Today on Pinstripe Alley - 10/9/22

If you ask me, the new Wild Card Series is a solid mix of chaos and stability. It’s a major step up from the one-and-done Wild Game Game of the past, but it still punishes teams that weren’t up to snuff win-wise with the best in their league. The Cardinals must certainly feel the weight of that after falling at home as a division winner before the NLDS, and Cleveland had to sweat out an extremely close series as well, even if they did win in the end. All but one of the series are finished with sweeps, leaving just the Padres and Mets to now play a do-or-die Game 3 in Citi Field tonight.

The Yankees get another couple of off days before they take on their opponent, the Guardians, in the ALDS. There’s plenty to cover in the meantime, however, and we’ll begin with Estevão breaking down his biggest takeaway from the Rays-Guardians series. Matt jumps in with the latest history lesson, this time centered on the wild turn that the 1928 World Series took, and Andrés dives into the difference in team defense that the Yankees have for this postseason compared to previous years. I’ll take a stab at predicting the ALDS roster, and Joe will wrap up the day with the social media spotlight.

Today’s Matchup:

Off-day

Today’s Wild Card Series Games:

New York Mets vs. San Diego Padres (series tied, 1-1)
Citi Field in New York (winner faces Dodgers in NLDS)
Game 3: Chris Bassitt (NYM) vs. Joe Musgrove (SD)
First pitch: Sunday Oct. 9th, 7:07pm ET (ESPN)

Fun Questions/Prompts:

1. Will the Yankees beat the Guardians, and how long does the series go?

2. Who takes the final LDS spot, the Mets or Padres?