Baseball

The Detroit Tigers wrested away home-field advantage from the Oakland Athletics, winning Game 1 of the ALDS, 3-2, on Friday night in the O.co Coliseum.

The Tigers hit the ground running in the top of the first inning.

Austin Jackson led off with a double to right field. The next batter, Torii Hunter, was hit by a pitch from A's starter Bartolo Colon and got a free pass to first base.

The Associated Press' Janie McCauley noted Colon had not hit a batter the entire regular season.

The Atlanta Braves can exhale after their exhilarating 4-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday night tied the NLDS at 1-1.

Putting it another way, however, they'll need to take at least one of the next two games in L.A. to ensure that the series returns to the friendly confines of Turner Field.

One of the biggest questions for the Atlanta Braves heading into the postseason was whether the lack of experience in their starting rotation and the absence of a true "ace" would come back to bite them.

Postseason success can define a baseball player's career.

Without his three home runs in Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Reggie Jackson probably isn't remembered. Conversely, Alex Rodriguez is probably looked at more fondly if he made a better account of himself in the playoffs.

So who's going to be the hero of this postseason?

Mike Minor out-dueled Zach Greinke on Friday night, helping the Atlanta Braves tie the NLDS with a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of a raucous crowd at Turner Field. 

After giving up a first-inning RBI double to Hanley Ramirez, it appeared as though Minor was intent on repeating Kris Medlen's performance from Thursday night's 6-1 drubbing. 

If St. Louis Cardinals fans partied it up on Thursday night in celebration, it’s likely that on Friday night they’re hitting the bottle.

What happened at Busch Stadium Friday afternoon was the polar opposite of Game 1 of the National League Division Series between the Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Boston Red Sox rolled over the Tampa Bay Rays to kick off the American League divisional round with a bang on Friday.

Game 1 was a nightmare for the Rays, as they were battered, 12-2, behind 14 hits by the Red Sox and sloppy defensive play. They posted a grand total of four hits against Jon Lester and Co. while allowing seven different Red Sox players to register at least one RBI.

It took a collapse aided by chicken and beer, two managerial changes, one blockbuster trade involving a couple hundred million dollars in contracts and an offseason of signing free agents known as much for their character as their play, but the Boston Red Sox made a statement in their first playoff game since 2009. 

The Tigers traveled to Oakland to take on the A's in Game 1 of this ALDS matchup. The A's sent Bartolo Colon the hill with Max Scherzer on the bump for the Tigers.

The Tigers got to Colon early tonight, striking for three runs in the top half of the first inning. Colon has settled in since then, but three runs could be enough for Max Scherzer and the Tigers.

What Gerrit Cole did Friday afternoon in Game 2 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals is what every organization dreams of from a No. 1 overall draft pick.