Former Pirate Travis Ishikawa (?) hits walk-off homer as Giants advance to World Series

Travis Ishikawa hit a three-run, walk-off homer to lead the Giants to a decisive victory over the Cardinals and clinch a spot in the World Series alongside the Royals.

If you need any proof that the postseason is mostly just a bunch of incredibly enjoyable but ultimately arbitrary events, well, here it is. Ishikawa opened the season as the left-handed half of the Pirates' first base platoon, and the Bucs dropped him when they traded for Ike Davis. Most of us had no interest in Ishikawa while he was in Pittsburgh and couldn't have cared less that he left. He ended up with San Francisco (just imagine if he'd accepted the Pirates' outright assignment instead!) and posted 0.5 WAR for the season, raising his career total to 2.1. And here he is ending the Cardinals' season.

Speaking of which, it's good to see the Cardinals heading home, not only because they're the Cardinals, but also because I can't even imagine the bad writing an all-Missouri World Series would have inspired. Baseball's different here in the heartland! 1985 called, and it wants its World Series back! And so on. Anyway, now the narrative will be ... well, the Royals. And the fact that both World Series teams are Wild Card winners, which goes to show that if you can just make it to the playoffs, you've got a shot.