2014 MLB Playoffs

The St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers pitted aces Clayton Kershaw and Adam Wainwright against each other in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. As practically no one expected, each pitcher was peppered, as the Cardinals emerged victorious by a score of 10-9.

Jake Peavy and the San Francisco Giants barely came away with a 3-2 victory in Game 1 against the Washington Nationals. Game 2 on Saturday promises to bring even more fireworks with a huge pitching duel.

Much like Friday's matchup, a veteran starter for the Giants will face off with a young hurler for the Nationals. Tim Hudson, 39, will do battle with Jordan Zimmermann, a 28-year-old who has one start in the postseason.

A riveting second day of the 2014 MLB playoffs saw both National League Division Series commence. The Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants went toe-to-toe, as Jake Peavy defeated Stephen Strasburg in a pitchers' duel. On the other side of the coin, the St.

The 2014 postseason was supposed to be Mike Trout's coming-out party. It was his chance to shine on the big stage and solidify his status among baseball's immortal talents.

It isn't over yet, but so far things aren't going swimmingly.

LOS ANGELES — To think you know baseball is to be a stupid, stupid fool. 

No one understands this game, or why things happen how they happen, particularly when everyone expects exactly the opposite. That is why you watch in October. That is why jaws can routinely be picked up off the floor with a snow shovel in the autumn.

It is why the sport is beautiful, because the seemingly impossible can always trump perfectly sound reason.

The San Francisco Giants did it again on Friday, winning another October game they weren't supposed to. In a tightly contested Game 1 of the National League Division Series, the Giants beat the top-seeded Washington Nationals on the road, 3-2, and earned their ninth straight postseason victory overall, dating back to 2012.

There might not be a better opening-round series in the MLB playoffs than the St. Louis Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

One thing that defines Major League Baseball's postseason is the unpredictable nature of the short series. Even though the regular season is built on three- and four-game series, it's harder to pin down what happens now because the separation between the best and worst teams is minimal. 

Tuesday's American League Wild Card Game will feature two extremely different teams as the Kansas City Royals host the Oakland Athletics.

Both teams will be backed by excellent starting pitchers, with "Big Game" James Shields going for KC and former Boston Red Sox star Jon Lester taking the hill for Oakland.

Aside from that, though, each club will rely on a unique set of strengths in order to move on and face the Los Angeles Angels in the AL Divisional Series.

One thing the Major League Baseball postseason teaches us is that after 162 games, we still don't know anything about this game that's so near and dear to our hearts. Looking at regular-season records and stats is only a guide, because once games start it's all up in the air.