The wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field on Monday, helping to send eight home run balls over the ivy-covered wall and a heap of Major League postseason records out the window.

Steven Matz finds himself with the opportunity to realize his childhood dream as he starts the Mets’ most significant playoff game since Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series. The 24-year-old rookie lefty will take the Citi Field mound Tuesday to start Game 4 of the NL Division Series against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers. A Mets win sends them to the NLCS.

The Blue Jays flexed their league-leading home run power with three long balls off Rangers starter Derek Holland in Game 4 on the way to forcing a winner-take-all Game 5 in the American League Division Series with an 8-4 victory on Monday afternoon at Globe Life Park in Arlington.

The Blue Jays had a 7-1 lead on the Rangers in the third inning, but manager John Gibbons wasn’t taking any chances with his club’s postseason life on the line and he summoned ace lefty David Price from the bullpen and left him in for three innings and 50 pitches.

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said prior to Toronto’s 8-4 American League Division Series Game 4 victory that it would be all hands on deck for Monday’s must-win matchup with the Rangers at Globe Life Park, and he was true to his word, summoning ace left-hander David Price from the bullpen to relieve starter R.A. Dickey with one out in the fifth inning.

In handing the ball to 24-year-old Marcus Stroman for a winner-moves-on Game 5 against the Rangers on Wednesday at Rogers Centre, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons pulled as much of as an upset as a comeback story.

The Royals pulled off a stunning comeback on Monday afternoon, charging from four runs down by scoring five times in the eighth inning to shock the Astros, 9-6, and even the best-of-five American League Division Series at two games apiece.

Rangers manager Jeff Banister had a simple answer when asked when third baseman Adrian Beltre would be ready to return to the lineup.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus and others said a few days ago they weren’t thinking about what happened in 2010. They might want to start thinking about it now. A good history lesson might be the one consolation the Rangers need.

In a pivotal Game 4 at Citi Field, the Dodgers will have Clayton Kershaw pitch on short rest against Mets rookie Steven Matz at 8 p.m. ET on TBS.

Astros rookie Carlos Correa heard the question at least five times, likely more, and he responded with a variation of the same answer each go-around, the 21-year-old’s maturity shining through even under the most disappointing of circumstances.

The Astros are excited. Why not? They get to play another game on Wednesday.

Baseball’s annual preview of coming attractions, better known as the Arizona Fall League, is set to raise the curtain on its 24th season on Tuesday, highlighted by 11 players who are ranked on MLB Pipeline.com’s Top 100 Prospects list.

The Nationals plan to start interviewing candidates for their managerial opening this week, according to two sources familiar with the situation.

Troy Tulowitzki came through when the Blue Jays needed him most on Sunday with a three-run homer in the top of the sixth inning that saved Toronto from missing out on yet another golden opportunity in Game 3 of the best-of-five American League Division Series.

Dodgers infielder Chase Utley was suspended for Games 3 and 4 of the best-of-five National League Division Series by MLB chief baseball officer Joe Torre for his takeout slide that broke the leg of Mets shortstop Ruben Tejada in Game 2 Saturday night.

There were innings considerations, of course, that led the Mets to pencil Matt Harvey in for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Dodgers long before this postseason began. But in explaining his decision at the time, manager Terry Collins also pointed to the importance of any Game 3, regardless of where the series stands.