Playoff Gameday Thread, #1: AL Wild-card

Jon Lester LHP, 0-0, N/A

James Shields RHP, 0-0, N/A

Coco Crisp - CF	Alcides Escobar - SS
Sam Fuld - LF	Norichika Aoki - RF
Josh Donaldson - 3B	Lorenzo Cain - CF
Brandon Moss - DH	Eric Hosmer - 1B
Josh Reddick - RF	Billy Butler - DH
Jed Lowrie - SS	Alex Gordon - LF
Stephen Vogt - 1B	Salvador Perez - C
Geovany Soto - C	Omar Infante - 2B
Eric Sogard - 2B	Mike Moustakas - 3B

The 2914 playoffs get under way, with the first game for Kansas City in living memory for some of you young SnakePitters - and, indeed, most of the players on the Royals roster this evening. Hell, I was in college the last time they ade the playoffs - but they only did it once, and were clearly experimenting. Whether we won't see them again until 2043, may be decided this afternoon, as the post-season gets under way with a "win or go home" contest. Lester has the better regular season numbers, going 16-11 with a 2.46 ERA, compared to Shields's 14-8 with a 3.21, but the A's limped into the wild-card spot, going 15-28 down the stretch.

As always in this kind of match-up, I think it'll be a close contest, and decided as much by how makes the fewest mistakes, as who actually plays the best. I fancy the A's to take it, simply because they have to live up to their usual standard, and go out in the Division Series. We'll see, as the 2014 MLB post-season gets under way. There's only one October. Or something...