Shohei Ohtani is first member of 50/50 club, and entered in dramatic fashion
USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale recounts Shohei Ohtani’s epic performance that led to him being the first ever player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season.
Sports Pulse
October has arrived and it’s brought postseason baseball with it.
MLB’s wild-card round begins Tuesday, with four games spread throughout the afternoon and evening.
Twelve teams remain in the hunt for the Commissioner’s Trophy. Four of them − The New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies − get first round byes while the other eight battle it out in the best-of-three wild-card round.
The only thing we know for certain heading into October is that a new team will be crowned champion with the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers not in the postseason. And beware of home-field advantage, it hasn’t been too kind in recent years.
The home team in last year’s postseason went 15-26 (.366), the worst of any postseason in 53 years, dating back to 1970 when there were only four teams in a postseason (4-7, .364).
In the last five full years, excluding the 2020 postseason when games were played at neutral sites, more series were won on the road (27) than at home (22).
So keep it here Tuesday for all the action from the opening games of the MLB wild-card series:
BALTIMORE – Vinnie Pasquantino gazed up at the ceiling, as if the sky was right there, and mused about the gloom outside at Camden Yards.
“Is it ever sunny here? I don’t think I’ve seen the sun in Baltimore,” the Kansas City Royals designated hitter mused.
Yet Tuesday morning was, in fact, quite bright for the left-handed slugger: He woke up before 7, discovered his surgically repaired thumb felt just fine and texted such to a club trainer. And after five weeks of recovery, Pasquantino just beat the deadline to earn inclusion on the Royals’ wild-card series roster.
Pasquantino will bat third against the Orioles.
“We’re here now,” says Pasquantino, “and the rehab is not over. But the games can start.”
And not a moment too soon for the Royals. They posted an 11-16 record without Pasquantino in the lineup, this after going 75-60 when he was healthy. Yet the Royals overcame a late seven-game losing streak to win four of six in the final week, just as Pasquantino began hitting against a machine, and on the field, and determined he was ready just before Game 1.
He grew up about three hours away, near Richmond, Va., and had to tell friends he had no tickets. Getting there one year after the club lost 106 games was good enough; now, he’ll have an impact.
“To get here now, and the cherry on top is that I get to play,” he said. − Gabe Lacques
Great news for the Astros: Slugger Yordan Alvarez, who has been nursing a sore knee, is on the wild-card series roster and batting third.
Mildly surprising news: Justin Verlander was excluded from the roster.
Verlander, the 41-year-old future Hall of Famer, has struggled since returning from a neck injury, posting an 8.10 ERA in eight starts since August. He’s given up at least five earned runs in four of those starts.
Verlander has made 37 career starts, and earned his first World Series win during the Astros’ run to the 2022 championship.
“Justin Verlander is a professional,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before Game 1 against the Detroit Tigers. “He knows how well our starting pitchers have to perform throughout the season. So when we had this conversation, he was all in. He’ll do what’s best for this team. So I appreciated his feedback and how he evaluated his season and his last few starts.”
Left-hander Framber Valdez will start Game 1. − Gabe Lacques
Note: Umpires rotate from right field to left and then clockwise around the bases starting at third during an MLB postseason series, so the ump at second base for the opener will be behind the plate for a potential Game 3 in the wild card round.
Detroit Tigers at Houston Astros
- Alfonso Marquez (crew chief): Third base for Game 1
- Tony Randazzo: Home plate for Game 1
- Jordan Baker: First base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 2
- Will Little: Second base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 3
- Jeremie Rehak: Left field for Game 1
- Junior Valentine: Right field for Game 1Kansas City Royals at Baltimore Orioles
- Bill Miller (crew chief): Third base for Game 1
- Ryan Additon: Home plate for Game 1
- Ben May: First base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 2
- Nic Lentz: Second base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 3
- David Rackley: Left field for Game 1
- Malachi Moore: Right field for Game 1New York Mets at Milwaukee Brewers
- Alan Porter (crew chief): Third base for Game 1
- Alex Tosi: Home plate for Game 1
- Chris Segal: First base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 2
- Vic Carapazza: Second base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 3
- Mike Estabrook: Left field for Game 1
- Brennan Miller: Right field for Game 1Atlanta Braves at San Diego Padres
- Dan Iassogna (crew chief): Third base for Game 1
- Nestor Ceja: Home plate for Game 1
- Phil Cuzzi: First base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 2
- Jansen Visconti: Second base for Game 1; Home plate for Game 3
- Mark Wegner: Left field for Game 1
- Erich Bacchus: Right field for Game 1
Astros lineup
- Jose Altuve, 2B
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Yordan Alvarez, DH
- Alex Bregman, 3B
- Yainer Diaz, C
- Jeremy Peña, SS
- Victor Caratini, 1B
- Mauricio Dubón, LF
- Jake Meyers, CF
All times Eastern
- No. 6 Detroit Tigers at No. 3 Houston Astros – 2:32 p.m.
- No. 5 Kansas City Royals at No. 4 Baltimore Orioles – 4:07 p.m.
- No. 6 New York Mets at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers – 5:32 p.m.
- No. 5 Atlanta Braves at No. 4 San Diego Padres – 8:38 p.m.
- Tigers vs. Astros: LHP Tarik Skubal (18-4, 2.39 ERA) vs. LHP Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91 ERA)
- Royals vs. Orioles: LHP Cole Ragans (11-9, 3.14 ERA) vs. RHP Corbin Burnes (15-9, 2.92 ERA)
- Mets vs. Brewers: RHP Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA) vs. RHP Freddy Peralta (11-9, 3.68 ERA)
- Braves vs. Padres: TBD vs. RHP Michael King (13-9, 2.95 ERA)
Who will move on? Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports MLB team sees this week playing out.
Detroit Tigers (86-76) at Houston Astros (88-73)
- Bob Nightengale: Astros in 3
- Gabe Lacques: Tigers in 2
- Steve Gardner Astros in 3
- Jesse Yomtov: Astros in 3
- Scott Boeck: Tigers in 3
Kansas City Royals (86-76) at Baltimore Orioles (91-71)
- Bob Nightengale: Orioles in 3
- Gabe Lacques: Orioles in 2
- Steve Gardner: Orioles in 3
- Jesse Yomtov: Orioles in 2
- Scott Boeck: Orioles in 3
New York Mets (89-73) at Milwaukee Brewers (93-69)
- Bob Nightengale: Brewers in 2
- Gabe Lacques: Brewers in 2
- Steve Gardner: Brewers in 2
- Jesse Yomtov: Mets in 3
- Scott Boeck: Brewers in 2
Atlanta Braves (89-73) at San Diego Padres (93-69)
- Bob Nightengale: Padres in 2
- Gabe Lacques: Padres in 2
- Steve Gardner: Padres in 2
- Jesse Yomtov: Braves in 3
- Scott Boeck: Padres in 2
Astros vs Tigers
Orioles vs. Royals
Brewers vs. Mets
Padres vs. Braves