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Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians Game 1: Saturday 1:08 PM
The Tigers are the hottest team in baseball right now. After coming off the high of soaring into the playoffs from near elimination in August, the Tigers took down Goliath – the Houston Astros – in a two game sweep. Star pitcher Tarik Skubal pitched a gem in game one, tossing six scoreless innings en route to a 3-1 win. The Tigers rode that wave to a game two win to the Division Series, where they will face the Guardians.
The Guardians are looking to erase their 76-year World Series drought.Cleveland wasn’t supposed to be here this October, but off the back of first-year manager and former catcher Steven Vogt, the Guardians have shocked baseball and played so well they got themselves a first round bye.
The Guardians will lean on third baseman Jose Ramirez, who has experience in the World Series with the Guardians in 2016. Ramirez has been an MVP candidate year in and year out, reaching the top ten In voting six times. Ramirez was one home run away from reaching the coveted 40-40 season (40 home runs and 40 stolen bases), but the Guardians only played 161 games due to weather canceling their final regular season game.
Kansas City Royals vs. New York Yankees Game 1: Saturday 6:38 PM
The Royals silenced the Orioles crowd in Baltimore with a pitching clinic. The staff shut down the Orioles offense in game one, not allowing a single run. Then, in game two, only one run came across to score. Young MVP candidate Bobby Witt, Jr. drove in two of the three runs the Royals scored that series. Kansas City closer Lucas Erceg shut down the offense in the ninth inning of both games, allowing no runs or hits, and only walking just one in his two innings of work.
The Yankees are no stranger to the World Series, leading the league by far with 27 rings. The Bronx Bombers lived up to their name this year as they led the majors with 237 home runs. MVP front-runner Aaron Judge hit 58 of them himself, along with a 1.159 OPS, which were both best in the majors.
The Yankees don’t just have one generational talent in the outfield. They also have young superstar Juan Soto, who they acquired in a trade this past off-season. Soto is third in the majors with a .988 OPS and fourth in home runs with 41.
New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Game 1: Saturday 4:08 PM
The Mets are riding high after taking the Wild Card from the Brewers in three games. After one of the more clutch home runs in playoff history from slugger Pete Alonso, New York able to hold off the Brewers 4-2 on Thursday. Alonso came up to the plate with two runners on, down two, and with only two outs to spare. He took a pitch to the opposite field that scraped over the wall to give the Mets the lead and hushed the rowdy Milwaukee crowd.
The Mets’ opponents, the Phillies, are looking to make it to the World Series for the second time in three years. Philadelphia has been a consistently feared team these past few seasons. The loud and passionate fan base putting opposing teams on edge, and Cy Young candidate Zach Wheeler has quietly had a fantastic year, finishing third in the majors with a 2.57 ERA, third in strikeouts with 224, and fourth in innings pitched with 200. Wheeler has always seemed to fly under the radar not getting enough recognition, but with a good playoff run he could finally make his name known.
San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Game 1: Saturday 8:38 PM
During game two of the Wild Card series vs the Braves the Padres announced their presence, exploding for five runs in the second inning and effectively ending Braves star-pitcher Max Fried’s day. Third baseman Manny Machado and Rookie of the Year front-runner Jackson Merrill each put up two RBI that inning. The Braves tried to claw back making it a one run game, but the Padres bullpen held on to send them to the Division Series to face their rivals.
Who are the Padres rivals? The Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been a force to be reckoned with for the past decade, winning the division all but once in the past 12 seasons. The Dodgers are a super team. They paid over a billion dollars in contracts last winter, far more than any other team in baseball. The Dodgers are led by phenom Shohei Ohtani, the only player in history to have a 50-50 season. And he pitches, too, but tore his UCL last season and won’t take the mound again until next year.
