Love it or hate it, MLB’s single-elimination wild-card game format has led to plenty of fireworks since its inception in 2012.
Reducing 162 games of work to a sudden death contest might not be the most logical way to decide things, but the drama it provides is unmatched.
This year’s iterations were no different. The Oakland Athletics brought a whole new approach to October baseball, electing to forego a starting pitcher and rely exclusively on their relief corps with the stakes at their highest. The move didn’t pay off, as the New York Yankees cruised to a 7-2 win.
In the National League, the Colorado Rockies edged the Chicago Cubs in an extra-innings thriller that featured no shortage of memorable moments. The play that will be remembered years from now came when a pair of MVP candidates on opposing teams embraced on the field… during live action.
With runners at first and second and one out, Cubs catcher Willson Contreras hit a grounder to Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado. Taking off from second base on contact, Javier Baez paused on his way to third, forcing Arenado to apply a tag. Once the Rockies star made the out, Baez wrapped him in a warm embrace, removing any possibility of a double play, and sparking controversy. Arenado returned the gesture, cracking a smile in the process to diffuse the situation.
Despite his defensive prowess, Arenado likely wouldn’t have been able to complete the double play, but social media was buzzing over the display of affection.
In honour of “The Hug,” here are the top five plays from the first seven years of wild-card theatrics:
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2013 NL Wild Card Game: Cueto drops the ball in Pittsburgh
CUEEEEETOOOOOO! CUEEEEETOOOOOO!
Who can forget the legendary scene inside PNC Park when the Pirates faithful rattled Cincinnati Reds starter Johnny Cueto to his core? Already trailing 1-0 in the second inning, Cueto dropped the baseball in the middle of a count. Pirates fans took their relentless mocking to another level at that point and Cueto had to awkwardly walk over and retrieve the stray ball.
On the very next pitch, Russell Martin blasted a solo home run to send the home crowd into an absolute frenzy. Cueto would be pulled after 3.1 innings, surrendering four runs in the Reds’ eventual 6-2 loss.
2016 AL Wild Card Game: Encarnacion’s walk-off homer
What do you do if you have the best closer in MLB and you’re locked in an extra-innings showdown in the wild-card game? If you’re former Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, you leave said closer in the bullpen.
Zach Britton had a season for the record books in 2016, converting all 47 of his save opportunities and pitching to a 0.54 ERA. Those numbers earned him Cy Young consideration, but he never got a chance to impact the do-or-die contest against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Instead of Britton, the Orioles’ season ended on a pitch from Ubaldo Jimenez. With Edwin Encarnacion up to bat with runners on the corners and one out, Jimenez grooved a first-pitch fastball right down the middle. Encarnacion made no mistake and crushed a walk-off, three-run homer that began the Blue Jays’ journey to a second consecutive ALCS.
2012 NL Wild Card Game: Infield fly controversy costs Braves
In addition to being the final game of Chipper Jones’ career, the inaugural NL Wild Card Game between the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals will be remembered for the infield fly controversy.
With the Braves trailing 6-3 in the bottom of the eighth, shortstop Andrelton Simmons came to the plate with runners on first and second with one out. Simmons lifted a fly ball to shallow left field, which shortstop Pete Kozma camped under for what looked to be a routine out. Perhaps thinking left-fielder Matt Holiday had called him off, Kozma abandoned the play at the last minute, allowing the ball to drop safely. All of a sudden, the Braves were threatening with the bases loaded and only one out.
But wait… Left-field umpire Sam Holbrook invoked the infield fly rule, despite the play occurring 225 feet from home plate. Simmons was automatically ruled out, and the Cardinals would escape the inning unscathed. Atlanta played the rest of the game under protest but the result would stand — a 6-3 Cardinals win.
2017 NL Wild Card Game: Bradley’s clutch triple
Who says pitchers shouldn’t hit?
With the Arizona Diamondbacks looking to expand on a one-run lead over the Rockies, reliever Archie Bradley came to the plate with two men on base in the seventh inning. Under normal circumstances, that situation screams for a pinch-hitter. But Bradley was one of the most dominant relief pitchers in the league in 2017, and manager Torey Lovullo wanted to bring him back out for the eighth to keep Colorado at bay.
In just his fifth plate appearance of the entire season, Bradley rewarded his manager with a two-run triple that gave Arizona some much-needed breathing room.
Ironically, Bradley would struggle on the mound the following frame, serving up two home runs. Arizona would proceed to win 11-8 in the highest-scoring wild-card game to date.
2014 AL Wild Card Game: All the madness
This is cheating a little bit considering it’s not just one play, but this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning arguably the best wild-card game of all time.
With just six outs remaining in their season, the Kansas City Royals trailed the Oakland Athletics 7-3. That’s when the magic began. Kansas City broke out for three runs in the bottom of the eighth, then tied the game in the ninth.
After two scoreless frames kicked off extra innings, the Athletics pulled in front with a run in the top of the 12th. With everything on the line, the Royals once again refused to roll over. Ned Yost’s crew used its signature small ball to manufacture a pair of runs, with the Royals walking it off on a Salvador Perez RBI single drilled past the outstretched glove of A’s third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Kansas City would keep rolling all the way to the World Series, eventually falling to the San Francisco Giants in Game 7 before winning the Fall Classic the following year.