2012 – The Giants force a Game 7 in the NLCS by beating the Cardinals, 6 – 1, behind the pitching of Ryan Vogelsong, who wins for the second time of the Series. The Giants jump on Chris Carpenter for 5 runs in the first two innings to quickly put the game away. Vogelsong strikes out a career-high 9 batters, while Marco Scutaro is the offensive star with a two-run double in the 2nd inning.

The Red Sox select John Farrell as their new manager to replace fired Bobby Valentine, who let go the day after the season ended after piloting the club to a last-place finish in his only year in the Boston dugout. The team’s new skipper, who spent the previous two seasons managing the Blue Jays, is obtained from Toronto by sending infielder Mike Aviles north of the border as compensation for the opportunity to hire their former pitching coach.

After agreeing to pay $8 million of the remaining $21 million they owe to Heath Bell, the Marlins deal their disappointing closer to the Diamondbacks in a three-team trade in which Miami obtains 22 year-old minor league shortstop Yordy Cabrera, acquired by Arizona along with Cliff Pennington from the A’s for outfielder Chris Young. The 35 year-old right-handed reliever is expected to set up closer J. J. Putz, who earlier in the day had his $6.5 million option picked up by the D-Backs.

The Arizona Diamondbacks make a pair of trades, sending CF Chris Young to the Oakland A’s for SS Cliff Pennington and minor league infielder Yordy Cabrera, then flip Cabrera to the Miami Marlins for disgruntled high-priced reliever Heath Bell. But Bell may not be the D-Backs’ closer, as they also re-sign J.J. Putz to an extension for next season.

Tampa Bay reliever Fernando Rodney wins the American League Comeback Player of the Year Award, while Giants catcher Buster Posey wins the award in the National League.

The Giants extend the NLCS with a 5 – 0 win over the Cardinals in Game 5. Barry Zito pitches 7 2/3 innings and the bottom of the order drives in the key runs, with a two-run single by Brandon Crawford and Zito’s run-scoring bunt single in the 4th. Lance Lynn is the loser.

Rays closer Fernando Rodney is named the AL Comeback Player of the Year after the reliever establishes the all-time MLB mark with a 0.60 ERA and sets the franchise saves record with 48. Before playing for Tampa Bay, the 35 year-old right-hander struggled for two seasons with the Angels, saving just 17 games during his tenure with the Halos.

The Detroit Tigers complete a four-game sweep of the Yankees in the ALCS with an 8 – 1 win at home. The Tigers build a 6-0 lead after four innings, chasing CC Sabathia, as Max Scherzer cruises to the win. Delmon Young, who is named series MVP, drives in the winning run for the fourth straight game while the Tigers homer four times. The Yankees were thoroughly outplayed, never leading once in the four games, scoring only 6 runs and batting a mere .157.

The Cardinals take a 3-1 lead in the NLCS by beating the Giants, 8 – 3. The Cards break open a tight 2 – 1 game with a pair of runs against Tim Lincecum in the 5th, then add 2 runs in each of the next 2 innings to run away with the contest. Adam Wainwright is the winner.

2012 – Rain plays havoc with the postseason today, as Game 4 of the ALCS is postponed, and Game 3 of the NLCS is delayed by 3 1/2 hours. When the game is finally played, Matt Carpenter proves to be the unlikely hero for St. Louis. Taking over for an injured Carlos Beltran in the 2nd inning, he delivers a two-run home run in the 3rd to lead the Cardinals to a 3 – 1 win over San Francisco. Kyle Lohse is the winner over Matt Cain, while Jason Motte gets the save.