Sports
By Giulia Gutzwiller, Newswire Intern
The 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) Postseason is in full throttle as teams continue to compete for a spot in the 2024 World Series. From major upsets to controversial Wild Card matchups, audiences are tuning in to the thrilling action of these high-stakes games.
Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets has had a standout postseason so far with eight runs, eight hits and two home runs. The Mets have had a longer postseason battle compared to the other three competitors since they had to earn their spot through wildcard games.
On Saturday, the divisional series games wrapped up with the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers securing their place in the National League Championship Series (NLCS), as well as the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees securing their place in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
The Mets, a Wild Card team, upset the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies, two National League division leaders. This was a point of contention for MLB fans as the Mets were a lower ranked seed. The Phillies did not have to play in the Wild Card series, but lost their divisional series to the Mets in game four of the National League Division Series (NLDS).
This instance and others in recent years, such as the success of the 2023 Wild Card Arizona Diamondbacks, sparked criticism of the current playoff bracket format, with many people claiming it serves as a benefit to certain teams.
Despite this ongoing debate, the Phillies were the only bye team to not advance to the League Championship Series (LCS) this year. The Mets were the only Wild Card team that advanced to the LCS this year.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani has contributed five runs and six hits to the Dodgers’ postseason run, averaging .222 at bat. Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have 50 home runs and 50 steals in a singular season.
Another notable postseason matchup includes the California rivalry between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. In game five of the NLDS, the Dodgers beat the Padres 2-0, their second consecutive shutout game in the NLDS. They continued their shutout streak on Sunday, when they beat the Mets 9-0 in the first game of the NLCS.
Third baseman José Ramiréz has been one of the top performing players for the Cleveland Guardians this year, and he has contributed three runs, three hits and one home run so far this postseason.
The Guardians have also been a spectacle of the playoffs so far as they beat the Detroit Tigers in game five of the American League Division Series (ALDS) with a score of 7-3. The Guardians secured this win in the fifth inning with a grand slam by center fielder Lane Thomas. This victory was the first time the Guardians had won a winner-take-all game in the postseason since their run in the 1997 World Series.
Right fielder Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees has achieved three runs, two hits and an RBI so far this postseason, but was only able to secure one run against the Guardians on Monday.
This year’s World Series has the potential to be a “Subway Series” if the two New York teams advance to the finals. The term was initially used for the Yankees vs. Mets matchup in the 1956 World Series because fans of both teams could easily take the subway to get to both stadiums. The most recent “Subway Series” occurred when the Yankees beat the Mets in the 2000 World Series.
The NLCS and ALCS are both seven-game series, with the winners needing four wins to advance to the World Series. The Dodgers and Mets are currently tied at one apiece in the NLCS which began on Sunday. The Guardians and Yankees faced off in their first games of the ALCS starting on Monday, and the Yankees have taken an early lead, winning the first two games.
Once the winners of the NLCS and ALCS are determined, the two teams will face off in the World Series which will begin on Oct. 25 and could run through Nov. 2 if all seven games are played to determine the 2024 MLB champions.
