The Championship Series is over, and both series were polar opposites. On one hand, a familiar face, the Los Angeles Dodgers, will be returning to the World Series after sweeping the Milwaukee Brewers. And on the other hand, a new face, the Toronto Blue Jays, are going to their first World Series since 1993 after barely beating the Seattle Mariners. Let’s begin the recap!
National League Championship Series (NLCS)
The series saw the Los Angeles Dodgers, the third seed in the NL, face the Milwaukee Brewers, the top seed. To say the Dodgers’ pitching was the reason they dominated would be an understatement; they did just about everything a team could hope for. In four games, they held the Brewers to four runs. In Game 1, Blake Snell threw eight shutout innings for the Dodgers, allowing one baserunner. In the ninth inning, the Brewers made a small comeback by scoring a run and loading the bases; however, they were unable to sustain the momentum. In Game 2, Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a complete game, giving up one run and striking out seven, allowing only three hits. The Dodgers’ offense was strong against the Brewers’ ace Freddy Peralta, scoring five runs. The Dodgers held a firm grip, winning 5-1. In Game 3, Tyler Glasnow pitched five and two-thirds innings, giving up one run and striking out eight, while the Los Angeles offense had a big sixth inning to grab the lead. They would win Game 3 by a score of 3-1, bringing them one win from the World Series. In Game 4, it was all Shohei Ohtani. The superstar had one of the best playoff performances in the sport’s history, with three home runs and six shutout innings with ten strikeouts. The Dodgers would win 5-1, sweeping the Brewers and punching their ticket to their second straight World Series.
American League Championship Series (ALCS)
This series was about as exciting as it gets, a back-and-forth matchup for the ages. In Game 1, the Mariners were powered by a Cal Raleigh home run and two Jorge Polanco singles to win 3-1. Bryce Miller and the Mariners’ pitching were very strong, holding the Blue Jays’ offense to one run and two hits. Game 2 saw the Mariners’ offense explode for 10 runs, with four players having multiple runs batted in. Julio Rodriguez and Jorge Polanco each had three, Josh Naylor and J.P. Crawford both had two. The M’s would win 10-3. Heading to Seattle for Games 3-5, the Blue Jays certainly left their mark. They secured a much-needed victory by a score of 13-4, due to a big combined effort from the offense, with 8 players getting an RBI. Game 4 saw much of the same stuff from Toronto, with their offense once again being the big difference maker. Andres Gimenez had four RBIs, and the Blue Jays won 8-2. In Game 5, the Mariners grabbed the pivotal victory to secure a 3-2 lead in the series. Their pitching was strong overall, and Eugenio Suarez’s grand slam was the deciding factor in a 6-2 win. In front of the home crowd and in an elimination game, the Blue Jays took Game 6, winning 6-2. Trey Yesavage was strong on the mound, throwing five and two-thirds innings with seven strikeouts, and Addison Barger’s three RBIs won Toronto the game. In a winner-take-all Game 7, it was the closest game of the series. The Mariners took an early lead, then the Blue Jays tied it, then two Mariners home runs gave them a 3-1 lead. But in the seventh, George Springer’s three-run homer would give them just enough runs to win the game and the series. The Blue Jays won 4-3 and took the series. This epic 7-game series ended with the Blue Jays going to their first World Series in over thirty years, since 1993 when they last won it all. The Mariners’ streak of being the only team to never win the pennant lives on.
The stage is set for the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays. One team has been powered by an elite pitching staff, while the other has been riding on amazing offensive production. Both teams have their stars and their strengths, but this is looking to be a very exciting series. The Dodgers are the favorites to win, but look for this to be an exciting series, with the first game on Friday, October 24th.