Baseball in October is a beautiful thing. The season is changing, the air is cooler, and it’s the perfect time to kick back and watch some baseball. After a 162-game season, we are blessed with even more baseball. Let’s take a look at the 12 teams that made the playoffs and how it has shaped them.
Wild CardÂ
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros finished at the top of the AL West, with a record off 88-73. They are always a favorite in the postseason, with
them winning the World Series in 2017 and 2022. This year, however, they were shocked by the Detroit Tigers. The Astros were led by Yordan Alverez and Jose Altuve, with Jose leading the team in hits with 185, averaging more than one hit per game. In pitching, they were led by Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez.
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles finished second in the AL East with a record 91-71. The Orioles have turned their team around in the past couple of seasons, and they came up just short behind the powerhouse New York Yankees. Gunnar Henderson led them in hitting, while Corbin Burnes led them in pitching. The Orioles fell short in the playoffs to the Kansas City Royals.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers finished first in the NL Central with a record of 93-69. They finished 10 games above the second place St. Louis Cardinals. William Contreras led the hitting, while Colin Rae and Freddy Peralta led their pitching. Despite finishing first in their division, they were eliminated in the wild card round by the 6th-seeded New York Mets.
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves finished second NL East with a record of 89-73. The Braves faced the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round, before losing 2-0. The Braves had won the World Series in 2021 against the Houston Astros. Marcell Ozuna and Matt Olson led the Braves in hitting, while in pitching they were led by all-star ace, Chris Sale.
Divisional Round
Detroit Tigers
In every post season, there is always at least one time that exceeds expectations, and the team this year was the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers finished the regular season with a record of 86-76. The AL central had three teams in the playoffs this year, and the Tigers were the last team to slip into the playoffs. They faced off against division rival Cleveland Guardians, before ultimately falling short in a very competitive series, in a close game 5. The Tigers this year were led by Riley Greene and Matt Vierling in hitting, while the pitching squad was led by Tarik Skubal.
Kansas City Royals
The Royals had the monumental task of taking on the first seeded New York Yankees. The Royals had a terrific season, after a few rough years it was wonderful to see them back in the playoff picture. The Royals lost in the divisional round 3-1. The hitting squad was led by Bobby Witt, who led the team in hits and home runs. Seth Lugo was the leading pitcher for the Royals in wins and ERA.
Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia has somewhat of a reputation of being the sports city of underachieving. Whether it’s basketball, football, baseball or hockey, sports fans in Philadelphia have had it rough. For the Phillies, it was the usual story this season. They finished second in the national league with a record of 95-67. They didn’t have to be in the Wild Card round all together. They then proceeded to lose 3-1 to the sixth seeded New York Mets. Bryce Harper led the team in hits and Kyle Schwarber led the team in home runs. Zach Wheeler led the team in wins and ERA.
San Diego Padres
The Padres are now the remaining attraction in San Diego after the departure of the Chargers a couple years ago. In San Diego tradition, they had a solid team, but just could not make it happen in the playoffs. The Padres finished second in the NL West with a record of 93-69. They had to face the powerhouse Dodgers in the divisional round, but fell in a tightly contested series 3-2. Manny Machado led the team in hits, homeruns and RBIs, while Dylan Cease led the team in wins, while Micheal King led the team in ERA.
Championship Round
Cleveland Guardians
Cleveland finished first in their division and second in the American Leauge with a record of 92-69. They were David vs Goliath to the New York Yankees, and fell 4-1 in the series. If you are a Guardians fan, don’t lose hope! They had a great team and should continue a similar form of dominance next year if they keep some key players in free agency. Jose Ramirez led the team in hits, home-runs and RBIs. Tanner Bibee led the team in wins and ERA.
New York Mets
The sixth seeded Mets had a Cinderalla run in the playoffs this year, beating the third seeded Brewers and second seeded Phillies, but the first seeded Dodgers proved to be too much for them. The series was competitive, with the Mets falling 4-2. The Mets had a great season, and they should proud of themselves for the work they put in. Pete Alonso led the team in home-runs, while Francisco Lindor led the team in hits RBIs. In pitching, they were led by Sean Manaea in wins and ERA.
World Series
After all the trials and tribulations of the 162 game season, we made it to what was set up to be one of the greatest World Series match-ups ever, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees. The battle of East and West, Broadway and Hollywood, and cold vs hot weather. The Yankees finished the regular season with a record of 94-68, while the Dodgers finished with a record of 98-64. Both teams were the number one seed in their respected conferences. How did it shape up? Well, that’s another story. Game one was electrifying. The game went extra innings and Freddie Freeman hit a game winning grand slam. It was set up to be a competitive series.
However, after the first game the series fell flat, with the Dodgers taking a 3-0 lead in the series. The Yankees managed to win game four, but ultimately four in game five. After all the hype, it turned into a one-sided series. Yankees regular season leaders in hitting were Aaron judge, Juan Soto, and Giancarlo Stanton, while in pitching it was Carlo Rodon. For the Dodgers, their regular season leader in hitting was Shohei Ohtani, who had an immaculate season. In pitching, they were led by Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone.
What a tumultuous season for every team, and the off season is finally here. We shall rejoice as baseball fans, and tune in next season. Happy Holidays, baseball fans!
