We're down to eight. The divisional round in the MLB playoffs is set. The wild card round is over, and we saw three out of the four underdogs win. Without further ado, let's see the matchups.
No. 1 New York Yankees vs No. 5 Kansas City Royals
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5, 6:35 p.m.
Probable Pitchers: Gerrit Cole vs Michael Wacha
Royals: What a year it has been for the Kansas City Royals. From 106 losses in 2023 to winning 86 games this season and beating the Baltimore Orioles 2-0 in the wild-card round, their season has been nothing short of spectacular. They went into Baltimore and handled the Orioles pretty efficiently. Cole Ragans pitched a gem in game one, posting six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. The offense wasn't anything special for Kansas City, but they didn't need to be. Strong starting pitching and a good bullpen were just what the Royals needed to move into the ALDS. They will be the underdog in the Yankees series, but the Royals already got the experience of going into an opposing stadium and winning a series. They will be in good shape if they can go into Yankee Stadium and take one of the first two games.
Yankees: It is all lining up for the New York Yankees to make a big postseason run. The Yankees were only 5-8 vs the division rival Baltimore Orioles team, so they dodged a bullet with that. The question now becomes if the pinstripes can finally get over the hump and reach the world series for the first time since 2009. If not this year, when will New York get another opportunity like this? The Houston Astros have been a thorn for the Yankees since 2015, and now they are out of the playoffs. New York will have home field advantage all throughout the playoffs and is the clear cut favorite to make it out of the AL. No more excuses for Aaron Boone. They have a hitter hitting at an unreal level in Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, an Ace in Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodon as their second starter and a shaky bullpen that has been shaky but still has a shutdown closer in Clay Holmes. If not this year for the Yankees, when will they win?
No. 2 Cleveland Guardians vs No. 6 Detroit Tigers
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5, 1:05 p.m.
Game 1 Pitchers: Tanner Bibee vs Tyler Holton
Tigers: What a season it has been for the Detroit Tigers. From being 55-63 on August 10 to finishing the season on a 28-12 stretch, it has been a roller coaster ride for the Tigers. It has been a duty by the committee for Detroit to turn around their season. They Are led by ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, who pitched six innings, allowing no runs and striking out six. For the hitting group, a bunch of role players have stepped up when they needed it. Riley Greene is emerging as one of the best outfielders in baseball, and the recent resurgence of Kerry Carpenter and Matt Vierling has been refreshing. Detroit will live and die with their bullpen, as they rank as one of the league's best this past season. It is not about the best teams in October baseball; it is about the team that is playing the best baseball at the time, and the Tigers are doing just that. Do the Tigers have a magical playoff run in them?
Guardians: Cleveland has been one of the more consistent teams in the league this season. When Terry Francona retired last season, questions about the team surfaced all through the offseason. That's when Stephen Vogt came in and steadied the ship and carried on the foundation that Francona built. The team is led by José Ramírez, the superstar third baseman who hit 39 home runs this season. Josh Naylor and Stephen Kwan are other guys capable of hitting and taking over a game. Though they can hit very well, this team will go as far as their pitching staff can take them. The starting rotation ranks as one of the best in the league, and the development that Cleveland has within their organization is something special. The Guardians also have one of the best bullpens in the league. Led by closer Emmanuel Clase, he posted a ridiculous 0.61 ERA in 2024 through 74.1 innings pitched. In playoff baseball, you are going to use your best players. Clase won't have a pitch limit, and he could enter in the seventh inning and shut down opposing offenses. With how the schedule is, this is the best opportunity in years for the Guardians to try and get back to the World Series. If they are successful, they will have relied heavily on their bullpen and gotten some timely hits from their superstars.
No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers vs No. 4 San Diego Padres
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5, 8:38 p.m.
Probable pitchers: Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs Dylan Cease
Dodgers: There are no excuses for the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have everything they need for a championship team and are relatively healthy for October baseball standards. Shohei Ohtani had a historic 50-50 season and is playing like the best player in the world. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman make up a stacked hitting core that can beat anybody. The questions come down to the Dodgers pitching staff. The starting pitching is relatively weak regarding October Baseball, and the bullpen has its questions. There is no doubt that Los Angeles has one of the best rosters in baseball, I think they are facing off against the worst possible opponent for them. San Diego has been one of the best teams in the NL in the second half of the season, and they match up well with the Dodgers. I think the Dodgers are in big trouble.
Padres: The San Diego Padres are finally returning to being an NL contender. After A.J. Preller faced scrutiny the past couple of years for trading all of San Diego's prospects for guys to try and contend now. It didn't work in years past, but San Diego has finally found the right mix of talent and is finally producing on the field. Manny Machado is having a career year, and they are stacked within their own lineup. San Diego dominated a depleted Atlanta Braves team, and it wasn't even close. A.J. Preller and the San Diego Padres built their team to try and beat the Dodgers. The Padres are 8-5 this season against the Dodgers, outscoring them by 14 runs in those 13 games. This is the best chance the Padres have had in the Manny Machado era to try and get back to the World Series for the first time since 1998. This team is stacked from top to bottom, and it will be a treat to see the Dodgers vs the Padres in the NLDS.
No. 2 Philadelphia Phillies vs No. 6 New York Mets
Game 1: Saturday, Oct. 5, 4:08 p.m.
Probable pitchers: Zach Wheeler vs Kodai Senga
Phillies: Third time's the charm? Philadelphia went to the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS in 2023, both times losing. The Phillies have the same team back and are looking for vengeance. Philadelphia had a season-high 95 wins this season, including a 54-27 record at home. Winning inside Citizens Bank Park is not easy to do in October. Philly has the roster to bring a World Series back to Philadelphia, and they are led by the face of the franchise, Bryce Harper. Harper was a clutch performer in October and had the type of attitude that can relate to the city of Philadelphia. Philadelphia has to take care of business at home in the first two games of the series vs the Mets. With a hot group in New York coming in, the Phillies can't slip a game at their home stadium.
New York Mets: Team of Destiny? Will Grimace get a ring if the Mets win the World Series? From winning the play-in game Monday vs the Braves to having to travel to Milwaukee and play a grueling three game set against the Brewers, the Mets have shown a resilience unlike anything and have quickly become a team you want to root for. They were dead to rights in game three of the wild card series against the Brewers, but a ninth-inning rally followed by Pete Alonso getting the biggest hit of his life, a go-ahead three-run home run to beat the Brewers, the Mets were able to advance to the divisional round. Pete Alonso is a pending free agent this offseason, which could have been his final at bat as a Met. The Mets have played win-or-go-home baseball for the last month. They know what it takes to go out there and win games in October, and they have shown it with the wild card win over Milwaukee. New York will meet a division foe in the NLDS in Philadelphia, where New York posted a 6-7 record against them this season. Can the Mets ride the hot hand and knock off the Phils?
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