The MLB Divisional Series rounds are over, and the final four teams are set. Either the New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Mets will win the 2024 World Series.
The first two rounds of the playoffs have provided fantastic moments, and it’s almost certain the Championship Series will provide more intriguing matchups.
The Yankees and Dodgers could meet in the World Series for the 12th time in history — most between a pair of teams.
The Yankees and Mets could meet in the World Series for the first time since 2000, when the Yankees won in five games and Derek Jeter earned the World Series MVP.
Lastly, the Cleveland Guardians could end their 76-year World Series drought — the longest active streak in baseball.
Let’s look at the Championship Series matchups.
NLCS: New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, Game 1 at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time Sunday at Dodger Stadium
The National League Championship Series begins with Game 1 between Los Angeles and New York on Sunday night. The Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres in a tough-contested five games in the NLDS, while the Mets won two series to appear in their first NLCS since 2015.
One of the Dodgers’ weaknesses coming into the playoffs happened to be their strong suit against San Diego. The Padres’ offense, built around Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar, was silenced by Los Angeles at the worst possible moment. Los Angeles threw 24 consecutive scoreless innings to end San Diego’s season.
On the other hand, the Mets continue their impressive second-half surge into the postseason. New York defeated Philadelphia in four games, behind continuous hitting in clutch moments. Shortstop Francisco Lindor smashed a sixth-inning grand slam in Game 4, which was enough to lead the Mets to their first NLCS since Daniel Murphy was launching home runs in what seemed to be every game.
It’s the third season in a row that the NL’s No. 6 seed has made it to the Championship Series. The previous two, the 2022 Phillies and 2023 Arizona Diamondbacks, also made the World Series.
It will be tough for New York to handle an offense that boasts Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and others, but the Mets do get a boost. Infielder Jeff McNeil is on the NLCS roster after missing five weeks with a fractured right wrist. He last appeared on Sept. 6. McNeil underwent a rehab assignment at the Arizona Fall League, before making his return to the active roster. It’ll be interesting to see how New York will use the seven-year veteran.
Freeman is a player who could be series-defining. He has been batting an ankle injury, which left him out of the lineup in Game 4 against San Diego. Freeman, a 15-season MLB veteran, has a plethora of postseason experience and was a large reason why the Atlanta Braves won the 2021 World Series.
Mets starting pitcher Kodai Senga is another name to watch out for. Senga, a 2023 All-Star, only made one start in the regular season before pitching two innings against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. He’s slated to start Game 1 against the Dodgers and his play will have an even greater impact in a seven-game series.
ALCS: Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Yankees, Game 1 at 7:37 p.m. Eastern Time Monday at Yankee Stadium
The New York Yankees defeated the Kansas City Royals in four games, and the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Detroit Tigers to make the American League Championship Series.
The Guardians, who trailed the series 2-1 after back-to-back shutouts in Games 2 and 3, rallied back to defeat Detroit in five games. American League Cy Young front runner and Triple Crown winner Tarik Skubal started Game 5 for Detroit, who was attempting to appear in its first Championship Series since 2013. He had pitched two shutout starts in the postseason before the winner-take-all matchup, throwing 14 strikeouts over 13 innings.
In Game 5, it all unraveled. The Guardians scored five runs against him in the bottom of the fifth inning, which included a grand slam from Lane Thomas.
The Yankees and Royals put together a fun and competitive four-game series, which included two one-run games. New York won the series 3-1, but only outscored Kansas City by two runs.
The Yankees’ bullpen was one of the main reasons they’re making it back to the ALCS. New York’s bullpen tossed 15.2 relief innings and allowed zero earned runs — the third-most shutout innings by a bullpen in a postseason series, according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
Giancarlo Stanton had himself a strong series, tallying four RBI, including a clutch solo home run in Game 3, which gave New York a 2-1 series lead.
New York and Cleveland will be making its seventh postseason matchup in MLB history, including the two teams’ fourth time battling in the playoffs since 2017. While the pair of teams have constantly matched up, 2024 will be the first time since 1998 that the two teams have played in the ALCS against each other.
It’ll be interesting to see how the managers — New York’s Aaron Boone and Cleveland’s rookie Stephen Vogt — handle the bullpens in the series. The Guardians heavily relied on their dominant relief pitchers during the regular season and divisional round. In fact, the bullpen put together the fourth-lowest ERA since 1995.
Boone could use his bullpen, especially Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes, to his advantage late in games. Holmes picked up 30 saves during the regular season, but he’s been used in the latter third innings to set up for Luke Weaver. Weaver picked up all three saves against the Kansas City Royals during the ALDS.
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