October baseball means the best of the best come out to play, and fans get to watch the best baseball of the year. The New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Washington Nationals and Houston Astros have already secured their spots in the League Championship Series for their respective divisions. Fans everywhere have made their picks and are prepared to ride with their teams until the end. Of course, the race for the Commissioners Trophy is unwritten and as we all know, in sports, anything can happen. Here is what you need to know about the contenders:
The New York Yankees ended the regular season in first place in the American League East division with 104 wins and 59 loses. They trailed only the Houston Astros in the American League who finished the regular season with 107 wins and 55 loses. In the post season, the Yankees would go on to sweep the Minnesota Twins in the Division Series. Led by their potent offense, the Yankees managed to generate enough offense to defeat the Twins in three games. Their notable batters this season were DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Judge, and Brett Gardner. Now, the Yankees seek to win their first World Series title since 2009.
The St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals ended the regular season in first place in the National League Central division with 91 wins and 71 loses. They trailed the Atlanta Braves (97 wins) and Los Angeles Dodgers (106). However, the Cardinals managed to win against the Atlanta Braves in a best-of-five Division Series. In game five, the Cardinals put up a dominant performance against the Braves that allowed them to win 13-1. This is the first time the Cardinals have reached the Championship Series since 2015. The last hurdle left for the Cardinals to reach the World Series are the Washington Nationals. Fortunately for the Cardinals, they will have home field advantage.
The Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals have had a wild journey to the Championship Series as they defeated the dominant 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers in game five of the Division Series. The Nationals ended the regular season with 93 wins and 69 loses. They kept their season going as they faced the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Wildcard round and won 3-4 after coming back in the eighth inning. After losing their franchise icon Bryce Harper to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Nationals have shown great fight despite having a slow start to the season. Thanks to pitchers Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez, the Nationals are in a good position to go for it all.
The Houston Astros
The 2017 World Series champs, the Houston Astros, had another spectacular season as they finished first in the American League division with 107 wins and 55 loses. In the post season, they faced the Tampa Bay Rays and defeated them in five games. The Astros’ success this season comes in large part from their six all-stars: Gerrit Cole, Ryan Pressly, Justin Verlander, Michael Brantley, Alex Bregman and George Springer. This October, they are close to tasting glory once again, but they do have the equally dominant Yankees to go through and either the Nationals or Cardinals. The Astros do have home field advantage to look forward to in the Championship Series that will start on Saturday, October 12. While the hardest part is still ahead, the Astros and their fans have a lot to believe in as they take part in what is sure to be an epic series against the Yankees.