October Baseball's Wild Card: A Stage for Dreams and Heartbreaks
It's time to bring back some nostalgia, and welcome you to October Baseball in September. Edition #299
October Baseball Begins Here
Today feels different.
Sure, the standings are set, the numbers are in, and we’ve technically been “in the postseason” since the last pitch of the regular season. But if we’re being honest, October baseball doesn’t really begin until the Wild Card.
This is the day where everything resets. The long marathon of 162 games finally hands the baton to something new: the sprint. The moments we’ll remember years from now start right here.
A Different Kind of Stage
The Wild Card has always been special because it feels like baseball breaking its own rules. A sport that prides itself on patience suddenly gives us urgency. A game where the better team usually wins over time is suddenly thrown into one night where anything can happen.
It’s unfair, it’s brutal—and it’s perfect.
Think about the moments this stage has given us: the 2014 Royals running the bases like kids on a playground, launching a magical run that nobody saw coming. The 2016 Blue Jays, Edwin Encarnación walking Toronto into chaos with one swing. Even the 2021 Dodgers—106 wins just to survive a winner-take-all—and Chris Taylor delivering with a walk-off blast into the night.
These aren’t just Wild Card games. They’re snapshots of why we fall in love with October in the first place.
The Start of Something Bigger
Every franchise, every fanbase, every player walks into today believing anything is possible. For some, it will end in heartbreak before it even feels real. For others, this is the spark that turns into a run we’ll talk about forever.
That’s what makes today so powerful: it’s both an ending and a beginning. Six months of work can vanish in an instant, or it can be the first brick in a path to immortality.
Nostalgia and New Memories
Baseball is built on nostalgia. We remember where we were for the big hits, the stunning upsets, the games that felt like they would never end. The Wild Card has only been around since the mid-90s, but it already feels like part of the sport’s DNA.
We’ve grown up with these moments, passed them around like family stories, and now we add new ones every year. Tonight, someone will do something unforgettable. Someone will etch their name into baseball’s scrapbook. And decades from now, fans will point back to this day, this moment, and say, “That’s when it all began.”
WILD CARD ROUND PREVIEW:
Red Sox vs Yankees:
Are you kidding me? Are we getting Red Sox versus Yankees in the Wild Card Round? Baseball’s biggest rivalry is set to take the stage. They have a perfectly even 12-12 record against each other dating back to their first postseason matchup in 1999. The Red Sox won their most recent postseason meeting, the 2021 AL Wild Card Game.
While most think that the Yankees will win here, I have the Red Sox taking this one, and it’s really easy. The pitching staff is fantastic. A better bullpen and a better #1 starter.
Reds vs Dodgers:
Shohei Ohtani? Mookie Betts? vs Elly de la Cruz? Surely not interesting, right?
If the Reds are going to win this series, then it’s going to be the pitching that sets both teams apart. The bullpen has been horrible for the Dodgers, even with all the additions, and the starters aren’t gonna throw complete games every time.
The Dodgers are playing in the Wild Card round of the postseason for the first time since 2021. While it ended up well for the Dodgers last time they played in the wild card round, the amount of pressure on this team, especially in a best of 3 series, is unreal.
The Dodgers roster is very scary, no doubt. Can they perform? That’s the question. In fact, that’s been the question all season long. The Dodgers haven’t answered that successfully over the last couple of months.
I’m still going to take the Dodgers on this one, though, because this offense is just too potent. Cuts it too close, though.
Padres vs Cubs:
The Padres are back in the postseason, and the Cubs are making their first appearance since 2020. The Cubs have a very good team, and this roster has been built very well. Michael Busch is a guy that I’ve been very high on from his tenure with the Dodgers to his time with the Cubs. The Padres made some huge moves at the deadline, and almost overtook the Dodgers for the division crown.
The Cubs have some great pitchers, and Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong were the topic during the first half of the season. Everything fell apart, though, in the second half. If they can find a way to bring themselves back to their form at the start of the season, then the Cubs are ready to make a World Series push.
The injury to Cade Horton is going to hurt them, though, especially if the offense doesn’t make waves. The Padres have experience, and they’re hungry. The Cubs losing a ton of games down the stretch doesn’t help them at all heading into this game.
Give me the Padres here in 2. Yup, it’s a sweep.
Tigers vs Guardians:
So, uh, Tigers? Losing 41 of your last 69 games isn’t really good momentum heading into the playoffs. Remember when we all thought that the Tigers were the clear World Series champions? Well, that certainly fell apart.
In my probably very unpopular opinion, the Guardians should not be here. This is a great team, but even though they were able to win so many games down the stretch, they don’t seem like the type of team to win it this year. The Tigers are a team that I believe will win this series.
Momentum is huge. Think about the Mets last year. But you also have to realize that the Tigers have the AL’s best pitcher, if not the best pitcher in the MLB right now. If they win that game, all they need is one more. Clinching the wild card will definitely give you the momentum you need to push yourself to the World Series.
So, yeah, maybe a surprise pick here, but I’m going with Tigers in 3.
Thanks for reading! Comment your Wild Card memories if you have any! Would love to read your stories!