The final eight is now set in the 2021 Major League Baseball playoffs. In the wildcard games, the Boston Red Sox defeated the New York Yankees 6-2 at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday in the American League Wildcard contest, and then on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Dodgers had a dramatic 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Wildcard contest from Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.
In the AL Wildcard, the Red Sox had a multi-hit game from left fielder Alex Verdugo of Tucson, AZ. In four at bats, Verdugo had one single, one double, and three runs batted in. He had a RBI double in the sixth inning, which scored Xander Bogaerts and put the Red Sox up 4-1. Then in the seventh inning, Verdugo hit a key two-out single that scored Kyle Schwarber and Enrique Hernandez. Verdugo and Hernandez were both teammates on the Dodgers for three years from 2017 to 2019. Hernandez also won a World Series with Los Angeles in 2020, before signing a two-year deal worth $14 million to join the Red Sox on February 2.
On the mound, the Red Sox received a solid outing from starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi, Despite the fact he did not pitch a full six innings to get the quality start, Eovaldi still only gave up one earned run in 5 1/3 innings, and had pinpoint control. He had eight strikeouts compared to zero walks.
In the National League Wildcard game on Wednesday, Chris Taylor of Virginia Beach, VA delivered the dramatic hit with a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, to break a 1-1 deadlock. It was the second home run of the game for Los Angeles as Justin Turner hit a home run in the fourth inning.
In the American League Divisional Series, the Red Sox will now play the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Chicago White Sox will face the Houston Astros. In the National League Divisional Series, the Dodgers will now play the San Francisco Giants, and the Atlanta Braves will face the Milwaukee Brewers.
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