Main League Baseball’s one-game Wild Card existed for ten seasons from 2012 to 2021 (it was not used within the gross and disgusting 2020 season). In these 9 seasons, the highest two non-division winners in every league would face off in a one-game playoff to find out who goes on to face the primary seed within the divisional sequence.
Whereas not all the eighteen Wild Card video games had been unbelievable, lots of them had been. From the 12-inning 2014 recreation between the Athletics and the Cinderella story Royals, to the 2019 blown lead by the Brewers to the eventual champion Nationals, the sport gave us its justifiable share of iconic moments in its decade-long existence.
Our Boston Purple Sox, thankfully or sadly, relying in your point-of-view, solely obtained the prospect to play in considered one of these Wild Card Video games. Within the magical 2021 season, the Purple Sox confronted off towards their arch-rival Bronx Bombers for the correct to journey to St. Petersburg and tackle the Rays within the ALDS.
On that brisk October night, Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole confronted off towards one of many Purple Sox’ greatest big-game pitchers of the twenty first century, Nathan Eovaldi. Sox followers didn’t have to attend lengthy for an iconic second that night time, as after a Rafael Devers stroll within the backside of the primary, Xander Bogaerts stepped to the plate. Off a middle-middle 2-1 changeup from Cole, Bogaerts launched the ball 400-some odd ft over the middle discipline wall.
Bogaerts’ residence run, together with a solo shot from Kyle Schwarber, three RBIs from Alex Verdugo, and an Eovaldi masterclass, had been sufficient to ship the Sox to the ALDS with a 6-2 win. All of these, together with a now-iconic Stantonian residence run and an unimaginable relay to gun down Aaron Decide on the plate, are iconic moments in Purple Sox lore. And this was all in simply 9 innings.
The Wild Card Sport turned all the pieces as much as eleven. It was Sport 7 with no Video games 1 by 6. It was two groups that didn’t know if tomorrow would come. Certain, a Sport 3 within the present Wild Card format brings you an analogous vitality. Nevertheless it’s not the identical.
The Wild Card recreation was additionally, at the least to me, the right compromise between an expanded playoff and the previous eight-team slate. It gave an additional workforce a shot, however didn’t require that additional workforce to be on their third or presumably fourth starter by the point the divisional sequence rolls round. Your ace took the Wild Card Sport, and your #2 had Sport 1 of the DS. It was so simple as that. Now, it’s all somewhat an excessive amount of.
Take this yr’s Purple Sox within the Wild Card Collection, for instance. Crochet went Sport 1. Bello Sport 2. And now Connelly Early for Sport 3. Then let’s simply say they advance. Who the hell is pitching Sport 1 of the ALDS?! If we nonetheless had our beloved Wild Card Sport, then Bello would begin us off. Good and simple.
Do we actually want a sixth workforce in every league to make the playoffs? Most likely not. Although if the Sox had been the sixth seed this yr and never the fifth, I’m positive I’d be singing a special tune. Both means, I miss you, Wild Card Sport. And I’m glad we had that one stunning October night time collectively.
