MLB Postseason Thoughts
As we approach the start of the 2025 World Series, let’s take a look back at how we got to this point.
The Wild Card series brought some very exciting matchups on paper, and the play on the field brought that same excitement. The first series that got the playoffs started was the Detroit Tigers going on the road to take on the Cleveland Guardians, and in all honesty, this series was much better than I thought it would be. Game 1 was dominated by the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal. He went almost 8 innings with 14 strikeouts as the Tigers won 2-1. Game 2 was taken over by the Guardians offense as they won 6-1. Game 3 was close until the end as the Tigers offense came through late to win 6-3. This series was classic AL Central baseball. Lots of fundamentals and “boring” baseball. Casual fans may not have enjoyed this series as much as a baseball enthusiast, but there is nothing better than seeing an ace go out and dominate for his team.
The other American League Wild Card series was probably the one that most baseball fans were looking forward to. New York Yankees vs Boston Red Sox is as classic as it gets. This series lived up to the hype coming down to a game 3 after the Red Sox took game 1 and the Yankees took game 2. Game 3, in the Bronx, Yankee Stadium, Yankees and Red Sox, this is as intense as it gets. The Yankees turned to the Boston native, Cam Schlittler, to bring home the win. Cam Schlittler earned his pinstripes as he went 8 shutout innings with 12 strikeouts to help the Yankees move on to the next round. As a Yankees fan, I absolutely loved watching Schlittler go out and dominate the Red Sox, but not because it was the Red Sox, but because I love watching young players come up to the big leagues and prove they belong there.
Moving over to the National League, the Chicago Cubs welcomed the San Diego Padres to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. I believed that the Padres would walk in and take over this series from the jump because their roster is loaded with superstars in the lineup and staff, but the Cubs rallied in game 1 to win 3-1 which shocked many baseball fans. The Padres offense could not get anything going, and that would be the story for the rest of the series. Despite taking home game 2 3-0, the Padres offense let them down in game 3 as the Cubs took the win and moved on. I am happy for the Cubs, but the big storyline is the Padres having another disappointing finish in the postseason. The Padres roster is full of talent, but with a payroll among the most expensive in the league, what more can they do to get over the hump?
The final Wild Card series was between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds. I love what the Reds are building, but I think they are a year or two away from making real noise in the playoffs, and the Dodgers showed them why. The Dodgers dominated both games in this series as most fans expected.
Since the Dodgers had a quick Wild Card, I will cover their Divisional Series matchup against the Philadelphia Phillies first. The Phillies came into this postseason with a roster that seemed to be on its last legs with free agency looming for some of their most important players. With this in mind, you would think they would come into this series with their hair on fire looking to make a statement, right? Well, they quickly fell down in the series 2-0 losing the first 2 games at home. Not ideal. They took the first game in Los Angeles to make it a 2-1 series, but then came one of the most unfortunate and boneheaded losses I have ever seen. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, Andy Pages came to the plate to face Orion Kerkering with the bases loaded. Pages swings and grounds it back at Kerkering who, instead of taking his time and throwing to 1st base to end the inning, panics and throws it about 20 feet over the head of catcher JT Realmuto. The Dodgers score and rush the field to celebrate the walkoff as Kerkering and Realmuto put their heads down in agony. All I can really say about this play is be nice to your friends that are Phillies fans because they need it.
The other Divisional series matchup in the National League featured the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers. This series had some extra spice to it with it being a division rivalry, but also the homecoming of former Brewers manager, Craig Counsell, as the manager of the Cubs. Both of these teams enjoyed scoring early as there were 22 first inning runs scored across all 5 games in this series. Along with scoring, each team loved their home ballpark as the Brewers took the first 2 games in Milwaukee, and the Cubs evened the series taking the next 2 games in Chicago. Going back to Milwaukee for game 5, the offenses seemed to be out of gas. The Brewers clawed out the victory to advance to the Championship series to face the Dodgers.
In the American League, the New York Yankees went north of the border to face the Toronto Blue Jays. I do not want to talk about this series because I am still recovering from it, but I will give the Blue Jays a lot of credit because they dominated this series. The Blue Jays came out swinging and put up 23 runs over the first 2 games taking a 2-0 series lead. The Yankees managed to get a game back, but the Blue Jays put an end to the series in game 4 as they moved on to the Championship series.
The other American League series featured the Seattle Mariners and the Detroit Tigers. Both of these teams feature some of the best pitching in all of baseball, and they treated us fans to an amazing series. Games 1 and 2 both finished 3-2 as the Mariners and Tigers each take a game in Seattle. It was deja vu over the next two games as the teams split in Detroit to take a 2-2 series back to Seattle for a decisive game 5. This game proved to be the best of the lot as it was a 15 inning thriller that ended with a Jorge Polanco walkoff to send the Mariners to the Championship series.
I am going to get through the NLCS real quick because there honestly is not a lot to talk about because the Dodgers swept the Brewers in 4 games to go back to the World Series. The Dodgers are looking to be the first repeat World Series winner since the Yankees won 3 between 1998-2000.
The ALCS was one of the best series I have ever watched, and I am glad I got to view it with a neutral perspective because it let me really appreciate the baseball that was played. Games 1 and 2 came as a shock because the Mariners came off the 15 inning thriller and won the first 2 games in Toronto. This shocked a lot of baseball fans because it was hard to believe the Mariners could come in with a depleted pitching staff and win, but they did. The series was quickly tied up as Toronto came back to win game 3 and 4 in Seattle which meant game 5 became oh so important for both teams. Toronto took a 2-1 lead into the 8th inning where the bad man, Cal Raleigh, hit the game-tying home run to send Seattle into a frenzy. Only a few batters later, Eugenio Suarez came to the plate with the bases loaded and sent one into the right field bleachers which got all of Seattle shaking. The Mariners took game 5 and went back to Toronto needing 1 win to go to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Game 6 was all Toronto which meant they were going to game 7. The Mariners held a 3-1 lead into the 7th inning until all-time postseason great, George Springer, hit a 3-run go-ahead home run to propel the Blue Jays to the World Series for the first time since 1993.
Now we are here, the World Series a day away from starting. The Los Angeles Dodgers face the Toronto Blue Jays. I personally do not lean one way or the other, so I hope we get a good series because baseball needs it. There are many implications that this World Series has on the future of baseball, but that is for another time. For now, I want to enjoy this last bit of baseball before we head into the dark days of winter, also known as the baseball offseason.