And Then There Were Four…
And then there were four…
We’re officially down to four teams in the 2023 MLB Postseason! The playoff rounds leading up to the championship series have lived up to the hype. In this blog, I’ll rank the four remaining teams and give you my championship series predictions!
Team #4. Arizona Diamondbacks
The D-Backs have had a surprising run to the championship series after winning only 84 games in the regular season. They’re 5–0 in Postseason play so far, sweeping both the Milwaukee Brewers and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Next, they’ll take on the Philadelphia Phillies. While Arizona’s offense has shown up in both rounds, we’ll see if the pitching can step up and make this series interesting.
Team #3. Texas Rangers
Texas has been a force not to be reckoned with this Postseason. They are also 5–0, with series sweeps over the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. In the championship series, they’ll match up with the Houston Astros in the battle of Texas. Their offense and pitching have been consistent throughout, so we’ll see if their legendary manager Bruce Bochy can win his 4th World Series championship.
Team #2. Houston Astros
Whether you like the Astros or not, you have to admit that they play good baseball in October. After a 3–1 division series win over the Minnesota Twins, they’ll play in the championship series for the seventh consecutive year. As previously mentioned, they’re set to face the Texas Rangers. The Astros match up with Texas well and have a legendary manager of their own in Dusty Baker. Will Houston clinch their 3rd consecutive World Series appearance?
Team #1. Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies’ home-run hitting offense has put on quite a show, taking down the Miami Marlins and Atlanta Braves en route to another championship series appearance. However, it’s not just the offense that deserves credit. The Phillies’ pitching is top tier in both the starting rotation and bullpen. They’ll face the Arizona Diamondbacks next, as they look to clinch their second straight World Series appearance. The “Red October” crowd will be behind them for the rest of their wild ride.
This year’s championship series will be an exciting one. In my opinion, the Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers will be the winners, and move on to the World Series. Who do you think will win? Stay tuned to see how everything plays out!
An article that inspired me to write this blog: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/38651824/mlb-2023-playoffs-alcs-nlcs-predictions-astros-rangers-phillies-dbacks
