Finally, October has arrived.

Starting tonight and going all the way through potentially October 31st, there will be all the heart-pumping, nail-biting, champagne-popping excitement you could ever imagine. It’s postseason time, and it begins tonight with the Cubs and Brewers.

You can find a preview for the NL Wildcard game here. I, however, will be tackling the AL Wildcard with pitching match-ups, what to expect, and, most importantly, predictions

And off we go.

Pitching Match-ups

Yankees: Luis Severino

The Yankees will be throwing their ace, Luis Severino. Severino hasn’t been much of an ace since July, but he’s put together a very solid total his last three starts, Severino has pitched 17.2 innings allowing just four earned runs, translating to a 2.04 ERA. New York will be looking to count on his recent success tomorrow night in the must-win game.

Severino had a terrible Wildcard start last year when he went just 0.1 of an inning vs. the Twins and allowed 3 runs. However, Severino did seem to cool down in his final three starts of the postseason (one vs. Cleveland, two vs. Houston).

Athletics: Liam Hendriks

The A’s, meanwhile, will bullpen this game out. Some were expecting August trade acquisition Mike Fiers to take the ball here, but that is clearly not the case unless we see Fiers out of the ‘pen. Hendriks has only 24.0 innings under his belt with a 4.13 ERA. We will likely see him open up the game, pitch a few innings (assuming he does well), and then hand the ball off to the bullpen.

Hendriks has been impressive of late, not allowing a run in 11 straight performances. The splits, though, may show something a little more concerning. Hendriks has a stellar 1.88 ERA at home, compared to a massively inflated 7.45 ERA away from O.Co Coliseum. Will these numbers bite Hendriks? Only one way to find out.

What to Expect

Home Runs

And a ton of them. The Yankees, as you may know, broke the single-season team home run record, blasting a grand total of 267 long balls. This obviously lead the league while Oakland isn’t afraid to power-up themselves, either. They finished third in baseball with 227 homers, led by the MLB home run leader Khris Davis and other plus hitters like Matt Chapman and Stephen Piscotty. An offensive match-up between Davis, Chapman and Piscotty vs. the Yankees’ Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Didi Gregorius will definitely be fun to watch.

Bullpen Arms

The A’s are already “bullpenning” by throwing Hendriks and backing that up with their nasty cavalry of arms coming out of the ‘pen. The Yankees have a very good, if not better, pen as well and I wouldn’t be surprised if Severino is on a short leash and the Yankees opt for the bullpen early and often. This game will probably come down to the pen and it’ll be a battle of wits for both squads.

Prediction

All in all, this game is really in anyone’s hands. The A’s can win this game with their bullpen and firepower just like the Yankees can with theirs. What it will come down to, however, the home field advantage is where the Yankees have the edge. The A’s may have success on the road, but the Yankees dominate at home with a 53-28 record. The Yankees also fare well against good teams with a 41-30 mark against teams above .500. Severino will do what he has to do for 3-5 innings before handing the ball off to Green, Robertson, Betances, Britton and Chapman, sending the Yankees to Boston for a date with the Red Sox.