Quad-playoff game day thread

All eight playoff teams are in action today, in four staggered games. If you like October baseball, divisional round Friday is always fun. Unless one of those teams is the team you root for, and they lose, then it’s not quite as fun.

It was, for instance, not great to watch Cole Hamels get knocked around by the most un-American of teams left. The Jays are still somewhat American, as they’re located in North America, but that’s not how that phrase is usually interpreted. Not like it matters one way or the other, I’m just rambling on to make sure I hit the minimum word threshold for publishing. It probably shows. I’ll move on.

But other things were fun. For instance we all got to see something that hadn’t happened in nearly 70 years:

That’s amazing, or, it might be if it were true. Also in that game we got to watch Terry Francona take a flamethrower to traditional bullpen usage rules, perhaps his best reliever for a two inning stretch (not quite that unusual) in the 4th and 5th innings (quite unusual).

Here’s what’s on the schedule for this afternoon and tonight:

Root for whomever tickles your fancy, and discuss said rooting below. Or other off topic things, whatever. And above all beware of Giants Even Year B*******.