This week in postseason baseball

October 21st, 2021

The postseason is here. This is when baseball's greatest stars come out to shine and the role players can become immortal heroes. Each pitch, each swing, each ground ball is loaded with importance. But we understand that even if you want to watch every second of action, you may not be able to. So, we're here to get you all caught up with the five most fun moments from the last week in baseball.

1. Dancing on their own

No one thought that the Red Sox would have made it to the ALCS this year -- especially after finishing last in the AL East in 2020. While you could point to stars like Rafael Devers or players like Kiké Hernández going supernova, we know the real reason: Robyn's iconic song, "Dancing on my Own." They picked up the jam thanks to backup catcher Kevin Plawecki's almost constant playing of it. They were even spotted shouting out the lyrics in the clubhouse after defeating the Rays in the ALDS:

Then, on Sunday, members of the team were in attendance at the Patriots' NFL game in nearby Foxboro. Naturally, the Pats put "Dancing on my Own" over the loudspeakers and infielder Christian Arroyo let loose.

2. The swords

The Braves won the first two games of the NLCS against the Dodgers with walk-off hits. So, when the players raced out onto the field to celebrate, there was one sight you may not have expected: Braves outfielder Guillermo Heredia swinging pink plastic swords.

You can thank Instagram for the inspiration.

"It was something comical, to be honest. It was a guy that I had been following for a long time on Instagram and he started doing the sword thing, so after a while I just decided to implement that into my routine, as well," Heredia said.

"The first day I took them out to the field, obviously a lot of guys were laughing and everyone was sort of asking, 'What's with the swords?'" Heredia added. "And I just told them, 'Hey, this is part of our celebration now, so kind of get used to it.'"

3. Caturday night fever

Game 1 of the NLCS was on a Saturday. Why is that important? Well, that's because Dodgers pitcher Tony Gonsolin treats those days as "Caturday" and makes sure to wear a cat T-shirt under his uniform. Because this was the postseason, he took it up another notch. Gonsolin came out in a unique pair of cat cleats complete with fake fur on them.

Expect to see these on the nearest runway soon.

4. What time is it?

Thought wristwatches were a thing of the past now that we've all got small computers in our front pockets? Well, think again -- at least if Carlos Correa's celebrations have anything to say about it. When the Astros' shortstop hit the eventual game-winning home run in Game 1 of the ALCS, he paused at home plate, dropped his bat, and mimed looking at his watch before rounding the bases.

Forget a mic drop -- this was so much better.

5. Whoops

Baseball is a weird game. Sometimes it's about power, like when a guy hurls a 95 mph fastball or hits three home runs in a single game -- like Chris Taylor did.

Sometimes it's about skill, like when a player makes a great leaping catch or unleashes an absolutely perfect throw. And then, sometimes, it's just simple luck. In Thursday's must-win game against the Braves, the Dodgers' Cody Bellinger hit a little blooper into right-center field for a single. But when it came off his bat, he assumed he'd popped out.

Once he was standing safely on first base, he revealed that he was pretty confused about it, too.