The excitement of the 2023 MLB playoffs is coming to a close. With the World Series
beginning tonight, let’s break down what we’ve seen so far and what it could mean for these two teams.
The two sides of the league, the American League and the National League, have been
playing their Championship Series over the past week between the returning champions, the
Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks and the
Philadelphia Phillies.
“Every team’s path to game seven is different,” said Jeff Passan of ESPN. “The Rangers relied on their bats; the Astros seemed to survive on pure will. Philadelphia rode its stars;
Arizona its moxie.”
It should be noted that all of these teams, besides the Astros, who got to sit out because of
their two-seed bye, fought their way here all the way from the Wildcard Series. But how did we
get here?
Starting with the Rangers, they easily brushed past the Tampa Bay Rays in a 2-0 Wildcard series before dashing the dreams of the one seed, Baltimore Orioles, in a devastating
3-0 bout in the Divisional Series.
Last year’s World Series champions, the Astros, managed to take down the Minnesota Twins 3-1 in the Divisional Series.
Moving into the Championship Series, the Rangers shut out their home-state rivals, the
Astros, in a defensive 2-0 game one.
Game two featured a little more offense, with the Rangers taking a 4-0 lead in the top of
the first. The Astros struggled to catch up all game but ultimately lost 5-4.
This seemed to light a fire underneath them. They came out of the gate 5-0 by the end of
the fourth inning. The Rangers started to push for a comeback, but it proved to be too little too
late, with the Astros taking their first win of the series 8-5.
Feeling the shift in momentum, the Astros didn’t let up in the slightest for game four,
dominating the Rangers 10-3.
Game five was as close as they come, with the Rangers winning 4-2 going into the ninth
inning, following a brutal, bench-clearing fight in the eighth, in which an Astros player, as well
as their manager, were ejected. In the top of the ninth, Altuve crushed a home run to win the
game for the Astros 5-4.
The Rangers came back with a vengeance, obliterating the Astros 9-2 in game six. Things didn’t get any better for the Astros in game seven, being sent home 11-4. The Rangers will advance to the World Series for the first time since 2011.
In the National League, the Diamondbacks handled the Brewers 2-0 in the Wildcard
Series, before delivering punishment to their division rivals, the Dodgers, in the 3-0 Divisional
Series.
After losing to the Astros in the 2022 World Series, the Phillies came into the 2023
playoffs with a chip on their shoulder. They embarrassed the Miami Marlins in a 2-0 Wildcard Series. They also managed to beat the one-seed Braves in a huge upset in the Divisional Series, taking them to the Championship Series.
In the Championship Series, the Phillies have a 2-1 lead over the Diamondbacks.
The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks 5-3 in game one and absolutely humiliated them
with a devastating 10-0 win in game two.
In the third game, the Phillies looked like they might send Atlanta home with a run in the
top of the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks were miraculously able to score two runs in the
last three innings to end the game 2-1. Once again, the Phillies led late in game four, 5-3, but the Diamondbacks somehow rallied to put up three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game 6-5. However, it seems this is where the Phillies drew the line. They dominated Arizona in game 5, running away with it 6-1.
In game six, the Diamondbacks unloaded on the Phillies, ending 5-1 and tying the series
3-3.
“It could go well, and we’ll celebrate, and it could go poorly, and it could even be my
fault,” said Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Seward. “But this is why you play. To play in this month.
To play game seven.”
Game one of the 2023 World Series begins tonight, October 27.
Article written by Andy Biller.
MLB playoffs in full swing
The excitement of the 2023 MLB playoffs is coming to a close. With the World Series
beginning tonight, let’s break down what we’ve seen so far and what it could mean for these two teams.
The two sides of the league, the American League and the National League, have been
playing their Championship Series over the past week between the returning champions, the
Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, as well as the Arizona Diamondbacks and the
Philadelphia Phillies.
“Every team’s path to game seven is different,” said Jeff Passan of ESPN. “The Rangers relied on their bats; the Astros seemed to survive on pure will. Philadelphia rode its stars;
Arizona its moxie.”
It should be noted that all of these teams, besides the Astros, who got to sit out because of
their two-seed bye, fought their way here all the way from the Wildcard Series. But how did we
get here?
Starting with the Rangers, they easily brushed past the Tampa Bay Rays in a 2-0 Wildcard series before dashing the dreams of the one seed, Baltimore Orioles, in a devastating
3-0 bout in the Divisional Series.
Last year’s World Series champions, the Astros, managed to take down the Minnesota Twins 3-1 in the Divisional Series.
Moving into the Championship Series, the Rangers shut out their home-state rivals, the
Astros, in a defensive 2-0 game one.
Game two featured a little more offense, with the Rangers taking a 4-0 lead in the top of
the first. The Astros struggled to catch up all game but ultimately lost 5-4.
This seemed to light a fire underneath them. They came out of the gate 5-0 by the end of
the fourth inning. The Rangers started to push for a comeback, but it proved to be too little too
late, with the Astros taking their first win of the series 8-5.
Feeling the shift in momentum, the Astros didn’t let up in the slightest for game four,
dominating the Rangers 10-3.
Game five was as close as they come, with the Rangers winning 4-2 going into the ninth
inning, following a brutal, bench-clearing fight in the eighth, in which an Astros player, as well
as their manager, were ejected. In the top of the ninth, Altuve crushed a home run to win the
game for the Astros 5-4.
The Rangers came back with a vengeance, obliterating the Astros 9-2 in game six. Things didn’t get any better for the Astros in game seven, being sent home 11-4. The Rangers will advance to the World Series for the first time since 2011.
In the National League, the Diamondbacks handled the Brewers 2-0 in the Wildcard
Series, before delivering punishment to their division rivals, the Dodgers, in the 3-0 Divisional
Series.
After losing to the Astros in the 2022 World Series, the Phillies came into the 2023
playoffs with a chip on their shoulder. They embarrassed the Miami Marlins in a 2-0 Wildcard Series. They also managed to beat the one-seed Braves in a huge upset in the Divisional Series, taking them to the Championship Series.
In the Championship Series, the Phillies have a 2-1 lead over the Diamondbacks.
The Phillies beat the Diamondbacks 5-3 in game one and absolutely humiliated them
with a devastating 10-0 win in game two.
In the third game, the Phillies looked like they might send Atlanta home with a run in the
top of the seventh inning. The Diamondbacks were miraculously able to score two runs in the
last three innings to end the game 2-1. Once again, the Phillies led late in game four, 5-3, but the Diamondbacks somehow rallied to put up three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to win the game 6-5. However, it seems this is where the Phillies drew the line. They dominated Arizona in game 5, running away with it 6-1.
In game six, the Diamondbacks unloaded on the Phillies, ending 5-1 and tying the series
3-3.
“It could go well, and we’ll celebrate, and it could go poorly, and it could even be my
fault,” said Diamondbacks pitcher Paul Seward. “But this is why you play. To play in this month.
To play game seven.”
Game one of the 2023 World Series begins tonight, October 27.
Article written by Andy Biller.