The second day of the 2024 MLB postseason was the first day of possible eliminations, thanks to the best-of-three format in the wild-card round.
The Tigers, Royals, Mets and Padres all took a huge step toward the Division Series with Game 1 wins on Tuesday, and they were looking to get an extra day’s rest ahead of the Division Series, which get started on Saturday.
The Tigers and Royals started the day with a sweep each, ending the seasons of the Astros and Orioles to advance to the ALDS. On the NL side, the Brewers became the first team to force a Game 3 in the wild-card round with a thrilling win over the Mets. The Padres then closed out the night with a third sweep, defeating the Braves.
Padres 5, Braves 4
The Padres looked like they were going to cruise to a sweep after a dominant start Wednesday, but it just wasn’t that easy.
The Padres, who put up five runs in the second on a Kyle Higashioka home run and two-RBI hits from Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill, held on down the stretch to claim a 5-4 win in Game 2 of their wild-card series. They had to fend off a late push from the Braves, who came within a run in the eighth on a two-run shot from Michael Harris, but that was as close as the Braves got.
The Padres, with the third sweep of the day, advance to take on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Brewers 5, Mets 3
Last year’s wild-card round consisted of four sweeps. The first two series of this year ended in sweeps (see below).
Jackson Chourio and Garrett Mitchell ensured that the Brewers didn’t meet a similar fate. Chourio hit a leadoff home run, and then, with the Brewers down 3-2 in the eighth inning, he tied the game. A few batters later, Garrett Mitchell came through with a two-run homer to put his team on top in a 5-3 win.
The Brewers and Mets will meet in a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday in Milwaukee.
Royals 2, Orioles 1
The Royals scored three runs total in the wild-card series and swept the Orioles.
After taking Game 1 with a 1-0 win, the Royals again showcased their impressive pitching staff in a 2-1 victory to complete a sweep in Baltimore. The scoring: singles from Vinnie Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. to offset a Cedric Mullins homer.
The game was arguably decided in the fifth inning, when the Orioles got on the board with the Mullins homer, then loaded the bases with no outs against Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo. Kansas City brought in Angel Zerpa, who struck out Colton Cowser and got an Adley Rutschman groundout to keep the game tied.