The 2022 MLB Postseason is in Full Swing -

By Zachary Lichter

For the past two weeks, the 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) Postseason has been in full swing, and so far, the results have been unexpected. When the bracket came out on Thursday, October 6, teams like the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Toronto Blue Jays looked more likely to advance to the League Division Series (LDS), just from the way all three teams played during the regular season. Once the Wild Card series was played on October 7-9, lower-seed teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners shocked people’s expectations by eliminating their opponents and advancing to the LDS.

“I think the biggest upset was the Mets losing to the Padres because they had a phenomenal season, winning 101 games, the second most in a season for the second most in franchise history,” said sophomore political science major and sports management and philosophy minor Matthew Cutrona. “Everyone around baseball thought that Scherzer and deGrom were going to help their chances. With Scherzer not having command of his stuff, and the lack of hitting, ultimately the Mets did what they do best: Mets’d up. Besides them, one other upset was the St. Louis Cardinals losing to the Phillies. With a consistent team and particularly good pitching, somehow, they got beat in surprising fashion from the Philadelphia Phillies, who did not play good baseball all season. In the final year of HOF’s Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, the Cardinals couldn’t win it for them.”

The results from the LDS had created a similar reaction to the results of the Wild Card Series considerably in the National League Division Series (NLDS) when the Phillies eliminated the 2021 World Series Champions, Atlanta Braves, in Game 4. The Phillies were not expected to go to the postseason and even advance to the NLDS after having a rough season and firing their manager, Joe Girardi, in June. As for the Padres, they were also not expected to go to the postseason because hitting and starting pitching was their primary concern coming into the regular season. The Padres also hired Bob Melvin as their new manager, which left people questioning if he could get the Padres to the postseason. The Padres were able to finish the season with a record of 89-73, and they were able to beat the Mets in the NL Wild Card and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had the best record in baseball.

“The Phillies have played great baseball since Rob Thomson took over as manager with a record of 65-46,” said sophomore accounting major David Fritz III. “While maybe obvious, the teams with the most potent offensive lineups appear to be performing well, as seen with the Padres, Phillies, and Mariners. As of Saturday, the Phillies advanced to the NLCS for the first time since 2010. The Padres’ offense is formidable, and pitching has been exceptional. It would be a great series if they take care of business.”

As for the American League Division Series (ALDS), the Houston Astros were expected to sweep the Seattle Mariners, considering the Astros talent in their starting pitching and offense. The New York Yankees also look like they have a chance of going to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) because their starting pitchers, Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, have been pitching phenomenally. Their offense, backed up by right fielder Aaron Judge, designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, and shortstop Oswaldo Cabrera has been great during the second half of the regular season. The Cleveland Guardians have made this series challenging for the Yankees because of how young the players on the Guardians are. The Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan, third baseman Jose Ramirez, and right fielder Oscar Gonzalez have also been hitting great during the postseason.

The Phillies, Padres, Yankees, and Astros have been playing in the League Championship Series. They all hope to go to the 2022 World Series.