Ian Happ was down, but he wasn't out. Now, the Cubs are headed to the (virtual) postseason.
Happ clinched one of eight playoff spots in the MLB The Show Players League on Monday night. Happ, the Cubs' representative in the MLB-wide video game league, won 12 of his final 14 games (out of 29 total) to finish 19-10.
Playoff games will be aired on ESPN, ESPN2 and FS1 from May 1-3. The quarterfinal and semifinal rounds are a best-of-three, while the championship series is a best-of-five. All games are three innings long.
The league champion will win a $25,000 donation to a Boys & Girls Club in their team's community. MLB, the players union and Sony have each already donated $5,000 per player.
Dwight Smith Jr. (Orioles), Gavin Lux (Dodgers) and White Sox starter Lucas Giolito starter also finished 19-10. Total runs scored determine tiebreakers, giving Happ the seventh seed and a first-round matchup with Rangers outfielder/first baseman Joey Gallo (23-6).
A look at first-round playoff matchups:
MLB
(1) Blake Snell — Rays vs. (8) Gavin Lux — Dodgers
(4) Jeff McNeil — Mets vs. (5) Dwight Smith Jr. — Orioles
(3) Bo Bichette — Blue Jays vs. (6) Lucas Giolito — White Sox
(2) Joey Gallo — Rangers vs. (7) Ian Happ — Cubs
It's not the baseball we're accustomed to watching, but the league gives fans a unique perspective on their favorite players. Happ's streams have been highly entertaining, and that should be even more true with the stakes raised in the playoffs.
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