The Postseason Is Epic — But It’s Better With Friends -

Regardless of your opinion on whether there are too many teams in the playoffs or not enough, there can be little argument that we have seen some fantastically exciting games so far in the Wild Card Series.

Whether it was Tarik Skubal‘s dominance for Detroit with a 14-strikeout performance in Game 1 against the Guardians, or Brayan Rocchio, a career .222 hitter, launching a go-ahead homer in the eighth inning with Cleveland facing elimination in Game 2.

Or maybe it was Garrett Crochet tying a century-old Red Sox record for the most strikeouts (11) in a postseason game.

Perhaps your highlight was the Manny Machado two-run homer while Dylan Cease, Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, and Robert Suarez combined for a shutout to level the Padres v Cubs series.

Or the mesmerising brilliance of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Blake Snell, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto to dismiss the Cincinnati Reds in just two games.

My highlight was in the Yankees v Red Sox game. In the five years before this season, Devin Williams was arguably the most feared relief pitcher in the game. He had a 1.70 ERA over 228 appearances, with 14.6 K/9. Only Emmanuel Clase ran him close.

On the whole, 2025 has been a year to forget. Maybe it was the Curse of Steinbrenner. Williams’ arrival at Yankee Stadium was part of the reason for the reversal of the outdated “no facial hair” policy.

The long-time Milwaukee Brewers closer has endured the worst season of his life, with six losses, four blown saves and an unsightly 4.64 ERA. He has allowed more runs this season than the last three years combined.

And so to Wednesday’s game. The Yankees were trailing in the series 1-0. Another loss and it’s pack-your-bags-and-go-home time. It’s top of the eighth, scores tied 3-3, Alex Bregman at the plate.

Capitulation by Williams might signify the end of his Yankees career after just one year, but he threw a scoreless inning, allowing his hitters, led by Jazz Chisholm, score the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth, setting the stage for a Thursday evening showdown.

It wasn’t the most flamboyant play of the Wild Card Series, but sometimes there is more to sport than just a flashy highlight.

As good as it was, the moment would have been better if I had been able to share it with friends, so this is a plea for you to come down to Passyunk on Saturday evening and watch some baseball.

If you haven’t been to one of MLB UK Clubhouse’s events, they are very informal and totally inclusive. It doesn’t matter if you are a newbie to the sport or a baseball nerd. It doesn’t matter which team you support or if you haven’t yet decided. And it really doesn’t matter if you roll up on your own or bring a bunch of mates, the guys and girls of MLB UK Clubhouse would love to see you.