Playoffs set, wild cards up first
BY BEN WALKER Associated Press
Thursday, October 04, 2012
10/04/12 at 5:24 AM
A dropped fly ball by Josh Hamilton, a home run from Ryan Zimmerman and pitch by pitch, the baseball playoff picture became clear on the final day of the regular season.
"Now the real season starts," New York Yankees star Derek Jeter said Wednesday night.
The playoffs begin Friday with a pair of winner-take-all wild-card matchups. The defending World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals visit Chipper Jones and the Atlanta Braves in the NL, then Baltimore plays at Texas in the new, expanded format.
On Saturday, the newly crowned AL West champion Oakland Athletics will face Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and the Tigers in Detroit to open the best-of-five division series.
That night, Johnny Cueto starts for Cincinnati against Matt Cain and host San Francisco in Game 1 of the NL division series.
Trailing by 13 games a week before the All-Star break, the A's overcame a four-run deficit Wednesday to relegate the Rangers to a wild-card spot.
The Yankees claimed the AL East a few hours later. They began celebrating in the dugout during the seventh inning when the scoreboard showed second-place Baltimore had lost 4-1 to Tampa Bay.
The Yankees hold home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs, and will open Sunday at either Baltimore or Texas.
Zimmerman and the Washington Nationals got sized for hats with postseason patches, then beat Philadelphia 5-1 to earn home-field advantage all the way through November, if necessary.
Washington and 21-game winner Gio Gonzalez will play Sunday at the NL wild-card winner.
Atlanta's Kris Medlen will throw the first pitch of this year's playoffs. The Braves have won a record 23 straight games when he's started. Kyle Lohse starts for St. Louis.
Playoff Glance
Wild card
Friday, Oct. 5
National League: St. Louis (Lohse 16-3) at Atlanta (Medlen 10-1), 4:07 p.m. (TBS)
American League: Baltimore (Saunders 9-13 or Johnson 4-0) at Texas (Darvish 16-9), 7:37 p.m. (TBS)
Division series
(Best-of-5; x-if necessary)
American League
Oakland vs. Detroit
Saturday, Oct. 6: Oakland at Detroit (Verlander 17-8), 5:07 p.m. (TBS)
Sunday, Oct. 7: Oakland at Detroit (TBS or MLB)
Tuesday, Oct. 9: Detroit at Oakland (TBS)
x-Wednesday, Oct. 10: Detroit at Oakland (TBS or MLB)
x-Thursday, Oct. 11: Detroit at Oakland (TBS
New York vs. Baltimore or Texas
Sunday, Oct. 7: New York at Baltimore-Texas winner (TBS or MLB)
Monday, Oct. 8: New York at Baltimore-Texas winner (TBS)
Wednesday, Oct. 10: Baltimore-Texas winner at New York (TBS or MLB)
x-Thursday, Oct. 11: Baltimore-Texas winner at New York (TBS)
x-Friday, Oct. 12: Baltimore-Texas winner at New York (TBS)
National League
Cincinnati vs. San Francisco
Saturday, Oct. 6: Cincinnati at San Francisco (Cain 16-5), 8:37 p.m. (TBS)
Sunday, Oct. 7: Cincinnati at San Francisco (Bumgarner 16-11) (TBS or MLB)
Tuesday, Oct. 9: San Francisco at Cincinnati (TBS)
x-Wednesday, Oct. 10: San Francisco at Cincinnati (TBS or MLB)
x-Thursday, Oct. 11: San Francisco at Cincinnati (TBS)
Washington vs. Atlanta or St. Louis
Sunday, Oct. 7: Washington (Gonzalez 21-8) at St. Louis-Atlanta winner (TBS or MLB)
Monday, Oct. 8: Washington (Zimmermann 12-8) at St. Louis-Atlanta winner (TBS)
Wednesday, Oct. 10: St. Louis-Atlanta winner at Washington (TBS or MLB)
x-Thursday, Oct. 11: St. Louis-Atlanta winner at Washington (TBS)
x-Friday, Oct. 12: St. Louis-Atlanta winner at Washington (TBS)
