By: Chris Romano

For the Yellow Jacket

To say the least, this year Major League Baseball season has been different. The pandemic started during spring training for the 2020 season and eventually put all of baseball on halt.

After months and months and months of waiting. The MLB returned to play with a modified schedule. The new schedule would be a 60-game season instead of the regular 162 game regular season slate. Then, the teams that qualified for the playoffs would continue their quest for the World Series Championship.

Out of the 16 teams that made it to the playoffs, we are finally down to the final two who continue to battle it out with Game 5 being played last Sunday, Game 6 tonight and Game 7 set for tomorrow if necessary.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been silently building a championship-contending team since their last appearance, which came in the 2008 World Series. Over the past decade, they have made big trades and drafted great players to complement their upcoming powerhouse team we see today. 

The Rays made it to the playoffs with an impressive 40 wins and 20 losses, leading the AL East and clinching the first seed for the playoffs. Although very good themselves, the Rays played some of the best teams in the playoffs including the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros. 

This seems to be the year for Tampa, Fla. teams, so maybe the Rays can match Tampa’s first champion of 2020 in the National Hockey League’s Lightning, and win a championship during this pandemic.

Now for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who’ve been to the World Series a time or two before. They have been to the World Series 24 times to be exact since joining the National League. Out of those 24 times, they have only won six World Series titles and their most recent pennant was back in 1988.

The Dodgers have always been good, and in recent history have always had the money to be good. It seems like every year they have an amazing prospect dominating, or they make a big splash in free agency and keep the team in constant win mode.

During the regular season, the Dodgers finished with a 43-17 record, locking up the NL West. 

This year, the Dodgers were the number one seed and went through the Brewers, Padres and came back from a three to one-game deficit to defeat the Braves and return to the Fall Classic. 

Both teams have a really strong chance of winning the World Series this year. They both have great pitching and hitting which allows them to compete with each other. So now it’s time to kick back and relax and enjoy some good baseball.