American League Wild-Card Series: Guardians Knock Off Rays In Series Opener; Mariners Open First Postseason Since 2001 By Blanking Blue Jays In Toronto

 Major League Baseball's playoffs opened on Friday with the opening game of all four best-of-three series (with the higher-seeded team hosting all games), two of them in the American League.

At Progressive Field, Cleveland:

In the opening game of their series, Jose Ramirez smacked a two-run homer as the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians) held off the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 1-0.

At Rogers Centre, Toronto:

Cal Raleigh snacked a two-run opening-inning homer while pitchers Luis Castello and Andrea Munoz combined on a seven-hit shutout as the Seattle Mariners, in their first postseason contest since 2001, blanked the homestanding Toronto Blue Jays 4-0 in their series opener.