St. Louis Cardinals: Examining Possible Postseason Scenarios

Tie for second Wild Card spot, Game 163
In the event that one more regular season game were to be played, it would mean that the Cardinals share the same exact record with one of the two teams for the second seed between the Mets or Giants. Realistically, the game would be more likely against San Francisco, as New York only needs a combination of three Mets wins or Giants losses to claim the top spot.
Similar to a three-way tie circumstance, the Cardinals would host this contest at Busch Stadium on Monday or Tuesday because of their head-to-head advantage over San Francisco this season. However, this would serve as elimination game rather than a qualifier. Assuming New York finishes with the best record among the three, the winner of unofficially-labeled-Game 163 would advance to play the Mets in another Wild Card game on Wednesday.
Some teammates have valuable experience with the Game 163 arrangement. Matt Holliday scored the winning run on a dive to home plate to help the Rockies advance in 2007, while Jose Molina, Yadier’s brother, caught for David Price during Tampa Bay’s eventual play-in win over the Texas Rangers in 2013.
The Cardinals franchise has never played in a Game 163 since the MLB expanded postseason with the Wild Card format in 1995. Take note that if the Cardinals and Giants keep their rotations on normal rest, Mike Leake would likely square off against Jeff Samardzija for a Game 163.