It’s that time of year again for MLB fans because October is the month of the MLB playoffs, which are about to come to a conclusion at the end of the month. After a shortened season last year, and an extended playoff format, the league is back to its normal season format: 162 regular-season games, and 10 team playoffs, 6 of the division winners, and 4 of the Wild Card teams.
The first round consisted of the 4 Wild Card teams: the teams that did not win their division but were the two best non-division winners from the American and National League. The Yankees and Red Sox played in a win-or-go-home Wild Card game in the American League, and the LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves played in the National League Wild Card game. The Red Sox won 6-2, and the Dodgers won 3-1, meaning they would move on to play in the Division Series.
The Division Series is a best of 5, so the team to win 3 games first in the series would move on to the next round. The Red Sox went on to play the Tampa Bay Rays, who had the best regular-season record in the American League this year. The Red Sox pulled off a big upset, winning the series 3-1, led by a memorable series performance by Enrique Hernandez, who set an ALDS record with hits in 7 straight at-bats. In the other ALDS series, the Houston Astros, the American League West Division Champion, played the Chicago White Sox, the American League Central Division Champion. The Astros defeated the White Sox easily in this series, by a score of 3 games to 1.
In the National League Division Series, the Wild Card winner, Los Angeles Dodgers, played the team with the best record in the National League, the San Francisco Giants, in what was supposed to be the most anticipated postseason matchup this season. The two teams were only separated by one game and had the two best records in the league. Since the Giants were ahead, the Dodgers were forced to play in the win-or-go-home Wild Card game. The two played a competitive and entertaining series, with the Dodgers coming back down from 2 games to 1, to win game 5, by a score of 2-1. In the other NLDS series, the National League East Division Champion, the Atlanta Braves, played the Milwaukee Brewers. The Braves beat the Brewers 3 games to 1, after a star relief pitcher for the Brewers, Devin Williams, got injured only a few days prior to the start of the Postseason.
The next round is the Championship Series, which is a best of 7 series between the winners of the Division Series. The Dodgers and Braves in the National League, with the Astros and Red Sox in the American League. The Braves pulled off the upset against the defending World Series Champion Dodgers 4 games to 2, to get to their first World Series since 1999, and the Astros defeated the Red Sox, to move on to their 3rd world series in the last 5 seasons.
The World Series between the Astros and Braves recently finished with the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series! The two star-studded lineups each fought to get their team a World Series Title. The Braves, without their star outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr due to a torn ACL, made an unexpected run this Postseason.