Game 162: Twins at Royals

First Pitch: 2:10 pm CDT

TV: Bally Sports North

Radio: WCCO 830 / The Wolf 102.9 FM / TIBN / Audacy

Sunday, SUNDAY SUNDAY!

There is so much going on today, and not just in baseball, as some of you may already be dialed into Vikings/Browns. While this game has no playoff implications, you won’t have to look far to find ones that do.

Each Game 162 will be starting within a few minutes of this one, so if you have channel-flipping capabilities, MLB Network, or multiple tabs open to MLB.com, it will be worth your time to dance around a bit.

The National League West is still undecided, as the San Francisco Giants hold a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers with one left to play. A Game 163 for the division would be set up with a Giant loss and Dodger win; whoever fails to claim the division will host the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Game.

Meanwhile, the American League Wild Card race has gone fully haywire. At the start of play today, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees each enter with 91-70 records. Behind them, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, each at 90-71. The boring version involves losses by Toronto and Seattle, which will knock each team out of contention and set up the BOS/NYY Wild Card Game.

Losses from both current Wild Card stakeholders, as well as victories from the Jays and M’s, would introduce a four-way tie, which somehow isn’t as complicated as any of the three-way tie scenarios, should one of Boston/New York win and the other three wind up evening their records.

The stakes are high for all four. Boston has been hanging on since slipping out of pole position in the East. The Yankee finish could have managerial implications. Toronto’s young offensive core is just getting started, but they honed in on this season and next after acquiring Jose Berrios. The Mariners, of course, haven’t sniffed the playoffs in 20 years, and kept themselves alive with a thrilling comeback win over the Angels yesterday.

All this to say, unless Charlie Barnes throws a no-hitter here, there may not be a whole lot of Minnesota in the news this evening. Nonetheless, we’re gathered here today to send off the 2021 season, a year that started with a whimper and can hopefully end with a bang.

GO TWINS GO!