MLB wild-card round Day 1 takeaways, keys to Game 2
It’s MLB playoff time!
After a bonus Monday of action to decide the final two National League postseason spots, eight teams were in action Tuesday as the 2024 MLB playoffs began with the best-of-three wild-card round.
The Game 1 action started with the Detroit Tigers defeating the Houston Astros, and the Kansas City Royals followed with a shutout of the Baltimore Orioles. Then, in a game with multiple lead changes, the New York Mets came out on top over the Milwaukee Brewers. The San Diego Padres capped the night with a commanding 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.
We’ve got you covered with takeaways, live updates and analysis from the Day 1 games, as well as one thing to know for each Game 2.
Key links: Everything you need to know | Bracket | Picks | Watch on ESPN, ABC
Jump to: Takeaways | Live updates
Today’s matchups
* All times Eastern
Detroit leads series 1-0
Before Jason Heyward sent a line drive whizzing into the glove of Spencer Torkelson, before the Astros’ bats came alive in the final inning and before the Tigers teetered on the brink of losing their playoff opener in heartbreaking fashion, there was Tarik Skubal, the soon-to-be Cy Young winner, doing what he has done all season — attacking with his fastball, perplexing with his changeup, befuddling with his slider and carrying an upstart team that nobody expected to see here. Skubal kept the potent Astros scoreless through six innings, scattering four hits, walking one, striking out six and throwing 64 of his 88 pitches for strikes. He was struck in the wrist by a liner in the second inning, he dealt with cramping in his left side in the sixth, and none of it mattered. In his first postseason start, the best pitcher in baseball pitched like it.
One thing to know for Game 2: Tigers manager A.J. Hinch promised “pitching chaos” after Skubal, and at the moment, there’s pitching mystery. No announcement has been made, but Reese Olson seems a likely candidate — to pitch the bulk of the innings, at least, with an opener coming in before him. The Astros will turn to young right-hander Hunter Brown, which means Yusei Kikuchi will follow in a potential Game 3. — Alden Gonzalez
Kansas City leads series 1-0
Over a four-game sweep in the American League Championship Series in 2014, the Kansas City Royals outscored the Baltimore Orioles by six runs. It was a dastardly series for Baltimore, one that still stings, and one brought to mind Tuesday afternoon when the Royals again nosed out a crucial postseason win against the Orioles.
Kansas City’s 1-0 victory in Game 1 of their wild-card series at Camden Yards was textbook Royals. They are a team that manufactures runs more than they slug them in, and they are a team that rides excellent starting pitching to victories. A Maikel Garcia walk and stolen base followed by a Bobby Witt Jr. single accounted for the lone tally. Six brilliant innings from Cole Ragans followed by three relievers cobbling together three more scoreless took care of the pitching.
One thing to know for Game 2: It’s easy to forget how bad the Royals were a year ago. Though Baltimore was en route to a 101-win season, Kansas City lost 106 games, an unseemly sum, the kind of losing that tends not to go away in a hurry. Now the Royals have two cracks at one win to send them on to the division series at Yankee Stadium, with Seth Lugo — their co-ace with Ragans — going in Game 2 against Baltimore’s trade-deadline savior, Zach Eflin. –– Jeff Passan
New York leads series 1-0
The Mets were in clutch mode with their playoff-clinching classic win over Atlanta on Monday and they remained there a day later in Milwaukee. New York withstood Milwaukee’s burst of early energy, clipping off potentially huge innings with limited damage. That was thanks to Luis Severino, who persisted through six innings despite traffic on the bases l throughout his outing.
That was clutch enough, but the Mets went way clutch in the fifth, registering five two-out runs against the dominant Milwaukee bullpen. New York went 5-for-7 with runners in scoring position overall. Almost everyone pitched in, but the key blows were Jesse Winker‘s thumb-nosing, two-run third-inning triple and Mark Vientos‘ two-run, go-ahead single in the fifth. Clutch all around.
One thing to know for Game 2: Now the Mets can end things Wednesday when Sean Manaea takes the mound looking to upend a lot of bad postseason history. In three playoffs outings for Oakland and San Diego, he went 0-3 with a 15.26 ERA. That’s a lot to upend — but, then again, that’s precisely the kind of history the Mets have been turning over since early in the season. — Bradford Doolittle
The Braves hitters must’ve felt like they were facing a pitcher throwing a Wiffleball at 95 mph, because Michael King was throwing sweepers and sinkers and other pitches all from the same slot — and the ball was moving and darting all over the plate. He was so good with his command, throwing 73% of his pitches for strikes, that he got ahead in the count consistently and forced the hitters to swing; there were a couple of instances of right-handed hitters hacking at pitches in the left-handed batters box. Although King had good performances for the Yankees, this was really his first big moment on a national stage, and he owned Game 1, striking out 12 and walking none.
One thing to know for Game 2: Because of the dominoes caused by the Chris Sale injury and Monday’s doubleheader, the Braves knew they would probably be very fortunate to win Game 1 — A.J. Smith Shawver was making his first appearance in a big-league game in 131 days. The Braves have a much better shot in Game 2, with Max Fried starting. In his last outing, he was totally dominant in eight innings against the Royals. If the Braves lose this series, this will likely be Fried’s last game with Atlanta. He’ll be a free agent this fall.
Live updates
Hard-throwing rookie Jacob Misiorowski is a National League All-Star replacement, giving the Milwaukee Brewers right-hander a chance to break Paul Skenes‘ record for the fewest big league appearances before playing in the Midsummer Classic.
Misiorowski was named Friday night to replace Chicago Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd, who will be unavailable for the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in Atlanta because he is scheduled to start Saturday at the New York Yankees.
The 23-year-old Misiorowski has made just five starts for the Brewers, going 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA while averaging 99.3 mph on his fastball, with 89 pitches that have reached 100 mph.
If he pitches at Truist Park, Misiorowski will make it consecutive years for a player to set the mark for fewest big league games before an All-Star showing.
Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander getting ready for his second All-Star appearance, had made 11 starts in the majors when he was chosen as the NL starter for last year’s All-Star Game at Texas. He pitched a scoreless inning.
“I’m speechless,” said a teary-eyed Misiorowski, who said he was given the news a few minutes before the Brewers’ 8-3 victory over Washington. “It’s awesome. It’s very unexpected and it’s an honor.”
Misiorowski is the 30th first-time All-Star and 16th replacement this year. There are now 80 total All-Stars.
“He’s impressive. He’s got some of the best stuff in the game right now, even though he’s a young pitcher,” said Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is a starting AL outfielder for his seventh All-Star nod. “He’s going to be a special pitcher in this game for a long time so I think he deserved it and it’s going be pretty cool for him and his family.”
Carlos Rodón, Carlos Estévez and Casey Mize were named replacement pitchers on the AL roster.
The New York Yankees‘ Rodón, an All-Star for the third time in five seasons, will replace teammate Max Fried for Tuesday’s game in Atlanta. Fried will be unavailable because he is scheduled to start Saturday against the Chicago Cubs.
In his final start before the All-Star game, Rodón allowed four hits and struck out eight in eight innings in an 11-0 victory over the Cubs.
“This one’s a little special for me,” said Rodón, an All-Star in 2021 and ’22 who was 3-8 in his first season with the Yankees two years ago before rebounding. “I wasn’t good when I first got here, and I just wanted to prove that I wasn’t to going to give up and just put my best foot forward and try to win as many games as I can.”
The Kansas City Royals‘ Estévez replaces Texas’ Jacob deGrom, who is scheduled to start at Houston on Saturday night. Estévez was a 2023 All-Star when he was with the Los Angeles Angels.
Mize takes the spot held by Boston‘s Garrett Crochet, who is scheduled to start Saturday against Tampa Bay. Mize gives the Tigers six All-Stars, most of any team and tied for the franchise record.
Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia will replace Tampa Bay‘s Brandon Lowe, who went on the injured list with left oblique tightness. The additions of Estévez and Garcia give the Royals four All-Stars, matching their 2024 total.
The Seattle Mariners announced center fielder Julio Rodríguez will not participate, and he was replaced by teammate Randy Arozarena. Rodríguez had been voted onto the AL roster via the players’ ballot. The Mariners, who have five All-Stars, said Rodríguez will use the break to “recuperate, rest and prepare for the second half.”
Arozarena is an All-Star for the second time. He started in left field for the AL two years ago, when he was with Tampa Bay. Arozarena was the runner-up to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the 2023 Home Run Derby.
Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen, a first-time All-Star, is replacing Angels left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who is scheduled to start Saturday night at Arizona. Rasmussen is 7-5 with a 2.82 ERA in 18 starts.
San Diego added a third NL All-Star reliever in lefty Adrián Morejón, who replaces Philadelphia starter Zack Wheeler. The Phillies’ right-hander is scheduled to start at San Diego on Saturday night. Morejón entered the weekend with a 1.71 ERA in 45 appearances.
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