The Cubs win Game 2 of the NLDS, 5 – 2, over the Giants at Wrigley Field by jumping on starter Jeff Samardzija for 4 runs over the first two innings. Starter Kyle Hendricks has to leave in the 4th after being hit on the forearm by a batted ball, but his successor, Travis Wood, becomes only the second relief pitcher in postseason history to hit a home run after Rosy Ryan in the 1924 World Series, going deep off George Kontos in the bottom of the 4th.

Game 1 of the NLDS between the Dodgers and Nationals features a match-up of aces – Clayton Kershaw vs. Max Scherzer – but neither lives up to his billing. Scherzer gives up a pair of homers to Corey Seager and Justin Turner, while Kershaw stumbles through five innings, allowing a slew of baserunners, but limiting the Nats to three runs. Those early scores stand up until the end of the game as Los Angeles comes out on top, 4 – 3. In the other NLDS, Johnny Cueto for the Giants and Jon Lester for the Cubs lock up in a scoreless pitchers’ duel until the bottom of the 8th, when Javier Baez hits a solo homer. Aroldis Chapman comes out to pitch the 9th, and while Buster Posey comes close to tying the game with a drive to the left-field wall, the Giants fail to score and go down, 1 – 0.

In Game 2 of the ALDS, Toronto hits four homers off Yu Darvish of the Rangers on its way to a 5 – 3 win. In the other ALDS, a three-run homer by Lonnie Chisenhall of the Indians is the key blow as the postseason struggles of Boston’s David Price continue. Price is chased after only 3 1/3 innings, while his opponent, Corey Kluber tosses seven scoreless innings as Cleveland wins, 6 – 0, to take a two-games-to-none lead.

It’s a battle of solo home runs in the other ALDS as Cleveland defeats Boston, 5 – 4. Andrew Benintendi, Sandy Leon and Brock Holt go deep for Boston, but the Indians reply with three solo blasts off Rick Porcello in the 3rd, by Roberto Perez, Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor. In a daring move, Terry Francona removes Trevor Bauer in the 5th inning in order to save him for a possible Game 4 start on short rest, and it works as relievers Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen give up only one run the rest of the way to preserve the win.

The Blue Jays score early and often in defeating the Rangers, 10 – 1, in Game 1 of the ALDS. They chase Cole Hamels in the 4th inning, by which time they are already up, 7 – 0, the big blow being a bases-loaded triple by Troy Tulowitzki. For his part, Marco Estrada is masterful, using a diet of change-ups to keep Texas off the scoreboard until the 9th.

2016 – Madison Bumgarner adds to his postseason legend by pitching a complete game shutout as San Francisco prevails over the Mets in the National League Wild Card Game, 3 – 0. Conor Gillaspie breaks a scoreless tie with a three-run homer off Jeurys Familia in the top of the 9th, negating a great start by Noah Syndergaard who had gone toe-to-toe with Bumgarner for the first seven innings.

2016 – The Blue Jays win the American League Wild Card Game, 5 – 2 in 11 innings over the Orioles. Edwin Encarnacion ends the game with a three-run homer with one out off Ubaldo Jimenez.

Unbeknownst at the time, Marlins outfielder Giancarlo Stanton will become the last player to be issued a four-pitch intentional walk when he gets a free pass in the top of the eighth inning off Nationals relief pitcher Reynaldo Lopez in Miami’s 10-7 loss in Washington. In an effort to speed up the game, the implementation of the strategic base-on-balls will become automatic next season, making it unnecessary to throw four balls out of the strike zone to walk a batter.

There are still three postseason slots to be attributed when all 15 games start simultaneously at 3:00 pm ET on the final day of the major league season. The Orioles are the first to clinch a wild card spot, defeating the Yankees, 5 – 2, behind a pair of homers by Matt Wieters. Next, the Giants defeat the Dodgers, 7 – 1, in the last game behind the mike for legendary broadcaster Vin Scully and they clinch the second NL wild card slot. The Tigers are then eliminated when they lose, 1 – 0, to the Braves. Finally, the Blue Jays hang on for a 2 – 1 win over the Red Sox that makes them the host the Wild Card Game while the Red Sox lose home field advantage to the Indians in the Division Series. Blue Jays starter Aaron Sanchez takes a no-hitter into the 7th in winning his 15th of the year and claims the AL ERA title in the process.