Sam Blum, Grant Brisbee and more
Oct 10, 2024
By Sam Blum, Grant Brisbee, Kaitlyn McGrath and Jen McCaffrey
The New York Mets’ magic continued as a Francisco Lindor grand slam helped them stun the Philadelphia Phillies and book their ticket to the NLCS. The Mets await the winner of the Los Angeles Dodgers–San Diego Padres series, which will go to a decisive Game 5 after an 8-0 Dodgers rout. Meanwhile, in the American League, both the Yankees and Tigers took the lead in their series. Let’s go around the horn, and look ahead to what’s next on Thursday.
Francisco Lindor sends Mets to NLCS; Phillies headed home
For the first time in nine years, the New York Mets are headed back to the National League Championship Series. Francisco Lindor’s sixth-inning grand slam sent Citi Field into pandemonium as the Mets, by virtue of a 4-1 victory over the Phillies, clinched their first postseason series at the ballpark since it opened in 2009. The Phillies, meanwhile, fell short of their postseason hopes for a third straight year.
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Stock up: Francisco Lindor
Lindor’s casual confidence as he glided around the bases seconds after launching perhaps the biggest home run of his career showed it all. Nine days prior, his ninth-inning homer on the final day of the season against Atlanta sent the Mets to the postseason, and an even bigger one on Wednesday helped them advance. Entering the night, Lindor had gone just 3-for-13 in the series, but rose to the occasion in a crucial moment after the Mets had squandered two previous bases loaded situations. With closer Carlos Estévez entering the game to face him, Lindor drove a 99 mph fastball over the heart of the plate 398 feet to center for the game-changing hit.
Stock down: Phillies offense
It might be easy to peg this on Estévez for surrendering the grand slam, but really, the Phillies offensive drought for much of the series is to blame. Outside of Sunday’s seven-run outburst, the Phillies scored just five runs in their other three games in the series. In the series, the team collectively hit .186 and the bottom of the order, in particular, struggled with Alec Bohm (1-for-10), JT Realmuto (0-for-11) and Brandon Marsh (1-for-13) combining to go 2-for-37.
Required reading
- Francisco Lindor’s swing of a lifetime lifts the Mets into the NLCS
- Mets’ longest-tenured players celebrate breakthrough: ‘A dream come true’
- A Phillies season with high hopes ends too soon. All that’s certain is the hurt
MLB Postseason 2024
Wildcard
Divisional
Championship
World Series
American League
ALWC
3
Astros
6
Tigers
ALWC
4
Orioles
5
Royals
National League
NLWC
3
Brewers
6
Mets
NLWC
4
Padres
5
Braves
American League
ALDS
2
Guardians
ALDS
1
Yankees
5
Royals
National League
NLDS
2
Phillies
6
Mets
NLDS
1
Dodgers
4
Padres
American League
ALCS
National League
NLCS
6
Mets
World Series
Tigers inch closer to ALCS, shut down Guardians
All season, the AL Central belonged to Cleveland. The Tigers were an afterthought. That is, until they weren’t. Now, after Wednesday’s 3-0 win, the Tigers are just one win away from advancing to the ALCS in a season where their playoff odds dipped to 0.2 percent in mid-August. The Tigers eked out five hits and three runs, and six pitchers combined for the second-consecutive shutout. The Tigs stay Gritty.
Stock up: Pitching Chaos
Yes, everyone knows about Tarik Skubal, the AL triple crown owner and surefire Cy Young Award winner. But it seems that everyone else on that Detroit pitching staff is pretty good, too. Manager A.J. Hinch has elected to mix and match throughout this postseason, and has seen a level of perhaps-surprising success. On Wednesday, six pitchers combined for the win, allowing just two walks and six singles. The Guardians haven’t scored a run in 20 innings.
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Stock down: José Ramirez
It may be a little harsh to assess someone after three games, but such is the nature of a five-game series. The Guardians aren’t known as a well-rounded offensive team. They need Ramirez to be a run-producer. So far, he’s just 1-of-9 with two intentional walks. He’s not the only one who has struggled, but his failures are more noticeable.
The Guardians desperately need José Ramirez to get going at the plate. (Photo: Duane Burleson / Getty Images)
Required reading
- Welcome to Detroit, where the Tigers brought playoff baseball back in full force
- Stephen Vogt’s Game 3 decisions didn’t pan out for Guardians. Now they face elimination
Giancarlo Stanton’s clutch home run gives Yankees edge in ALDS over Royals
The good vibes at Kauffman Stadium, hosting postseason baseball for the first time in nine years, weren’t enough to quiet the Yankees, who topped the Royals 3-2. Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton contributed in myriad ways, pushing his team to a 2-1 series edge and to the precipice of the ALCS. To mount a comeback, the Royals now face the tough assignment of winning two straight games, including against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole on Thursday. If Kansas City were to force a Game 5, it would be hosted at a raucous Yankee Stadium.
Stock up: Giancarlo Stanton
The Yankees had been waiting for a signature moment from one of their stars, and Stanton finally came through. The 34-year-old opened the scoring for New York with an RBI double in the fourth inning and then broke the 2-2 tie with a game-winning solo home run in the eighth. It was the Yankees’ first go-ahead postseason home run in the eighth or later since Raúl Ibañez in Game 3 of the 2012 ALDS. Stanton finished 3-for-5 and … (checks notes) … stole a base in the sixth inning.
Stock down: Bobby Witt Jr. and Aaron Judge
So much for the battle of the top two AL MVP candidates. Judge, the presumptive MVP winner, and Witt, the presumptive runner-up, have been non-factors this series, which has quieted a major talking point heading into the matchup. Judge is 1-for-11 with five strikeouts and three walks. Witt finally broke his series oh-fer on Wednesday with a single in the eighth inning, but the Royals shortstop is now just 1-for-13 with a walk and no runs scored. It’s Witt’s first postseason go-round, but for Judge, it continues a curious downward trend in recent Octobers. In his last 13 playoff games, Judge is now 7-for-51.
Required reading
- With clutch home run, Giancarlo Stanton once again shows he’s built for October
- Why Yankees say Aaron Judge is showing signs of snapping playoff slump
- Postseason baseball returned to Kansas City. Now the Royals must win to survive
Dodgers hammer Padres to force Game 5
The Dodgers kept their season alive, jumping on Dylan Cease early and hammering San Diego’s bullpen, winning 8-0 to force a Game 5. Mookie Betts hit his third-straight first inning ball over the fence (albeit just his second home run), and he added a two-out RBI single in the second inning. Shohei Ohtani added his own two-out RBI, and Will Smith and Gavin Lux hit booming home runs. The Dodgers’ bullpen game gambit worked beautifully, shutting the Padres out and setting up a final game at Dodger Stadium.
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Stock up: Mookie Betts
Betts was hitless in all three games of last season’s NLDS, and his career postseason numbers are substantially less impressive than his regular-season numbers. A narrative was juuuuust about to fossilize. Instead, he’s hit first-inning home runs in back-to-back games, and the only reason he didn’t have a first-inning homer in Game 1 was because of a remarkable play from Jurickson Profar. Betts added a two-out RBI in the second inning, and he’ll enter Game 5 with a postseason OPS over 1.000. He didn’t need to prove anything, but he’s doing it anyway.
Stock down: Using your starting pitcher on three day’s rest
Stop it. Don’t do it. Stop. If you think you have good reasons, you don’t. There have been success stories over the last 15 seasons, but there have been more spooky stories in October when it comes to three day’s rest. The Padres weren’t using Cease on short rest because they were feeling froggy and arrogant; they were doing it because Joe Musgrove is out for the season. Still, the choice was between a short-rest Cease and a fully rested Martín Pérez, and if the Padres can’t take Game 5, they’ll have the rest of their lives to wonder what was behind the other door.
On deck for Thursday
Guardians at Tigers. 6:08 pm ET, TNT
Tigers lead series 2-1
CLE Tanner Bibee (12-8, 3.47) vs. DET (TBD)
Player to watch: Tanner Bibee
This will be Bibee’s sixth start of the season against the Tigers. Four in the regular season, where he posted a 4.50 ERA, and another in Game 1. He’ll be operating on four days of rest. It’ll be a familiar matchup, but with unfamiliar stakes for the Guardians.
Yankees at Royals. 8:08 pm ET, TBS
Yankees lead series 2-1
NYY Gerrit Cole (8-5, 3.41 ERA) vs. KC Michael Wacha (13-8, 3.35 ERA)
The Royals have the unenviable task of going up against Gerrit Cole in a win-or-go-home game. (Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)
Player to watch: Gerrit Cole
Historically, Cole has been a solid performer in the postseason, with a 3.05 ERA in 18 career starts, but the New York ace was mediocre in the series opener, allowing four runs on seven hits over five innings with four strikeouts. His so-so performance was largely an afterthought because the Yankees won the game. But Game 4 is a chance for Cole to have a do-over in this series, with the chance to close it out and send the Yankees to the ALCS.
(Top photo of Mets celebrating: Elsa / Getty Images)