Game Recap

Johnny Cueto and Jon Lester engaged in an epic pitchers' duel Friday night at Wrigley Field, but Javier Baez snapped the scoreless deadlock in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the National League Division Series with a solo home run to hand the Chicago Cubs a 1-0 win over the San Francisco Giants.  

The Cubs' official Twitter account offered a glimpse at the game's defining moment: 

The Los Angeles Dodgers didn't receive a sterling performance from starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw in Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Friday, but a couple of home runs and a strong bullpen effort allowed the NL West champions to sneak out a 4-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night.  

Lonnie Chisenhall's three-run home run and Corey Kluber's fantastic start carried the Cleveland Indians to a 6-0 victory and 2-0 lead over the Boston Red Sox in the American League Division Series. 

A pitcher's duel between Johnny Cueto and Jon Lester was likely to come down to one mistake, and Chicago Cubs second baseman Javier Baez was the one capitalize on that lone slip-up.

Baez's solo home run with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning was the only scoring in Game 1 of the National League Division Series, a 1-0 win for the Cubs over the visiting San Francisco Giants.

The Toronto Blue Jays moved within one victory of reaching the American League Championship Series with a 5-3 victory over the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the division series on Friday at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.

Troy Tulowitzki hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and the Jays never relinquished the lead, though there was plenty of drama over the final three innings. J.A. Happ, who went 20-4 in the regular season, picked up the win after giving up just one run over five innings of work.

FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles Dodgers 4 - 3 Washington Nationals

Although Clayton Kershaw didn't exude his usual excellence Friday, the Dodgers still seized Game 1 of the National League Division Series road matchup against the Nationals.

Kershaw carefully navigated his way through five innings. He allowed three runs, but the Dodgers tagged Nationals ace Max Scherzer for four behind early home runs from Corey Seager and Justin Turner.

The Texas Rangers won more games than any other team in the American League this season, but after losing 10-1 at home to the Toronto Blue Jays they suddenly have their backs to the wall. Winning Game 2 of the American League Division Series just became an absolute must, and the Rangers are turning to a pitcher who was just getting hot as the regular season ended.

The Cleveland Indians are attempting to match the Cavaliers by bringing a championship to their city in 2016.

The Toronto Blue Jays took a 1-0 lead in the 2016 American League Division Series with a 10-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Thursday in Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. 

Marco Estrada pitched a gem for the Blue Jays. He stymied the Rangers offense over 8.1 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits and striking out six batters.

Former MLB reliever LaTroy Hawkins thought Estrada's changeup was particularly effective:

The San Francisco Giants' even-year magic continued Wednesday with a 3-0 victory over the New York Mets in the National League Wild Card Game.

Madison Bumgarner thwarted the Mets lineup with a complete-game shutout, and Conor Gillaspie shared the glory with a three-run homer in the ninth inning against New York's closer, Jeurys Familia. San Francisco is attempting to add another World Series title to its resume after championships in 2010, 2012 and 2014, and the win in Citi Field was the first step.