This year’s newly formatted MLB Wild Card Round was one to remember.  Instead of just a one game loser goes home series, this year’s Wild Card round was the best of three games.  The matchups on the American League side were the Tampa Bay Rays vs the Cleveland Guardians and the Seattle Mariners vs the Toronto Blue Jays.

The underdog story around the league this year has been the Seattle Mariners.  This is their first time reaching the postseason since 2001.  With their matchup against the Blue Jays in the Wild Card, many people thought that they would end up losing handily.  This however was not the case.  The Mariners would win the first two games of the series, advancing to the divisional round.

“I was surprised to see that.  I never think of the Mariners as a real threat, but they have a really good team this year and its showing,” said junior Corbin Wells.

In the other matchup, between the Rays and Guardians, the Guardians would take care of business, sweeping the series.

“I thought that the Rays had a better team than what they played like.  It shocked me to see the way that series played out,” said senior Cannon Morton.

In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals matched up against the Philadelphia Phillies.  The series was played in St. Louis, and the atmosphere was at an all-time high.  Unfortunately for Cardinals fans, the Phillies would go on to win the series.  Cardinals legends Albert Pujols, Yadier Molina, and Adam Wainwright finished their careers on Saturday with the loss.

“It’s sad to see them all retire at once.  What they did for the Cardinals over those many years was incredible,” said senior Beau Burgin.

To round out the Wild Card round, the San Diego Padres faced the New York Mets.  The Mets were favored to win the series after winning 101 games during the regular season.  The Padres would end up stunning the Mets, winning the series in three games.  Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove had an incredible performance for them in game 3, going seven innings, allowing no runs.

“It was a gutsy performance by him.  I was really surprised how that series played out.  I thought the Mets were going to make a run at the World Series this year,” said senior Cayman Huntsman.