For many years, Major League Baseball (MLB) has been known for its fan-favorite teams and exciting games. Although their regular season games start in late March and span till the end of September, MLB additionally has post season games. These games tend to start at the beginning of October and end at the beginning of November. The post season is a highly anticipated few weeks as it is essentially the climax to the World Series.
This “mini-season” includes the 12 most qualifying teams which are then broken up into a bracket. About six teams are picked out of the two divisions (the American League and the National League), along with three division winners from each league and three Wild Card teams per league. The teams that make up this year’s series are the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, and the Baltimore Orioles.
Throughout the weeks, the teams from each league are seeded out of six spots. Depending on where a team gets placed, each seed represents a different standing. For instance, the No. 1 seed is the team that has the best league record and then the other slots are for division winners and the first three best records amongst the Wild Card teams.
The way that the MLB does these games is that the top two seeds in each league automatically get to the Division Series. The remaining four teams in each league will then compete against each other in the best-of-three Wild Card Series. Whoever the winners are from those games, they will then move onto the Division Series along with the other teams in which they will all play against each other.
As some athletes at Charter have been following along with the MLB season, many have already set their predictions as to who will win this postseason. Junior, Aydan Velazquez, expresses “I’m hoping the Yankees win. My dad’s side is from New York, so [they are] a family favorite.” He further explains that “I [just] love their history.” With their current record being 94 wins and 68 loses, the Yankees are set to play the Kansas City Royals the week of October fifth-twelfth in hopes that they can keep their winning streak going.
Junior Kai Viau however states that “I would like the Tigers to make a postseason run. Now that my favorite team is out, I always like to root for the underdogs because they play with the most intensity.” Many fans were shocked to see that this team made it into the series since they have a lot of young talent. The Tigers were lucky enough to make it into the Wild Card late but as the team has not won a World Series title since 1984, this season could potentially change that for them.
Additionally, Junior Dean Jaworski says “The team I’m hoping to win the World Series this season are [the] Philadelphia Phillies.” With the Phillies being able to be a part of the postseason, that has allowed Jaworski to not only have a sense of hope for his team, but also he is able to still root for his favorite player Bryce Harper. Regardless of the Phillies record, Jaworski is a firm believer that “You [will] always [be able to] feel and [experience] the energy each game gives [off].”
Even though the games are just being started, Jaworski enjoys seeing “The amount of passion [each player brings out] and how much of a family every team is.” MLB’s postseason over the years not only builds up immense amounts of anticipation but also is a big inspiration for many young players.
