Day 1 of the division series is already in the books.
After a wild card round that lived up to its name, the eight division series teams began their quest for the title on Saturday, and the games did not disappoint. First, the Cleveland Guardians opened the ALDS with a blowout victory over the Detroit Tigers. Another intradivisional showdown followed with the New York Mets surprising the Philadelphia Phillies with a late comeback. The Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees later traded leads before the Yankees prevailed. In the last game of the day, the National League's best, the Los Angeles Dodgers, fought with the San Diego Padres, but held on to take the victory.
We've got you covered as the best-of-five series begins with everything you need to know from Day 1, including live updates, analysis and takeaways from every game.
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Conclusions and analysis
Cleveland leads the series 1-0
This one ended early when the Guardians destroyed the Tigers' early strategy, chasing starter Tyler Holton before he could get an out in the first inning. Lane Thomas then knocked out Reese Olson, sending the reliever's first pitch into the left-field stands for a three-run homer, and Cleveland never looked back.
It's a reminder that while starting and bullpen games are great when they work, it's still a big risk to ask multiple relievers to be on their game from the start. Holton clearly was not. After five days of rest, Cleveland looked ready to go from the start, proving that any rust for teams coming off a playoff bye can be overcome with a solid game plan.
What to see in Game 2: At least Tigers manager AJ Hinch won't have to prepare for a bullpen game on Monday. Instead, he'll have Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal on the mound with a chance to even the series. Detroit will be able to lean heavily on its ace, as he will have an extra day of rest due to the day off between Games 1 and 2. If Hinch doesn't visit the mound until the eighth inning or later, the Tigers could be in good shape. back home. –Jesse Rogers
New York leads the series 1-0
In no universe does a late-inning comeback become an expectation for a Major League team, particularly in the postseason. Last week for the New York Mets, however, was so full of them — returns so complete and exhausting, inconceivable — that anything short of high drama and epic finishes wouldn't feel right.
The Mets did it again Saturday, turning a 1-0 deficit into a 6-2 victory by dropping five points in the eighth inning against a pair of All-Star relievers and turning Citizens Bank Park into a morgue. Being a Met for so long had a very particular and quite negative connotation. This week, the Mets have been walking toward the precipice of doom, only to pull out a magnificent victory out of nowhere.
This one was single, base, single, single, sacrifice fly, single, single, sacrifice fly. He erased the brilliance of Zack Wheeler. He chased the playoff clincher and the wild card series clincher with a third How did they do that? act. And it left the Mets two games away from advancing to the National League Championship Series with a vital game for the Phillies on Sunday, when they will start Cristopher Sánchez against Luis Severino. -Jeff Passan
New York leads the series 1-0
The Yankees were sloppy in the field and on the bases. Gerrit Cole was not dominant in more than five innings. Aaron Judge went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. And yet, the Yankees, thanks to an advantageous decision and the bat of Alex Verdugo, took a 1-0 lead in the series. One of the stories heading into Saturday was whether Verdugo or Jasson Dominguez would start in left field for New York. Verdugo started primarily because he's the better defender, but he delivered at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and the go-ahead RBI single in the seventh inning. The difference-making hit came moments after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ruled safe on a bang-bang play while attempting to steal second base. Royals catcher Salvador Perez's throw was high, but Michael Massey seemed to make the tag just in time. The Royals challenged the safe call, but the ruling was upheld. The Yankees could have had a break… and they capitalized on it.
What to see in Game 2: The clubs will meet for the second match on Monday after Sunday's off day. It will be Carlos Rodón against Cole Ragans, who pitched six scoreless innings in the wild card series against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. It will be Rodón's Yankees debut in the playoffs. A good performance could put the Yankees on the brink of the American League Championship Series. –Jorge Castillo
Los Angeles leads the series 1-0
No division series generated more hype than Padres-Dodgers, and Game 1 certainly delivered. There were lead changes, early runs, stellar defensive plays, critical errors, tense jams and constant electricity. In the end, the Dodgers emerged victorious. They prevailed because Shohei Ohtani hit a 118 mph rocket for a game-tying three-run homer in the second inning, flipping his bat and strutting his way down the first base line in his first postseason game. They prevailed because Freddie Freeman somehow overcame a sprained right ankle, and perhaps other problems that might have arisen in compensating for it, to record two hits and even steal a base. They prevailed because the Dodgers bullpen, which will be heavily counted on for all its starting pitching problems, relieved a shaky Yoshinobu Yamamoto and did an excellent job. Ryan Brasier, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen combined for 6 innings, 2 hits, no runs, 6 strikeouts and 3 walks.
What to see in Game 2: Jack Flaherty will take the ball for the Dodgers and while doing so he will live out a childhood dream: starting a game for the team he grew up supporting, in a stadium he visited frequently. His opponent will be Yu Darvish, whom Ohtani called his “childhood hero” before the NLDS. “My personal hope was that Darvish would have faced Yoshinobu,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “Obviously that won't happen this time, but I'm very honored and excited to be able to face it.” — Alden Gonzalez
