The Major League Baseball season has come to a close and October means it’s time for the playoffs. Thirty teams have been cut down to just eight, and soon more eliminations will be made. In the American League, the Anaheim Angels and the Oakland Athletics rose out of the west to face the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins. Both of these series carry intriguing plotlines.
The Angels are in the playoffs for the first time since 1986, and will be facing the Yankees, who have become a perennial entry in the post-season. Many are choosing the Yankees to dismiss the Angels quickly, but the Angels’ youth and heart may work to their advantage in the five game divisional series.
On the other side of the ALDS is Oakland and Minnesota, two teams blessed with young talent and good veteran leadership. The Athletics had a better record in the regular season, so they have the upper hand and home field advantage. Oakland is the favorite in the series because of their powerful pitching, but the weak bullpen leaves Minnesota with a chance to upset them.
In the National League, many rivalries will be renewed this post season. The Arizona Diamondbacks and St. Louis Cardinals match up for the second straight year. Last year, the Diamondbacks beat St. Louis in five games on their way to a World Series championship, so the Cardinals are looking for revenge this October.
The Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants will also meet in the playoffs for the first time since Atlanta edged out a divisional win by one game in 1994. Barry Bonds will be a key if San Francisco is to beat the Braves, who steamrolled the NL East with good pitching and timely offense. Despite almost self-destructing, the stories in this year’s baseball race are just as exciting and intriguing as years past.
