Starting pitching dominates in start to new MLB playoff format

For most of baseball’s history, starting pitchers were seen as the protagonists of each game’s story.

So many of the questions revolving around a ballgame are about the two starting pitchers: their history against the opponent, if they can keep their teams in the game, how deep into the contest they can make it. That’s sometimes still true today, but as major league teams have shifted away from wily starting pitchers toward flame-throwing relievers, a small piece of the game’s identity has gone with it. 

But if this past weekend was any indication, the MLB playoffs may once again be dominated by starting pitching.  

Prior to Game 3 between the Mets and Padres on Sunday night, starting pitchers in the new best-of-three Wild Card Series pitched to a crisp 2.87 earned-run average — more than a run better than the league average 3.96 during the regular season. And it wasn’t just those puny five-inning starts, either. On Friday, four starters went at least seven innings — matching the total number of such starts during the entire 2021 postseason. 

Tampa Bay’s Shane McClanahan, Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, Seattle’s Luis Castillo and San Diego’s Yu Darvish each went seven innings — with Bieber and Castillo pitching into the eighth — to lead their teams. Aside from McClanahan’s Rays, each of the starters pitched their clubs to victories. In total, the four aces allowed just four earned runs. 

No starters finished seven frames on Saturday, but three pitchers — Tampa Bay’s Tyler Glasnow, Cleveland’s Triston McKenzie and Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola — did have scoreless outings. The starting pitchers on winning teams totaled an impressive 1.44 ERA on Friday and Saturday. 

The best example of the pitcher-dominant wild card round was the series between the Rays and Guardians. After Bieber slightly outpitched McClanahan to give Cleveland a Game 1 victory, the two clubs slugged it out — er, threw it out — for 14 scoreless innings on Saturday until Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-off home run in the 15th. The Guardians will now face the AL East champion New York Yankees in the ALDS. 

The Mariners and Blue Jays also had a thrilling end to their series Saturday. After shutting out Toronto 4-0 on Friday, Game 2 was a high-scoring affair with 19 total runs scored. Seattle, playing in its first postseason since 2001, was down 8-1 in the sixth inning before storming back for the 10-9 win. The M’s will hope to continue their resurgent season in the ALDS against the 106-win Houston Astros. 

Arguably the most impressive team this weekend was Philadelphia, which surged over the final half of the regular season after firing manager Joe Girardi to make the postseason. The Bryce Harper-led Phillies topped the Cardinals 6-3 on Friday and 2-0 on Saturday. Philadelphia is set to take on the defending champion Atlanta Braves in the NLDS. 

The only series that didn’t end in a sweep was the showdown between the Mets and Padres. San Diego took Game 1 7-1, but Buck Showalter’s Mets bounced back in Game 2 with a 7-3 win.  The Padres’ Joe Musgrove continued the dominant starting pitching by giving up just one hit over seven innings in a 6-0 win by San Diego in Game 3 on Sunday night to clinch the series.

Most baseball fans considered the first year of the wild card format — implemented as a result of the new 12-team playoff format, up two teams from last season — a success. Seven of the first eight games were decided by four runs or fewer. Three of them were one-run contests. Some believed the three-game series may provide less excitement than the previous solo games, but the first year of the new system may have proved the opposite. 

The best-of-five League Division Series round kicks off Tuesday. TBS will air the American League Game 1s with the Astros hosting their West Division rival Mariners at 3:37 p.m. and the Yankees hosting the Indians at 7:37 p.m. It will be two pairs of division rivals in the National League. The Braves host the Phillies in Game 1 on Fox at 1:07 p.m. and the Dodgers host the Padres in Game 1 on FS1 at 9:37 p.m.