What is it like to be at the microphone for an historic Twins win? That was something Cory Provus, the radio play-by-play voice for the Minnesota Twins had to consider on Wednesday evening at Target Field.
In fact, Provus says it is the best moment he's experienced since he came to Minnesota in 2012.
"I'm often asked about my favorite moments in the booth, and there have been some good ones over the years, Joe Mauer's last day, Brian Dozier with a memorable walk-off against the Tigers in 2015, but those last two games, those are top two on my list," explained Provus to WCCO's Adam and Jordana.
Provus says the joy he saw at Target Field this week was very much felt in the broadcast booth.
"As much fun as that was in terms of the actual job, the pure joy as I looked around Target Field, and the sense of euphoria that was all over the place," Provus said of the experience. "The crowd played a role. The players said as much afterwards."
It was special for Twins fans for sure. It was also very special to the voice you hear on WCCO Radio.
ALDS Ticket Update
If you want to see the Twins in the playoffs next week, now's your chance, but you better hurry.
The two Wild Card games at Target Field were declared sellouts by the Twins, but there were still plenty of empty seats throughout the ballpark, mainly in the upper reaches.
Now, there are tickets on sale for up to two more games at Target Field. Tuesday is guaranteed, it's Game 3 of the best-of-three division series. If necessary, game four is Wednesday. Visit twinsbaseball.com to try and grab some of the limited tickets that are available. Expect the two home games (if there are two) to sell out.
The Twins are also hosting watch parties at Target Field for the road games Saturday and Sunday in Houston. You can get more information on those here.
Pitching Update
Justin Verlander is scheduled to start for the Houston Astros against former teammate Carlos Correa and the Minnesota Twins in Game 1 of their AL Division Series on Saturday. Houston manager Dusty Baker made the announcement Thursday, adding that left-hander Framber Valdez will pitch Sunday night in Game 2.
The Twins just announced a Game 1 starter Friday afternoon. Bailey Ober will get the ball against Verlander. Pablo Lopez should be the Game 2 starter with Sonny Gray back for Game 3 in Minneapolis.
"Joe Ryan was going to start had there been a Game 3 on Thursday," said Provus, explaining why Ober gets the nod over Ryan. "He doesn't have great numbers against Houston, especially playing them in this ballpark. It's a home-friendly ballpark that really favors right handed hitters and it's a really short porch down the left field line. If you look at Joe Ryan, some of his home and road splits, he's pitched better at home."
Provus says not to dismiss Kenta Maeda in Game 1 pitching behind Ober early-on in the game.
The Twins did not face Valdez in 2023 and he's a ace-quality starter. But Verlander has absolutely tortured the Twins in his career, much of that while he was pitching in Detroit. He's 22-10 with a 2.76 career ERA and while he didn't pitch against the Twins this season (he was in New York with the Mets when they played Houston in April and May), Verlander pitched 14 scoreless innings against the Twins just last year when Houston was on the way to a World Series.
Verlander might be 40. He might be at the backend of his career. But he's on his way to the Hall of Fame and is going to be a major obstacle for the Twins in Game 1.
Wild Card Sweeps
After all four Wild Card Series ended in two-game sweeps Wednesday including the Twins beating Toronto while allowing only one run.
The Rangers went into Tampa and easily won two games to advance. Philly punched out Miami with ease. And Arizona beat Milwaukee in two, coming from behind in both games to advance.
Does that mean the expansion of the MLB Playoffs was a mistake? Not at all. It's likely just a coincidence. The games weren't all bad. The Brewers and Blue Jays played in tight games. And this is still far better than a one-and-done Wild Card format.
Only one of the eight Wild Card three-game series has gotten to game three so far. But that's taking away the excitement of the individual wins. Ask any Twins fan that was at Tuesday's or Wednesday's game if they were on edge or excited. Those two games were a blast and Toronto had plenty of chances to win. Minnesota just pitched better.
Divisional Matchups
Besides the Twins and Astros, there are some dynamite Division Series matchups.
The best of the bunch might be the Phillies and Braves. Atlanta is the World Series favorite right now and for good reason. They're loaded and they topped the NL East by 14 games over Philadelphia. But Philadelphia showed it is ready for prime time in their wins in the Wild Card and might be peaking. This should be a battle between two very good teams.
The other NL series pits the Dodgers against the Diamondbacks, another in-division matchup. LA easily took the West by 16 games over Arizona. This one is a mismatch on paper but anything can happen in the postseason, as LA knows all too well. And Arizona is suddenly battle-tested after coming from behind to win two games in the Wild Card. They could end up giving LA trouble thanks to a strong bullpen.
Last is the Orioles and Rangers. Baltimore won the East, the best division in baseball. But they're very young. And Texas won handily over the 99-win Rays in Tampa, the team that was on Baltimore's heels all summer in the AL East. Texas has a loaded lineup that should give Baltimore issues, but you don't win that division without talent and the Orioles have that.