by Matthew Calvino
As a fan of the MLB, the last week of baseball leading up to the World Series has been one of the most interesting postseasons that I have ever seen, at least in the National League. The postseason in general had some interesting results, with the highly favored Braves in the National League losing in the NLDS against the Phillies 3-1, and the Padres eliminating the Mets, a team that had been looking much better than the Padres in the second half of the season, 3-1. However, the American League this year ended with a familiar tragedy that has plagued the postseason on that side of MLB for many years now.
American League Division Series
The American League Division series played out for the New York Yankees as it has for many years. They now have a new record for consecutive losses in the ALCS. However, this does not mean they are a bad team. It’s just that the Houston Astros capitalize on every single mistake and error. Take the example of ALCS Game 4. The three-run lead that the Yankees had held since the beginning of the night was lost after Nestor Cortes tries to get an 83 mph screwball to the right edge of the strike zone and Jeremy Peña rocketed the ball to left field for a three-run homer to tie the game. After an injured Nestor Cortes is taken out of the game in the third inning, Peralta takes the stage to give up another run to the Astros from the bat of Yury Gurriel. The series ended in a miserable sweep despite the opinion of hopeful student Ethan DeChurch, who had said to “Wait ’till the series goes to New York” after the first Yankee losses in Houston. The series is truly summed up from a performance standpoint by Mr. Benitez, a lifelong Yankees fan who admitted that “Houston is too strong” and that while “their weakness is the bullpen,” the Yankees “only hit the long ball; but when the long ball is not there they are exposed.” Regardless, student Luca Carriles still said that it was “The most exciting series since this is the first time they have played in the postseason since the cheating scandal in 2017.” Now Houston plays against the Phillies in the 2022 World Series starting on Friday, October 28th.
National League
The NLCS series was a showdown between two unlikely teams, the Padres and the Phillies. Don’t get me wrong, the Phillies have Bryce Harper, arguably the best hitter in the National League, and the Padres have Manny Machado, another competitive top-of-the-league hitter. However, the Braves were predicted to go to the World Series against the Astros, and before that, they were to face either LA or the Mets, two teams that looked much more menacing than the Padres in the second half of the regular season. Regardless, the Phillies showed up with a 4-1 win in the series to eliminate the Padres. However, the best moment in the series was the Game 5 go-ahead home run by Bryce Harper in the eighth inning to seal the deal and take the lead against the Padres in a ferocious finish to the NLCS series. That was Bryce Harper’s 10th career postseason home run, and as the ball flew to left field, the Philadelphia crowd roars with the ecstasy that only comes from knowing that your team is going to the World Series. Hopefully, the Padres’ Manny Machado and Juan Soto and recover from the frustrating loss and come back next season for revenge.