Marty Lurie always cites that the baseball season is a “mosaic of 162 games.” Welp, we’re down to game number 162, and things still need to be settled with the Cardinals trailing the Giants by a game, anything could happen tomorrow.
Here are the two possible scenarios:
1. Giants win or Cardinals lose: the Giants clinch the second wild card berth and will head to New York to play the Mets on Wednesday.
2. Giants lose AND Cardinals win: Giants will have to travel to St. Louis for game #163 (still considered part of the regular season) to earn the right to play the Mets in New York on Wednesday. The Cards hold the tiebreaker on the Giants (4 games to 3 in their regular season series).
What I can’t help imagine is all of the blown saves this year, including the 9 games lost when heading into the 9th with the lead. Additionally, the Giants never won a single game this year when trailing heading into the 9th. It’s some weird voodoo baseball god magic that has turned the balance on the law of averages for the sole purpose of blessing Giants fans with that dreadful feeling of “torture.”
Of course, the biggest blown save right now is the won they blew a few weeks ago to the Cards (I’M LOOKING AT YOU BOCHY FOR PUTTING CASILLA BACK IN AFTER YOU SAID YOU WOULDN’T). That represents a two-game swing, meaning the Giants would’ve clinched the wild card after Friday night’s win, and these last two games would have been torture-free.
It’s quite something, however, to see all three teams, the Mets, Cards, and Giants, who had been playing mediocre ball, at best, over the last few weeks, suddenly respond and turn it on. All three teams have won three in a row.
On our last podcast, both Eric and I agreed that over their last six games, the Giants would have to win at least four to get the playoff spot. Well, they’ve already won four with one to go. Apparently all that four wins guaranteed is an extra game in St. Louis.
Let’s just thank those same odds-busting baseball gods that a rookie earned his first major league win by shutting out the Dodgers over eight incredible innings and beat, you know, CLAYTON F’N KERSHAW! I honestly chalked this one up as a loss before the game.
Both the Cards and Giants start their games at the exact same time tomorrow, so it’s going to be simultaneous torture.
Baseball is weird. Let’s not get too weird tomorrow.
Oh wait, yes it can. Ryan Vogelsong is pitching for Pittsburgh against the Cardinals.
EAT YOUR #RALLYENCHILADAS!
