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Both Florida baseball teams won their wild-card playoff games on Wednesday. The Miami Marlins defeated the Chicago Cubs 5-1, and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 8-2.
Miami, in their first postseason appearance since 2003 when they won the World Series, had an excellent showing. The Marlins’ Corey Dickerson homered a Kyle Hendricks pitch into the stands for a three-run homer that opened the flood gates. Miami would score two more runs en route to take a 1-0 lead in the Wild Card round.
put Alcantara in the Windy City, and you get a Sandy storm. pic.twitter.com/M5EjGsKtye
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) September 30, 2020
Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara gave up only three hits in his 6.2 innings pitched. The Cubs pitcher, Hendricks, only gave up five hits; but that is all Miami needed.
The Marlin’s manager, Don Mattingly, spoke about how it felt to win the franchise’s first postseason win since 2003.
If the Marlins defeat the Cubs on Thursday night, they will advance to the next round of the National League playoffs.
Tampa Bay, who already won the first game of the series, wrapped up the Blue Jay’s hopes with an 8-2 win. The Rays poured in six runs in the second inning off of a Hunter Renfroe grand-slam to take a 7-0 lead.
Winning their second game of the series, the Rays advance to the next round of the American League playoffs. Tampa Bay will face the New York Yankees.
Give us all the brooms pic.twitter.com/JzOzmIahv8
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 1, 2020
Here is the play-by-play call of Renfroe’s grand slam, when the Rays took a resounding 7-0 lead.
Toronto’s pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu gave up eight runs and had an ERA of 16.2. Meanwhile, Tampa’s pitcher Tyler Glasnow had an ERA of three. Glasnow has an average ERA of four on the season.
What’s next?
The Tampa Bay Rays travel to San Diego to take on the New York Yankees in the ALDS. If the Miami Marlins win one of their next two against the Chicago Cubs, they will advance to the NLDS. Miami faces the winner of the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves series, where the Braves hold a 1-0 lead.
