MLB’s wild Wild Card Saturday

Saturday was an incredible day of postseason baseball, with three teams advancing to the Division Series and another forcing a decisive Game 3 of its Wild Card Series on Sunday. From one of the largest comebacks in postseason history to a feat that had only been accomplished by three other players, it was a day to remember across baseball.

Here’s a look back at some of the best moments from a wild Wild Card Saturday.

J-Ram’s spectacular play in the 12th

In what became the longest scoreless game in postseason history, by innings, the Guardians and the Rays were deadlocked when Tampa Bay threatened to break the ice with runners at the corners and two outs in the 12th. Manuel Margot hit a bouncing ball down the third-base line, but José Ramírez back-handed it and, with his momentum taking him into foul territory, made a tremendous throw across the diamond to get Margot with the help of a great stretch from first baseman Josh Naylor. It preserved the tie in what would eventually be a 1-0 Cleveland win to advance to the American League Division Series.

And the Oscar goes to …

It goes to Oscar Gonzalez, of course. Gonzalez became the fourth rookie in postseason history to belt a walk-off home run, and the second to do so in a series clincher, when he smashed a Corey Kluber pitch over the left-field wall to send Progressive Field into a euphoric frenzy. The Guardians will meet the Yankees in the ALDS, which begins Tuesday.

The Mariners, playing in the postseason for the first time in 21 years, found themselves trailing the Blue Jays, 8-1, as they sought to advance to the ALDS. But Seattle came all the way back, tying the game on a three-run double by J.P. Crawford in the eighth inning at Rogers Centre. Crawford hit a pop-up toward shallow center field, and as three Blue Jays converged, it bounced past them. Shortstop Bo Bichette and center fielder George Springer were both hurt in a collision, though they were thankfully not seriously injured. Crawford’s double tied the game, 9-9. It erased a seven-run deficit, tied for the second-largest comeback in postseason history.

On the 27th anniversary of the most famous hit in Mariners history, Edgar Martinez’s walk-off double to beat the Yankees and send Seattle to the 1995 AL Championship Series, Adam Frazier delivered another huge two-bagger, this one giving the Mariners a 10-9 lead in the eighth inning against the Blue Jays. That proved to be the difference as Seattle advanced to the ALDS, where it will face the Astros.

Harper gets Phils going early

Bryce Harper has had a trying 2022 — an elbow injury and, later, a thumb injury hampered him at the plate — but all of that is in the rearview mirror and the two-time NL MVP has a chance to lead Philadelphia deep into the postseason for the first time. He crushed a big solo home run to get the Phillies on the board in the second inning of Game 2 of their National League Wild Card Series, which Philadelphia went on to win, 2-0, to advance to the NLDS against the Braves.

The batting champ delivers

With the Mets facing elimination and clinging to a 3-2 lead over the Padres in the seventh inning of Game 2 of their NL Wild Card Series at Citi Field, Jeff McNeil came through with a clutch two-run double to right-center that padded New York’s lead in an eventual 7-3 victory to force a decisive Game 3 on Sunday. McNeil led all qualified MLB hitters with a .326 batting average during the regular season, and that seventh-inning double Saturday night was the biggest of his 176 hits this year.

Legends go out the way they should

Cardinals legends Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina saw their illustrious playing careers come to an end when St. Louis was eliminated by the Phillies on Saturday night at Busch Stadium. But each of them recorded a hit in their final MLB plate appearance — Pujols smashed a single to left field in the eighth inning and Molina lined a single of his own to right in the ninth. The two will now ride off into the sunset at the same time, and their next stop will surely be Cooperstown.