MLB Postseason Playing Out in Exciting Fashion, With Walkoffs and Extra Innings in Abundance

by NESN Staff on Fri, Oct 12, 2012 at 12:49AM

Just like Bud Selig drew it up.

The MLB postseason has been pretty crazy. Beyond all the uncertainty as to who was a division winner and who was a wild card going into the last day of the regular season, the last 24 hours of the division series round alone have been rife with walkoffs and late-game heroics.

First it was Raul Ibanez hitting two home runs after coming into the game in a pinch-hitting situation Wednesday, tying the game in the bottom of the ninth inning and then giving the Yankees the win and series lead over the Orioles with a game-ending home run in the 12th. But that was just the warmup.

Later that evening, the A's overcame a two-run deficit heading into the bottom of the ninth, as Seth Smith and Coco Crisp helped deliver a win for Oakland, extending the series to a decisive Game 5 in the process. Perhaps those kind of heroics shouldn't be a surprise coming from the A's, however, given that they led Major League Baseball with 14 walkoff wins during the regular season.

And the madness continued in the first game on Thursday afternoon, as Jayson Werth took Lance Lynn deep in the bottom of the ninth to give the Nationals a 2-1 win, also extending their NLDS matchup with the Cardinals to a Game 5.

All this, of course, doesn't even count the Orioles coming back to bear the Yankees the next day. Granted, it wasn't a walkoff, but Baltimore played a pretty tight, tense game that lasted 13 innings — and gave closer Jim Johnson a chance at redemption.

This year marks the first time that there are no unnatural breaks — i.e. off days that are related to television considerations and not travel — during playoff series, and the result has been an enviable one for baseball fans. Thursday, like Sunday was yet another day that featured a full slate of four games played back-to-back-to-back-to-back, giving fans an entire day to watch baseball.

And the results have made for great, great viewing.