UNITED STATES—The MLB Post Season is upon us and for the next few weeks, eight teams will give it their all in order to go all the way for the World Series Title.
It is now October and with the two Wild Card games out of the way, we now have our 2019 Post Season bracket.
On October 1, the Milwaukee Brewers faced the Washington Nationals in a game where the winner goes on to the NLDS. The Brewers were missing their star player, Christian Yelich, but despite this, the Brewers started out strong with a two-run homer by former Los Angeles Dodger catcher Yasmani Grandal in the top of the first inning, followed by a single homer in the second inning by first baseman Eric Thames.
The third inning cut that lead down by two with Nationals Shortstop Trea Turner’s single homer. The magic was sparked in the bottom of the eight with bases loaded and two outs when the Nationals rallied for a comeback from behind. Left fielder Juan Soto singled to right, allowing all players on base to score, giving the Nationals the lead. The Nationals took the win with a score of 4-3 to move onto the National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The following day on October 2, the American League had their turn at their own Wild Card game with the Oakland Athletics hosting the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays ended their 2019 season with a record of 96-66, while the Athletics did slightly better with a 97-65 record. In the top of the first, first baseman Yandy Diaz placed his team on the board with a lead off homer, which was followed by a two-run homer from his teammate Avisail Garcia. Yandy was not done yet, and hit another single homer in the same direction in the top of the third. The Tampa Bay Rays went on to defeat the Oakland A’s with a final score of 5-1, sending them off to battle the 2017 World Series Champs, the Houston Astros.
Teams facing off for the ALDS are the Minnesota Twins against the New York Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays against the Houston Astros. Meanwhile in the NLDS, the Washington Nationals will face the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have reached the World Series stage two years in a row, but lost. The St. Louis Cardinals will battle against the Atlanta Braves.
The NLDS started their five game series on Thursday, October 3 with a close game between the Cardinals and Braves which ended with a score of 7-6, with the Cardinals taking the win. It was a direct result of 4 runs brought in during the ninth inning after leaving the game tied in the eighth. Meanwhile, the Dodgers hosted the Nationals and took the win with a final score of 6-0 with a dominant performance by pitcher Walker Buehler. The Dodgers 25-man NLDS roster included four rookies, including Gavin lux, who is the youngest player in Dodgers history to hit a post season homer.
The battle continues with four games scheduled for Friday, October 4 which include the Rays/Astros and the Twins/Yankees for game one of the ALDS, as well as the Cardinals/Braves and Nationals/Dodgers for game two of the NLDS.
