ANTHONY GETTINO
Sports Editor
This season of MLB will go down as one of the most bizarre in history.
Due to COVID-19, the MLB shortened their season from the usual 162 games all the way down to a 60 game set, with teams only playing against their own divisions and within their regions.
In addition to that, the league added six more teams to the playoffs, with three coming from the National League and the other three from the American League.
Each league will now have eight teams playing to start the playoffs instead of the usual five. How they changed the inclusion into the playoffs is also a bit complicated.
In the old format, each division had their division champion automatically qualify for the playoffs.
With three divisions per league, that left the final two teams playing a one-game wild card round to determine who makes it to the divisional series round.
With the addition of the new teams, however, the new bracket is much more simple.
The first two teams in each division automatically qualify for the playoffs, with the remaining two spots going to the teams left in the league with the best records that did not already qualify.
The first round of this year’s playoffs will be played entirely at the better seeds stadium due to COVID restrictions. Once that round ends, the playoffs will be going into a four-stadium bubble format.
At the time of publication, the postseason has not been fully set in terms of who is in. However, most positions have been clinched and it is mostly seeding that is fluctuating.
The American League’s playoff teams are completely set, with the Tampa Bay Rays, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays all having clinched a spot.
These teams are jockeying for better seeding headed into this last week of play.
The National League still has two spots left up for grabs, but for now the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins and Cincinnati Reds clinched.
The final two positions in the playoffs currently belong to the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants.
In the National League, it is the Dodgers’ spot in the World Series to lose. Just like last year, the team has the best record in baseball and is the most talented roster from top to bottom.
Unlike last year, though, they won’t have to face a trio of top tier pitchers before the World Series with the Washington Nationals not making the playoffs. This team is a lock to be playing in the World Series.
In the American League, it is a more wide-open pack than in years past. The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record and the best bullpen, but their trio of high-end starting pitchers have played poorly this year.
The Yankees are always a bet to be competitive and they have the most talented lineup by far in the league. However, their bullpen hasn’t been as effective as it was the past two years, and their starters have had some awful outings and can only be relied upon for five innings in important games.
The Oakland Athletics are the most rounded team in the American League, but they’re also the Oakland Athletics, so they’ll be out in the first round.
I won’t even mention the Twins due to how poorly they always play in the playoffs, especially if they have to play the Yankees first round.
My prediction for the World Series will be the San Diego Padres facing off against the New York Yankees.
Yes, I know that I mentioned that the Los Angeles Dodgers are a lock to make the World Series, but that’s why I’m going against them.
Sometimes you have to go with the underdogs and the fun story, so I’m going with the most exciting player in baseball right now, Fernando Tatis Jr., to take the life out of the Dodgers with all of his hustle and swagger on the field.
Final prediction: The Yankees will win the World Series in six games off of a walk-off three-run home run by Gary Sanchez, who gets his first hit of the entire series, en route to a World Series MVP for his clutch performance.