Post by billmcdee on Sept 27, 2014 7:33:32 GMT -5
After a 29 year post-season drought, the Kansas City Royals finally punched their ticket to baseball's post-season. They will most likely go in as a wild card entry, which will force them to win a one game playoff/play-in game to qualify for the Division Series round.
The Baltimore Orioles have won their first American League Eastern Division crown since 1997. They are a very classy team in my opinion and I hope they can win it all. They last won the World Series in 1983.
The Detroit Tigers will most likely win the American League's Central Division. They last won the World Series in 1984, but appeared in it in 2006 and 2012, getting beaten quite badly both times.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the American League's Western Division champion for the 2014 season. They won their first, and only, World Series back in 2002.
The Oakland Athletics will most likely be the other wild card team from the American League. For those of you who don't follow baseball and are interested, the 2 wild card teams play 1 game. The winner of that game then moves on to the Division Series to take on the best team in the league. The other 2 division champions play in the other Division Series. Those are the best 3 out of 5 games. Then the Division Series winners play in the League Championship Series which is the best 4 out of 7 series. Finally, the League Championship Series winner advances to the World Series, to take on the other league champion in the best 4 out of 7.
In the National League, the Washington Nationals (formerly the Montreal Expos from 1969 - 2004) have won their 2nd Eastern Division championship in the last 3 years. This is only the third time in the Expos/Nationals history that they have made it to post-season play. The Expos/Nationals have never appeared in the World Series.
In the N.L. Central division, most likely it will once again be the boring St. Louis Cardinals winning that division. With the exception of the New York Yankees, the Cardinals have won the most World Series titles, most recently in 2011. The Pittsburgh Pirates will most likely be one of the 2 wild card teams. This is their 2nd year in a row making the playoffs, after having not made it to post-season since 1992. The last time the Pirates won a World Series was October 1979, 2 months before I was a teenager!
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the National League's Western Division champions in 2014. They last appeared in the World Series way back in 1988, and it's the last time they have won it. The San Francisco Giants will be the other wild card team. They last won the World Series in 2012. They also won it in 2010. Prior to that, the last time the Giants won a World Series was when they were still in New York, in 1954, with a little-known ballplayer by the name of Willie Mays
1994 was the first season where Major League Baseball went from two to three divisions, and began using wildcard teams. Due to a players' strike, the 1994 season ended in early August, and no World Series was played. It was the first time in 90 years that a World Series was not held.
In 2013, a second wild card team was added to the mix. I personally like it because A. it gives more teams life in the regular season and B. it puts more of an emphasis/reward for a team winning their division. Being a wild card is a dangerous place to be as you play a 1 game "series" to try to advance.
Since the advent of 3 divisions and wild card teams, with Kansas City qualifying for post-season play now, every one of the 30 MLB teams has made it to the playoffs at least once, except for one....the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada's one and only team. The Blue Jays last appeared in the post-season in 1993, winning the World Series with a 3 run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning by Joe Carter. The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams was the guy who served up that home run. It was only the second time ever that a World Series ended with a home run, the first being the 1960 World Series with Bill Mazeroski hitting a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10 to 9 victory over the New York Yankees.
Study hard students, there will be a quiz
The Baltimore Orioles have won their first American League Eastern Division crown since 1997. They are a very classy team in my opinion and I hope they can win it all. They last won the World Series in 1983.
The Detroit Tigers will most likely win the American League's Central Division. They last won the World Series in 1984, but appeared in it in 2006 and 2012, getting beaten quite badly both times.
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the American League's Western Division champion for the 2014 season. They won their first, and only, World Series back in 2002.
The Oakland Athletics will most likely be the other wild card team from the American League. For those of you who don't follow baseball and are interested, the 2 wild card teams play 1 game. The winner of that game then moves on to the Division Series to take on the best team in the league. The other 2 division champions play in the other Division Series. Those are the best 3 out of 5 games. Then the Division Series winners play in the League Championship Series which is the best 4 out of 7 series. Finally, the League Championship Series winner advances to the World Series, to take on the other league champion in the best 4 out of 7.
In the National League, the Washington Nationals (formerly the Montreal Expos from 1969 - 2004) have won their 2nd Eastern Division championship in the last 3 years. This is only the third time in the Expos/Nationals history that they have made it to post-season play. The Expos/Nationals have never appeared in the World Series.
In the N.L. Central division, most likely it will once again be the boring St. Louis Cardinals winning that division. With the exception of the New York Yankees, the Cardinals have won the most World Series titles, most recently in 2011. The Pittsburgh Pirates will most likely be one of the 2 wild card teams. This is their 2nd year in a row making the playoffs, after having not made it to post-season since 1992. The last time the Pirates won a World Series was October 1979, 2 months before I was a teenager!
The Los Angeles Dodgers are the National League's Western Division champions in 2014. They last appeared in the World Series way back in 1988, and it's the last time they have won it. The San Francisco Giants will be the other wild card team. They last won the World Series in 2012. They also won it in 2010. Prior to that, the last time the Giants won a World Series was when they were still in New York, in 1954, with a little-known ballplayer by the name of Willie Mays
1994 was the first season where Major League Baseball went from two to three divisions, and began using wildcard teams. Due to a players' strike, the 1994 season ended in early August, and no World Series was played. It was the first time in 90 years that a World Series was not held.
In 2013, a second wild card team was added to the mix. I personally like it because A. it gives more teams life in the regular season and B. it puts more of an emphasis/reward for a team winning their division. Being a wild card is a dangerous place to be as you play a 1 game "series" to try to advance.
Since the advent of 3 divisions and wild card teams, with Kansas City qualifying for post-season play now, every one of the 30 MLB teams has made it to the playoffs at least once, except for one....the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada's one and only team. The Blue Jays last appeared in the post-season in 1993, winning the World Series with a 3 run home run in the bottom of the 9th inning by Joe Carter. The Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams was the guy who served up that home run. It was only the second time ever that a World Series ended with a home run, the first being the 1960 World Series with Bill Mazeroski hitting a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning, giving the Pittsburgh Pirates a 10 to 9 victory over the New York Yankees.
Study hard students, there will be a quiz
