Over the past few weeks, you might have heard the phrase “we’re in!” quite a bit in the latest sports news. In MLB, the postseason, and the World Series, is approaching fast. As of September 24rd, 2013, 5 of 10 spots in the postseason have been claimed. The Oakland A’s clinched the AL West for the second year in a row, the St. Louis Cardinals clinched the NL Central, the Braves claimed their first NL East clinch win since 2005, the Boston Red Sox clinched the AL East, and the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the NL West for the first time since 2009.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are two years removed from bankruptcy, and can be considered one of the greatest comeback stories in 2013. They were the first of five teams to clinch their division, which is particularly memorable considering they had one of the worst records in baseball in the beginning of the season: 30-42. Most people agree that the Dodgers comeback is primarily due to three main figures: The Cuban “Wild horse” Yasiel Puig, the hot-hitting Hanley Ramirez, and starting pitcher and Cy Young Award candidate Clayton Kershaw. With the help of two of these three superstars, the Dodgers clinched in a game against the second-place Diamondbacks, although they were behind for the most of the game. The game turned around for the Dodgers in the sixth inning, and even more so in the eighth inning when the real superstar of the night, catcher A.J. Ellis, hit a solo-home run, which broke a tied game. The Dodgers didn’t hesitate celebrating their hard-earned win. After a brief celebration on the field, the team returned to their clubhouse where they were greeted with dozens of champagne bottles. Soon afterwards, the team collectively decided to take a fully-clothed dip in the Diamondback’s pool, which later became controversial. September 19th marks the earliest date the Dodgers have clinched a postseason berth since the moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. Later that day, the Boston Red Sox became the second team to clinch their division in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Postseason begins on October 1st, when the wild-card candidates from both the National League and the American League will duel to see who will continue on in the postseason. Who will you be rooting for?
The Los Angeles Dodgers are two years removed from bankruptcy, and can be considered one of the greatest comeback stories in 2013. They were the first of five teams to clinch their division, which is particularly memorable considering they had one of the worst records in baseball in the beginning of the season: 30-42. Most people agree that the Dodgers comeback is primarily due to three main figures: The Cuban “Wild horse” Yasiel Puig, the hot-hitting Hanley Ramirez, and starting pitcher and Cy Young Award candidate Clayton Kershaw. With the help of two of these three superstars, the Dodgers clinched in a game against the second-place Diamondbacks, although they were behind for the most of the game. The game turned around for the Dodgers in the sixth inning, and even more so in the eighth inning when the real superstar of the night, catcher A.J. Ellis, hit a solo-home run, which broke a tied game. The Dodgers didn’t hesitate celebrating their hard-earned win. After a brief celebration on the field, the team returned to their clubhouse where they were greeted with dozens of champagne bottles. Soon afterwards, the team collectively decided to take a fully-clothed dip in the Diamondback’s pool, which later became controversial. September 19th marks the earliest date the Dodgers have clinched a postseason berth since the moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in 1958. Later that day, the Boston Red Sox became the second team to clinch their division in a game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Postseason begins on October 1st, when the wild-card candidates from both the National League and the American League will duel to see who will continue on in the postseason. Who will you be rooting for?