The few Major League Baseball playoff games are the most important of the season. Underdog teams can compete against superteams in all-or-nothing series. In an unpredictable season, how is each team able to find production? How are each team’s chances? Four teams are left, and only two can move on.
The 2022 ALCS is hardly an unfamiliar matchup. The Houston Astros and New York Yankees faced off in the playoffs in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Each time, the Astros advanced and the Yankees were eliminated. It seems unlikely the Yankees will be able to reverse this trend this year. The 1 seed Astros came into this series after a 3-0 sweep of the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS. The Yankees’ 99 winning campaign earned them the second seed in the playoffs, and a 3-2 series win against the scrappy Cleveland Guardian’s team punched them a ticket to the ALCS. The Astros’ quick win against the Mariners gave their pitchers ample time to rest before their series with the Yankees, which is a significant advantage in postseason baseball. The Yankees have to pitch Jameson Taillon and Luis Severino in the first two games of the series because their aces, Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes Jr. don’t have enough time to rest. This is not the Astros’ only advantage over the Yankees. Infielder Dj LeMahieu, star reliever Ron Maranacio, and trade deadline acquisition Andrew Benintendi are notable players who aren’t on the roster due to injury. The Astros’ lineup is rested and healthy for the series. The Astros’ lineup is also just better than the Yankees’ lineup. The Yankees’ lineup was boosted by Aaron Judge’s historic season, but nearly everyone else has been disappointing. Josh Donaldson(avg .222), Giancarlo Stanton(avg .211, .062 less than last year), and Aaron Hicks (avg .216) have all had their worst seasons in years. The Astros, on the other hand, have seen offensive production from all positions in the lineup. After losing star shortstop Carlos Correa, they immediately found a replacement with star talent in Jeremy Peña. Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker have both been effective at the plate for the entire year. Jose Altuve, Jeremy Peña, Yordan Alvarez, Kyle Tucker and Alex Bregman combined for 140 home runs, while all hitting above a .250 batting average. The Astros also have an advantage on the mound over the Yankees. 39-year-old Justin Verlander is projected to win the Cy Young award, and Framer Valdez and Lance Mcullers Jr. are both solid options. This familiar matchup is likely to have a familiar outcome. The Astros are the better team with a deeper lineup. The Yankees hitters have to get their act together to have a chance in the series.
The National League is dominated by baseball dynasties that thrived during the regular season. The Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and Atlanta Braves seemed to have a sizable advantage over the rest of the teams, and many people thought it was a matter of which of them would advance to the World Series. This is why it was surprising when the bottom two seeds, the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, beat out the competition to make the NLCS. The Phillies beat the 3-seed St. Louis Cardinals and the 101-win Atlanta Braves, while the Padres stunned the Mets and Dodgers, both expected to make the World Series. How did these teams win? Both teams lead the postseason with 15 home runs each, first and second in Runs Batted In (Phillies have 55 and Padres have 49) and are second and fourth respectively in batting average.
The Padres’ success this season is due to superstar Manny Machado, trade deadline acquisition Juan Soto, and pitchers Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. Machado and outfielder Trent Grishan both had great postseasons, and the pitching staff made some dominant starts.
The Phillies’ 87-win season was spearheaded by massive offensive seasons by free agent signing Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto. Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler both had dominant seasons on the mound, and the Phillies also found decent production from their relief pitchers. They were able to continue their production into the postseason, which has led to their constant success. The Phillies have scored 6 or more runs in five of their 11 postseason games, and their pitching has performed when their hitting is silent. They are a team that is excited to win and is supported by their diehard fans.
The Phillies are moving on to the World Series after a five-game series. Zack Wheeler’s dominant outing in game 1 and two comeback wins in the final two games. An impressive series ended with a two-run home run by Bryce Harper. The hot Phillies will be difficult to beat in the world series.
