How about those Miami Marlins

How about those Miami Marlins? They just didn’t figure to get this far, not after being beset by a coronavirus outbreak early in the season that forced 18 players from the filed following the opening series in Philadelphia, and prevented them from playing for more than a week while several of their virus-affected players had to remain in Philly. No, they just didn’t appear be a playoff team.

But after finishing second in the National League East at 31-29, here they are, manager Don Mattingly’s team in the NL best-of-five division series after ousting the Chicago Cubs in the best-of-three wild card series, 5-1 and 2-0, played at Wrigley Field in the Windy City.  It was the first playoff series won by Miami in 17 years. Last year it lost 105 games, so this became the first time a team has made the playoffs after losing 100 or more games regular-season contests.

Now the Marlins meet up in the best-of-five NL division series against the Atlanta Braves in Houston starting Tuesday. In the other NL Division series, it will be the San Diego Padres facing the state-rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the team with the best record in these playoffs, and that will be in Arlington, Tex., at the Rangers’ home field. San Diego lost the opener against the St. Louis Cardinals then won the next two, 11-9 and 4-0, to advance in the playoffs for the first time in 22 years.

The Padres finished second to the Dodgers in the NL West, but rallied against the Cards to move on and face LA  again. The Braves, the NL East champion, swept the Cincinnati Reds in two games. In the American League, the Oakland Athletics, playing at home, dropped game one to the Chicago White Sox then took the next two, 10-8 and 6-4.Then there was the New York Yankees sweeping the Cleveland Indians in Cleveland, and now lined up against AL East winner Tampa Bay in Arlington.

Mattingly is happy to be where he is. The former Yankee star first baseman is with a franchise that now includes another former Yankee great, Derek Jeter, as its CEO.

Said Mattingly: “The one thing that we talked about all year was why not us?” We this kind of pitching, we can do anything. You feel like you’ve got a good shot at kind of stopping almost anybody if your make pitches.”