The 2017 MLB season has been one to remember. Many superstars were born, like the New York Yankees’ Aaron Judge, and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger, who are both rookies and who broke a variety of records this season. Judge broke the all-time rookie record for most home runs in a season with 52, and Bellinger broke the record for the most home runs in a season by a Dodgers rookie with 39. There was also a lot of team success around the league. The Cleveland Indians had a 22-game winning streak, the longest in American League history, and the Los Angeles Dodgers started the season 43-7, the best 50-game stretch in the MLB since 1912. With that being said, the playoffs are underway, so here is a recap of what has happened so far.
The Minnesota Twins and New York Yankees started the playoffs with a well-fought AL Wild Card game, with the Yankees winning the game 8-4 and advancing to play the Cleveland Indians. The Twins finished the season 85-77, surprising a lot of teams this year with being able to make it to the Wild Card game. Prior to this year, they had not made the Wild Card game or Division Series since 2010. In the NL Wild Card game, the Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies in a shootout 11-8. The Rockies had an amazing season as well, finishing 87-75. They have a variety of talented players, such as third baseman Nolan Arenado, who hit .309 with 37 home runs and 130 RBI’s this year, and outfielder Charlie Blackmon, who led the National League in batting average this year, hitting .331 along with 37 home runs and 104 RBI’s.
In the first round of the National League Division Series (NLDS), the Los Angeles Dodgers swept the Arizona Diamondbacks 3-0. Arizona gave its all, but it wasn’t enough against the high-powered Dodgers. The Diamondbacks finished the season 93-69, which would normally be fantastic and leading their respective division, if not for the historic 104-58 season by the Dodgers. As for the other NLDS series, the Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals battled through a very tough series, with the Cubs outlasting the Nationals 9-8 in a series-clinching Game 5, and moving on to play the Dodgers.
In the first round of the American League Division Series (ALDS), the Houston Astros defeated the Boston Red Sox 3-1. The Red Sox played well all year, but the Astros are on a whole different level with their strong hitting ability, led by star second baseman Jose Altuve. In the other ALDS matchup, the New York Yankees came back from an 0-2 deficit in the series to win it 3-2 over the Cleveland Indians. The Indians had an amazing year as shown with their record breaking 22-game winning streak, but with losing a 2-0 lead this year, and a 3-1 lead to the Cubs in the World Series last year, a lot of questions surround this team about coming through in clutch moments. The Yankees moved on to play the Astros.
The Cubs vs. Dodgers series in the National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a rematch from last year’s NLCS, with the Cubs defeating the Dodgers 4-2 to move on to the World Series, where they would become the eventual champions and end their 108-year drought without a championship. With both teams stronger than the previous year, it should be a very intriguing series. As of this writing, the Dodgers currently lead the series 2-0.
The Yankees vs. Astros series in the American League Championship Series (ALCS) is a matchup of star power hitting on both sides. It may come down to which pitching staff can perform better, as well as the bullpen in closing out each game. This is a definite must-watch series, with the excitement of watching the stars perform on both sides, with Judge playing the way he has for the Yankees, and Altuve for the Astros.
The MLB playoffs are much more exciting than the long 162 games in the regular season for baseball fans, and you can watch the games on a variety of networks such as FS1, TBS, and Fox, so tune in to watch the continuation of what has been an amazing and historic MLB season to this point.
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