Dodgers advance to Philadelphia, but everyone else is heading to Game 3 in the MLB Postseason

Man, we were sooooo close to getting the Yankees eliminated from the 2025 MLB Postseason in just two games, but we will have to wait at least one more night for Yankees fans to once again realize that we’re not in the 1990s anymore. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera are not walking through that door, but on Wednesday night Austin Wells did walk through that door. He hooked a Garrett Whitlock changeup down the right field line to score Jazz Chisholm all the way from first base and break a 3-3 tie. David Bednar pitched a one-two-three ninth to earn the save and schedule a sure-to-be dramatic Game 3 for the evening after Yom Kippur.

Up until that RBI by Wells, the Red Sox had an answer to everything the Yankees were doing. New York got on the board first with a Ben Rice two-run dinger in the first that came on the first Postseason pitch that he ever faced. Trevor Story responded to that with a two-RBI single with the bases loaded in the third, and he also canceled out Aaron Judge’s fifth-inning RBI single with a solo shot in the very next frame. Story came up with the bases loaded and two outs again in the seventh, but his 102 mph line drive was tracked down by Trent Grisham in center field to keep the score tied 3-3. Just one batter earlier, Chisholm made a diving stop to keep Masataka Yoshida’s single on the infield and prevent Nate Eaton from scoring from second base.

The Yankees weren’t the only team on Wednesday to bounce back from a Game 1 Wild Card loss. The Tigers and Guardians were locked in another pitcher’s duel despite Casey Mize and Tanner Bibee both leaving the game before the fifth inning ended. Detroit nearly gained the lead in the fourth when Javy Baez singled up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded, but the clutch hit merely tied the game at 1-1 because Zach McKinstry was tagged out at third base just before Dillon Dingler touched home plate with the second run.

Instead, it was Brayan Rocchio of the Guardians who broke the tie in the eight inning when he homered off of Troy Melton with one out. That solo shot ignited a five-run rally for Cleveland that was capped by a three-run bomb from Bo Naylor. Cleveland’s 6-1 victory means we’ll find out on Thursday if the Tigers will get their hearts broken again or if they’ll erase the regular season collapse and take their place in the ALDS. It is essentially a one-game playoff to decide if the Guardians’ miracle comeback to win the AL Central was legitimate.

Over in Chicago, the Padres struck back against the Cubbies with a 3-0 win in Game 2 of their series. After Chicago’s bullpen dominated in Game 1, it was San Diego’s turn to show off its sexy relief pitching. The trio of Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, and Robert Suarez held the Cubs to just one hit after starter Dylan Cease left the game in the fourth inning. Miller was particularly filthy, as he hit 104 mph on the radar gun and struck out the first five batters that he faced.

The Padres got the only run they needed in the first inning when Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez singled off of Cubs opener Andrew Kittredge and both runners stole a base to set up Jackson Merrill’s sac fly. Manny Machado added a two-run home run off of Shota Imanaga in the fifth to provide a little cushion.

We finally got some champagne popping late at night when the Dodgers beat the Reds 8-4 to clinch the series in two games. Cincinnati caught a break early when Teoscar Hernandez dropped a fly ball and opened up the door for a two-RBI single by Sal Stewart, but Los Angeles would score the game’s next eight runs to take a six-run lead in the seventh on Mookie Betts’ third RBI hit of the night. Betts had a rough regular season, but he appears to be rounding into vintage form with an .899 OPS in September and six hits in two Wild Card games. Yoshinobu Yamamoto didn’t allow an earned run in six and two thirds innings, and Roki Sasaki showed off his electric stuff while dominating the ninth inning. I feel good about the Dodgers giving the Phillies a hard time in the Division Series.

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