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West Wild Card Game
OH BABY—now that’s a wild card game, folks! You gotta love it! 🍁🏒
Don Cherry here—listen, I’m tellin’ ya right now, this is what playoff hockey—yeah I know it’s your OOTP version but still—this is what it’s ALL about: guts, heart, and guys steppin’ up when it matters!
First off—Utah Mammoth—FIRST playoff game in franchise history—and what do they do? They go into Los Angeles, big crowd, tough building, and BOOM! Three runs right outta the gate in the first inning! That’s how you set the tone! No feelin’ it out, no осторожно stuff—just ATTACK!
And I gotta talk about this kid Erick Flores—are you kiddin’ me?! This guy was unbelievable! Six innings, no walks—NO WALKS!—that drives me nuts when guys are walkin’ everybody. He says, “Not tonight!” That’s old-school hockey mentality—pound the zone, make ‘em earn it!
Now look, the Los Angeles Kings—they didn’t quit. I’ll give ‘em that. You got guys like Kopitar and Olachea battlin’, they chip away, they tie it, they even take it to extras—this wasn’t a rollover job. This was a TRACK MEET!
But here’s the thing—Utah? They bent… but they didn’t break. Even when Montez gives up a couple bombs—hey, it happens!—they come right back and WIN it in the 12th! That’s character! That’s a TEAM!
And how about Wilfredo Rodriguez early? Big home run, sets the whole thing up. And Cuylle—two doubles! That’s clutch hitting! Not just swinging for the fences—get on base, do the job!
And I LOVE this—Utah’s bullpen? They hang on just enough, and then Bolanos shuts the door. That’s playoff composure right there.
So what do we got?
👉 Expansion-type feel team
👉 First playoff game EVER
👉 On the road
👉 Extra innings
👉 And they WIN?!
That’s how fanbases are built, folks! That’s how you start something SPECIAL!
Now they’re going to face Kansas City—rested team, had the bye—but I’ll tell ya right now: you come off a win like THIS? You’re dangerous. You got momentum, confidence, and a little swagger.
And I’ll leave ya with this—
You don’t always remember the stats…
But you ALWAYS remember your first playoff win.
And for the Utah Mammoth?
They’ll never forget this one. 🚨
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