And now there are only four. After two rounds of postseason series in which we unfortunately didn’t have a single dual-elimination game – and only two series that weren’t sweeps – there are only three more series to watch: the National League Championship Series, the American League Championship Series and the World Series. We only have the big ones left.
There are four teams left. And at some point there will only be one.
With those clubs still remaining, it seemed like a good time to dip into the power rankings one last time before the players and teams themselves make the final decision. Here’s a look at the four teams still alive.
1. Phillies (entry into postseason: 5)
Last year, when the Phillies were barely sneaking into the playoffs, their loss to the defending champion Braves felt like a major upset as the Barbarians stormed out of the gates. Even though the Atlanta team was even better this year than last year… it didn’t really feel like it, did it? This Phillies team has spirit, an electric combination of folk heroes, probably Hall of Famers and guys who just know how to capture the moment and make their mark in Philadelphia sports history. The Phillies — and, not coincidentally, their fans — felt like they had the entire NLDS under control from the start, pushing the supposedly dominant Braves back on their heels before they knew what hit them. Now the Phils have home-field advantage against a team even less likely to be in the NLCS than the Phillies in 2022. Good luck, D-backs: Citizens Bank Park really feels like Thunderdome right now.
2. Astros (entry into postseason: 6)
There’s been plenty of new blood this offseason – and the Rangers and D-Backs are making sure there’s new blood in the League Championship Series – but the Astros remain as consistent as anything the sport has seen in a long time. This is their seventh straight ALCS, a streak that even the Yankees dynasty of the late 1990s and early 1990s could never match. But remember, the ALCS is rarely the end: They’ve won four of the last six ALCS and then won two of these World Series. Of course, while they’re on this historic run, they’re now vying to do something that hasn’t been accomplished this century: win consecutive World Series. You are in an excellent position to achieve this. The decision not to pitch Justin Verlander for a short rest in Game 4 against the Twins is already paying off as he will start for Game 1. This probably sounds familiar: Justin Verlander in an Astros uniform trying to lead his team to the World Series again.
3. Rangers (entry into postseason: 8)
Often the division series takes up some of the teams. A player gets injured, a starter burns out, or someone gets into a crisis that they can’t get out of. Their League Championship Series roster sometimes looks worse than the Division Series roster. The Rangers happily find them in the exact opposite position. Winning the Wild Card Series and ALDS gave them enough time to add starters Max Scherzer and Jon Gray back into the rotation, putting them that much closer to the postseason team they wanted to build at the trade deadline. Suddenly, the Scherzer/Gray/Jordan Montgomery/Nathan Eovaldi rotation appears to be the best any team has ever fielded this postseason. And, oh, you may have noticed: The Rangers can hit the ball a little bit. (The Orioles definitely noticed.) The Rangers have been up and down all season, a team that occasionally looks lost and at times looks like the best team in baseball. They have never looked more complete – so close to what they should look like – than now.
4. D-Backs (at start of postseason: 11)
On September 14th of this year – exactly a month ago – it actually looked like the D-backs had run out of gas. Sure, they were still tied for the final Wild Card spot. But they wavered. They had just been overwhelmed by a Mets team that had been begging for the season to be over, the Giants had just passed them for second place in the NL West, and they were up eight games in a row against the Cubs, Giants and Yankees opposite. It would have been fine if the D-backs had folded; Sure, fans would have been disappointed, but after three straight losing seasons, simply competing for the postseason late into September had to be considered a victory. Then the D-Backs were eliminated, winning five straight games and six of seven, essentially punching their postseason ticket. Now they have won five straight playoff games and are four wins away from their first World Series appearance since the legendary epic against the Yankees in 2001. They are not the favorites of these four teams to win the World Series. But that certainly hasn’t stopped her so far.