The 2024 MLB Playoffs are in full swing as USA Baseball alumni are taking over the Divisional Series round! Over forty players are on Divisional Series rosters and every USA Baseball national team is represented in the postseason. Catch up with all the action and see which USA Baseball alumni are making an impact for their team!
TIGERS VS. GUARDIANS
Eight years after making its seventh franchise World Series appearance, Cleveland once again finds itself playing deep into October, as the Guardians downed the Detroit Tigers in five games, 3-2, in the American League Division Series. Key to this run was a clutch showing from 2013 18U National Team alum Lane Thomas, Cleveland’s center fielder who batted .316 and slugged .632 in the ALDS. Thomas notched a pair of multi-hit games, drove in nine runs over five games, and belted a go-ahead grand slam in a must-win Game 5. On the other side of the ball, Hunter Gaddis (2017 CNT) provided the pitching Cleveland needed, tossing four quality innings in four relief appearances. Gaddis owned a 2.25 ERA and a 1-0 record after earning the win in a 1.2 inning shutout performance in Game 4.
Meanwhile, 2018 18U National Team alum Riley Greene played a vital role in powering Detroit’s gritty postseason run, batting .294 in the ALDS. Greene collected a hit in four games of the five-game set, including a strong 2-for-3 day in Game 4. 2018 and 2019 Collegiate National Team alum Spencer Torkelson contributed four base knocks and three extra-base hits in the series, highlighted by a 2-for-4 performance in Game 5. After a challenging outing in Game 1, 2017 Collegiate National Team alum Tyler Holton found his stride and tossed 4.1 innings over the final three games of the series, allowing only three hits and striking out five. Justyn-Henry Malloy (2015 15U National Team) went 3-for-5 in the series while Jace Jung (2021 CNT) made a pair of pinch-hit appearances and tallied an RBI.
ROYALS VS. YANKEES
The battle between the New York Yankees and the Kansas City Royals saw plenty of former Team USA members partake, which resulted in the Yankees defeating the Royals and securing the series, 3-1. In Game 1, the Royals’ pitching duo of Michael Wacha (2011 CNT) and Michael Lorenzen (four-time alum), and New York’s Gerrit Cole (2009 & 2010 CNT) took center stage, combining for 10 total strikeouts in the series opener. MJ Melendez (2016 18U) and Garrett Hampson (2015 CNT) of the Royals both delivered two RBIs, which was trumped by Yankees’ Alex Verdugo (2010 14U) and his go-ahead RBI in the bottom of the seventh frame.
Game 2 saw the Royals even the series at one game apiece thanks to Hampson’s RBI single, which ignited a four-run outburst in the fourth for the Royals. Despite dropping in Game 2, New York’s Carlos Rodon (2012, 2013 CNT) was immaculate on the bump, tossing 3.2 innings and racking up seven strikeouts in the 4-2 loss. Meanwhile, two-time USA Baseball alum Giancarlo Stanton (2013, 2017 Pro) played hero in Game 3 for the Yankees. With the score locked at two runs each going into the eighth frame, Stanton launched a solo homer to give New York the lead and ultimately the win. After the home run, Lorenzen came in relief for the Royals and posted a scoreless, hitless frame. After going up 2-0 in Game 4, Stanton tacked on an insurance run in the top of the sixth. Cole secured the win from his perch on the bump, tossing seven innings of one-run baseball. Throughout the entirety of the series, USA Baseball alum accounted for 44 percent of total runs.
PADRES VS. DODGERS
In a California showdown, Los Angeles topped San Diego in a series that came down to a winner-take-all Game 5. Mookie Betts, one of the league’s best and a 2023 WBC participant, showcased his talents with back-to-back first-inning jacks in Games 3 and 4. 2005 16U alum and 2006 18U alum Freddie Freeman batted .286 in four games for Los Angeles while Will Smith (2023 Pro) caught all five games for L.A. In a crucial, must-win Game 4, Smith scored twice, drove in a pair of runs, and launched a mammoth 432-foot homer. Team USA alumni started back-to-back games for the Dodgers, as Jack Flaherty (2013 18U) got the nod in Game 2, surrendering five hits and four runs scattered across 5.1 innings. Meanwhile, 2014 Collegiate National Team alum Walker Buehler made his postseason debut in Game 3, lasting five taxing innings.
For San Diego, 2009 18U National Team alum Manny Machado kicked off the National League Divisional Series with a bang, scratching a pair of runs across in Game 1 after tagging a 1-2 offering deep to left center field for a two-run bomb. He finished the series with four hits, including a 2-for-4 performance in Game 3. Kyle Higashioka (2023 Pro) was San Diego’s everyday backstop, collecting at least one base knock in three games, highlighted by a 387-foot solo home run in Game 2. Jason Adam (2023 Pro) made three appearances out of the bullpen for San Diego and dealt, hurling 3.1 frames in which only one run was conceded. Jake Cronenworth (2019 Pro) notched a 2-for-3 performance in Game 3 and added a triple to his resume in Game 4.
METS VS. PHILLIES
Team USA alumni made their presence felt in the NLDS between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, which saw the Mets advance to their first NLCS since 2015 after taking down the Phillies, 3-1. Two-time USA Baseball alum and Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor and 2014 15U National Team member Mark Vientos were at the forefront of the Mets’ offensive efforts. The duo nabbed five RBIs each, driving in nearly 50 percent of New York’s runs in the series, which was highlighted by Lindor’s game-winning grand slam in Game 4 that lifted his team over Philadelphia and to the NLCS. Vientos, along with 2023 World Baseball Classic alum Pete Alonso, led the Mets in homers with two apiece while Jesse Winker (2011 18U) slapped a home run himself in Game 3. On the defensive side of the plate, David Peterson (2016 CNT) made two appearances on the mound for New York and tossed 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball, while Ryne Stanek (2011 & 2012 CNT) saw action in two games and yielded one run in 2.1 frames.
Opposite of the Mets, USA Baseball alumni drove in a whopping 83 percent of runs for the Phillies. Two-time alum Kyle Schwarber (2013 CNT, 2023 Pro) cranked a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning in Game 1 and JT Realmuto (2023 Pro) crossed the plate in the same game after drawing a walk. Game 2 was fueled purely by former Team USA members, as all seven runs scored as a result of past alumni. Bryce Harper (2008 16U & 2009 18U) and Nick Castellanos (2009 18U) both smacked homers while Bryson Stott (2018 CNT) and Realmuto each collected RBIs to take the victory in Game 2. Harper and Castellanos each added another RBI to their totals in Game 3, allowing them to account for half of the Phillies’ total runs throughout the series.
The 2024 MLB Playoffs continue with American/National League Championship series action, beginning on Sunday, October 13. Be sure to follow @USABaseball on all social media to keep up with Team USA alums in the postseason!
