Will this MLB postseason and World Series champ come with an asterisk?
Sports Pulse: The MLB postseason has two losing teams in it. There was only a 60-game regular season. Does the 2020 World Series champion require an asterisk? Our MLB experts debate.
After four hard-fought games, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees meet in the winner-take-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series on Friday night at Petco Park in San Diego.
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports’ baseball experts see the game playing out:
Bob Nightengale: Yankees, 6-5 (10 innings) – The Yankees embrace the pressure while the Rays, who have advanced to the ALCS only once in franchise history, are reminded of their constant failures in these moments.
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Gabe Lacques: Rays, 8-6 – Gerrit Cole and Tyler Glasnow may start, but will not determine the outcome. And a Rays bullpen that was already deeper is now better rested, as the offense strikes early enough to avoid Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman pitching with a lead.
Jesse Yomtov: Rays, 5-3 – The Yankees signed Gerrit Cole for a game like this – but the resilient Rays were also built for such a moment. Tyler Glasnow and a cavalcade of Tampa Bay relievers keep the Yankees’ offense in check, with the Rays’ bats breaking through in the middle innings.
Scott Boeck: Rays, 4-3 – Tyler Glasnow will prove too much even against the Yankees’ mighty offense. The Rays bullpen will close it out winning a tight ballgame.
Chris Bumbaca: Yankees, 8-5 – Both starting pitchers give some length while the lineups slightly ding them, before the bullpens let this series finish justly: a home-run barrage. Giancarlo Stanton – did you know he’s from southern California? – goes deep at a key moment.
