Five Former Gators Head to MLB Postseason

With the MLB postseason set to begin, five former Florida Gators are in the hunt for a World Series title.

Sep 30, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) hits a single against the Atlanta Braves in the fifth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As the Major League Baseball regular season ends and the postseason begins, five former Florida Gators baseball players on three different teams will be chasing a World Series title. All players represent teams competing in the American League and National League Wild Card rounds, which begin on Monday.

Representing the New York Mets are a trio of former Gators in first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielder Harrison Bader and left-handed pitcher Danny Young.

Alonso is coming off the fourth All-Star appearance of his career this season. He is fifth in the NL in home runs with 34.

Bader, meanwhile, reached a career-high in runs batted in with 51 in his first season with the Mets. Also making his Mets debut this season was Young, who found some success in his first season of extensive innings with a 4-1 record and a 4.54 earned-run average in 37.2 innings pitched.

New York clinched a postseason birth with an 8-7 win over the Atlanta Braves in game one of Sunday's double-header. The Mets head to Milwaukee for the first game of a best-of-three series on Monday at 5:30 p.m.

In the AL are right-handed reliever Alex Faedo of the Detroit Tigers and right-handed starter Brady Singer of the Kansas City Royals. Detroit travels to Houston with first pitch at 2:30 p.m., while Kansas City travels to Baltimore for a 4 p.m. start.

Faedo is currently on the 60-day injured list after being moved from the 15-day IL on Aug. 30 due to a shoulder strain. He was in the midst of his best season of his career with a 5-3 record and 3.61 ERA.

Singer, meanwhile, saw a regular season of highs and lows with a 3.71 ERA and 1.27 WHIP to go with a 9-13 record as a starter in 179.2 total innings pitched.

The full wild card schedule for the five former Gators can be found below.

Gators' Wild Card Schedule

Oct. 1

• AL Wild Card Game One: Detroit @ Houston (2:30 p.m., ABC)
• AL Wild Card Game One: Kansas City @ Baltimore (4 p.m., ESPN 2)
• NL Wild Card Game One: New York @ Milwaukee (5:30 p.m., ESPN)

Oct. 2

• AL Wild Card Game Two: Detroit @ Houston (2:30 p.m., ABC)
• AL Wild Card Game Two: Kansas City @ Baltimore (4:30 p.m., ESPN)
• NL Wild Card Game Two: New York @ Milwaukee (7:30 p.m., ESPN)

Oct. 3

• AL Wild Card Game Three (If necessary): Detroit @ Houston (2:30 p.m., ABC)
• AL Wild Card Game Three (If necessary): Kansas City @ Baltimore (4 p.m., ESPN)
• NL Wild Card Game Three (If necessary): New York @ Milwaukee (7 p.m., ESPN)