It took all 162 games of the 2023 MLB regular season to decide what the playoff picture will look like, but the stage is finally set.
The first day of playoff baseball is jam-packed with all four Wild Card matchups. The AL plays before the NL. It begins at 3:30 p.m ET. with the Texas Rangers visiting the Tampa Bay Rays, and then we travel north of the border for the Minnesota Twins facing the Toronto Blue Jays at 4:38 p.m. Both games will end before the sun sets.
The National League supports two teams that were afterthoughts in the preseason predictions. The Diamondbacks snuck into the playoffs as they take on the NL Central Champion Milwaukee Brewers at 7:08 p.m. The first day of playoff baseball will wrap up with an NL East matchup between the surprising Miami Marlins traveling to Philly to take on the Phillies.
Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays
The offense will drive this series, as whoever’s pitching staff can stand up stronger will win. The Rays and the Rangers finished in the top 10 in offensive WAR. The Rangers are really going to have to rely on their offense, as the backend of the Rangers pitching staff has been their Achilles heel all season. The Rangers bullpen ranks in the bottom 10 in WAR and ERA, leading the league in blown saves. Texas has the offense to carry them deep, but their bullpen will be the main focus of this series. This is the first playoff appearance since 2016 for the Rangers, while the Rays are now in their fifth straight season with a playoff berth.
Minnesota Twins vs. Toronto Blue Jays
This three-game set will be completely contrasting their AL counterpart. Both pitching staffs of the Twins and Jays finished top-5 in WAR and ERA. The Twins have one of the scariest starting pitching staffs for a three-game set. They will send Pablo Lopez to face Kevin Gausman of the Blue Jays tonight. Next, they will send out Cy Young candidate Sonny Gray, and if the series goes to the third game, the Twins will have Joe Ryan waiting to close it.
Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Milwaukee Brewers
The Diamondbacks rode their magical first half into the postseason. The D-Backs had the sixth-best record before the All-Star break but fell back to earth in the second half. They did enough on the backs of Cy Young candidate Zac Gallen and probable Rookie of the Year winner Corbin Carroll. The Brewers have reached the fifth postseason since being under Craig Consell’s rule. This series may have some hecticity, and the Diamondbacks could go on a run in the postseason.
Miami Marlins vs. Philadelphia Phillies
The Marlins are the surprise of the season, and much of the glory should be pointed toward the first female GM in MLB history. Kim Ng has done a marvelous job turning around the bare Marlins she inherited from Derek Jeter just a year and a half ago. The Phillies look to return to the Fall Classic for the second straight year. The Phillies are clearly one of the most tight-knit groups in the MLB, and it’ll be tough to stop for any team once Philly gets rolling.
The Wild Card round gets underway on Tuesday afternoon while the MLB still needs to work on early-round playoff timing. The mid-day/mid-week duo is killer for the MLB’s playoff ratings, and it feels like one of the most straightforward fixes. No one wants to watch a playoff game in front of a 65% filled stadium because no one could get time off work at 3:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. It takes away from the viewing experience and strips homefield advantage of its advantage. Half of the reason teams keep fighting after clinching the playoff berth is so they can perform in front of their home crowd. The electricity of playoff baseball begins with the fans and the environment they create. It is hard to imagine a play like José Bautista’s iconic bat flip becoming such a staple without the crowd’s earth-quaking reaction.
Nonetheless, playoff baseball is finally here as we enter the best sports month of the year. October features the beginning of the NBA and NHL, the NFL season is going strong, and playoff baseball is the cherry on top.
