Many people are dissuaded from following baseball because of its long season, but I argue that it is part of the charm.
Baseball is a unique sport, and if you pay attention, the games move by extremely fast. A pitcher’s arsenal can range from 60 to over 100 miles per hour as they throw the ball to someone 60 feet and six inches away. Then the batter swings, timing up with the pitch to potentially hit the ball over 450 feet in the air! All of this to say, when you pay attention, the details of the game are fascinating.
Baseball is a fast-paced sport. If you are anything like me, and care way too much about a team, you understand how much of a commitment 162 games per season is. Most division winners are decided within the last week of the regular season, and the race to the playoffs is addicting to watch.
However, only 12 teams make the playoffs. The other 18 teams, as the running joke goes, are left to go to Cancún.. From there, the playoffs are the best of the series, leading to emotional games and heart-wrenching losses.
This postseason , the tough competition was made clear as two elimination games have gone to extra innings so far, and one even went to 15!
There is no suspense like playoff baseball — every pitch feels like life or death. The team I root for, the Philadelphia Phillies, had a heartbreaking exit from the playoffs in the National League Division Series after finishing the regular season with 96 wins. After sulking for two days, I am back to tell everyone I know about how much I love this damn sport.
The heartbreak associated with baseball is not just emotional — it’s economic.
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement between the owners and players will expire at the end of 2026. The current CBA has no restrictions or caps on a team’s salary payroll, giving the teams of bigger markets a financial advantage over smaller market teams. If the Los Angeles Dodgers make, and win, the World Series, they will solidify that money can win ballgames. Their star player, Shohei Ohtani, is currently signed to a 10 year, $700 million contract. In contrast, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Dodger’s NL Championship Series opponents, are consistently in the bottom 10% of the league’s payroll. If they were to come on top, it argues that talent builds camaraderie, which propels teams to win baseball games. Many fans and analysts argue that the outcome of this season’s playoffs will have an impact on the next Agreement.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the sole remaining “large market” team in the playoffs, meaning the Dodgers have the capacity to sign larger and more expensive players such as Shohei Ohtani. Milwaukee and Seattle, two of the MLB’s notably smaller market teams, are red hot entering the playoffs. The league’s championship series are in full swing this season, and the next few weeks of baseball will be nothing short of magical, no matter the outcome. Competition in these series’ are very tight, which will inevitably lead to close games and strong head-to-head matchups. Milwaukee and Seattle have never won a World Series, so fans are excited that their beloved teams are in the running and have a true chance at winning.
Despite all of the suspense and fun around playoff baseball, 11 out of 12 playoff fanbases will be left disappointed
“It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall all alone,” said Bartlett Giamatti, former commissioner, in a statement I feel perfectly represents baseball culture.
I remain heartbroken that my favorite team was eliminated, but I must admit I am a little relieved that the month of October will be less stressful than I anticipated. Although we are not sure who will come out on top of this year’s postseason, I guarantee it has been and will continue to be an exciting one.