2024 Wild Card Series Preview

We made it, folks! A wild MLB season full of history (both good and bad), amazing moments, and jaw-dropping milestones has come to an end. It needed an extra day due to a hurricane, but we reached the finish line. Now, the fun really begins. The Postseason is here! I always love MLB's Postseason; it's always been a sprint to crown a champion. Even with this current format, it's still a sprint--lasting barely over a month.

This is the third year of the current format that allows 12 teams to participate in the Postseason--six in each league. While the top two teams in each league get a few days off, the remaining teams will face off in the Wild Card Series, with the #3 seed (the lowest ranked division champion) facing off against the #6 seed in one series, while the #4 seed faces the #5 seed. And it's a set bracket, no reseeding. The #3/#6 winner faces the #2 seed, while the #4/#5 winner faces the #1 seed. The Wild Card Series is an extension of the original one-game Wild Card round that lasted from 2012-2021, and is played under a best of three format, with the #3 and #4 seeds hosting the entire series.

The American League's playoff field was completed on September 28, though the seeding wasn't set until September 29. Regarding the National League, September 30 was needed to complete that field, as the Mets and Braves played a doubleheader that would determine the last two spots. The Mets won Game One to get in, while the Braves won Game Two to get in. As a result, the Arizona Diamondbacks, who needed a sweep in the doubleheader, were eliminated, and with the Texas Rangers being ousted days earlier, it marked the first time since 2007 that neither of the previous year's World Series teams qualified for the postseason.

So as a result of all of that, here are the Wild Card Series matchups.

ALWCS: Tigers @ Astros

Remember when the Houston Astros sucked to start this season? That was fun, wasn't it? Getting swept at home by the Yankees to start the season, a horrendous April, and being 10 games out of first place by Juneteenth. We had a great laugh at their expense, but unfortunately, the laughter was heard by the Astros. They took it personally. They started winning. And winning. And winning. After September 24, the Astros were American League West champions. Again. Seventh time in eight seasons, and all seven times came in full seasons (the only time they failed to win the West was in the COVID-shortened 2020 season).

The Detroit Tigers are the ultimate underdog story this year. This was a team with no expectations and with nothing but young up-and-comers. They were leagues out of the playoff picture in August. Even as September began, they were behind four teams in the postseason chase. Yet the Tigers persevered and won game after game, series after series, and on September 27, they snagged their first postseason appearance in a decade. What an amazing ride for the Tigers!

The Tigers and Astros have never met in the postseason. The Astros won the season series, 4-2, over the Tigers. The winner of this series will face off against the Cleveland Guardians.

ALWCS: Royals @ Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles were coming off a dream 2023 season that saw them win 101 games, and have massive expectations. In a shocker, they were swept in the ALDS by the eventual World Champions, the Texas Rangers, but even so, the resolve was there, and so were the expectations. No surprise, it was the Orioles and Yankees vying for the American League East, but the O's found themselves losing their grip on the division, and were unable to get it back. Though Baltimore would go on to lose the division, they would end up back in the postseason, this time as a Wild Card. The O's declined by 10 games from last year, and they snagged their spot on September 24.

Last year, the Orioles won 100+ games. As for the Royals, they lost 100+ games--106 to be exact. Yet all of a sudden, the Royals took off this season. Led by Bobby Witt, Jr., and stalwart Salvador Perez (the latter being part of KC's 2015 championship), the Royals exploded and went on to win 86 games, locking in the last playoff spot when the Minnesota Twins lost on September 27. The Royals improved by 30 games from last season!

The Royals and Orioles last met in the postseason a decade prior, doing so in the 2014 American League Championship Series, which was won by KC in a four game sweep. The Orioles won the season series, 4-2, over the Royals. The winner of this series will face off against the New York Yankees.

NLWCS: Mets @ Brewers

It's amazing. The Milwaukee Brewers lost their manager, Craig Counsell, to the rival Chicago Cubs, and they had to play a lot of their season without Christian Yelich. Yet in spite of this, the Brewers marched on and they not only got into the postseason, they were the first to do so. On September 18, the Brewers clinched the National League Central, doing so when the Cubs lost prior to the Brewers taking the field. This is their sixth postseason appearance in seven seasons.

The New York Mets have always been an interesting bunch. There's always ups and downs with this team, but they somehow rise above it all. This year was no different. They would need the makeshift doubleheader to get in, and it was on September 30 that the Mets won the first game of their doubleheader against the Braves to get into the postseason. It was a comeback win for the Mets; down 3-0 in the eighth inning, scoring six runs in said inning, then giving up four to the Braves, only for Francisco Lindor to come through with a two-run shot in the top of the ninth inning. When they lost the second game, it set up the Mets' second trip to Milwaukee in less than a week; they faced the Brewers before the doubleheader.

This is the first ever postseason meeting between the Brewers and Mets. The Brewers won the season series, 5-1, though the Mets won the last game between the two teams. The winner of this series will face off against the Philadelphia Phillies.

NLWCS: Braves @ Padres

The Brewers are one of two teams entering this year's postseason looking for their first championship. The other team: the San Diego Padres. The Padres have spent the last few years as the Dodgers' main competition in the National League West. We saw how they upset the Dodgers in the NLDS in 2022, and they've been continuing to attempt to keep pace with the Dodgers ever since. This year, they have had golden opportunities to overtake the Dodgers, but they again came up short. Despite this, the Padres are back in the postseason (having clinched a spot on September 24), and they are looking to make noise.

The Atlanta Braves are an amazing story of survival. This team has been injured to hell all season. They had absolutely no right to be alive in the postseason hunt. Yet they managed to capitalize on the Arizona Diamondbacks' up and down September, and they stayed afloat at the end, needing the doubleheader to get into the postseason. They collapsed in Game One against the Mets, but they shut out the Mets in Game Two to get in. This is their seventh straight postseason appearance, and this current streak does included their 2021 championship.

This is the second postseason meeting between the Braves and Padres. Their only other meeting came all the way back in 1998, which saw the Padres defeat the Braves in a six-game National League Championship Series. The Padres won the season series, 4-3, over the Braves. The winner of this series will face off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Wild Card Series will take place in three consecutive days. The Game Ones will take place on October 1, the Game Twos on October 2, and any and all needed Game Threes will occur on October 3. For the third straight year, the entire Wild Card Series will air on the ESPN networks (ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC). The 2024 MLB Postseason is here folks, and there's only one thing to do about it: simply enjoy this wild ride!