The MLB playoffs are perfect
The MLB playoffs are starting.
The words ring out like an alarm bell. Immediately, millions of viewers tune in to find out what exactly happened in 162 games over the past five months. They are then treated to an immaculate display of tension, excitement, agony and euphoria that few other sports can aspire to. Playoff baseball is, in and of itself, perfect. You may argue with that, but you’d be arguing in vain. Watch several games this year and you’ll have a perfect understanding of just how perfect it is.
Last year’s playoffs were unbelievable. I won’t go much into that, as writing everything that transpired in last year’s playoffs would take longer than the actual playoffs themselves. But suffice it to say that if these year’s playoffs are even half as good, it is must-watch TV for any and every sports fan.
It all starts Tuesday night with the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles facing off in the AL Wild Card game. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with MLB’s playoff format, the Wild Card games are now their version of steel cage death match. One game. Winner moves on. Loser goes home. It’s a cruel punishment for two teams that just finished playing 162 games, but it makes for terrific television. In this case, we have two teams who are already great for television. The Blue Jays and Orioles sport two of the best offenses in all of baseball. The Blue Jays already treated us to spectacular playoff moments last year while the Orioles hit the most home runs in the MLB, 25 more than the team in second place.
The NL Wild Card isn’t about to be outdone. A pitching duel awaits between the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. Noah Syndergaard of the Mets vs. Madison Bumgarner of the Giants. Syndergaard’s nickname is Thor, partly for the luscious locks that adorn his head and partly for the fact that his fastball can only be described by Norse mythology. Madison Bumgarner once saved a rabbit that had been eaten by a snake and nursed the rabbit back to full health. That has nothing to do with baseball, but it’s freaking awesome. Plus, he’s actually a really good pitcher, too, striking out the fourth most batters in the MLB. They’re third and fourth amongst all pitchers in ERA. This won’t be a high-scoring game, but it will be a pitching clinics — and it will be amazing.
Waiting for the winners of the two Wild Cards are the Texas Rangers in the AL and Chicago Cubs in the NL. The Rangers are full of talent all over the field, and even added more at the trade deadline. Their roster almost reads like an All-Star team, with a terrific variety of veterans and young guys. Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish hold down the rotation while the lineup features new additions like Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Beltre on top of Adrian Beltre, Joey Gallo and others.
You’ve probably heard a little bit about the Cubs. The Cubs have no weakness on their roster, which is why fivethirtyeight.com gives them a 26% chance to win the World Series. You’ve still got Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester, and Kyle Hendricks in the rotation. You’ve also got Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell and a whole slew of other quality bats and fielders. Believe me when I say the Cubs would love nothing more than to send Davis ‘Grandpa’ Ross into retirement with a World Series.
There’s still two series the playoffs have to offer us here in the first round. The Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians will clash in the AL while the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers square off in the NL. The Red Sox, led by MVP candidate Mookie Betts and future Hofer David Ortiz may pose the greatest risk to the Cubs’ hopes of ending their World Series drought. The Indians have one of the best rotations in all of baseball, showcasing such stars as Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, who will try to shut down the Red Sox potent offense. The Nationals will be relying on Bryce Harper, David Murphy and Max Scherzer to lead them to the World Series. To do so, they’ll have to get by the Dodgers, led by perhaps the best pitcher in baseball, Clayton Kershaw, flanked by Rich Hill.
The next month is going to be the epitome of what baseball can be. The tension. The excitement. The agony. The euphoria.
It’s October.