The Race to Clinch a Spot in the 2021 MLB Postseason

Image Courtesy of NBC Bay Area

By Zachary Lichter

On Monday, September 13, the San Francisco Giants became the first team in Major League Baseball to clinch a playoff berth this season. This appearance is their first time going to the postseason since 2016. No one was expecting the Giants to be so good this season, especially in a division with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. However, the Giants were able to turn things around after signing Alex Wood and Anthony DeSclafani and re-signing Kevin Gausman. They currently have one of the best pitching rotations in baseball in terms of earned run average, and they also have the best record in the league at 98-53 at the time of publication.

“For me, I have noticed some factors that could point to the San Francisco Giants’ success this season. One key factor is the micromanagement of every game. The San Francisco Giants lead Major League Baseball with pinch-hit at-bats (a player who bats in place of a teammate),” freshman Matthew Cutrona said. “The Giants had a ‘chip’ on their shoulder at the start of the season. The baseball community all believed that the Giants were too old and would not be good this season.”

As of last Sunday, the Giants need to win 12 more games to clinch the National League West. That won’t be easy, as the Los Angeles Dodgers are one game back in the NL West standings at the time of writing. They were able to punch their ticket to the postseason 24 hours after the Giants and are currently in pole position for the first wild card spot. The Giants would need to sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, and San Diego Padres to clinch the NL West on October 3.

As for the rest of the National League, the Atlanta Braves have been struggling to clinch a playoff berth after having multiple players go on the Injured List during the season, including star center fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. The Milwaukee Brewers can also potentially clinch the NL Central if they sweep the St. Louis Cardinals this week. On Saturday, the Brewers clinched their fourth straight playoff berth after winning 6-4 against the Chicago Cubs.

“I think that the Brewers can clinch the NL Central this week,” freshman Jamison Marcoux said. “They have been good all season in terms of both their pitching and their batting so I don’t see them crashing now. I would have them winning the series against the Cardinals this week which would give them the division title.”

As for the American League, no one has been able to clinch a playoff berth yet. The Tampa Bay Rays currently have the best record in the AL so far. Their division rivals, the Boston Red Sox and the Toronto Blue Jays are not too far back in the American League East standings, with the Red Sox only being seven games behind. There is still more to come as this 2021 MLB Season comes to a close, and there are still plenty of opportunities for a team to clinch a spot in the postseason.