The Major League Baseball playoffs began Oct. 7 with the wild card rounds. This round consisted of a three-game series that featured dramatic pitching duels and explosive offensive fireworks. The Cleveland Guardians had a particular flair for the dramatic. After taking Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Rays, the two teams played an 18-inning game ending with a walk-off solo home run by left fielder Oscar Gonzalez. This sent the Cleveland crowd of 42,000 into a frenzy.

Following the wild card rounds, the winners advanced to face division winners in the Division Series. These five-game series had many fans on the edge of their seats. The first game of the Division Series started with a bang, as Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez hit a walk-off home run against the Seattle Mariners.

The division series saw two upsets. The Philadelphia Phillies took down their division rival and defending World Series Champs, Atlanta Braves. Then, the San Diego Padres defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had won a franchise-record 113 games in the regular season. These upsets showed that no team is safe in the playoffs’ chaos.

Following the division series, only four teams remained. The teams still competing were the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, and San Diego Padres. The Yankees looked to flip the script against the Astros, as they had been defeated by them in the playoffs in 2019 and 2017. This did not happen, as the Astros dominated them in a 4 game sweep. The Phillies hoped to reach the World Series for the first time since 2009. Behind the energy of a spirited fanbase, they clinched a World Series berth in five games.

The World Series pitted the Houston Astros against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies took Game 1 behind a miracle comeback from being down by five runs. The Astros captured Game 2 behind strong pitching from Framber Valdez. 

When asked about their predictions for the rest of the series, sophomore Nolan Stines and senior Derek Smith gave their predictions.

“I think the Phillies will win because they won the first game, which gives them an advantage with the series going to Philadelphia, and allowing them to play in front of the home crowd,” said Stines.

This is a valid point because the Phillies have not lost at their home ballpark this postseason.

“I think the Phillies will win because the Astros will not be cheating this time,” said Smith.

Smith is referring to the infamous sign-stealing scandal that the Astros were accused of in 2017-2019.

The MLB Playoffs grabbed the sports world’s attention with the dramatic moments and miraculous comebacks. The playoffs wrapped up with the Astros defeating the Phillies in Game 6 of the World Series Nov. 5.