We now know the matchups for the 2020 American League Divisional Series. On Thursday, the Oakland Athletics defeated the Chicago White Sox 6-4 in game three of their first round series in northern California.
A major reason why Oakland beat Chicago came down to pitching. The White Sox had major issues with their control. White Sox pitchers had nine walks. Twice Matt Foster had a walk in the fourth inning when the bases were loaded, which brought home Oakland runs. Rookie catcher Sean Murphy of Peekskill, New York and first baseman Matt Olson of Atlanta, Georgia each got on base twice via the bases on balls.
Speaking of Murphy, the Athletics catcher put Oakland on the scoreboard with a two-run home run in the fourth inning after Chicago initially went up 3-0. The White Sox came back to tie the game at four, only to see Oakland take a 6-4 lead on a two-run RBI single by Athletics third baseman Chad Pinder of Richmond, Virginia in the fifth inning.
Oakland will now face the Houston Astros in one of the two American League Divisional Series, which will start Monday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The other ALDS matchup will see two teams from the American League East battle in San Diego. There, the New York Yankees will face the Tampa Bay Rays.
For many baseball fans, it is the League Divisional Series where the playoffs actually start. The first round was interesting, but having a best of three to determine a series winner could have been considered too short. Also, teams that make the playoffs deserve the opportunity to host one playoff game. That did not happen in the unique 2020 playoff.
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