A Wild Card that saw just one home team advance has set up interesting matchups in both leagues. Three of the division series matchups will feature teams that are in the same division.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani is must-see TV every time he steps up to the plate. He has seemingly done everything this season, but now he takes the postseason stage for the first time in his career. Last year, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman failed to deliver at the plate in the postseason. All eyes are on Ohtani to ensure the same does not happen to him. The presumed National League MVP has a chance to make a deep postseason run in his first season as a Dodger.
San Diego Padres: Starting Pitching
It might make more sense to keep a close eye on the Dodgers starting pitching than the Padres in this series. However, the Dodgers have been dealing with an injury-riddled rotation all year. The Padres just learned that Joe Musgrove will undergo Tommy John surgery. The Padres still have Yu Darvish and Dylan Cease, but losing Musgrove is a big blow.
Detroit Tigers: Every pitcher not named Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal has clearly been the best pitcher in the American League this season, but he cannot take the mound every game. What manager A.J. Hinch calls “pitching chaos” is essentially just a Johnny Wholestaff bullpen game. The Tigers need their bullpen to be shutdown if they want to advance past the Cleveland Guardians.
Cleveland Guardians: José Ramírez
Ramírez fell one home run shy of a 40-40 season. Now, he turns the page to the ALDS. The Guardians have not advanced to the American League Championship Series since 2016 when the lost Game 7 of the World Series to the Chicago Cubs. Ramírez has been the key to the Guardians’ offense and must keep it going to beat the red-hot Tigers.
New York Mets: Kodai Senga
Carlos Mendoza shocked fans when he announced that Kodai Senga would start for the Mets in Game 1 against the Philadelphia Phillies. After a memorable series against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets must head to one of the toughest places to play in MLB. Senga adds a new element to the Mets rotation, but the question is how deep he can go into a game. An unforeseen short start could put the Mets already taxed bullpen in a tough situation.
Philadelphia Phillies: Citizens Bank Park
The Phillies have all the star power in the world, as well as postseason experience. The atmosphere at Citizens Bank Park, even in the regular season, is a sight to behold. Brewers fans were booing Jesse Winker when the Mets got a little chippy with their team. Phillies fans could turn playing in Philadelphia a nightmare for the Mets if the Mets continue to be a chippy team.
New York Yankees: Everyone besides Aaron Judge and Juan Soto
Judge and Soto have carried the Yankees offense this year, but will they be enough in October? The Yankees pitching staff has been inconsistent, including Gerrit Cole. The likes of Alex Verdugo and Giancarlo Stanton will have to step up if Judge and Soto can’t carry the offense past the Royals.
Kansas City Royals: Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt drove in two of the three runs the Royals scored in the Wild Card series against the Orioles. It’s clear that if the Royals want to beat the Yankees, it will have to be through Witt. He and Judge were both MVP candidates in the American League. Judge seems to have it locked up, but Witt would likely take advancing over the award.
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MILWAUKEE, WI – OCTOBER 03: The New York Mets pose as a team during a 2024 National League Wild Card game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the New York Mets at American Family Field on October 3, 2024 in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
