So here are the scores from yesterday's Wild Card games (home teams listed first):
Atlanta 5 - 3 Philadelphia (Atlanta leads 1-0)
Houston 3 - 6 Chicago White Sox (Chicago leads 1-0)
New York Yankees 9 - 0 Boston (New York leads 1-0)
San Diego 8 - 0 Chicago Cubs (San Diego leads 1-0)
That Yankees game was closer than the score indicates -- the Yankees blew the game open with five runs in the eighth. But the only really satisfying game of the day was the Braves/Phillies battle, which was excellent.
The same matchups will all take place at the same times today. In theory, today could be the end of the Wild Card series -- the series is best two out of three, so every team that won yesterday has a chance to wrap things up today. If that were to happen, we would have the strongest possible matchups for the Divisional Series, because I believe that every game yesterday was won by the stronger team.
On with the Countdown!
ReplyDeleteNumber 26: Melissa Manchester: "Don't Cry Out Loud"
ReplyDeleteBottom of the 7th: Phillies and Braves tied at 1. With one out and runners on first and second, Drake Baldwin (DH for Atlanta) lofts a long fly to right. Bryce Harper misjudges the ball and it bounces off his glove. A run scores and Atlanta takes a 2-1 lead. Harper may have just ended Philly's season.
ReplyDeleteThey did not award Harper an error. But he should have caught that ball.
ReplyDeleteThe Braves tack on another run with a sacrifice fly, and they lead 3-1 with only two innings left.
ReplyDeleteNumber 25: The Jacksons: "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" A little 1980's preview here.
ReplyDeleteHold the phone! Kyle Schwarber homers to right to make the score 3-2. The Phillies aren't dead yet.
ReplyDeleteHOLD THE PHONE! NOW BRYCE HARPER HAS ALSO HOMERED TO RIGHT. The game is tied at 3. Unbelievable!
ReplyDeleteNumber 24: Maxine Nightingale: "Lead Me On" I haven't heard this song in many years.
ReplyDeleteNumber 23: Chris Norman and Suzi Quatro: "Stumblin' In"
ReplyDeleteAfter leading off the top of the 8th with back-to-back home runs, the Phillies can't do anything more. We are tied at 3 after 7 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteNumber 22: Amii Stewart, "Knock on Wood" This song hit number one in the summer of 1979, and I literally went to the store and bought a copy. I love this song.
ReplyDeleteStill 3-all after 8.
ReplyDeleteNumber 21: Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond: "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" Casey tells the story about the Louisville D.J. who had the idea for this song. He loves that story, and I don't blame him.
ReplyDeleteEdmundo Sosa beats out a grounder to deep short to open the top of the 9th, but he pulls up lame and is replaced by pinch runner Derek Hill.
ReplyDeleteNumber 20: Chic: "Good Times"
ReplyDeletePhiladelphia completes the comeback, beating Atlanta 4-3 in 10 innings. That series is tied 1-1, with the decider set for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in Houston, the ChiSox lead the Astros 4-2 after 2.
ReplyDeleteNumber 19: The Doobie Brothers, "What a Fool Believes" Casey tells us that only one of the original Doobie Brothers is still in the band.
ReplyDeleteNumber 18: Blondie: "Heart of Glass"
ReplyDeleteNumber 17: Olivia Newton-John, "A Little More Love" This is my favorite Olivia Newton-John song of all time. I'm also pretty sure that I listened to it a lot while I was reading Ellery Queen novels, because it always reminds me of Ellery Queen.
ReplyDeleteJose Altuve homers in the bottom of the 4th to make the score ChiSox 4, Houston 3.
ReplyDeleteNumber 16: The Bee-Gees, "Tragedy"
ReplyDeleteThe Bee-Gees had two number-one hits in 1979, and those were the last two number-one hits of their career. "Tragedy" is one of those songs.
DeleteNumber 15: Pointer Sisters, "Fire" I'm pretty sure this is the only song written by Bruce Springsteen to make the top 50.
ReplyDeleteNumber 14: David Naughton, "Making It"
ReplyDeleteAfter 5: ChiSox 4, Houston 3. Altuve ends the fifth by flying out with the bases loaded.
ReplyDelete