ICYMI: 5 takeaways from the divisional round
And then there were four.
All division series wrapped up Thursday after a thrilling week of baseball that included star performances, thrilling walk-offs, and signature moments that will live on for franchises and fans for years to come.
With the American League Championship Series set to open Friday, lets look back at five takeaways from the games that got us here:
Kershaw finally gets his big playoff moment
Kershaw entered the postseason with a very un-Clayton-like 4.59 ERA in the playoffs, but he leaves the division series with one of the most memorable moments of his career. The Dodgers ace, who won Game 1 but allowed eight runs over two starts in the NLDS, picked up a two-out save two days after throwing 110 pitches in Game 4. Kershaw's improbable relief appearance in Thursday's winner-take-all not only landed him in elite company - he's the first starter to come back on one day's rest in the playoffs since Mark Buehrle in 2005 - it earned the Dodgers a ticket to the NLCS, and a rewrite on the lefty's unflattering postseason legacy.
Baez is electric
Javier Baez had his official coming out party in the NLDS against the Giants. The 23-year-old second baseman dazzled with his absurd athleticism defensively, and paced the Cubs offense at the plate. Baez was essential in two wins in the series, hitting the game-winning homer in the Cubs 1-0 win in Game 1, and driving in the eventual game-winning run in the Game 4 series clincher. Baez finished the NLDS 6-for-16 with a home run, two RBIs, and four runs scored.
Blue Jays are still drama Kings
The Blue Jays have become must-see TV. One year removed from the bat flip, this collection north of the border has that same flair for the dramatic. Edwin Encarnacion's walk-off homer in the wild-card game set the tone, and now the offense that was nowhere to be found in September has awoken. The Blue Jays walked into Texas and demolished the Rangers' best two pitchers before returning home to put the stamp on the series in truly dramatic fashion as Josh Donaldson sprinted home to score the winning run in extras in a series walk-off.
Francona, Roberts are the anti-Showalter
Indians skipper Terry Francona and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts may have learned from Buck Showalter's mistake. After the Orioles All-Star closer Zach Britton remained unused in Baltimore's extra-innings loss in the wild-card game, Francona and Roberts deplored a much different way of using their top relievers. Andrew Miller was brought into the sixth and seventh innings of Game 1, and sixth and seventh inning of Game 3 to stymie the Red Sox offense, while Roberts went to Kenley Jansen in the seventh inning of Game 5 for the first time this year and let his closer throw a career-high 51 pitches.
Pitchers really can hit
Fans of the National League rejoice, as your cries for keeping the DH away from the senior circuit were justified as pitcher's proved they are more than capable of swinging a hot bat. Kyle Hendricks, Travis Wood, and Jake Arrieta combined to go 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBIs against the Giants. Matt Moore, Rich Hill, and Clayton Kershaw also picked up division series hits.