#postseason

#postseason

They're a phenomenal group, managed by a great manager, they have awesome players,

The Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves in the National League Championship Series for a second consecutive year, and they're set to face off against the Milwaukee Brewers. In terms of the postseason, the Dodgers most recently swept the Brewers in the 2020 Wild Card Series. And the two clubs also met in the 2018 NLCS, when the Dodgers won in seven games. After going 93-69 in the regular season, the Dodgers finished as the third seed in the NL and did not receive a bye.

1998 - The Braves score five runs in the eighth inning to rally and defeat the San Diego Padres 7-6. Michael Tucker hits a three-run home run and drives in five runs in the game. 1999 - Greg Maddux and the Braves defeat the Mets 4-2 in Game 1 of the NLCS. Eddie Perez homered for Atlanta in the win.

Smith has been adamant he wants to remain as the Dodgers' catcher, even after suffering a hand injury which kept him sidelined for most of September. He didn't entertain the idea of filling in as the team's designated hitter during his recovery. "We've got a pretty good DH," Smith said, referring to three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani. "I think we're pretty set on that."

We approach it like we have all season, but even more specifically, the last 6-8 weeks, where we feel like we've been playing with a lot on the line every single day, Boone said on Monday from Yankee Stadium. We'll go into our hitters' meetings, and it's about winning today. Period. Not getting ahead of that. And even keeping it smaller than that. It's about going up and trying to win every pitch. Keep it small, keep it simple.

No doubt they need the likes of Springer and his suddenly rejuvenated offense, as well as Daulton Varsho and his Gold Glove calibre defense in the outfield, along with Kevin Gausman to dominate opposing hitters into submission. But if there was one player that the Jays can't afford to lose this postseason, that player is none other than Alejandro Kirk.

Over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, the fearsomeness that had defined Springer's career vanished. And yet he balked at the idea that numbers would define him. He still believed greatness existed within, and any hope at a resurgence necessitated him being his truest self. Which is why every day when the music in the Toronto Blue Jays' clubhouse thumped through the speakers, Springer would start to dance.

1957 - In Game 2 of the World Series, Lew Burdette wins the first of his three decisions against the Yankees. Burdette and the Milwaukee Braves beat Bobby Shantz, 4 - 2. 1993 - The San Francisco Giants need to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers on the final day of the season to force a one-game playoff with the Atlanta Braves for the NL West title, but the Dodgers have other plans. Los Angeles rips the Giants, 12 - 1.

Elimination games don't get much more tense than Yankees-Red Sox Game 2. When Ben Rice homered in the first for a 2-0 New York lead, Trevor Story responded in the top of the third with two RBI of his own. When Aaron Judge got a two-out fly ball to miss Jarren Duran's glove in the fifth, Story again tied the game with a dong just a couple of minutes later.

A left foot fracture has kept Bogaerts out of action since August 27, and it wasn't clear if he would be able to play again before the postseason, even if the injury wasn't expected to keep Bogaerts out of any October action. Bogaerts has hit .262/.330/.387 with 10 home runs over 534 plate appearances, for a decent but unspectacular 103 wRC+.

"Oh, he's a real (postseason) option," Roberts said. "I don't know what capacity, but when you're playing meaningful games, young player, you're looking at how they handle their emotions. And Emmet is, I like to use the word unflappable, and it's a huge compliment. And he's unflappable."