The Major League Baseball playoffs are approaching and a Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge matchup in the World Series looms as an enticing October possibility.
While the rooting interests of baseball fans vary widely, there’s little doubt MLB and television executives are drooling over the potential matchup between two of the top sluggers of this generation. Ohtani recently became the first player to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season while Judge is up to 56 homers.
On top of that, Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Judge (New York Yankees) play in the nation’s top two media markets for two of the sport’s most storied franchises.
Of course, there will be 10 other teams trying to block those teams from the Fall Classic. Last season, the Texas Rangers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4 games to 1 for their first title in franchise history.
Here’s a look at what’s coming:
Who’s in the playoffs? Who’s still fighting?: In the American League, the Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles have all clinched four of the six playoff spots. The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers are in the best position to claim the final two AL wild cards, but the Seattle Mariners and Minnesota Twins are among the teams in pursuit.
In the National League, the Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres have claimed four of the six spots. The New York Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves are fighting for the last two wild cards.
How the wild-card round works: The best-of-three wild-card format is in its third season. The format was changed in 2022 from the sudden death one-game format that was in place since 2012 except the COVID-19 pandemic-affected 2020 season.
Six teams each from the American League and National League will qualify for the postseason, including the three division winners in each league. The three wild-card teams in each league will be the teams with the best record that didn’t win their division.
The top two division winners with the best records in each league will get a bye and don’t have to play in the wild-card round. Those four teams get a few days of rest. Right now, that would be the Yankees and Guardians in the American League and the Phillies and Dodgers in the National League.
The wild-card round will feature four series: The No. 6 seed will play at the No. 3 seed in both the AL and NL. The No. 5 seed will play at the No. 4 seed.
One big advantage for the higher seed in those wild-card series is they get to host all three games.
And if there’s a tie: If there’s a tie for one of the playoff spots after the 162-game regular season, mathematical tiebreakers will be used instead of an extra game. The first will be the head-to-head record between the two teams involved.
If that can’t handle the stalemate, the team with the best intra-division record will win the tiebreaker. If that doesn’t work, the process continues with more and more convoluted solutions until a resolution is reached.
There’s a chance both leagues come to a tiebreaker scenario. The Diamondbacks, Mets and Braves are locked in a tight race for two NL wild-card spots, while the Tigers, Twins, Royals and Mariners also are fighting for two wild-card spots.
Changing the rules: Many of baseball’s recent rule changes are still in effect during the postseason, including the pitch clock, a ban on extreme infield shifts and a limit to how many times a pitcher can disengage from the rubber. The pitch clock has been a huge change for the sport and is widely celebrated, cutting game times by about a half-hour.
There is one rule that won’t make the postseason cut: the so-called “ghost runner” in extra innings.
During the MLB regular season, if a game goes to extra innings, a runner is placed at second base to start the 10th inning when each team bats. That won’t happen in the postseason. Extra innings will be played just like the previous nine.
Betting favorites: The Dodgers are the current betting favorites to win the World Series at +325, followed by the Yankees (+450) and Phillies (+450), according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
How to watch: The wild-card rounds will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC. The later rounds will be split between FS1, TruTV, TBS and Fox.
Postseason schedule: Wild-card series: Oct. 1-3; Division series: Oct. 5-12; League Championship series: Oct. 13-22; World Series: Oct. 25-Nov. 2.
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