The 2022 MLB season advances into a brave new world, a 12-team postseason bracket that will decide a champion next month. And it will happen very quickly. The new best-of-three wildcard series begins Friday and will be decided by Sunday at the latest. The high-stakes baseball breakout pits eight teams — Guardians-Rays, Cardinals-Phillies, Blue Jays-Mariners, Mets-Padres — against each other for the right to advance.
The favorites they will face in the next round are familiar – the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees hold the top seeds. But certainly some of these contenders have plans to topple baseball’s existing world order.
First, they have to survive this weekend. Here’s what Friday’s schedule looks like and where you can watch.
Game 1: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians – 12:07 p.m., ESPN
Game 1: Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals – 2:07 p.m., ABC
Game 1: Seattle Mariners vs. Toronto Blue Jays – 4:07 p.m., ESPN
Game 1: San Diego Padres at New York Mets – 8:07 p.m., ESPN
[Here’s the full TV schedule for the MLB postseason]
You can follow all the games with live updates and analysis right here on Yahoo Sports.
Shane Bieber, José Ramírez help Guardians choke Rays in Game 1
What decade is it? Behind a vintage ace performance by Shane Bieber and a two-run homer by Jose Ramirez, the Rangers held off the Rays in a lightning-quick Game 1. Bieber went 7 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on a long ball to Jose Siri , and striking out eight.
Rays starter Shane McClanahan was almost as good as Bieber, but he allowed Ramírez a blast that put Cleveland back on top almost immediately after Siri’s homer. From there, Bieber hung it up. Cleveland skipper Terry Francona turned to untouchable closer Emmanuel Klass for the final four outs. All in all, the game was ready in less than 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Cleveland will enter Game 2 on Saturday with a chance to be eliminated in the new wild card format. They send young curveball performer Triston McKenzie to the mound against the Rays’ Tyler Glasnow, an ace who recently returned from Tommy John surgery.
The story continues
Need to catch up on major storylines as the postseason begins? We’ve got you covered.
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