With all Wild Card series coming to a close, the bulk of the MLB playoffs are off and running. 

According to the Major League Baseball official website, the Wild Card series featured the Kansas City Royals vs Baltimore Orioles, as well as the Detroit Tigers vs the Houston Astros in the American League. Then, in the National League, the Atlanta Braves vs the San Diego Padres and the New York Mets vs the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks were in the Wild Card entering the final week of the regular season, but they lost four of their last six games to the Padres and the San Francisco Giants to end up out of the Wild Card spot. That only happened because the final season series between the Braves and Mets that was supposed to take place that week was postponed until Monday, Sept. 30, due to Hurricane Helene for postseason deciding double-header after the Braves won the first game. 

Three of those four series ended in two-game sweeps. The Padres swept the shorthanded Braves after the Braves were able to squeeze into the playoffs after splitting a rescheduled doubleheader vs the Mets. After splitting that double-header against the Braves, the Mets used a late-inning comeback in the series-deciding game three to eliminate the Brewers on the road. The Royals and Tigers surprised the baseball world by sweeping the Orioles and Astros on the road as well. 

The National League division series will feature the Los Angeles Dodgers vs San Diego Padres and the Philadelphia Phillies vs the New York Mets.

The Dodgers enter their 12th straight postseason, and third straight entering as a top-two seed in the new playoff format. The first two times the Dodgers were in the top two, they were eliminated from the postseason both times in the first round against the Padres and last year’s runner-up, the Arizona Diamondbacks. 

The Phillies are in their third straight postseason after taking over the NL East division, snapping the Braves’ six-year NL East division streak. This is also the first time the Phillies have been a top-two seed in this playoff arrangement. As Wild Card participants the past two seasons, they have gone to the World Series and the National League Champion Series. 

Then, the American League division series will feature the New York Yankees vs the Kansas City Royals, and the Cleveland Guardians vs the Detroit Tigers. 

The Yankees are appearing in their 11th postseason in the last 14 seasons, but have not hoisted the Commissioner’s Cup since 2009. The farthest the Yankees have made it to since then is five American League Championship Series appearances. 

The Guardians are in their third postseason in the last five years, and the farthest they have made it to was to the American League divisional series. In 2020, the Guardians hosted the Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees,  losing both games. In 2022, Cleveland would make it past the Wild Card Series after beating the Tampa Bay Rays in three games before eventually getting eliminated again by the Yankees in five games. 

The baseball world wants to see the Dodgers and Yankees in the Fall Classic. However, the Phillies should not be slept on as World Series favorites, as they are the most experienced team in the postseason right now. 

Also, this could be the postseason where teams that were not favored to make the playoffs before the season started can be in the World Series like the Mets, Padres, Royals and Tigers. To me, the Royals showed from the start of the regular season that they were a playoff team. Having said that, the Mets, Padres and Tigers were a few of the hottest teams down the stretch entering the postseason. The Tigers were not even in the Wild Card picture at the All Star Break, and now they are in the American League divisional series facing their American League Central Division foe. 

Based on what has happened so far, there could be more surprises going forward this postseason.