The final weekend of the 2023 MLB season is upon us. The excitement has only ramped up as fans find themselves in the midst of this tumultuous time. With the regular season officially ending this Sunday, October 1st, it’s time to assess the damage.
First off, the losers. A few teams had high hopes entering this season and have essentially fallen flat on their faces. The St. Louis Cardinals, who made the playoffs the last few seasons, will end up finishing last in the National League Central for the first time in over 30 years. Other expected contenders featuring high payrolls, such as the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres, will also miss out.
So, what does that mean? Well, it means that there is plenty of new blood in the playoffs this year, with several fresh faces. These such teams are the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers, all of which did not make the postseason last campaign and some in many years. The other clubs who have clinched as of this point, the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Rays, and Philadelphia Phillies, were in it last season.
That does not translate into the race being over by any means. The Wild Card race is reaching a fever pitch, with a four-game set between the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners underway. Seattle took game one in dramatic fashion as the Rangers blew their 33rd save of the year. This allowed J.P. Crawford to hit a walk-off double to left field, sending the Mariners to a dramatic 3-2 victory. It should also be noted that the Toronto Blue Jays are hot in the mix, though they’re coming off a series loss to the Yankees.
As of this point, Seattle sits one game behind the Houston Astros for the final American League. Wild Card. But, should those teams finish tied, the Mariners would get the tiebreaker, sending a sigh of relief through much of the MLB fanbases. Things are even more wild in the National League, where the Phillies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Miami Marlins own the wild card spots. However, the Chicago Cubs only remain a half-game behind Miami as of this point.
All this is to say, the Wild Card race is truly living up to its name. It can only be imagined that the postseason will be equally, if not more, wild. This added drama, combined with the fresh new teams in contention, add up to be a brilliant equation for baseball.
– Chris Kirschenbaum, Guest Writer
NY NJ Sports World/Brooklyn Sports World 