As the MLB regular season comes to a close and the final fight for a championship title begins, who am I cheering for?
Being born and raised to be a faithful San Diego Padres fan plays a huge impact on who gets my vote in the postseason, especially when we are not playing.
Being eliminated two games before the postseason started didn’t make me want to watch the World Series but because I love baseball and dislike many of the teams playing, I can’t help but watch anyways.
There are great teams competing this month and it will for sure be entertaining to watch but when my team isn’t playing, I always cheer for the opposite league because in my mind, if my team can’t win the National League then no one can, which leads to my picks for this year’s World Series.
There are teams that I have little to no confidence in that will make it all the way.
I don’t think that the Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins or Minnesota Twins will be making it just because they don’t have much experience and are each riding on pure adrenaline, which only lasts for so long.
Part of me wants the Baltimore Orioles to win because who doesn’t love a good underdog story? However, the last time they won a World Series I wasn’t alive (1983), so it doesn’t inspire much confidence.
I do think however that teams that do have a good chance of winning are the Arizona Diamondbacks, L.A. Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies and the reigning champs from Houston, the Astros.
The first series of the National League’s Wild Card division was the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. the Milwaukee Brewers, who earned the home advantage. Milwaukee ended their season with a 92-70 record whereas the D-backs ended 84-78. Both teams played very well in the regular season but Arizona beat the Brewers with a big lead so it didn’t really surprise me that they won in a two-game sweep.
In the second Wild Card series the Miami Marlins faced off against the Phillies in Philadelphia. Aside from incredible baseball being played, I think it really does help when your team is supported by adoring fans encouraging you to bring home a championship which is why the Phillies killed it and swept the Marlins.
I was hoping, but not entirely confident, that the Marlins would take the series because the Phillies went 4-1 against the Padres last season in the National League Championship Series and a certain Philadelphia player was talking from the side of his neck about the San Diego team. If you can’t have good sportsmanship after a single loss in the postseason, you don’t deserve it.
Then, because of the rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres, and yes it is a rivalry, I will never cheer for the big bad blue. The Dodgers are always a safe team to pick in the regular season because they are pretty consistent in pitching, fielding and batting but seeing them choke last year in the National League Divisional Series against San Diego and again in 2021 against the Braves in the National League Championship Series doesn’t leave them reliable when the stakes are this high.
I am hoping that the D-backs reach deep down into their reserve and pull out a win against the 100-62 Dodgers, especially considering they only have two wins against L.A. this season.
The Phillies swept the Marlins in two games taking them to Atlanta to battle the Braves. I think the Braves are another well-rounded team throughout the season but it is also hit or miss in the regular seasons. One year, they are on fire and on their way to a championship and another, it’s like they forgot everything or choke when they desperately need it. But ultimately, I have faith and confidence that the Braves will do well because of how well they handled their season and ended with a 104-58 record.
And finally, now that the Blue Jays are out, the Minnesota Twins will take on the reigning World Series Champions, the Houston Astros.
I think that after the whole trash can debacle in the 2017 World Series, the Astros have tried hard to redeem themselves as an organization and they have for sure done that.
If I were to choose only one team to win this year’s championship, it would be the Astros because I can rely on them to bring a win and not choke. They have made it that far before and know what it takes to win. I don’t think playing the Twins is going to be hard, even though Houston lost the three game series to them in May, but there is always a possibility for anything to happen.
Looking over the updated bracket and potential lineups, these games are going to be really fun and for sure a nailbiter on the National League side.