Just like that, the playoff spot is down to four teams. Tonight, the Blue Jays will host the Mariners in Game 1 of the ALCS; tomorrow, the NLCS between the Brewers and Dodgers will begin in Milwaukee. Two of these four clubs advanced to CS in ridiculous fashion. First, Los Angeles beat the Phillies in Game 4 of the NLDS on Thursday when, with the bases loaded and two outs, Orion Kerkering panicked after catching a deflected comeback ball and airmailed his pitch home instead of throwing to first. In his review of the game, Ben Clemens called the game “The Meltdown of Orion.” Then, on Friday night, the Mariners and Tigers played 15 innings of baseball before Jorge Polanco hit a walk-off hit in right field.
As always, we’re writing about everything that happens during the playoffs. You can find Davy Andrews’ recap of last night’s Game 5 win over the Cubs in Milwaukee here. Later today, Dan Szymborski will preview the ALCS, and then Jay Jaffe will give you live coverage of tonight’s first game.
Before we discuss this week’s mailbag, I want to remind everyone of a quick programming note. We will still be working on the weekly mailbag during the playoffs, but like today, we may change the specific running dates based on the postseason schedule. Our plan is to do one before each playoff round. Additionally, this mailbag is exclusive to FanGraphs members. If you are not yet a member and want to continue reading, you can sign up to become a member here. It’s the best way to experience the site and support our staff, and it comes with many other benefits. Also, if you would like to ask questions about an upcoming mailbag, please email mailbag@fangraphs.com.
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