Oh, this is exciting! It’s Wild Card week. We get the enjoyment that most of the games this week mean something. After the AL East had Monday off, let’s see what happened for the series that will pretty much determine the standings.
TAMPA BAY RAYS
Michael Wacha faced the Astros and pitched five scoreless innings. Yandy Diaz hit his 13th home run. Randy Arozarena hit his 20th home run. Brandon Lowe went 2-for-4. David Robertson had his second blown save. The Rays lost 4-3.
Drew Rasmussen pitched five scoreless innings. Brandon Lowe went 2-for-5 and hit his 35th home run. Ji Man Choi hit his 11th home run. The Rays avoided the Astros from clinching by winning 7-0.
Collin McHugh was the opener for the Rays. He pitched one scoreless inning. Lowe hit his 36th home run. Austin Meadows went 1-for-3. The Rays lost 3-2. The Astros clinched the AL West with their win.
The Rays head to the Bronx to try to spoil the Yankees Wild Card chances. Shane McClanahan and Michael Wacha are scheduled to pitch.
NEW YORK YANKEES
Jameson Taillon returned from the IL and lasted only 2.1 innings against the Jays. He re-injured his ankle and had to be taken out of the game earlier than hoped. He gave up only one run. Aaron Judge went 2-for-2 with two walks and hit his 37th home run. Red hot Giancarlo Stanton went 2-for-5 and hit his 35th home run. Gio Urshela went 2-for-4 and hit his 14th home run. Anthony Rizzo went 2-for-5. The Yanks won 7-2.
Roger(s) that, @TheJudge44 💪 pic.twitter.com/zIDmYaSpPz — New York Yankees (@Yankees) September 29, 2021
Gerrit Cole did not pitch his best. He pitched six innings and gave up five runs. The offense managed to tie the game before Clay Holmes gave up the go-ahead run. Gleyber Torres went 3-for-4. Luke Voit pinched-hit for Brett Garnder and ended up injuring himself running down to first when he didn’t have to. Joey Gallo was removed from the game as well due to a hit-by-pitch. The Yankees lost a game they should have won 6-5.
MUST WIN
The day started with the Yankees placing Voit on the IL with a knee injury. If this is it for Voit as a Yankee, he ended it with a pinch-hit appearance and injury. Corey Kluber started in the series finale. He pitched 4.2 innings and gave up two runs. Judge hit his 38th and 39th home run. Anthony Rizzo hit his 250th career home run that tied the game at two. Torres hit his 9th home run which added more to the lead and knocked Ray out of the game. Brett Gardner hit his 10th home run. Aroldis Chapman recorded the 1000th strikeout of his career in the 9th. The Yankees win 6-2.
Career Home Run No.250 for Rizzo ties it up. pic.twitter.com/IZUUfumIY0 — New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 1, 2021
The last series of the season will be at home against the Rays. Nestor Cortes Jr and Jordan Montgomery are scheduled to pitch. The final game of the season can possibly be started by Cole if needed.
BOSTON RED SOX
The Red Sox played three in Baltimore. Chris Sale pitched 5.1 innings and gave up three runs in game one. Hunter Renfroe went 2-for-4 and hit his 29th home run. Kyle Schwarber hit his 32nd home run. The Sox lost 4-2.
As an unbiased fan of Nathan Eovaldi, he deserves some mention for CY Young. He pitched six scoreless innings against the Orioles. J.D. Martinez went 3-for-4 and hit his 28th home run. Alex Verdugo and Jose Iglesias went 2-for-4. Rafael Devers went 2-for-5. The Red Sox won 6-0.
Please enjoy this recap of J.D.'s 3-hit, 3-RBI night. pic.twitter.com/bkrOtKfxYO — Red Sox (@RedSox) September 30, 2021
In the series finale, Nick Pivetta took the mound. He lasted 4.2 innings and gave up three runs. Enrique Hernandez hit his 19th home run. Kyle Schwarber went 1-for-2 with two walks. The Red Sox lost 6-2.
The last series of the season ends in Washinton D.C. against the Nationals. Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to pitch. It will be interesting to see what Alex Cora does with no DH spot during the weekend.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Hyun Jin Ryu pitched 4.1 innings and gave up three runs to the Yankees. Bo Bichette went 2-for-4. The Jays lost 7-2.
In a game that was a must-win for the Jays, Jose Berrios delivered a quality start. He pitched six innings and gave up three runs. George Springer went 3-for-4. Marcus Semien hit his 44th home run. Bichette went 3-for-4 and hit his 28th home run which was the difference in the game. The Jays won 6-5.
A pitcher is cruising until he isn’t. Robbie Rays was cruising through five innings until the 6th. He gave up five runs in total all via the home run. Springer went 2-for-5. Bichette went 2-for-3. Corey Dickerson and Santiago Espinal went 2-for-4. The Jays lost 6-2.
The Orioles come into town for the final series of the season. Steven Matz, Alek Manoah, and Hyun Jin Ryu are scheduled to pitch.
BALTIMORE ORIOLES
Bruce Zimmermann pitched four innings and gave up one run, the home run to Schwarber. Ryan Mountcastle tied the game at two against Sale with his 32nd home run. Pedro Severino went 3-for-4. Trey Mancini went 3-for-4. The O’s won 4-2.
Zac Lowther pitched five innings and gave up two runs, one earned. The offense only had four hits and couldn’t bring a run across. The O’s lost 6-0.
Alexander Wells pitched six innings and gave up one run against the Red Sox. Ryan Mountcastle blew a lead again with a three-run home run, his 33rd, against Pivetta. Pat Valaika went 2-for-2. Kelvin Gutierrez went 2-for-4. Tyler Nevins, son of Yankees third base coach Phil Nevins, went 1-for-4 and got two RBI. The O’s won 6-2. They started their season series against the Red Sox with a sweep and ended it by taking two out of three.
The O’s head to Toronto to end the season. John Means and Bruce Zimmerman are scheduled to pitch. The O’s hope to continue to spoil Wild Card hopes over the weekend.
STANDINGS
The Yankees magic number is now two. They can clinch with a win plus a loss by the Red Sox or Mariners. The Red Sox and Mariners are now tied for the second wild-card spot since the Mariners had an off day on Thursday with the Red Sox loss. The Jays are one game behind the second spot. The chance is pretty low but there could be a possible three-way tie over the weekend. Three more games left in the regular season. Buckle up!