Baseball playoffs opened with a Guardians 2-1 victory over the Rays, a game that turned back the clock. Cleveland and Tampa Bay finished their game in just two hours and 17 minutes, which is the quickest postseason game since 1999. It is also the first time an MLB playoff game finished in under 2:20 since 2006.
The recipe for a game that short is good starting pitching and few offensive rallies, which is exactly what happened. Both the Guardians’ Shane Bieber and the Rays’ Shane McClanahan pitched at least seven innings, and each team only used one reliever in addition to their starter.
ESPN noted on the broadcast that last postseason, there was not a game played where both teams had their starters go seven innings.
As for the runs, all three runs were scored on home runs, first a solo shot by Jose Siri of the Rays then a two-run home run by José Ramírez for Cleveland.
These two teams specialize in pitching as they were both in the top six this season in team ERA. However, both the Guardians and the Rays struggled to score this year compared to the rest of the playoff field, so it is no surprise that this was the series that featured the quick-paced game.
