The Battle in the Bers

The -ber months have arrived (September, October, and November). Leaves are falling, and the weather is turning crisp; playoff season is upon us. Berths to be made. Prestigious awards to claim. Banners to hang. Across the nation, teams are scraping their way into October, while other teams provide late booms to the contention. This is all you need to know about the 2024 MLB Playoff race.

Passing the eighty-win threshold with most closing in on ninety, various division leaders seem to start running away with their leads. On the other hand, the one division that opposes that standpoint would be the exciting AL East. The Orioles, led by superstars Gunnar Henderson and Anthony Santander, and Yankees, carried by the league MVP in Aaron Judge and young prodigy yet veteran Juan Soto, have been interchanging the division lead since the start of the season in March. With a head-to-head matchup starting September 24th, the tension between the city’s fanbases are rising. Another important note to add is that Baltimore holds the tiebreaker if the teams keep the same record capping off the regular season. That is if the Orioles take one out of the three games in the Bronx. The Yankees have statistically played worse at home than away this year, as the Orioles have seen no change in that stat. This will become a battle of the bullpens and a series to watch in a couple of weeks.

Taking a look at the five other divisions, it is really a matter of clinching a postseason berth, as the leaders take strides to extend their “Games Ahead” statistic. One thing that does stand out is the NL Wild Card Race. The Mets, influenced by the talents of MVP candidate Francisco Lindor, and the Braves, which are dangerous even with the absence of Ronald Acuna, will ultimately be decided by their adversity. The Mets will have a challenging remainder of their schedule. Facing high-caliber teams such as the Phillies, who have an all-star loaded roster, and Brewers, with young superstar Jackson Chourio adding fuel, will challenge this new era Mets. The Braves will also be challenged by two hot teams in the Dodgers, as the Ohtani-Betts-Freeman trio continues to thrive, and the Royals, as Bobby Witt continues to terrorize pitchers on his home dirt. However, the key for both squads in the next two weeks will be to see if they can handle the very poor-performing teams. Ultimately, the two rival ball clubs will face each other from September 24-26 for what looks like the most crucial series of the year. 

Who can we expect to see come October 1st? For the AL, the East will be sending its two powerhouses, the Orioles and Yankees. As we look to the Central, it will be the dominant Guardians to lead their division. We will see two entertaining teams, the Twins and the Royals. And in the West, it will be the sole Houston Astros representing their division. I say this all predicting, of course, because we will likely see some late action out of Boston, Seattle, Detroit, or even Tampa Bay. It will be unlikely to see the reigning 2023 World Series winners in the Texas Rangers but never count the streaky team from the South out.

As Philadelphia looks to finally chase a title with what it believes has the best depth in recent history, some familiar enemies will again test it. As discussed, their two other rivals will be battling it out until the end, making the final Wild Card spot seem like a tossup. The almost unspoken team in the Brewers have run away with their division title. They will also be the sole candidate from the NL Central. And as for the powerhouse NL West, it will be the Dodgers, Padres (who have been led by various all-stars including Jurickson Profar and Maryland native Jackson Merrill), and the sneaky Diamondbacks, who found the lights to be too bright in the 2023 WS. It is doubtful that we will see the Cubs and Cardinals, who were key buyers, at the trade deadline in late August.

The division leaders will be the first three seeds in each league. The other three teams in the playoffs will be the wild card teams. The division winner with the least amount of wins compared to the others will be in a wild card series with the worst seed of the wild card teams. The one seed will get either the fourth or fifth seed. The Wild Card Series will begin on October 1st and likely carry into October 3rd, considering all four series being played are not sweeps. The Divisional Series starts on the 5th and is set to conclude on the 12th. The League Championship Series will begin on the 13th and end on the 12th. Lastly, the World Series will start on the 25th, with a potential Game 7 looming on November 2nd.

Who will lead their squads to a banner? Will we see various pushes from young stars? Will pitching or offense hold certain teams back? This is the 2024 MLB Playoff run.

Zachary Hunter is a senior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.

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