What were the best plays from the eight-team wild card series in both leagues? Rookie Luis Royce’s game-winning walk-off hit is the winner.
On June 6, MLB Network announced the top 15 plays from the 2023 Major League Baseball Wild Card Series.
In a list that included several plays that had a huge impact on their team’s victory, the top three plays were made by Royce, Evan Longoria, and Jordan Montgomery.
First up at No. 3 is Montgomery, who took the mound for the Texas Rangers on April 4 in Game 1 of their wild-card series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Not only did Montgomery pitch a seven-inning, six-hit shutout, but he got himself out of the biggest jam of the game: runners on first and third with one out in the second inning.
With runners on first and third, Montgomery made a diving catch of a Jose Siri bunt that hit the first base foul line. This put runners on second and third.
If Montgomery hadn’t made the catch, the 1-1 tie would have been broken and runners on first and second. A tie and then a lead.
But Montgomery flew out to get the bunt and then struck out Rene Pinto to end the inning.
Second on the list was Evan Longoria, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ veteran third baseman who saved the day with a super save in Game 1 on April 18.
Arizona had the bases loaded with one out in the fifth inning, but Longoria threw out the runner at second base after a super catch to preserve a 4-3 lead. The final run came from Lewis, who hit an RBI single to give Minnesota its first postseason win in 19 years. Minnesota snapped an 18-game postseason losing streak thanks to Lewis’ performance.
Lewis started the game against the Toronto Blue Jays as Minnesota’s No. 3 hitter and hit a two-run shot over the left field fence off Kevin Gausman with one out in the first inning.
Lewis then led off the third inning with a 2-0 lead and again hit a home run, this time over the right-center field fence. A back-to-back home run to sink Gausman.
Spurred on by Lewis’ home run, Minnesota took Game 1 and then Game 2 to end a long postseason losing streak. 스포츠토토
The Major League Baseball postseason will now begin on April 8 with the Division Series (DS) in each league. In the DS, all eyes will be on which player from which team will emerge as the ultimate hero.
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