MLB 2016 Postseason Recap

By Reagan ​Ahlquist and Garrett Athey

The MLB Playoffs have been an intense race and the two final teams that will battle for the World Series title are the Cleveland Indians of the American League and the Chicago Cubs of the National League. However, this journey was not an easy one for these teams because they had to play the winner of each conference to get to the championship.

First, the American and National League Wild Card games decided which final two teams from each conference continued in the playoffs. The Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays of the American League faced off for their Wild Card, and the New York Mets against the San Francisco Giants of the National League competed against each other as well. The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Orioles 5-2 in extra innings and the San Francisco Giants won 3-0 against the Mets. This put Toronto in line to play the Texas Rangers in the American League Divisional Series. At the same time, the San Francisco Giants played the Chicago Cubs in the National League.

The Divisional Series featured four teams from each Conference and included the winners of each of the six divisions. The American League teams included the Texas Rangers against the Toronto Blue Jays, and the Boston Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians. The National League teams were the Chicago Cubs playing the San Francisco Giants, and the Los Angeles Dodgers playing the Washington Nationals.
The Conference Championship included the two teams from each conference who will play to be in the World Series. The Toronto Blue Jays played against the Cleveland Indians, after each team swept their competitor, to represent the American League in the World Series. And for the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs played to compete in the World Series after the Cubs beat the Giants in four games and the Dodgers beat the Nationals in five games.

With the season coming to an end, the MLB rewards will be given out to the best players in the league. The race for American League MVP is a close one. Junior, Beau Parker, believes “Jose Altuve will win the MVP because he has the best average in the American League, and is a well balanced player who scores runs, and also drives in runs.” Another contender for the MVP award in the American League will be Manny Machado. According to sophomore Tad Henley, “Machado is a great hitter, and also plays gold glove caliber defense at third base.”
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Being the best teams in the MLB, the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago Cubs will surely put on a show for the World Series after the Indians beat Toronto in five games and and Chicago beat Los Angeles in six games. It will be a thrilling matchup with the Indians and Cubs showing the world just how dominant they are on the field.