The MLB Fall Classic is Underway – Who ‘Ya Got?!

In these fall days of October, only one thing matters in ‘The Show’ – winning the World Series. Over these next few weeks, baseball fans across the country will be treated to the most anticipated and most intense part of the season. The playoffs mean baseball life and death, as the year draws to a close. It is a time when household names are made. And it is a time that determines who deserves to take home the World Series title.

For those who may not be familiar with the game, and are asking how the postseason works? Well, to start off, there are two leagues in Major League Baseball (MLB); the American League (AL) and the National League (NL).

Each league is split into three divisions: Eastern, Central and Western, which represent the regions of the United States[1]. Winners are named for each division, a total of six division representatives, and they all would then qualify for playoff contention. Division winners are teams that end the regular season with the best division record.

Then, there is also the “Wild Card” winner in each league, where a team that has the best record among the non-division winners is also selected to participate in the postseason. In total, there are eight spots for eight different baseball teams.

This year’s postseason will be quite different from previous years. In this Fall Classic, the Major League Baseball Commission decided to change the rules for the Wild Card winner. Instead of only having one Wild Card winner, there will be two winners from each league. The same rules apply, meaning the two winners need to have the best record among the other non-division winners.

However, the two Wild Card winners will have to play a sudden death match to determine the overall Wild Card winner, and that team will go against the team with the best record in the league, regardless of what division the team is from. With this new rule, ten teams were given the opportunity to have a chance at the World Series title.

So, who made it to the 2012 postseason? The AL East Division title went to our hometown boys, the New York Yankees, who also has the best record in the league. (The Yankees are also the most decorated professional sports team in the world, with 27 World Championships.) Rounding out the American League, the Central Division title went to the Detroit Tigers, and the Western Division title went to the Oakland Athletics. The two teams that were deemed the Wild Card winners were the Texas Rangers (AL West), and the Baltimore Orioles (AL East). Baltimore won last Friday, 5 – 1.

The National League winners, meanwhile, are as follows: The Eastern Division title went to the Washington Nationals, who also had the best overall record for the Majors. The NL Central title went to the Cincinnati Reds, and the NL West was won by the San Francisco Giants. The NL Wild Card was played for by the Atlanta Braves (NL East), whose postseason was especially significant, as their star third baseman, Chipper Jones, is retiring this year, and the St. Louis Cardinals (NL Central), who also happen to be the defending World Champions from 2011. Friday saw Jones’ last professional game, as the Braves lost in a 6-3 game.

With the postseason officially underway, baseball players on all eight teams are fighting to be on top. The Cincinnati Reds began their series against the San Francisco Giants, two teams that have gone through games without their best players, but have made it this far. The Reds lost Joey Votto for 45 games with a knee injury, while the Giants lost first-time all star and former Yankee outfielder Melky Cabrera to suspension because of his use of performance-enhancing drugs.

So, which team has the advantage?

I would have said the Giants, if we were still looking into the series. This would be due simply to their recent historical World Series win in 2010. Also, with the new playoff rule set in place, the first two games of this series will be set in the Giants’ stadium, AT&T Park. The Reds have had trouble hitting for power, as they haven’t had a lot of home runs, or really scored well at AT&T Park this season[2]. This home-field advantage gives the Giants an edge.

However, the Reds have indeed proven that AT&T Park was not going to stop them from winning. Cincy won both games at AT&T Park, giving them a 2-0 lead against the Giants (and proving that this is a whole new season). The Reds need only one more win to clinch a spot in the National League Championship Series.

The Oakland Athletics and the Detroit Tigers also began their series this past weekend. The Athletics began October by sweeping the Texas Rangers and claiming the AL West title. They are coming off a hot streak, with a group of young gifted pitchers and a bunch of players hitting home runs. There are guys with experience, like Chris Carter and Brandon Moss, as well as young talent, such as outfielder, Josh Reddick, that have stepped up and brought the Athletics back  atop the deep AL West [3].

Meanwhile, the Tigers have been having a frustrating season. It took the collapse of the White Sox for the Tigers to clinch the AL Central, and the team has the worst record among all the AL postseason entries[4].

However, the Tigers remain a strong force, as pitcher Justin Verlander is known for dominating the mound, as a former Cy Young and MVP in 2011, and the owner of two career no-hitters. Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera is the winner of the first Triple Crown since 1967, leading the league in home runs (44), runs batted in (RBI) (139) and batting average (.330)[5]. Then there’s Prince Fielder, who has 30 homeruns and 108 RBIs.

The Tigers, as in previous years, have always had a dominant pitching staff as well as a strong lineup. They proved their strength in their home park by taking the first two games, giving them a 2-0 lead over the Athletics. Like the Reds, the Tigers only need one more game to clinch a spot in the American League Championship Series.

The Baltimore Orioles are now head-to-head against the Yankees in the American League Division Series, and as of last night, the series is tied with one win apiece. This will be a match-up that sees the Bronx Bombers as the favorite. The Orioles have not been to the postseason in fifteen years, and back then, they had the icon, Ironman Cal Ripken, Jr. as their shortstop.

In their last postseason appearance against each other back in 1996, Jeffrey Maier, a twelve-year old boy in the stands, caught the ball that would have been a fly out for Derek Jeter. Instead, it was called a home run, and the Yankees went on to win the game and eliminate the Orioles, as well as take their first steps to becoming the dynasty that they were from the late 90s to the early 2000s under skipper Joe Torre.

Fifteen years later, the Orioles have developed into a strong team, offensively and defensively. The Orioles have some strong hitters such as Adam Jones and J.J Hardy, and a strong bullpen to boot.

But, that does not mean any significant advantage over the perennial contenders from the Bronx. In fact, Yankee Captain Derek Jeter is having one of the best seasons of his career, with a major league-leading 216 hits – this at age 38. Robinson Cano, the Yankees second baseman, is coming off a hot streak, batting .615 (24-for-39) with seven doubles and three homers over New York’s final nine games[6].

In the regular season series, the Yankees and the Orioles each took nine games out of the eighteen games the two teams have played against each other. The Yankees took Game 1 with a score of 7-2.

Game 2, last night, saw Andy Pettitte throw a vintage start versus Wei-Yin Chen as the Orioles starter. The Yanks unfortunately saw a loss in Pettitte’s 43^rd career postseason start, as the Orioles take a 3-2 win.

Lastly, the Washington Nationals will go against the St. Louis Cardinals, who are the defending World Series champions. The Nationals shocked everyone this year by claiming the NL East title, a feat the Nationals have never accomplished, even when the team was still in the Montreal as the then-Expos.

The team has a very dominant line up, with Michael Morse hitting home runs despite his wrist and hand injuries. The pitching rotation is in good shape, with pitchers such as Jordan Zimmerman anchoring the rotation with the benching of their phenom, Stephen Strasburg[8].

The Cardinals, on the other hand, are in their second straight postseason. But this time, there is no Albert Pujols or Tony La Russa. (Of course, ‘the Machine‘ still has a statue in the area.)

With the help of their pitching staff that includes veteran Kyle Lohse, who finished the season as one of the best pitchers in the National League, and postseason stalwart Yadier Molina, the Cardinals’ defensive catcher who has made a name for himself as the youngest and arguably best among the Molina Catching Brothers, the Cards are looking to be the first to repeat since the Yankees (1998-1999, and 1999-2000).

The Nationals took Game 1 last night, with a score of 3-2, and the Cardinals took Game 2, with a score of 12-4. The two teams are now even, at a game apiece. Game 3 will take place in Nationals Park, with Edwin Jackson for the Nationals and Chris Carpenter for the Cardinals.

At the end of the Division Series, the two teams remaining in each league will go against each other in the Championship Series, and the winners of the series will go head-to-head in the most anticipated series of the year, the World Series.

Who will make it? All the teams have a shot at claiming the title. You cannot make assumptions because the playoffs are unpredictable. Just because a team has the best record in baseball does not mean the team will automatically win.

In 14 of the past 17 years, the team with the best record has not won the title. Five Wild Card teams have the won World Series[10]. These playoff games come down to pitching, defense and offense. If the pitchers can get outs, if the defense can commit little to no errors, and if the offense can put up as much run support as they can for their pitcher, then you have a team with great potential to win. It comes down to winning a game, no matter what. Being number one won’t get you the win – it’s showing why you’re number one that will.

Playoff season is considered one of the most intense times in baseball because everything is on the line. The main objective of all teams involved is winning because all teams are in it to win it. That is something all baseball players and managers in the postseason can agree on. Ryan Zimmerman, of the Nationals said, “I think we know what we need to do to win, just like everyone else does. Now, we just have to go out there and execute[11].” “This is what you play for. You play for a chance to get to the playoffs, win the division, and now we have to start all over again[12],” said iconic Yankee Captain Derek Jeter.

This is what we have been waiting for all-year long.

Let’s play ball!