Baseball

If the San Francisco Giants continue their even-year magic in 2016, they will likely look back on Monday as one of the craziest games in their journey. 

The 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Series champions kept their dreams alive with a 6-5 victory over the Chicago Cubs in a 13-inning thriller at AT&T Park. Chicago still leads the National League Division Series 2-1, but Joe Panik played the role of hero with a game-winning blast off the wall that scored Brandon Crawford. 

He was supposed to be wiping champagne from his eyes, rather than tears.

It was supposed to end that way for David Ortiz. Not this way.

That's what I thought. That's what we all thought.

Although the season didn't end as planned, the Boston Red Sox enjoyed a fantastic 2016 campaign, with one of the highlights being a high-powered offense that provided three players with 30 or more home runs and 100 or more RBI for the first time in franchise history, per MLB Stat of the Day.

The Washington Nationals own a 2-1 lead in their National League Division Series after an 8-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Monday.

Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth delivered in a big way, going 3-for-4 with two runs batted in and two runs scored.

Werth and the Washington offense delivered as starter Gio Gonzalez lasted only 4.1 innings. The veteran left-hander exited after surrendering three earned runs on four hits and one walk. He struck out four.

It took a little more than five hours, but the San Francisco Giants managed to hold off elimination for at least one night.

Joe Panik's double off the right field wall in the bottom of the 13th scored Brandon Crawford, who had doubled to lead off the inning, to give the Giants a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs in a game that saw both teams rally late to force extra innings.

There was maximum tension in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Boston Red Sox twice stayed alive with two outs and two strikes, but they could not push the tying run home, and the Cleveland Indians emerged with a 4-3 victory to sweep their American League Division Series.

Travis Shaw popped out to right field on a 3-2 pitch with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Lonnie Chisenhall settled under the ball to seal the Indians' victory.

With one division series having already wrapped up in a sweep and two other teams facing a similar fate on Monday night, the matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals looks to be the most compelling series as we kick off the second week of MLB playoff action.

The Dodgers took Game 1 by a score of 4-3, with Corey Seager and Justin Turner both homering and Kenley Jansen throwing 1.2 scoreless innings for the save.

Sunday's American League Division Series Game 3 between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians at Fenway Park was postponed because of heavy rain in Boston, so the teams will meet Monday night with the first pitch scheduled for 6:08 p.m. ET. Now, the Red Sox and Indians know which team awaits them in the American League Championship Series—the Toronto Blue Jays.

One division series is already in the books, and two more could end Monday in a loaded day of action in the MLB playoffs.

The Toronto Blue Jays were the first team to earn a spot in the American League Championship Series with their walk-off win over the Texas Rangers. The Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians, both up 2-0 in their respective series, have a chance to move on to the next round by the end of the night.

Many in baseball circles believe that Game 3 of a division series is most important. It makes sense, really.

A Game 3 has one of two scenarios attached to it: Either a team faces an elimination game or has the opportunity to force one.