Fan News

Tuesday's American League Wild Card Game will feature two extremely different teams as the Kansas City Royals host the Oakland Athletics.

Both teams will be backed by excellent starting pitchers, with "Big Game" James Shields going for KC and former Boston Red Sox star Jon Lester taking the hill for Oakland.

Aside from that, though, each club will rely on a unique set of strengths in order to move on and face the Los Angeles Angels in the AL Divisional Series.

New York Yankees outfielder Carlos Beltran underwent surgery to repair an elbow injury that limited him to 109 games in 2014. 

The Yankees announced the news:

Beltran's first season as a member of the Yankees was a huge disappointment. The 37-year-old hit .233/.301/.402 in 109 games. His recovery timetable means he should be ready for spring training in February, barring any setbacks.    

Despite a 22-33 record over the past two months as well as injuries and inconsistency, the Oakland Athletics secured the second American League wild-card spot in the season’s final game.

One thing the Major League Baseball postseason teaches us is that after 162 games, we still don't know anything about this game that's so near and dear to our hearts. Looking at regular-season records and stats is only a guide, because once games start it's all up in the air. 

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one chance to get it right if they want to advance to the National League Division Series.

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.

It's playoff time in Major League Baseball. Since the adoption of a second wild card team in each league, there's also a greater sense of urgency when the postseason begins because you have only one game to get everything right.

There are a lot of myths surrounding playoff baseball, not the least of which is this idea of momentum. We've seen teams with 85 wins capture a World Series, so how much forward movement did those teams really have?

The MLB playoff bracket may not unify the nation for three weeks like the NCAA tournament bracket does in March, but it still represents one of the most exciting times on the entire sports calendar. 

The 2014 MLB regular season has been over for two days, meaning that the Wild Card Round is set to kick off and usher in the postseason for the 10 teams that earned the right to play October baseball.

What about the other 20 clubs that didn’t make the playoffs?

Well, there are certainly plans in place to improve the rosters on each of them with the idea that 2015 will be a better season. Some have longer to-do lists than others, but they all have the same goal—win it all next year.

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.