October baseball is alive and well as 10 teams pursue an identical quest in which they hoist the World Series trophy and are proclaimed 2019 World Series champions. As Fall begins to loom, the baseball world intensifies with electric stadiums, passionate fans and ambitious players who are hungry for 11 wins (12 wins for Wild Card teams) in October.
The Postseason opens its doors to familiar faces from 2018: Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers.
But also welcome a new abundance of dominant teams to play in baseball’s holy month: Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals.
The first showdown of the postseason will take place on Tuesday night at 8:08 p.m. EST, as the Washington Nationals host the Milwaukee Brewers at National Park for the National League Wild Card game.
The Washington Nationals hope to keep their winning momentum alive after ending the season with an eight-game win streak, sweeping division foes, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Wild Card hopeful Cleveland Indians, to punch their ticket to play in October.
The 2019 postseason will be the first time Nationals manager Dave Martinez will manage a playoff team. Since 2012, the Nationals have made it to the NLDS four times (2012,’14,’16 and ‘17). However, failing to advance to the National League Championship series all four times.
Nats manager Dave Martinez during a regular season game at Citi Field. (Latino Sports)
“We just gotta be ready.” Martinez said during his press conference, “I’ve said this all year is, ‘It’s about us, the Washington Nationals’ and I focus on our team. If we come out and play the kind of baseball we’re capable of playing, we should be okay and come up on top. I just want to focus on us.”
Despite losing 2018 National League MVP Christian Yelich for the season due to a fractured kneecap, the Milwaukee Brewers found it within themselves to power through September by winning 20 of 27 games and climbing to the second Wild Card slot.
“More than anything, really proud of how we’ve been able to just respond to this challenge and what was in front of us everyday.” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said concerning his teams resilience. “They’ve done a heck of a job of showing up, sacrificing and continuing to bring energy, effort and urgency, which we needed, we needed every single bit of it.”
Aces Max Scherzer (11-7, 2.92 ERA) and Brandon Woodruff (11-3, 2.19 ERA) will take the mound for their respected team as they hope to dominate the opposing team’s lineup in the win-or-go-home game.
The team that is victorious Tuesday night will face the reigning National League Pennant champions, Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Divisionsl Series on Thursday October 3 in Los Angeles at 8:37 p.m. EST.
