Well, the Divisional Round ended last night, and there was no lack of excitement throughout. For the first time since the playoffs expanded to include a divisional round in 1995, all 4 series went the full 5 games, and of the 4 remaining teams, it is really anyone's guess as to who will win it all.
Cincinnati and San Francisco was the first series to finish up, on Thursday afternoon. After winning the first 2 on the road, Cincinnati went home and dropped the next 2, setting up the need for a game 5. In what started out as a pitchers duel, San Fran struck first, opening up a 6 run lead in the 5th inning, capped off by a grand slam by MVP candidate Buster Posey. Cincinnati was unable to catch up, and squandered numerous opportunities, before finally falling 6-4.
Thursday night also saw the conclusion of the series between Detroit and Oakland. The home team had won the first 4 games, with Oakland winning game 4 in stunning fashion, scoring 3 in the bottom of the 9th against closer Jose Valverde. Detroit turned to reigning Cy Young and MVP Justin Verlander to close it out in game 5, and he did just that, going the distance in a 3-1 win.
On Friday, the series that had the most storylines throughout finished up. Baltimore and New York had a fantastic first 4 games. After splitting in Baltimore, the teams came to New York, where in game 3 Baltimore looked primed to take a 2-1 lead. Up 2-1 in the ninth, and against the closer that led the league in saves in the regular season, Jim Johnson, Raul Ibanez pinch hit for the struggling Alex Rodriguez, and promptly tied the game with 1 swing. In his next at bat in the 12th, Ibanez homered for the second time, to win the game and take control of the series. Game 4 also went to extra innings, and Baltimore was able to win it in 13, to force game 5. The ace for the Yankees, CC Sabathia, took control in game 5, pitching a complete game as the Yankees won 3-1 to move on to the ALCS.
Washington and St Louis was the final series to finish up. After winning in dramatic, walk-off fashion in game 4, Washington promptly took a 6-0 lead against Adam Wainwright in game 5. St Louis slowly chipped away, getting back to 6-5 in the 8th, when Washington scored an important insurance run, taking a 7-5 lead. With closer Drew Storen on the mound in the 9th, he allowed a leadoff double to Carlos Beltran. 2 outs later, with Beltran at third, Storen got to one strike away one two occasions, but walked both Alan Craig and David Freese to load the bases. Daniel Descalso came through for the Cardinals, delivering a 2 run single to tie the game. Pete Kozma followed with another 2 run single, giving the Cardinals a 9-7 lead. Washington could not recover, and St Louis closed out the improbable victory, moving on to the NLCS
The Divisional round did not go as I expected, with only one of the teams I predicted moving on. For the League Championship round I will pick Detroit and San Francisco to move on to the World Series. You will hear from me again when the World Series matchup is determined.
