Watch Torii Hunter's Fence Flip at Fenway Sunday Night.
The MLB Playoff Standings witnessed the most exciting games of the 2013 MLB postseason as the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers held on to win their games 1-0 over dynamic offenses of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, respectively. Take a look at the playoff standings as one team is two loses away from elimination, while the other was stripped of home field advantange.
N.L. Championship Series
What are the Dodgers supposed now that Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke pitched close to perfect baseball and L.A. still could not sneak in a couple of runs. The Dodgers played 10 innings in Game 1 without scoring a run and after Michael Wacha and the Cardinals' bullpen were done on Saturday, the Dodgers had gone 19 innings without crossing the plate.
It is hard to believe this team is having a hard time scoring, especially after the way the offense was clicking against the Atlanta Braves. Credit goes to Adam Wainwright and Wacha, the wookie (rookie), for pitching fantastic baseball. Now, the Cardinals are just two wins away from capturing the N.L. Pennant, making their second World Series appearance in the last three years.
Jon Jay drove in the only run on a sacrifice fly, scoring David Freese in the bottom of the fifth inning. It was the only run scored at Busch Stadium Saturday afternoon and that was all the Dodgers would need. Wacha's final line read, 6.2 innings of five-hit baseball with eight strikeouts. Kershaw pitched six innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits, recording five strikeouts.
A.L. Championship Series
Over in Boston, it was the same recipe. However, the home team did not walk out victorious and it was not as clean of a game as expected. Anibal Sanchez and the Tigers were aiming for a no-hitter, only the third in the history of the sport. Anibal Sanchez exited in the sixth inning after walking six Red Sox in the game. He did a great job controlling the damage, making big pitches with runners on base, not allowing any runners to go beyond third base.
Sanchez struck out 12 Red Sox, setting the pace as the Tigers' bullpen added five more, totaling 17 in Game 1. Jhonny Peralta must have enjoyed himself during the 50-game suspension. He has been destroying the ball in the playoffs. He went 3-4 and provided the RBI single, scoring Miguel Cabrera for the only run in the game.
Jon Lester, the Red Sox's lefty, went 6.1 innings, allowing one earned run on six hits, while striking out four.
Here are the MLB Playoff Standings entering Sunday morning.
Dodgers (3-3) 0
Cardinals (5-2) 2
Tigers (4-2) 1
Red Sox (3-2) 0
*The League Championship Series are best of seven. The first to four wins takes it all and goes to 2013 World Series.
