When the Guardians and Rays match up for the first game of the postseason in Cleveland on Friday shortly after noon ET (a wickedly early first pitch time for a playoff game), those of us tuning in will see two teams with a lot in common.
Of the 12 teams in the playoff bracket, they’re the two with the fewest home runs. They own the lowest ERAs among the eight teams in the wild-card round. Cleveland manager Terry Francona is MLB’s longest-tenured manager by his current team, and Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash is right behind him in second place—and before Cash was hired by the Rays, he worked as Francona’s bullpen coach in Cleveland.
The Guardians (92–70) secured the No. 3 seed on the American League side of the bracket by winning the AL Central, while the Rays (86–76), losers of five straight to end the season, finished three games ahead of the Orioles to earn the sixth seed and final playoff berth.
