — Jeff Passan
New York leads series 1-0
The Yankees were sloppy in the field and on the basepaths. Gerrit Cole wasn’t dominant over five-plus innings. Aaron Judge went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. And yet the Yankees, behind an advantageous call and Alex Verdugo‘s bat, took a 1-0 series lead. One of the storylines heading into Saturday was whether Verdugo or Jasson Dominguez would start in left field for New York. Verdugo got the start mainly because he’s the better defender, but he delivered at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning. The difference-making hit came moments after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ruled safe on a bang-bang play attempting to steal second base. Royals catcher Salvador Perez‘s throw was high, but Michael Massey appeared to place the tag just in the nick of time. The Royals challenged the safe call, but the ruling was upheld. The Yankees might have caught a break — and they capitalized.
What to watch in Game 2: The clubs will meet for Game 2 on Monday after an off day Sunday. It’ll be Carlos Rodon vs. Cole Ragans, who tossed six scoreless innings in the wild-card series against the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday. It’ll be Rodon’s Yankees playoff debut. A strong performance could put the Yankees on the brink of the ALCS. — Jorge Castillo
Los Angeles leads series 1-0
No division series carried with it more hype than Padres-Dodgers — and Game 1 certainly delivered. There were lead changes, early runs, stellar defensive plays, critical errors, tense jams and constant electricity. In the end, the Dodgers came out on top. They prevailed because Shohei Ohtani hit a 118-mph rocket for a second-inning, game-tying three-run homer, tossing his bat and strutting as he made his way up the first-base line in his first postseason game. They prevailed because Freddie Freeman somehow gutted through a sprained right ankle, and perhaps other issues that might have stemmed from compensating for it, to record two hits and even steal a base. They prevailed because the Dodgers’ bullpen, which will be counted on heavily with all their starting pitching woes, relieved a shaky Yoshinobu Yamamoto and delivered sterling work. Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen combined for 6 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 6 strikeouts and 3 walks.
What to watch in Game 2: Jack Flaherty will take the ball for the Dodgers and live out a childhood dream while doing so — starting a game for the team he grew up rooting for, in a ballpark he often visited. His opponent will be Yu Darvish, whom Ohtani called his “childhood hero” leading up to the NLDS. “My personal hope was that Darvish would have faced Yoshinobu,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Obviously that’s not going to happen this time around, but I’m very honored and excited to be able to face him.” — Alden Gonzalez
