MLB Postseason: The Road to the Championship Series
The MLB Postseason is underway and teams have been gearing up for their chance at the World Series Title. But to do that, they must win the Division Series title first.
4 rounds of series determine the World Series title, the second of which is the Division Series. 4 teams from each league, American and National, play each other in hopes of getting a spot in the Championship Series.
A minimum of 3 games can be played in the series, it all depends on which team gets 3 wins first. In many cases, there are at least 4 games played before a team can have 3 wins under their belt.
American League Division Series
On Saturday, October 5th, the American League teams Started their Division Series. The 4 teams that took part in it were the Cleveland Guardians, the Detroit Tigers, the Kansas City Royals, and the New York Yankees.
Before the series, Cleveland was first in the American League Central during the regular season and Detroit was third, winning their spot in the Division Series during the Wild Card Series.
Game 1: Guardians win 7-0
The starting pitchers in game one were Tanner Bibee (CLE) and Tyler Holton (DET). Holton lasted one inning after Lane Thomas hit a 3-run home run in a five-run outburst. Bibee stood his ground for 4 ⅔ innings until Guardians manager, Steven Vogt, decided it was time to pull from the bullpen to finish the game.
Game 2: Tigers win 3-0
Starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (DET) pitched seven shutout innings in game 2. Starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (CLE) pitched until the top of the 5th, where he was replaced with Cade Smith. Scoreless until the top of the 9th, this game was a nail-biter. The game finished with a 3-run home run by Kerry Carpenter bringing Jake Rogers and Trey Sweeney in.
Game 3: Tigers win 3-0, leading the series 2-1
This game marked the first playoff game at the Tigers’ home stadium in a decade. They had Keider Montero starting for them in hopes of producing another win to lead the series. Alex Cobb started for the Guardians but was taken out after the 3rd after he allowed two runs. After this game, the Guardians had gone 20 straight innings without scoring in this series.
Game 4: Guardians win 5-4, tying the series 2-2
After their dry spurt, the Guardians were finally able to score leading to their 5-4 victory. The starting pitchers for this game were Tanner Bibee (CLE) and Reese Olson (DET). Both teams scored early, playing catch-up for the entirety of the game until the Guardians had a two-run lead in the top of the 9th that the Tigers weren’t able to catch up to.
Tying the series, none of the players were going to let that discourage them from playing their best in game 5. Detroit’s first baseman Spencer Tolkenson said, “We’re still one win away, that’s the mindset. We don’t want it easy. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”
Game 5: Guardians win 7-3, taking the series and advancing to the Championship Series
Going into game 5 the Tigers were picked to win (54.2%) over the Guardians (45.8%). The starting pitchers were Michael Boyd (CLE) and Tarik Skubal (DET), mirroring game 2. Scoreless until the top of the 5th, the Tigers managed to get a run in. Similarly, the Guardians had one run in the 5th followed by a grand slam by Lane Thomas, giving the Guardians a 5-1 lead. Both teams had a couple more runs in them, but not enough for the Tigers to catch up to the Guardians.
This will be the first time the Guardians will compete in the Championship Series since 2016.
Yankees vs. Royals
Before the series, New York was first in the American League East during the regular season and Kansas City was second in the American League Central, winning their spot in the Division Series during the Wild Card Series.
Game 1: Yankees win 6-5
The starting pitchers for game one were Gerrit Cole (NYY) and Michael Wacha (KC). This game was also a game of playing catch-up for both teams, with only one point between the winning and losing teams. Early on Gleyber Torres, second baseman for the Yankees, hit a 2-run home run in hopes of creating a lead, but it wasn’t entirely successful. The Royals took the lead from the top of the 5th to the bottom of the 6th, but the Yankees ended up scoring two more times within the game, leading to their first win in the series.
Game 2: Royals win 4-2, tying the series 1-1
Carlos Rodon (NYY) and Cole Rangans (KC) started game 2. Scoreless until the top of the 4th, the Royals had one homer and 3 singles that led to runs giving them a 3-run lead, 4-1.
In the bottom of the 9th Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a home run, but that wasn’t enough to save the game for the Yankees, “We're going to go out there and do our thing still. We still don't feel like any team is better than us,” Chisholm Jr. said. “We had a lot of missed opportunities tonight so they just got lucky."
Game 3: Yankees win 3-2, leading the series 2-1
The starting pitchers for game three were Clarke Schmidt (NYY) and Seth Lugo (KC). Another close game for the two teams, tied 2-2 at the top of the 6th. Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run to left-center-field in the top of the 8th giving the Yankees the lead, 3-2. Although opportunities were given to them, the Royals just couldn’t catch up in their last two at-bats.
Game 4: Yankees win 3-1, taking the series and advancing to the Championship Series
The starting pitchers for game four were the same two that started for game one, Gerrit Cole (NYY) and Michael Wacha (KC). Wacha barely made it through five innings, whereas Cole made it to the bottom of the 7th, only allowing one run.
After Giancarlo Stanton hit a home run in the top of the 8th, there was some tension in the infield. In the bottom of the same inning, Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe hit a hard tag on third baseman Maikal Garcia completing a double play. The two showed some conflict, leading to both dugouts spilling out ready to defend their players.
“I just felt like (Garcia) tried to go in and injure Volpe because he was being a sore loser,” Chisholm said. “I didn't like that. I told him that we don't do that on this side, and I'm going to stick up for my guys.”
National League Division Series
On Saturday, October 5th, the National League teams Started their Division Series. The 4 teams that took part in it were the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the San Diego Padres.
Before the series, Los Angeles was first in the National League West during the regular season and San Diego was second, winning their spot in the Division Series during the Wild Card Series.
Game 1: Dodgers win 7-5
The starting pitchers for this game were Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LA) and Dylan Cease (SD). The Padres started the game off strong with 3 runs and 3 hits in the top of the 1st, but shortly after Shohei Ohtani hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the 2nd tying the game 3-3. With two more runs before the 4th, the Padres led 5-3, until the Dodgers came back again with 3 more runs in the 4th.
Game 2: Padres win 10-2, tying the series 1-1
Jack Flaherty (LA) and Yu Darvish (SD) started game 2. Flaherty allowed 3 runs in the first 2 innings before he was taken out in the top of the 6th. Darvish also allowed a run in the bottom of the second, leaving the score to be 3-1. With a total of 6 home runs throughout the game, the Padres scored a total of 10 points, tying the series 1-1.
Game 3: Padres win 6-5, leading the series 2-1
The starting pitchers for this game were Walker Buehler (LA) and Michael King (SD). The Dodgers started quickly with Mookie Betts hitting a home run in the top of the 1st. The bottom of the 2nd was packed with amazing plays by the Padres. 2 points from a home run by Fernando Tatís Jr. and another 4 runs by additional plays, leaving the score to be 6-1. In the top of the 3rd, Teoscar Hernández hit a grand slam, bringing the score to 6-5. After the 3rd inning, neither team allowed runs and left the final score to be 6-5, with the Padres leading the series 2-1.
Game 4: Dodgers win 8-0, tying the series 2-2
What many thought would be a series win for the Padres, as they were picked to win 54.2% over the Dodgers (45.8%) led to a series tie 2-2. Dylan Cease (LA) and Ryan Braiser (SD) were the starting pitchers. Another game full of homers for the Dodgers, they brought in 5 points within the 3 home runs they hit. Cease only allowed 7 hits throughout the entire game, leaving the score to be 8-0.
Game 5: Dodgers win 2-0, taking the series and advancing to the Championship Series
Going into game 5 the Dodgers were picked to win (58.8%) over the Padres (41.2%). This was a historical playoff matchup with two Japanese-born starters, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (SD) and Yu Darvish (LA). However, Darvish was pulled after 63 pitches and 2 home runs allowed losing them the game and the Division Series title.
Mets vs. Phillies
Before the series, Philadelphia was first in the National League East during the regular season and New York was third, winning their spot in the Division Series during the Wild Card Series.
Game 1: Mets win 6-2
The starting pitchers for this game were Kodai Senga (NYM) and Zach Wheeler (PHI). In this game, only one point was scored until the top of the 8th inning, a homer by Philadelphia’s left fielder Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the 1st. In the top of the 8th, the Mets scored a total of 5 points, going through 3 pitchers from the Phillies, leading the game 5-1. In the 9th, both teams scored one point each, leaving the final score to be 6-2.
After their win, and their lack of runs until the 8th, third baseman Mark Vientos said, “The game is never over until the ninth. We’ve kind of been running with that mentality.”
Game 2: Phillies win 7-6, tying the series 1-1
Luis Severino (NYM) and Christopher Sanchez (PHI) started game 2. This game was another game of catch-up between both teams with the Phillies catching up in the bottom of the 6th after hitting 2 home runs. Top of the 9th, they became tied 6-6 with a 2-run homer from the Mets. Soon after that, the Mets were shut down by a single hit that produced a run by the Phillies, leading them to win 7-6.
Game 3: Mets win 7-2, leading the series 2-1
Game 3 started on a much heavier note. Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea had gotten news that his Aunt had passed away the morning of the game. He performed incredibly pitching 7 ⅓ innings without a single run made by the Phillies. "That was for my Aunt Mabel," Manaea said. "Just got a message that she had passed away early this morning. And, yeah, so that game was for her."
Starting pitcher Aaron Nola of the Phillies pitched 5 ½ innings allowing 2 runs before stepping off the mound. After the 5th, the Phillies allowed 5 runs, leading the Mets to their 7-2 win.
Game 4: Mets win 4-1, taking the series and advancing to the Championship Series
Going into game 4 the Mets were picked to win (54.4%) over the Phillies (45.6%). The starting pitchers were Ranger Suarez (NYM) and Jose Quintana (PHI). The first run was scored in the top of the 5th by the Phillies, but in the bottom of the 6th Francisco Lindor of the Mets hit a Grand Slam. After the 6th, no other players managed to get a run-in, leaving the final score to be 4-1, giving the Mets their victory and a spot in the Championship Series.
The Championship Series starts today, October 13th. Both leagues and all 4 teams have come a long way this season to prove themselves and their talent to their fans.
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