It’s October, so that means the Major League Baseball playoffs are kicking off. After late regular season action, the Wild Card teams for the National League are the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers. Representing the American League in the Wild Card are the Baltimore Orioles, Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers and the Houston Astros. The Tigers had a less than 3% chance of making the postseason just a month ago, but they have dramatically turned their season around and made the playoffs. In the National League, the Mets had to win one of two games on the last day of the season against the Braves, who also needed at least one win. In the first game, the Mets came from behind in the dying moments of the game to win and clinch their spot. If they won their second game, they would have eliminated their bitter rival, the Braves, but the Braves pulled off the win and both teams made the playoffs.
Two teams from each league get a free pass past the Wild Card. For the American League, it was the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians. For the National League, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies. In the Wild Card round, the Tigers upset the Astros, winning both games. The Royals upset the Orioles, also winning both games. In the National League, the Padres beat the Braves in two games. The Mets were down in the last inning of the game, losing by two. Then, first baseman Pete Alonso hit a home run to give them the lead, eventually winning the game and advancing them to the next round. The Matchups for the American League Divisional Series (ALDS) are the Yankees vs. the Royals , the Yankees being the favored team,and the Guardians vs the Tigers, where the Guardians are favored.
In the National League Divisional Series (NLDS), it is the Padres vs. the Dodgers in which the Dodgers are favored and the Mets vs. the Phillies, where the Phillies are favored. The first team to advance were the New York Mets, pulling off an outstanding upset vs. the heavy favored Phillies. In the five game series, the Mets won three games to one. Their win Wednesday night was clinched when shortstop Francisco Lindor hit a grand slam in the sixth inning to put the Mets up four to one. After that, the game was in a deadlock and no one scored for the remainder of the game. The next team to advance were the Yankees, beating the Royals three games to one. This does not come to much of a surprise because the Yankees were heavy favorites going into the series. The Dodgers also ended up beating the Padres three games to two, although the Padres put up a good fight despite being underdogs. The last team to advance were the Guardians, knocking off the fan-favorite Tigers three games to two. Their win was sealed by center fielder Lane Thomas, who hit a grand slam to give the Guardians the lead. The ALCS and NLCS matchups are set, being the Yankees vs. Guardians (ALCS) and the Dodgers vs. the Mets (NLCS). The first game is Sunday, Oct. 13, and we can only hope for more action in these coming games.
