The 2015 MLB postseason begins tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET when the New York Yankees host the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Game. The winner of the matchup will advance to the ALDS to face the Kansas City Royals, but let's first focus on the five things you need to know about the ALWC.
These two MLB clubs have fizzled out toward the end of the season. Both relinquished division leads late in the year and essentially limped into the playoffs last week. However, the Yankees and Astros have been among the biggest surprises in the league, with New York making the playoffs for the first time since 2012 and Houston clinching their first postseason berth since 2005.
Here are five key aspects to look out for in tonight's game.
5. ESPN broadcaster Jessica Mendoza will make history
This isn't necessarily directly related to the game, but it's important for fans to know.
Jessica Mendoza will become the first female to broadcast a nationally televised MLB postseason game. Mendoza, who currently serves as a baseball analyst for ESPN, became the first woman to broadcast a nationally televised MLB game earlier this year when she filled in for the suspended Curt Schilling. Coincidentally, it just so happened that game was Jake Arrieta's no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
She'll be in the booth tonight with John Kruk and Dan Shulman, as the game will be broadcasted on ESPN.
4. The Astros' performance on the road
A number of MLB writers are seemingly brushing off the fact that Houston was 33-48 on the road this year.
This is a very young MLB club going into a hostile environment at Yankee Stadium with a hungry Bronx crowd that hasn't tasted the postseason since 2012.
The Astros managed to win four of their final six games (all on the road against the Mariners and Diamondbacks) to clinch a playoff spot, but a few weeks prior they were dominated by the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers on a 10-game road trip. They went 2-8.
But they did take two out of three from the Yankees in the Bronx in late August and are 4-3 against New York this season.
3. Performances from Dallas Keuchel and Masahiro Tanaka
Both of these men will make their postseason debuts and they'll be tasked with pitching their team through an elimination game.
Keuchel, 27, is arguably the frontrunner for the AL Cy Young award after finishing the 2015 regular season 20-8 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 216 strikeouts in 33 starts (232 innings).
The left-hander's split stats are something to keep an eye on. He's 5-8 with a 3.77 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 77 strikeouts in 15 road starts (102 2/3 innings), but he has absolutely dominated the Yankees this year - once in Houston and once in the Bronx. In those two outings he's 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 16 innings. He tossed a complete game shutout against the Bombers in Houston, but he'll be on short rest tonight.
As for Tanaka, his 2015 campaign has been solid despite all of his injury troubles. The right-hander is 12-7 with a 3.51 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 139 strikeouts in 24 starts (154 innings) and will look to earn his pinstripes in his first career postseason start at Yankee Stadium.
However, in one start against the Astros this season, Tanaka surrendered six earned runs on seven hits and two walks over five innings in Houston. He also has a worse ERA at home (3.71) than he does on the road (3.24).
2. The inexperience of both rosters
The Yankees have an inexperienced roster heading into the postseason?! What is this, 1992?
Believe it or not, they sort of do.
"Only four players on the Yankees' active roster played for the team in 2012 when they last made the postseason: Rodriguez, Gardner, Ivan Nova and Adam Warren. CC Sabathia would've been on the active roster, but he has left the team to enter alcohol rehabilitation."
Tanaka will be making his postseason debut along with Chase Headley, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, Dellin Betances and others. Sure, the Yankees do have Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann, but those players have never appeared in the playoffs with New York.
It'll be interesting to see how this new playoff dynamic works for the Yanks.
And as for Houston, only Jed Lowrie (18 games), Pat Neshek (11 games), Carlos Gomez (nine games) Evan Gattis (four games), Colby Rasmus (three games) and Luke Gregerson (one game) are among those playing important roles tonight that have appeared in the postseason, which makes for another good storyline.
1. The stamina of Andrew Miller, Dellin Betances and Dallas Keuchel as well as the health of Carlos Gomez
We're simply going down the list here.
Miller
The overworking of the Yankees top bullpen arms is no secret. Miller missed a month of action with a forearm strain and still appeared in 60 games (60 2/3 innings), and 15 1/3 of those innings game in the past month (240 pitches). He has pitched two innings or more only four times this season, and three of them have come in the Yankees' past nine games.
He still owns a stellar 2.04 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 100 strikeouts this season.
Betances
Betances looks at those stats above and haughtily chuckles. The right-hander led the MLB in innings pitched (84) for relievers and was 12th in games (74). He has also registered the most walks (40) among that group, and 30% of those came in the past month (12) likely due to his fatigue. He has struggled with his control and it'll be tough to experience such trouble against a good Astros lineup.
Nonetheless, he's still 6-4 with a 1.50 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 131 strikeouts in those 74 games (84 innings).
Keuchel
"Because the Astros needed that final weekend to secure the second AL Wild Card spot, they were unable to set up their rotation exactly the way they'd like to," writes Will Leitch of Sports on Earth. "Thus, Keuchel, the possible AL Cy Young Award winner, will have to pitch on three days' rest for the first time in his career."
This season was also Keuchel's first throwing over 200 innings (he threw exactly 200 in 2014), so there are a number of potential factors working against him. In fact, his worst start of the season game in mid-September, when he surrendered nine earned runs on 11 hits in 4 2/3 innings against the Rangers.
Gomez
The good news for Astros fans is that Gomez says he will play tonight after missing a lot of action down the stretch with an intercostal strain. The bad news is that nobody knows what to expect from him.
Gomez did not play from Sept. 13-26 and also missed the team's final four games of the year (he made five plate appearances in three games prior to that). Additionally, he has struggled since coming to Houston at the trade deadline and is batting just .242/.288/.383 with 19 runs scored, 4 home runs and 13 RBIs in 41 games.
Considering he's among those who have the most postseason experience on the team, the Astros will need him to be healthy and contribute if they hope to advance tonight. In three games against the Yankees this season he's 3-for-12 with three runs scored, one home run and four RBIs.
Tune in to ESPN at 8:00 p.m. ET tonight to watch the Yankees and Astros battle for a spot in the ALDS.
