Tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET the Kansas City Royals will play their first postseason game in 29 years when they host the Oakland Athletics in a one-game Wildcard Round playoff matchup on TBS. Live stream the game by clicking this link; Royals fans can hear the game on KCSP 610, while A's fans can find the radio broadcast on 95.7 FM The Game. James Shields will toe the rubber at Kauffman Stadium for the Royals against Jon Lester.
The A's are somewhat fortunate to be in this position after going 22-33 over the final two months of the year and nearly coughing up their playoff spot. The offense cratered after a trade deadline deal for their starter tonight, Jon Lester. Although the team struggled for wins since acquiring him, Lester has pitched well.
He is 6-4 with a 2.35 ERA in 11 starts for Oakland, and was brought in for moments just like these.
The Royals made a similarly controversial deal for their starter, Shields, two offseasons ago. The Royals traded away their top prospect, outfielder Wil Myers, for Shields and a failed starter named Wade Davis. Shields went 14-8 with a 3.31 ERA for the Royals while Davis was the most dominant middle reliever not named Dellin Betances.
A's manager Bob Melvin sees the similarity in the two deals both franchises made to snag their aces. "I think it's real similar to the Lester situation for us," Melvin said. "[Shields has] been here for a while longer, where Jon was kind of a hired gun brought in, he and Jonny Gomes with a couple of months left.
"I think their feeling amongst their team is probably going to be similar to the way that we feel based on his history in pitching in those games. There are certain guys that step up and embrace the pressure and embrace being in that situation, and you're talking about both the starting pitchers [Tuesday]."
Prediction: "Big Game" James Shields lives up to his billing and outpitches Lester against Oakland's star-less lineup, built more for regular season success than to conquer elite pitching.
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