National Baseball League

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Atlanta Braves: 1927 World Series Champions (2nd title)
1911 1927

COLIN COWHERD — GAME 5 REACTION
"In the end, the grown-ups won the room."
“Folks… this is what championships look like.
Not flashy.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just efficient.
Atlanta wraps up the series 3–2 in Game 5, takes home their first title in 16 years, and let me tell you—this was the most predictable close game I’ve seen all postseason.”
“Seattle hits solo home runs. Atlanta strings together innings.”
“I’ve always said this: solo home runs are candy. Fun, sweet, little sugar rush… but they don’t win championships.
Seattle gets two of them — Johnston, Gonzales — both with two outs, both beautiful swings.
Atlanta?
They manufacture.
They get hits in bunches.
They steal bases.
They move runners.
They play October baseball.
There’s a big difference between home run hitters and teams that can create run innings. Seattle didn’t create anything. Atlanta did.”
“Ricardo Garcia — THAT is a championship starter.”
“Seven innings. Three hits. No walks. Two earned runs.
Folks, that’s playoff pitching.
That’s a guy who doesn’t care about narrative, doesn’t care about Seattle’s momentum, doesn’t care about the Mariners ‘waking up.’
He just throws strikes and gets outs.
You know what I call that?
A mortgage.
Reliable. Predictable. Stable.
You sleep well at night with that.”
“Seattle? They played tight.”
“One error, but it felt like three.
Five hits, but it felt like two.
This team came in needing to be loose, fun, fearless. Instead they were tense, rigid, pressing.
This was the moment to swing early, run aggressively, manufacture pressure.
Instead: passive at-bats, guessing, hoping someone else makes the heroic play.
That’s not a championship trait.
That’s a symptom of a team that’s been here four times and lost all four.”
“Atlanta’s seventh inning — the grown-up inning.”
“This is the difference.
McKnight homers? Tie game gone.
Joseph scores? Mariners done.
This was an inning where experience mattered.
Where clutch players separate themselves.
Where a team says, ‘Nope. Not in our building. Not today.’
That was a heavyweight round.
Seattle got punched, stumbled, and never recovered.”
“Miguel Carranza — the MVP nobody wants to face.”
“He didn’t need to hit four homers.
He didn’t need to dominate every box score.
He just controlled the game.
A catcher who dictates tempo, calls a brilliant game, gets big hits when it matters.
That’s your MVP.
That’s leadership.
That’s what October is.”
“Bottom line?”
“Seattle is talented. They’re flashy. They’re fun.
But Atlanta?
Atlanta’s built.
This was never about moments.
It was about maturity.
The Braves didn’t overpower the Mariners.
They outlasted them, out-executed them, out-smarted them.
Game 5 was a coronation.
A reminder that in baseball — and in life — the teams that win are the ones that can handle pressure, avoid mistakes, and deliver when the spotlight gets hot.
And Seattle? They’ll be back. They always come close.
But today belonged to Atlanta.
Today the Braves were the adult in the room.”

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1927 World Champs

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1928 AL midseason standings

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
New York Yankees (50–34)
“Yankees are in first. Shouldn’t surprise anybody. They’re not perfect — the bullpen’s been shaky, they don’t hit in the rain, whatever excuse you wanna throw at ’em — but they’re the class o’ the division. They are clearly the best roster.
If they don’t win this division? That’s on them. That’s a failure. Plain and simple.”
Toronto Blue Jays (47–35, 2 GB)
“Toronto… listen… I give ’em credit. They’ve played well. But they’re one o’ these teams — and I say it every year — they look great in June, July… and then you look up in September and they’re three games back wonderin’ what happened.
They’re a nice lil’ team. Yankees are better.”
Boston Red Sox (45–40, 5.5 GB)
“Boston… they’re hangin’ around. That’s all they’re doin’. They’re hangin’. Y’know? They’re not dangerous. They’re not scary. They don’t have that guy you circle and say, ‘WE can’t let HIM beat us.’
They’ll be .500-ish, maybe they sneak into the wild card conversation if everyone else collapses.”
Baltimore Orioles (31–51)
“Baltimore’s terrible. That’s it. I got nothin’ else.”
Tampa Bay Rays (30–52)
“And Tampa’s worse. They don’t hit, they don’t pitch, they don’t draw, and they don’t win. Other than that they’re doin’ great.”
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
Detroit Tigers (46–38)
“Detroit’s the real deal. This isn’t a fluke. This team plays hard, they pitch, they got some guys who can hit in the clutch. This is a team that believes.
They’re not great, but they’re solid. And in this division? That’s enough.”
Cleveland Indians (41–43, 5 GB)
“Cleveland… they’re the same team last last year, the dynasty's over, folks.
Every. Single. Year.
Win a couple, lose a couple, win three, lose four. They’re allergic to momentum. They’ll finish 81–81 or somethin’. Seen it a million times.”
Kansas City Royals (37–45, 8 GB)
“Kansas City? Not ready. They got some talent, I’ll give ’em that, but they’re not there yet. They don’t know how to win these tight games. Maybe in two years.”
Chicago White Sox (34–47, 10.5 GB)
“White Sox? Lost. Completely lost. No identity. No direction. No pulse.”
Minnesota Twins (28–53)
“And Minnesota… they’re a disaster. They should get relegated. Ship ’em to another league.”
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
Texas Rangers (57–27)
“Texas is a MACHINE. They are poundin’ everybody. They’re the best team in baseball right now, it’s not even close.
When you win 57 games by the halfway mark? You’re elite. Absolute elite. They hit, they pitch, they run — they do everything well.
If they don’t win the pennant? Biggest choke job of the decade.”
Houston Astros (51–33, 6 GB)
“Houston’s excellent. Excellent. But they’re behind a juggernaut. Six back is nothin’ to sneeze at, though. They’d be in first in any other division.
This race isn’t over… but Texas is not slowin’ down.”
Seattle Mariners (44–41, 13.5 GB)
“Seattle… I mean, folks… what do ya want me to say? This team’s exhausted. They had another deep playoff run last year, they’re emotionally fried, they’re physically fried, and they got no consistency.
They’re good… but they’re not great. And in this division? Good doesn’t cut it.”
Oakland Athletics (38–46)
“Oakland wins a couple nice games here ’n there — but they’re not serious. They’re a spoiler team. That’s it.”
Anaheim Angels (31–53)
“And the Angels… oh PLEASE. Don’t even get me started.
Every year it’s the same thing: ‘This is the year they figure it out.’ No it’s not! It ain’t the year! It’s never the year!”
WRAP-UP (FRANCESA STYLE)
“Alright so here’s the bottom line: Yankees should win the East. Detroit’s good enough to win the Central because nobody else wants it. And Texas — Texas is the best team in baseball, and if they don’t get to the World Series, somethin’ went horribly wrong.
We’ll see what happens. But right now? That’s the landscape. That’s what it is. You don’t like it? Win more games.”

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“Alright, we’re back… let’s take a look at the National League here at the halfway mark of the 1928 campaign…”

“First of all — the Atlanta Braves. Fifty-nine and twenty-two. Lemme say that again: fifty-nine and twenty-two. That is historic stuff. That’s not a good team, that’s not a great team — that is an all-time team right now. They are bludgeoning the league. They’re winning at a .728 clip. That’s like… you’re talkin’ 110, 115 wins pace. And here’s the thing: it’s not a fluke. They pitch, they hit, they defend, they run… they do everything. They don’t have a weakness. None.”
“Washington — very nice story. Nationals at 46–34. They’re 12.5 out, so they’re not catchin’ Atlanta — nobody’s catchin’ Atlanta — but they’re playin’ good, competitive baseball for the first time in what, a decade? They’re finally relevant again.”
“The Mets… listen… forty-two and forty-two. That’s who they are. Ya know the Mets: couple nice weeks, couple bad weeks, you look up, you’re .500. It’s tradition. Miami’s Miami — they’re frisky but they’re not serious. Phillies? Forget it.”

“Central Division — the Brewers. Another juggernaut. Not quite Atlanta’s level, but 59–24, .711 ball… that wins the division in April. Pirates are hangin’ in at 46–36, but again — twelve and a half games back. Same deal as Washington. They’re good, but they’re not that good.”
“Everybody else in that division is a disaster. Cubs, Reds, Cardinals — they’re all unwatchable. Thirty wins at the halfway point? That’s not a baseball team, that’s a charity operation.”

“Now the West… interesting.”
“Arizona — forty-eight and thirty-four. Very solid. They've been steady, professional, no nonsense. They win the games they’re supposed to win. They don’t beat themselves.”
“Now the Dodgers — forty-seven and thirty-eight — and listen, this is more like the team we saw win the championship two years ago in ’26. Last year, 1927, they completely fell apart. Total regression. They looked tired, sloppy, unfocused — whatever you wanna call it. But this year? They’ve stabilized. They’re not a juggernaut, not the ’26 version, but they’re back to being a real team. They pitch, they compete, they grind out wins. They’re absolutely in the race and they are a legitimate threat in October if they get in.”
“Padres are disappointing. Giants can’t score. Rockies… folks — it’s the same thing every year. They hit at home, they die on the road, and they finish under .500. It’s like a law of physics.”

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1928 AL Final Standings

“Alright, let’s get to the American League second half, because there is a lot to unpack here.”
AL EAST — THE COLLAPSE, THE SURGE, AND THE SHOCKER
“Toronto — ninety-two and seventy. They steal the division. Nobody — and I mean nobody — had the Blue Jays coming back from down two at the break to run down the Yankees. But they played great baseball in the second half. Won close games, pitched well, hit in big spots, and they absolutely earned home field in the Wild Card.”
“Now the Yankees — ninety-one and seventy-one — folks, this is a bad job. BAD job. You cannot blow the division when you’re up at the halfway point, you’ve got the best lineup, you’ve got the experience, you’ve got the pedigree. And they just… leaked oil down the stretch. They went cold at the worst possible time. They still make the dance, but they’ve gotta go to Toronto now. That’s a tough spot.”
“And Boston — let me tell ya somethin’ — I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like this. They lose their last NINE games. Nine! You’re fighting for your first postseason in more than a decade and you go oh-and-nine to end the year? That’s a choke job, folks. Absolute choke job. Fans must be sick.”
AL CENTRAL — STEADY, UNSPECTACULAR, AND A WHOLE LOT OF BAD BASEBALL
“Detroit wins the division at ninety-four and sixty-eight. Clean, professional second half. Nothing flashy, but they win games. They’re getting the bye because everyone else in the Central fell apart.”
“Cleveland hung around but never made a real push. They just stayed nine back forever. And the rest — Kansas City, Chicago, Minnesota — folks, these are bad teams. BAD. The Twins losing a hundred and nine games is embarrassing. Season was over in June. They were never competitive.”
AL WEST — THE POWER DIVISION
“Texas — one-oh-five and fifty-seven — that is a monster season. Absolute beast of a team. Never had a slump, never had a dead spot, they just rolled. They get the first bye, they deserve it.”
“Houston — ninety-eight and sixty-four — strong, strong season. Not quite at Texas’s level, but very good. And they host Seattle in the Wild Card.”
“Seattle — ninety-three wins — good club, but streaky. They’re dangerous if they get hot, but you never know what version you’re getting.”
“Oakland and Anaheim? Folks… what do ya want me to say? They’re disasters. They’ve been disasters. They’ll continue to be disasters.”
THE BIG PICTURE
“So the byes go to Texas and Detroit. Toronto hosts the Yankees — which is wild, absolutely wild considering where the standings were in July — and Houston gets Seattle. And let me tell ya something: this is going to be a WILD postseason. A lot of these teams are flawed. A lot of these teams are streaky. I have no idea what’s gonna happen, but the Yankees better wake up real fast or they’re gonna be one-and-done.”

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1928 NL Final Standings

“Alright, let’s get to the National League, because I gotta tell ya… this thing went OFF THE RAILS in the second half.”
NL EAST — THE CHAMPS ARE STILL THE CHAMPS
“Atlanta — one-oh-six and fifty-six. Folks, this is what a championship team looks like. They win the World Series last year, and what do they do? They come right back with another hundred-plus win season. That is sustained excellence. No nonsense, no drama, they just go out and beat everybody.”
“Washington — ninety-seven and sixty-five — very strong. They cooled off a little late, but they’re a rock-solid Wild Card team and they host one of the series. They’re dangerous, because they pitch.”
“Miami and the Mets? Average, average, average. Totally mediocre clubs. The Mets finish eighty-three and seventy-nine — AGAIN — and they’re watching the postseason on the couch. Same story every year with this team. They tease you, they play .500 ball, and then they go home.”
“Phillies weren’t good either. Whole division was basically Atlanta and Washington, and then a bunch of teams stuck in the mud.”
NL CENTRAL — THE BEHEMOTH AND EVERYONE ELSE
“Milwaukee — one hundred and fourteen wins. Let me say that again: one hundred and fourteen. That is an outrageous season. They dominated every single month. Best team in baseball wire-to-wire. They get the top seed, and honestly, if they don’t make the World Series, it’s a massive disappointment.”
“Pittsburgh — ninety and seventy-two — nice year. Very respectable. They’ll play San Diego in the Wild Card, and that’s a tricky matchup.”
“But after that? Cincinnati, St. Louis, Chicago — these are atrocious ballclubs. All losing ninety-eight, ninety-nine, a hundred games. The whole bottom of this division is a disaster. They should be ashamed.”
NL WEST — THE SHOCKER OF THE YEAR
“Now — let me get to the Padres, because this is the story right here.”
“San Diego — ninety-four and sixty-eight — NOBODY had this. Nobody. They were left for dead at midseason. Six, seven, eight games back. Dodgers were rolling in June. Arizona looked solid. And somehow the Padres put together one of the best second halves in baseball. They played with urgency, they pitched better, and they stole this division. Absolutely stole it.”
“Arizona — ninety-one wins — good team, but they got caught. Now they’ve gotta fly cross-country to play Washington in the Wild Card. Tough break.”
THE DODGERS — THE MELTDOWN
“And the Dodgers — eighty-eight and seventy-four — this is a BAD job. I don't wanna hear about ‘we won a championship in ’26,’ I don’t wanna hear about ‘we rebounded from ’27,’ none of that matters.”
“They played one game over .500 in the second half. One! You cannot win a division doing that. You cannot make the playoffs doing that when the team chasing you goes on a heater. They spit up the division, they spit up a Wild Card spot, and now they’re home.”
“For that franchise, with that payroll, with that talent? Embarrassing.”
NL PLAYOFF PICTURE
“So you’ve got Milwaukee and Atlanta getting the byes — as they should.”
“Wild Card matchups: Washington hosts Arizona, San Diego hosts Pittsburgh.”
“And let me tell ya something: this league is a LOT more volatile than it looks. Milwaukee is the best team. Atlanta’s right there. But after that? Any of these Wild Card teams could get hot, and one of them’s gonna end up in the NLCS. That’s just how this thing works.”

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MIKE AND THE MAD DOG — “SOMETHING AIN’T RIGHT IN MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL!”
MIKE:
“Alright, Dog, let me bring this up because I’ve been lookin’ at the league leaders, and I—I don’t even know what I’m lookin’ at. I mean, I’ve watched baseball my entire life and I have NEVER seen anything like this.”
DOG:
“MIKE! MIKE! IT’S NONSENSE! ABSOLUTE NONSENSE! WHAT ARE WE DOIN’ HERE?! A FIVE-TWENTY-SIX BATTIN’ AVERAGE?! TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT HOME RUNS?!! IN ONE SEASON?!!”
MIKE:
“Listen, Fernandez had a good year—great player—but Dog, c’mon. A .526 average? Four hundred and forty-four RBIs? That’s a CAREER for some guys! He scores 350 runs?? This looks like a typo.”
DOG:
“TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT HOME RUNS, MIKE! BABE RUTH NEVER HIT A HUNDRED IN A YEAR! AND THIS GUY’S DOIN’ TWO-FORTY WITH ONE HAND TIED BEHIND HIS BACK?!”
MIKE:
“And it’s not just him. Dusty Berthiaume in Oakland hits .489, drives in 302. Josh Curtis—Houston—hits .480 with 145 homers. Tomoo Kawazu hit 142 for the Yankees. Everybody’s hittin’ like it’s a pinball machine.”
DOG:
“MIKE THE LEAGUE LEADER IN ERA—ERA!—IS FIVE-NINETY-SEVEN! THAT’S THE BEST ERA IN BASEBALL! THE BEST!!”
MIKE:
“Yeah. Tyler Wesley: 5.97 wins the title. Cory Anderson: 6.45. Gamboa: 6.61. Ocana: almost seven. Flores: seven. These ERAs look like ZIP CODES.”
THE ACCUSATION
DOG:
“MIKE — I DON’T WANNA HEAR IT. I DON’T WANNA HEAR ABOUT ‘NEW TRAINING METHODS’ AND ‘LIVE BALL ERA’ AND ‘LAUNCH ANGLE.’ SOMETHING’S UP! THESE GUYS ARE BUILT LIKE LOCOMOTIVES!”
MIKE:
“I mean… listen. I’m not saying it… but I’m not NOT saying it. We’ve seen this before. When the numbers look like this? There’s usually a reason. These offenses didn’t just wake up one day and decide to become supercomputers.”
DOG:
“WE GOT A PED PROBLEM, MIKE! WE GOT A BIG—BIG—BIG PED PROBLEM! I’m tellin’ ya, the league’s lookin’ the other way!”
MIKE:
“Look, you can’t prove anything yet, we don’t know—”
DOG (interrupting):
“MIKE, IF A GUY HITS TWO-HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHT HOME RUNS, HE SHOULD BE TESTED MID-SWING!!”
MIKE’S CALM TAKE
MIKE:
“Something has changed. These numbers are cartoonish. They’re not sustainable. Fifty guys are having seasons that should only happen in video games. The pitching is completely obliterated. You’re telling me the BEST strikeout guy in the league has 132? While hitters are hitting five hundred?”
DOG:
“THE PITCHERS GOT NO SHOT, MIKE! THEY’RE THROWIN’ BEACH BALLS! YOU MIGHT AS WELL PUT 'EM ON A TEE!”
MIKE:
“If I’m the commissioner? I’m lookin’ into the baseballs, the bats, the testing program — everything. Because this sport doesn’t look normal right now. Doesn’t look CLOSE to normal.”
MAD DOG’S FINAL WORD
DOG:
“MIKE, IF THESE NUMBERS KEEP UP, NEXT YEAR SOMEONE’S GONNA HIT FOUR HUNDRED HOME RUNS AND DRIVE IN A THOUSAND RUNS! AND THEY’LL TELL ME IT’S ‘NEW CONDITIONING.’ BALONEY, MIKE! BAAAA-LO-NAAAAY!!”

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COWHERD ON YANKEES–BLUE JAYS GAME 1 (1928 AL WILD CARD)
“This is why the Yankees win playoff games and Toronto watches them win playoff games.”
COLIN:
“Alright, so let’s talk about Game 1. Yankees win it, 12–7. And let me just say this… this looked EXACTLY like the two franchises they’ve been all season.
New York — volatile, dramatic, occasionally messy — but they’ve got higher-level adults in the room. Stars. Guys who’ve been in big spots. They get on a plane, go into another country, weather 49 degrees, 15-mile-an-hour winds, raucous crowd… and they immediately punch you in the mouth.
Five runs in the first inning. That’s a message. That’s a flex. That’s New York saying,
‘We’re the Yankees. We’re not afraid of your building. We’re not afraid of your moment.’
“Sung-hyo Kim is the grown-up in this series.”
Kim was unbelievable. Two home runs, a walk, steals a bag, drives in four.
There’s a difference between talent and big-stage talent.
Kim is big-stage talent.
He’s the guy who walks into Toronto, smells the nerves in the building, and goes,
‘I’ll take it from here, fellas.’
That’s what stars do.
“Toronto feels like the team that buys the nice house… but doesn’t know how to fix the plumbing.”
The Blue Jays are fun. They’re talented. They’ve got guys who can hit the ball into Lake Ontario when the wind’s right.
But here’s the issue:
They’re reactive, not proactive.
The Yankees score five? Toronto panics.
The Yankees tack on again? Toronto forces swings.
Toronto’s pitchers looked rattled from pitch one. K. Tal lasted ONE inning. Seven hits, six earned. Fifty pitches! That’s not a playoff pitcher. That’s a middle reliever you hope you can hide in July.
You can’t win postseason baseball spotting the Yankees half a dozen runs before the beer lines have cleared.
“This is why New York wins the phone booth fights.”
The Yankees don’t win with finesse. This team wins bar fights.
Rivera homers.
Kim homers twice.
Kawazu even had a tough night and it didn’t matter.
Fagundes? Three doubles like he’s taking BP.
The entire lineup had that swagger — that ‘we’ve been here before’ body language.
You can’t fake that.
“Toronto needs this series more than New York does.”
For the Yankees?
Winning a Wild Card Series is an expectation.
For Toronto?
It’s validation.
It’s proof they’re more than a feel-good story that peaked in July.
And in Game 1, it looked like the moment got too big for them.
When your fans are still filing into their seats and the scoreboard already says 5-1?
You’re not ready for primetime.
Cowherd’s Takeaways
Where the Yankees were right:
Stars shine in October.
Experience matters.
Don’t underestimate lineup depth — this team can beat you eight different ways.
Where Toronto was wrong:
Don’t open a playoff game with a pitcher who needs 50 pitches to get three outs.
Don’t expect your crowd to save you.
You can’t chase New York. You have to lead New York.
Final Thought:
“If Game 1 is any indication, New York feels like the team with clarity, identity, and swagger… and Toronto feels like the team hoping things break their way.”

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🎙️ JON MILLER & JOE MORGAN ON GAME 1 — SEATTLE AT HOUSTON
(Your classic ESPN Sunday Night Baseball booth energy, circa 1998–2005, with Jon’s smooth storytelling and Joe’s emphatic, slightly repetitive, “that’s what I’m talking about” baseball truths.)
JON MILLER:
“Well, folks, this one felt like October. Game 1 of the Wild Card Series from Minute Maid Park, the defending American League champion Seattle Mariners… and Joe, they fall in a wild back-and-forth one, 8–7, to the Houston Astros. A game that started with fireworks, ended with fireworks, and had that enormous six-run bottom of the fourth that really turned this whole thing.”
JOE MORGAN:
“Yeah, Jon, and that’s the inning right there. You can’t give away big innings in the postseason. You just can’t do it. The Mariners jumped out early, they hit some home runs, they looked comfortable… but you let a playoff team put up a six-spot? You’re not winning many of those.”
YANEZ STEALS THE SHOW — AND IT STILL ISN’T ENOUGH
JON:
“And Joe, even in a loss, Victor Yanez was absolutely sensational. Three-for-three, a homer, a double, two walks, two runs scored, a stolen base… I mean, that is one of the great individual postseason performances you’ll see.”
JOE:
“Well, that’s why he’s one of the best shortstops in the American League. That is a complete player. Hits for power, hits for average, runs, plays defense. And Jon, when he hit that home run in the fifth? That was a big league at-bat. Two outs, nobody on, pitcher’s spot coming up. He extends the inning. Good teams have players that do that.”
THE FOURTH INNING THAT BROKE SEATTLE
JON:
“That bottom of the fourth was a disaster for Seattle. Jonathan Chavez—who, Joe, has been up and down all year—just couldn’t put hitters away. Two outs, a walk, then the double by Curtis, and then… the pitch that changed the game.”
JOE:
“Van Cleve. Two-out, three-run double. That’s a big-league hitter making a big-league swing. And Jon, look at the pitches that inning: Chavez was behind in every count. When you're behind, postseason hitters crush mistakes. That’s exactly what happened.”
JON:
“And that six-run frame flipped the crowd. It was dead early… suddenly it was as loud as you’ll ever hear that ballpark.”
MARINERS SHOW FIGHT LATE — BUT TOO LATE
JOE:
“Seattle didn’t quit. That’s what I like about that team. Home runs from Moreno, Campbell, Johnston, and then Gonzales with that ninth-inning pinch-hit shot… but Jon, they needed one shutdown inning and didn’t get it.”
JON:
“Exactly right. The Astros just kept adding a run here, a run there. Even that seventh-inning run felt huge. It kept Seattle at arm’s length the rest of the way.”
ASTROS’ PITCHING? NOT PRETTY, BUT GOOD ENOUGH
JON:
“Joe, let’s talk about Houston’s pitching. Van Luevanos gives up four home runs and still gets the win. That is not a typical postseason line.”
JOE:
“No, but he danced around trouble. He challenged hitters. And Jon, sometimes the best thing a pitcher does is hang in there long enough to let his offense bail him out. That’s what happened tonight. And then Bancroft—hey, he gave up the pinch-hit homer, but he shut the door.”
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR GAME 2
JON:
“So Seattle, last year’s AL champs, now finds itself one game from elimination.”
JOE:
“And Jon, I’ll tell you this: if you’re gonna win in October, you cannot rely on outscoring people every night. The Mariners have to pitch better. That’s it. Yanez isn’t going to go 3-for-3 every game. Their bullpen was fine, but they need a starter to give them a chance.”
JON:
“And Houston? They’ve got the advantage now. They’ve got the momentum. One more game at home to punch their ticket to the ALDS.”

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JOE BUCK, TIM McCARVER, AND KEN ROSENTHAL — FOX SPORTS COVERAGE OF THE 1928 NL WILD CARD SERIES, GAME 1
Nationals 13, Diamondbacks 12 — Nationals Park, Washington D.C.
🎙️ JOE BUCK (Opening Recap)
“Well, if you like quiet, low-stress postseason baseball… Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series was not for you. The Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks played what felt like three different games smashed into one, and in the end it was Washington—thanks to a lightning bolt off the bat of Alex Mejia—walking it off, 13–12, to take a 1–0 lead.
You had home runs flying out everywhere. Seven combined innings with crooked numbers. A three-homer game from shortstop Bo Celauro—who just put himself in Washington sports lore—and a Nationals team that blew two leads, regained two leads, and finally hung on when it counted.
This was chaotic, messy, dramatic, and absolutely unforgettable.”
🎙️ TIM McCARVER (In-Game Analysis Style)
“Joe, this was a good example of how postseason baseball amplifies every mistake, every choice. And Arizona just kept giving the Nationals second chances.
Look at the fifth inning: two homers by Ojeda and then Montes, and suddenly Arizona’s up 10–5. But their bullpen—already stretched—just couldn’t put the Nats away. Washington kept getting leadoff men on base, kept running, kept bunting, kept forcing Arizona’s infield into tough decisions.
And then, of course… Bo Celauro. The kid’s 23 years old, played like he’d been here for 10 seasons. All three home runs came at moments when Arizona had momentum building. He snatched it right back.
And finally… the ninth. You cannot throw a get-me-over pitch to Alex Mejia in this ballpark. Not today. Not with that wind. He hit that ball as if he knew exactly what Whaley was going to do.”
🎙️ KEN ROSENTHAL (Field Report)
“Joe, Tim, I just spoke with several Nationals players, and the feeling down here is almost disbelief. They had a tough October exit last year, and this was a game that—in past seasons—they probably lose. Instead, they showed toughness, they showed patience, and their dugout never changed its tone, even down 10–5.
Bo Celauro told me: ‘I just wanted to keep us in the game. We weren’t losing that one.’ He actually apologized to teammates for the error in the eighth inning that helped extend Arizona’s rally, saying he felt he owed them one. And then he hits his third home run.
As for Arizona, Torey Lovullo told me, ‘You can’t score twelve runs in a playoff game and lose.’ He was calm, but he knows the urgency now: Game 2 tomorrow is an elimination game.
And there was a palpable frustration surrounding the bullpen. Several Diamondbacks players told me privately they felt Whaley was gassed—too many appearances late in the season—and that was visible after those back-to-back missiles from Celauro and Mejia.”
🎙️ JOE BUCK (Closing Notes)
“Well, folks, if Game 1 is any indication, we are in for an absolutely wild National League postseason. Washington wins it 13–12, powered by Celauro’s three home runs and the walk-off from Alex Mejia.
The Nationals—who hadn’t been in the playoffs in a decade—now stand one victory away from moving on.
Arizona? They’ll need to pick themselves up off the mat after a heartbreaker. First pitch tomorrow at Nationals Park. We’ll see you then.”

[jg2977]

TERRY BRADSHAW ON PIRATES–PADRES, GAME 1
“Well hey everybody, lemme tell ya somethin’ — I don’t know what kinda baseball y’all are watchin’, but this one out in San Diego? WOOOOO buddy, that was a rodeo. Balls flyin’ everywhere, pitchers sweatin’, defense lookin’ like they’d never seen a baseball before — I LOVED IT.”
“Pittsburgh walks in there like they OWN the place — score three in the first, two more in the second, and I’m sittin’ there thinkin’, ‘Well shoot, game’s over!’ But no sir, no sir, this is the Wild Card, baby, and in the Wild Card we get absolute chaos.”
“Juan Rivera? Oh boy, he comes up in the first inning, BAM, 2-run homer, lookin’ like he’s tryin’ to put that baseball into the Pacific Ocean. And then the Pirates just keep on hittin’ — Verni, Ortega, Pitre — everybody’s gettin’ in on it. I ain’t seen that many doubles since my days callin’ Steelers training camp and watchin’ the big boys eat.”
“But listen — San Diego didn’t go down easy. Chris Smith? Y’all, this dude was hotter than a two-dollar pistol. Two home runs, a triple, three runs scored, four RBI — heck, at one point I thought the Padres should just let him bat every inning. Pirates pitchers were lookin’ around like, ‘Someone please get this man out!’ And he says, ‘NOPE!’ and hits another one.”
“And poor T. Loder for Pittsburgh — guy gives up ten hits, seven runs, and STILL gets the win! That’s how wild this game was. I mean, I’ve seen some lucky quarterbacks in my life — including myself, thank ya very much — but that right there was somethin’ else.”
“Padres make it spicy late, score four in the eighth, three in the ninth, fans start hootin’ and hollerin’, and I’m thinkin’ ‘Ohhhh baby, we got a comeback!’ But no — Pirates hold on, 13–10, and they take a 1–0 lead in the series.”
“Game 2 is tomorrow, and lemme tell ya somethin’: if it’s ANYTHING like today, you better buckle up, put the kids to bed, and check your blood pressure, because this is WILD CARD BASEBALL, BABY! I LOVE IT!”