MSN

Oakland Athletics first baseman Brandon Moss hit a two-run home run during the first inning of the American League Wild Card Game against the Kansas City Royals.

Moss wasn't done with just one. He went deep again, this time a three-run shot in the sixth inning to give Oakland a 5-3 lead. 

[TBS, Vine]

Everyone loves the "Boom Goes the Dynamite" video clip circa 2005. Everyone, with the exception of some New York Yankees fans, loves Pedro Martinez. Put those two together, and magical things can happen.

There is certainly some truth to the idea that pitching wins championships, but a top-flight offense can go a long way in helping a team get that far. Without some offensive firepower, it's awfully hard to reach October to begin with.

With the 10-team postseason field set and things set to kick off Tuesday night with the American League Wild Card Game between the Oakland Athletics and Kansas City Royals, postseason baseball has officially arrived here in 2014.

Having a breakout season is a challenge for most players. Pulling it off in the postseason, when playing time is limited and every next play could potentially determine the season, is another story.

However, every year there are players who do just that, as they go from little-known prospects or under-appreciated veterans to playoff heroes and household names seemingly overnight.

With the playoff games set to begin Tuesday night, it’s time to preview some of the players who appear primed for a breakout performance this October.

Here's something that might sound weird coming from a guy who's supposed to know baseball:

I have no idea who's going to win the 2014 World Series.

Of course, I will make a pick at some point. What the heck. Everyone else does. But picking a winner this year presents a unique challenge. One that, as we'll get into later, hasn't come around in a while.

If Major League Baseball's postseason means one thing, it's the opportunity to pick the winner of each series and determine ahead of time which team will be crowned World Series champs.

OK, the actual results matter too, but that doesn't make predictions any less fun. Which is why you're inexplicably drawn by the lure of finding out how everything is (possibly maybe perhaps) going to play out, even if Tuesday merely marks the official start of the 2014 playoffs as the Kansas City Royals host the Oakland Athletics in the American League Wild Card Game at 8 p.m. ET on TBS.

New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter's final career games will wrap up in Boston's Fenway Park, and so far Red Sox Nation has shown nothing but class toward the Captain. 

In his second-to-last game, the Boston crowd gave Jeter a standing ovation on his way to the plate for his first at-bat. 

Derek Jeter might have given the New York Yankees a memorable moment with a walk-off single in his last-ever home game, but manager Joe Girardi is still not happy about the season.

While the rest of the baseball world was focused on the tribute to the future Hall of Fame shortstop, Girardi kicked off Thursday night's home finale with an angry tirade at the team after a disappointing year.

Derek Jeter's final series as a member of the New York Yankees could end with a whimper. The soon-to-be retired star was taken out in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against Boston at Fenway Park for undisclosed reasons. 

With the regular season coming to an end in a matter of days and the postseason set to begin next week, every playoff team will soon be forced to make difficult decisions regarding its roster.

The number of players a team can roster will drop from the 40 previously allowed in September back to the standard 25 next month. As a result, teams will craft their postseason rosters based on their own strengths as well as the perceived weaknesses of their upcoming opponent.