By Joshua Robison / The Jambar
As Major League Baseball opens the postseason, the league could see a third consecutive World Series title. By the end of October, only one team out of 12 playoff contenders will become World Series champions.
This year’s American League bracket consists of the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays, with the Chicago White Sox an unexpected contender, after having over 100 losses the last three regular seasons.
The National League includes the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers, with the Dodgers shooting for a third straight World Series ring.
The Braves and Phillies competed in one of two National League Wild Card Series on Sept. 29, where the Braves won two of the three games and advanced to the National League Division Series.
In a 5-3 win for Game One, the Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale recorded his longest postseason outing at over six innings with nine strikeouts, giving up four hits, three runs and one walk.
The American League Wild Card Series was played between the White Sox and Astros in one bracket and the Red Sox and Yankees in the other.
The White Sox swept the Astros, with a 6-3 win in Game One and 7-3 win in Game Two. In both games, the White Sox took early leads in the first inning and kept the Astros scoreless until the fourth inning of Game One.
The Yankees started their postseason run sweeping the Red Sox. The Yankees shut out the Red Sox 9-0 in Game One, led by starting pitcher Cam Schlitter for the Yankees, throwing just over six innings. Schlitter earned 10 strikeouts and gave up only two hits.
Offensively, Yankees designated hitter Ben Rice led the charge going 4-for-5 in the batter’s box with two home runs, a double and one walk.
Game Two saw a similar outcome of 9-2, with Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger who batted 2-for-4 and tallied four RBIs.
The only offense the Red Sox showed were home runs from first baseman Wilson Contreras in the sixth inning and second baseman Nick Sogard in the seventh.
Game One of the American League Division Series saw the White Sox shut out the Guardians 3-0 in a pitching duel. White Sox pitchers collected 12 strikeouts and only allowed three hits, while the Guardians pitchers collected 10 strikeouts and allowed six hits.
White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami batted 2-for-4 with one home run in the fourth inning, two RBIs and two strikeouts that contributed to the team’s win.
The Rays were one hit away from throwing a no-hit game against the Yankees in Game One of the ALDS on Oct. 3. The Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda hit a home run in the third inning for a game score of 1-0.
The Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen pitched eight innings with 10 strikeouts and one hit. The only hit from the Yankees came from catcher Austin Wells.
In the NLDS, the Dodgers defeated the Braves 5-3 with Dodgers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal who pitched six innings, collected seven strikeouts and gave up two hits, two walks and one run.
The Braves offense only came from second baseman Ozzie Albies and catcher Sean Murphy hitting one home run each.
Game One of the NLDS between the Padres and Brewers ended in a 3-2 victory for Milwaukee. Brewers pitching staff collected nine strikeouts with starting pitcher Jacob Miserowski who posted six.
The Guardians and Padres look to stay in the series today in their potential last games against the White Sox and Brewers, respectively. The Rays look to extend their lead over the Yankees. Viewers can watch the games live on Fox and TBS.