Masterpress/Getty ImagesDiverging payrolls and franchise histories will frame Wednesday's American League Wild Card Game as a David vs. Goliath tale. Don't fall for it.Hosting the elimination game for the second straight year Authentic Kerryon Johnson Jersey , the New York Yankees have made a dozen playoff appearances since Michael Lewis publishedMoneyball in 2003. The Oakland Athletics, the franchise that was featured in that bestseller, entered 2018 with stunted expectations following three consecutive last-place finishes in the AL West.Despite the self-writing narratives, this is far from an epic mismatch.The Yankees became the first 100-win team relegated to the Wild Card Game since MLB instituted the new format in 2012. Yet the A's also tallied more wins (97) than any prior AL participant. They also brandish more triumphs than any National League squad vying for the Commissioner's Trophy.Oakland may lack New York's deep pockets and championship banners, but it has taken a similar path to the elimination game. For all the unanswered suspense of who will start for each franchise, these teams made it this far because of a strong lineup and loaded bullpen.Those strengths could come in handy against the Boston Red Sox. Only one will earn the chance to take down the 108-win juggernaut in the American League Division Series.AL Wild Card Game: Oakland Athletics at New York YankeesDate: Wednesday, Oct. 3Time: 8:05 p.m. ETTV: TBSLive Stream: TBS Watch Live Yankee Stadium Hosts Another Home Run DerbyAaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton led the Yankees to a record-setting 267 home runs this season.Mike Stobe/Getty ImagesDespite playing seven weeks without superstar slugger Aaron Judge, the Bronx Bombers belted a record-setting 267 home runs. They made the most of Yankee Stadium's cozy dimensions with a .474 slugging percentage and .351weighted on-base average (wOBA) at home.Per MLB.com's Bryan Koch, manager Aaron Boone touted the team's home-field advantage."In a lot of ways, we're built for our ballpark Authentic Deshaun Watson Jersey ," Boone said. "Our power plays for a lot of our guys, especially our right-handed hitters. They use that right field to their advantage. I think it's played out that we've been a very good team at home. I love the fact that our fans will get to be making the right kind of noise for us."Judge, whose .352/.471/.699 home slash line would make Babe Ruth blush, is one of seven probable starters to notch a wOBA above .367 at home. For context, Francisco Lindor earned a .368 wOBA.By the way, that list doesn't include Giancarlo Stanton, who hit .229 at Yankee Stadium. A far cry from last season's MVP-clinching finish, he batted .213 with five homers in September. Yet there's hope for a strong postseason debut, as the 28-year-old masher went 10-for-23 with four walks, three doubles and three homers during the final week.Know who else will enjoy swinging for the short porch? The A's.According toESPN.com http://www.houstontexansteamonline.com/deshaun-watson-jersey , only Marlins Park and ATT Park were less conduciveto home runs than the Oakland Coliseum. That didn't stop the A's from registering MLB's third-most home runs(227) and fourth-highest slugging percentage (.439).No team earned more long balls (136) and a higher wOBA (.341) on the road than Oakland. After crushing an MLB-best 48 homers鈥攁nd hitting .247 for the fourth straight year鈥擪hris Davis gets a chance to inflict more damage on a national platform.Pay special attention to Matt Chapman, who batted .311/.388/.596 on the road and .309/.371/.591 in the second half. He's also a strong favorite to snag a Gold Glove with an MLB-high 30defensive runs savedfrom the hot corner.While he won't win, the third baseman should appear on most MVP ballots:Baseball Reference baseball_refMatt Chapman is the first Athletics hitter to break 8+ WAR in a season since Jason Giambi in 2001.Before Giambi, the last As hitter to do it was Rickey Henderson in 1990 su4liPtLiX ck5bm6pRNXStephen Piscotty also swung a sizzling bat with eight September homers. While Ramon Laureano arrived far too late to join Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar in the AL Rookie of the Year race, the center fielder amassed a 2.0 WAR in 48 games.One would expect a scoring bonanza if not for all the shutdown relievers waiting in the bullpen.Battle of the BullpensBlake Treinen should make his presence felt from Oaklands bullpen.Abbie Parr/Getty ImagesRemember when the Baltimore Orioles lost 2016's 11-inning Wild Card Game without using closer Zach Britton? That was dumb, and neither New York or Oakland will make the same mistake or sidelining their premier late-inning arms.Then again, Britton is now New York's fifth-best reliever.With Chad Green, David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Aroldis Chapman at his disposal, Boone could eschew a starter altogether and rely exclusively on his power pitchers. As noted by The Athletic's Marc Carig Deshaun Watson Jersey Elite , the unit set all-time marks in strikeouts per nine (11.4) and WAR (9.7).Joe Girardi yanked Luis Severino one out (and three runs) into the first inning of last year's Wild Card Game.Boone has yet to name his starter as of Monday morning, but expect either Severino, Masahiro Tanaka or J.A. Happ to operate on a similarly short leash with no margin for error.The A's, on the other hand, may not waste any time turning to their bullpen. Per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, "it'sbecoming ever more likely" the team will open with a reliever after testing the tactic with Liam Hendriks late in the season."It's something we've been tinkering with some and trying to take a look and seeing what the best fit is going forward," A's manager Bob Melvin said on Saturday.MLB.com's Jane Lee also said they are leaning toward starting Wednesday's game with the 29-year-old reliever:Jane Lee JaneMLBAll signs point to Liam Hendriks opening the game in New York, and I would imagine the A鈥檚 just bullpen their way through the entire game.While Hendriks posted a 4.13 ERA in 24 innings, the 29-year-old righty has thrown 11.2 scoreless innings dating back to Sept. 4. He has allowed six hits and two runs in 8.2 frames as Oakland's opener.Athletics relievers didn't induce whiffs (8.8 K/9) with nearly as much success as the Yankees, but their 3.37 ERA ranked a tick above their opponent for third behind the Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs.The club can thank Blake Treinen Youth Jalen Ramsey Jersey , who is having an epic campaign on par with Britton's 2016:Susan Slusser susanslusserCloser Blake Treinen lowers his ERA to 0.78, the lowest in major-leaguehistory among pitchers with a minimum of 75 innings pitched.The 30-year-old has recorded six or more outs in 10 outings, so the question is not if, but for how long, Melvin will deploy his closer.It's not a one-man show. Lou Trivino posted a 2.92 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 74 innings. Jeurys Familia allowed all three runs in the New York Mets' 2016 NL Wild Card Game loss to the San Francisco Giants, but he finished this season wielding a 3.13 ERA and 10.4 K/9.A vital proponent to San Francisco's 2014 title run, Yusmeiro Petit ceded one run in his last 13 outings. He could be quickly called upon to stop any early bleeding in a prolonged outing.Excluding Ryan Yarborough鈥攚ho pitched multiple innings in relief of the Tampa Bay Rays opener鈥攐nly Jesse Chavez (93.1) logged more innings than Petit's 93 from the bullpen.While the Yankees possess the bullpen edge, the A's could narrow the pitching gap by eschewing their patchwork rotation altogether. Each squad will feel an urgency to score early and often.Advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesLos Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani hasn't decided if he will undergo Tommy John surgery.Per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Ohtani said Friday he will close out the 2018 season as a hitter as he continues to deliberate whether to have elbow ligament reconstruction.Fletcher noted that Ohtani seems "mostly resigned" to having the surgery but isn't certain at this point.On Wednesday, the AngelsrecommendedTommy John surgery for Ohtani after an MRI revealed new damage to his ulnar collateral ligament."For now http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/jalen-ramsey-jersey-cheap , he's cleared to hit," Angels general manager Billy Epplertold reporters. "I think we saw effectiveness even last night [when he homered] with the ligament being in the situation it's currently in. He is cleared to hit still."That same night, Ohtani went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI and four runs scored in the Angels' 9-3 victory over the Texas Rangers.The Japan native added he doesn't plan to give up pitching, via Fox Sports West'sPatrick O'Neal.Ohtani has been terrific in his first MLB season. The 24-year-old is hitting .287/.367/.579 with 18 homers in 247 at-bats. He also has a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 51.2 innings as a pitcher.