Saturday was a big day for two teams in different leagues as both of those clubs punched their ticket to the postseason. For one of these teams, this moment had been coming for a long time and wasn’t much of a surprise since they entered this season as one of a handful of favorites. For the other team, this was the culmination of a shocking rise to the top of their respective division. Either way, the regular season end result was the same and both teams got to enjoy a champagne shower yesterday.
The Yankees and Braves had different expectations, but the same destination
Two teams got to pop champagne after winning their respective games on Saturday. One team expected to be here, while the other team has proven to be a surprise.
Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
The Yankees went into this season looking to build upon their appearance in the 2017 ALCS. While the Red Sox may have wasted little time in snuffing out any dreams of taking the division in 2018, the Wild Card game is still a nice spot to be in — even if it’s a nerve-wracking experience with a very formidable opponent likely waiting in the wings. Still, the Yankees are back in the October mix for the third time in four seasons and now they have time to prepare for what should be an incredibly tough battle to make it out of this year’s field of AL contenders.
Meanwhile, you may have gotten laughed out of the room shared with other baseball fans if you suggested that the Braves would not only win the NL East, but win it with a week left to spare. Yet that’s exactly what Atlanta did after they clinched their first divisional title since 2013. Granted, it took the Nationals having an extremely disappointing season and the Phillies running out of gas once the calendar turned from August to September, but the Braves were still a very good baseball team for the vast majority of the season. Their spot in the postseason was well-earned.
For these two teams with varying levels of expectation, the fun really begins now. Will Ronald Acuña Jr. and the rest of the Braves continue to shine, even under the intense bright lights of the playoffs? Will Giancarlo Stanton’s high-profile addition to the Yankees make the difference for the Bronx Bombers this time around? It’ll be intriguing to see how these questions get answered in a couple of weeks from now.
- I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that you enjoy seeing dingers get hit. Do you enjoy them enough to find value in the worst dinger of 2018? If so, then head on over to Beyond the Box Score and behold the beauty of worthlessness.
- Meanwhile in Chicago, Javier Baez continued to prove that he’s up to accomplishing any task you throw at him -- whether it’s the bat or the glove.
- The Angels seemed like they were going to pull off a victory in Houston. Then the Astros rattled off a nine-run inning as if it was second nature. You think they’re ready for October?
- Meanwhile, Cleveland and Boston got a tiny taste of the playoffs when they faced off on Saturday. This time, Cleveland was the team who came out on top.
- There was little-to-nothing on the line in Detroit, but it was still an emotional day at the ballpark as the franchise paid tribute to Victor Martinez on his final day as a ballplayer.
- There are a surplus of sluggers in baseball right now, but Athletics Nation claims that Khris Davis is the best in baseball at hitting dingers.
- Speaking of dingers, the Los Angeles Dodgers hit a ton of them this season and broke a franchise record that was set by last year’s edition of the Dodgers. It’s been a good time to be a Dodger.
- The Yankees are back in the playoffs, but their defense could make this year’s stint shorter than what they would want.
- The Cardinals might be in the middle of an intense battle to get into the NL Wild Card game, but that didn’t stop Viva El Birdos from looking back at a strange plate appearance from back in May.
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