Category: Baseball

What’s better than watching baseball? Watching baseball and winning money!

You can partake in the best of both worlds while watching the MLB playoffs this weekend with our free-to-play FOX Super 6 game.

How do you play? Enter the MLB Playoff Super 6 contest by predicting the correct answers to six questions before the games start for your chance at weekly cash prizes. 

All you have to do is finish in the top six to win a prize.

It really is that simple, and again, it’s free.

And if you need a little help before heading to the app to make your picks, we have you covered this week.

Read below for our thoughts on the playoffs, which can be seen on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

Let’s dive into the questions and predictions below.

1. Which player will have the MOST RBIs in the Divisional Round?

Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, José Ramírez, Manny Machado

This was a close call as these four have a combined 497 RBI among the four of them, but Ohtani has been on an absolute tear. Fresh off a season where he became the first player ever to steal 50 bases and hit 50 home runs, he recorded over 100 RBI this season for the first time since 2021. We expect his stellar play to continue into the postseason.  

Prediction: Shohei Ohtani

2. Which pitching staff will have the MOST STRIKEOUTS in the Divisional Round?

Mets, Guardians, Tigers, Royals

Cleveland had the second-best team ERA in the AL at 3.61 in the regular season along with 1,410 strikeouts, and face a Tigers team that snuck into the playoffs. The Mets are likely to be in a battle against the Phillies and the Royals face an offensive juggernaut in the Yankees, so the Guardians is the way to go here. 

Prediction: Guardians 

3. Which player will score the MOST RUNS in the Divisional Round?

Juan Soto, Bobby Witt, Francisco Lindor, Bryce Harper

The Yankees signed Soto to a one-year deal worth $31 million, and he’s been worth every penny. This season he set career-highs in hits (166), home runs (41) and was one RBI shy of tying his career-high in that category as well (109). His 128 runs scored this year was the second-most of any player in MLB, only behind Shohei Ohtani. Expect him to put on a show against the Royals.

Prediction: Juan Soto

4. Order by total TEAM HITS in Game 3 of the Divisional Round (highest to lowest)

Padres, Dodgers, Mets, Phillies

The Dodgers went 5-8 against the Padres this season, but it’s now or never for the stars in Los Angeles. The trio of Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman has totaled 480 combined hits and will need to continue that sort of play in the postseason. While it’s tempting to take the league’s leader in hits in the Padres (1,456)— it’s hard to to bet against a loaded Los Angeles roster. The Phillies are also a smart play here, as they finished tied for the fourth most hits in MLB this season (with the Dodgers) at 1,423.

Prediction: Dodgers, Phillies, Padres, Mets

5. Which group will have the most COMBINED HOME RUNS in the Divisional Round?

Judge, Soto, Stanton OR Ohtani, Betts, Freeman OR Harper, Schwarber, Turner OR Machado, Tatis Jr., Merrill

It has to be the Yankees trio here. New York’s 237 home runs this season led the league, with Judge and Soto combining for 99— becoming the eighth duo to reach that milestone in MLB history. They’re the first duo to combine for 99 home runs since Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro did so for the Rangers in 2002. Stanton still managed 27 home runs himself despite only playing in 114 games this season. 

Prediction: Judge, Soto, Stanton

6. Who will win Game 3 of the SD-LAD Divisional Series?

Dodgers or Padres

As mentioned above, the Dodgers built their roster for this exact moment. While the Padres had their number in the regular season, this team still finished top five in MLB in hits (1,423), home runs (233), and RBI (815). No team finished with a better record at 98-64, and we think they get the job done in San Diego in Game 3.

Prediction: Dodgers

Tiebreaker: What will be the final score?

Prediction: 7-5

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LOS ANGELES — For the past six years, Shohei Ohtani‘s postseason memories came only as a spectator. 

He remembers working out in Seattle when the Dodgers celebrated their 2020 short-season title. He remembers watching some playoff games last year after elbow surgery wiped out the end of his final season with the Angels. He remembers the disappointment of witnessing other teams do what his team could never accomplish. 

“Overall, it’s just really a mixed, complicated feeling,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton, “not being able to participate in the postseason.” 

That feeling is finally gone in 2024, as he gets set to play postseason baseball for the first time in his major-league career Saturday night. 

Twenty-four hours ahead of his first playoff game, Ohtani was asked if he was nervous. His interpreter, Will Ireton, had translated the first two questions to begin Friday’s press conference. On this query, though, the reigning National League Player of the Month decided to take it himself. 

“Nope,” Ohtani responded succinctly in English before Ireton could even begin the translation. 

“It’s always been my childhood dream to be able to be in an important situation, to play in important games,” he elaborated later in Japanese. “So I think the excitement of that is greater than anything else that I could possibly feel.”

Eight years ago, at just 22 years old, Ohtani’s two-way skills helped the 2016 Nippon Ham Fighters win NPB’s Japan Series. This winter, he made a change to try to reach his sport’s pinnacle again. 

Thirty miles northwest of Anaheim, Ohtani joined a Dodgers team that had made the playoffs 11 straight seasons. Even more enticing, he appreciated that the club’s leadership considered that decade, which included just the one short-season World Series title, a failure. 

Ohtani’s desire to win, and the Dodgers’ ability to do so consistently, made for a symbiotic relationship. It was a welcome change for a player who had never experienced a single winning season or even meaningful late-season baseball as a major-leaguer. 

This September, for the first time in his career, every contest mattered. And he took off. 

Over the course of the month, Ohtani led the majors in batting average, slugging, OPS, hits and steals among a litany of offensive stats. By season’s end, he became the first player ever with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season. He finished the year with 54 and 59, respectively, surpassing Ichiro Suzuki’s single-season record for steals by a Japanese-born player in the process. 

“For the people who are conspiracy theorists and think that Vince McMahon is scripting Major League Baseball, I think the way he got to 40/40, the game he had to get to 50/50, I think has added some fuel for those people,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “It’s incredible. The ability to slow everything down around him is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.” 

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There may be no better example than last year, when he sparkled in front of the bright lights of the World Baseball Classic, hitting .435 with a 1.345 OPS while going 2-0 on the mound with a 1.86 ERA to earn MVP honors. Ohtani put a bow on Team Japan’s win by striking out teammate Mike Trout to secure a victory over Team USA. 

“What you don’t know about someone until you see them in those moments is, What kind of competitor are they?” Friedman said. “And he more than answered those questions for Samurai Japan, especially in that ninth inning. I got goosebumps watching that inning, and I think the whole world got to see what an incredible competitor he is.”

Ohtani’s performance was preceded by a rousing speech pregame in which he advised his teammates not to be intimidated by the superstars on the other side. 

“He was leading the team,” Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Ohtani’s WBC teammate, recalled through a translator, “performing as kind of like a leader of the team.” 

This experience will differ from the WBC though, as Ohtani acknowledged, in part because of the five days leading into the postseason. To try to stay hot and game-ready, Ohtani went to Dodger Stadium every day throughout the hiatus and got two live at-bats per day. His veteran teammates haven’t felt the need to offer him any sage advice ahead of his first postseason. 

They saw all they needed down the stretch. 

The Dodgers’ grasp of the division lead was slipping at the time. Their 8.5-game lead in the National League West in late July had shrunk to two in the season’s final week. Ohtani came to the rescue. He authored one of the greatest single-game performances of all time to get to 50/50, helping clinch a spot in the playoffs for the Dodgers in the process. A week later, his late go-ahead hits against the Padres team chasing the Dodgers in the standings clinched the division. 

Over his final 10 games, Ohtani batted .628 with six homers, 10 stolen bases and 20 RBIs. 

“If there’s any person that I feel that’s going to be able to handle this,” manager Dave Roberts said, “it’s certainly Shohei.” 

It looks that way more now than it did at the start of the year, when Ohtani had a tendency to chase with runners on base. He said he had “a strong desire to fit in with the team as soon as possible,” and that anxiousness was leaking into his at-bats. The lone imperfection to his offensive profile would eventually disappear. 

Beyond the walk-off grand slam to get to 40/40 and the otherworldly performance to get to 50/50, Ohtani’s knack for hitting in the clutch improved more and more the closer the calendar got to October. He went 15-for-26 with runners in scoring position in September and finished the season with an OPS over 1.000 in high-leverage spots. 

“I think that he understands the talent behind him,” Roberts said. “He can’t do it all on his own.”

That supporting cast, led by Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, has made pitching to Ohtani all the more challenging. Despite a year that will likely end with Ohtani’s third MVP trophy, he was intentionally walked just 10 times, down more than twice as much from a season ago. 

While Padres manager Mike Shildt wouldn’t reveal his plan to keep Ohtani off the bases, he acknowledged how the threats directly behind Ohtani in the lineup change the dynamic.

“You usually put somebody on because you like the matchups better behind them,” Shildt said. “And you’ve got two MVP-caliber guys right behind him.”

There might be a time in this series, Shildt said, when the Padres will give Ohtani the free base. At the same time, the San Diego skipper expressed belief in his cadre of pitching talents and sounded willing to let them try to attack the Dodgers’ star DH. 

Lefties hit just .233 against the Padres pitching staff this year — the sixth-lowest mark in the majors — and the addition of southpaw Tanner Scott to the bullpen gives San Diego an important high-leverage weapon to combat the many left-handed sluggers in the Dodgers’ lineup in the NLDS. 

But few hitters are like Ohtani, who finally will make an imprint on the MLB playoffs instead of just watching them. 

“I’m excited for our fans,” Friedman said. “I’m excited for fans all over the world to get a chance to see this. It’s been the thing he talked about when we met in December — every subsequent conversation with him has been about October. I think he’s really excited for the moment.”

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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Shohei Ohtani has mashed 100 mph fastballs for homers, stolen bases against some of the game’s best catchers and recently wrapped up one of the best regular seasons in Major League Baseball history.

Now the Japanese superstar and his Los Angeles Dodgers have to face something that’s arguably even more daunting.

A five-day break.

Since MLB’s most recent 12-team playoff format took effect in 2022, five of the eight top seeds have lost in the Division Series, unable to capitalize on the supposed reward of earning a bye through the Wild Card Series.

This year, the Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies have the top two seeds in the National League, while the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians are in the same position in the American League. That has given all of them five days to prepare for the best-of-five series that begin Saturday.

Sure, a few days to heal bumps and bruises while other teams fight it out is nice. But there’s also a downside.

“It’s not a vacation,” Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott said following a workout earlier this week.

Maybe more than any other professional sport, baseball is one that relies on rhythm and routine. MLB squeezes 162 regular-season games into 187 days over six months, meaning teams play games almost daily from April to September. Other than the All-Star break in July, there’s never two scheduled days off in a row.

Five days is a relative eternity. And it hasn’t always been a good thing.

“It’s a trade-off,” said Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations. “The benefit is you get time off. The downside is you’re not in the major league environment facing live major league pitching in the normal cadence that you would be during the season.

“But on balance, I think I’d still take the trade-off and want the bye.”

The Guardians have played simulated games the past three days to keep fresh. On Wednesday, they played in an empty Progressive Field with crowd noise piped in, giving it the same aura as the pandemic-marred 2020 season.

“What we’ve tried to do is be really deliberate this week about the environments we’re creating to keep our guys ready and ready to compete on Saturday,” Antonetti said.

The Yankees are one of the teams that have had success under the current playoff format, winning their 2022 Division Series against the Guardians following a five-day layoff. Manager Aaron Boone said last week that part of his plan was to bring some of the organization’s minor leaguers to New York, so there were fresh arms for hitters to face while they wait for Saturday.

“We’ll do our best to prioritize taking advantage of the rest, which I’m sure several guys at this time of the year will benefit from,” Boone said. “But we’re also trying to make sure we keep that mental edge and keep guys as sharp as we possibly can with live looks.”

The Dodgers are the poster child for what can go wrong following a long break in October. They were the top NL seed in 2022 but lost in four games to the San Diego Padres. Last season, they also earned a bye before getting drilled by the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game sweep.

Now Los Angeles is back in the same position. The Dodgers are in a good spot in many ways — they’ve got one of the game’s best offensive lineups with Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to a 98-64 record in the regular season.

They’ve also tweaked their routine during the five-day break compared with the previous two years, getting some swings against high-velocity pitching machines that mimic MLB pitchers. A few of the team’s players also have organized watch parties for the wild-card games in an effort to keep up camaraderie.

But one thing they won’t have on Saturday is momentum.

They’ll have to create it fast.

“I see some more hunger, I see some more edge. I like that,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Not to say that guys weren’t prepared or trying or cared, but there’s a different level of intensity.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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All four MLB wild-card series featured a 2023 postseason participant facing an opponent that missed the playoffs last year. The returning team was eliminated in each instance.

Welcome to October baseball.

With four intriguing — and largely dissimilar — matchups set for the League Division Series, FOX Sports MLB experts Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner preview and predict the upcoming round in this week’s roundtable.

1. Which team is currently better built for the postseason, the Dodgers or the Padres?

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Thosar: The more I think about it, the more of a toss-up this is. On one hand, San Diego’s pitching has outpaced Los Angeles’ across the board since adding key arms at the trade deadline. The Padres lead the National League with a 3.38 ERA in the second half, while the Dodgers are eighth at 4.16. It was obvious why Padres pitching has been such a boon for them in their wild-card series against the Braves, particularly with starter Michael King shoving seven scoreless innings in his first career playoff start, but also because of their dominant bullpen. 

Also since the All-Star break, San Diego registered the NL’s second-best bullpen ERA (3.16) and WHIP (1.15). The Padres have one of the most important postseason elements — excellent pitching — fine-tuned for a deep October run. With that said, the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani. It will be fascinating to see how Ohtani performs in his first career postseason, and if his finish to his first season with the Dodgers was any indication, he can eradicate excellent pitching just as much as he can pounce on mistakes. In the end, since playoff baseball is increasingly dependent on a deep pitching staff, I’ll give the edge to San Diego.

Kavner: The Padres, who right now might be better built for the postseason than any team in baseball. I think the Dodgers possess the scariest offense in the playoff field. Beyond the obvious big three at the top, the lineup looks deeper now than it did at the beginning of the year. Still, the Padres have the highest batting average and lowest whiff rate in the majors. They will make a pitcher work, their superstars have gotten hot at the right time, and whatever disadvantage they might have offensively is mitigated by their advantage on the pitching side.

The Joe Musgrove injury hurts, assuming he’ll miss time, but there are still more reliable arms in the Padres’ rotation than what their injured counterparts have to offer. This is not the group the Dodgers envisioned when they assembled their roster in the offseason. Game 1 starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked good in his return from the injured list in September, but he’s still building his way back up after missing nearly three months with a shoulder injury and doesn’t appear likely to be available on short rest in October. 

Game 2 starter Jack Flaherty had a sensational season but enters the playoffs with a 6.43 ERA in his past three starts. There’s a lot of pressure on the Dodgers’ bullpen to hold things together, and there’s a strong argument to be made that the Padres might hold the advantage there, too, with the moves they made at the deadline.

2. Is there an area that you believe the Royals match up favorably with the Yankees or a weakness that they can exploit?

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Kavner: The Yankees have the clear Game 1 advantage with a well-rested Gerrit Cole going against Michael Wacha, but it’s not going to be a walk in the park for Yankees hitters. Wacha had a 2.79 ERA in the second half. The Yankees ranked 22nd in the majors in batting average against changeups this year, which is Wacha’s go-to pitch. Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr., two of the Yankees’ best hitters against offspeed stuff, are a combined 1-for-21 in a small sample against Wacha. (The problem for Yankees opponents is they have to then deal with Juan Soto, so, good luck.)

And if the Royals manage to steal that game, things could get interesting quickly. I think Kansas City would have the rotation advantage the rest of the way with Cole Ragans and Seth Lugo slated to follow.

Their starters outdueling the Yankees’ is their only path to victory, because that Kansas City offense hasn’t offered much lately outside of Bobby Witt Jr. With the Astros and Orioles out, the Yankees have no excuse if they fall short of a trip to the World Series. The American League is theirs to lose.

Thosar: One of their best chances to gain leverage over the Yankees will be in Game 1, when Michael Wacha takes the hill for the Royals. Why? Wacha is one of the few pitchers in baseball who has managed to figure out how to retire Aaron Judge. Get ready for this: Judge has a .056 batting average and an identical .056 slugging percentage over 21 career plate appearances against the veteran right-hander, which includes one single and 11 strikeouts. It’s hard to believe. Besides Astros right-hander Cristian Javier, who Judge is hitless against in 13 career at-bats, the .056 mark is Judge’s lowest batting average facing any pitcher he’s had at least 10 at-bats against in his career. 

Wacha should have all the confidence in the world facing Judge to open the ALDS, and Judge is surely aware of his history against him. That’s an enormous weakness the Royals can exploit immediately in Game 1, potentially removing one of two gigantic threats in the Yankees lineup as soon as Saturday.

3. Who would the Phillies have rather seen in the NLDS, the Brewers or the Mets?

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Thosar: The Brewers. This seems like an easy one, particularly because the last time the Phillies faced the Mets at Citi Field, New York took three out of four against Philly and used them as a springboard to better position them to contend for the playoffs. The Phillies’ division rivalry against the Mets will only intensify the NLDS for the team and the crowd, potentially adding unneeded pressure should the series start off worse than they’d hoped. 

The Mets have been one of the hottest teams in the league, and they would have no fear about playing at the loud and raucous Citizens Bank Park. That’s not to say facing the Brewers would be a cake walk for the Phillies, particularly because of how elite Milwaukee is on the basepaths, in the bullpen, and at defense, plus how quickly Jackson Chourio can change the game with his glove and his bat. But the Phillies went 4-2 against the Brewers in the regular season, versus 7-6 against the Mets, and if they were to figure out how to get old friend Rhys Hoskins out, then Milwaukee’s offense wouldn’t pose as big of a threat to Philly’s pitching staff.

Kavner: The Brewers. The Phillies have a winning record against both, but the lack of starting pitching options in the Milwaukee rotation, the way the Brewers offense slowed down late in the year and the way the Mets have played down the stretch, New York looks like the more dangerous opponent. Moot point now, though!

4. What is the Tigers‘ blueprint to upsetting the Guardians?

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Kavner: It has to look more like it did in Game 1 of the wild-card series than Game 2. No, I don’t mean pitch Tarik Skubal in every game, though that would be a nice thought for Detroit fans. If the Tigers can replicate the timely hitting they had in Houston, they’ll have a chance. But it has to happen early. They have to win the first few innings and attack the Guardians’ vulnerable rotation before Cleveland turns the game over to the best bullpen in baseball. The Tigers’ collection of relief arms helped them get to this point, but tight games late will favor the Guardians.

Thosar: The Tigers are dangerous when they expertly carry an unselfish approach in their pitching staff. Of course, their success starts and ends with a dominant outing from ace and triple crown winner Tarik Skubal. But aside from the southpaw, Detroit is at its best when pitchers of all types and experience come into their outings and shove. There is no arguing with manager A.J. Hinch when he walks out of the dugout to take someone out. 

Tigers pitchers do a better job than arguably any other pitching staff in the playoffs at being egoless and understanding that their roles include being used anytime, anywhere. They refer to this concept as “pitching chaos,” which includes using openers instead of traditional starters — yes, even in playoff games. That chaos could disrupt the Guardians offense without giving them time to create a game plan or breathing room to adjust.

5. Who will win each LDS?

Yankees vs. Royals
– Thosar: Yankees — Juan Soto and Aaron Judge are like caged animals waiting to be released into the arena. Also, the Yankees dominate the AL Central, and this is now their easiest path to the World Series in several years, particularly with the Astros eliminated.
– Kavner: Yankees — Aaron Judge vs Bobby Witt Jr. will be incredible theater, but I don’t think the Royals have enough offense behind Witt to keep up.

Guardians vs. Tigers
– Thosar: Tigers — The inspired way the Tigers played to end the regular season, and the complete-team effort they showed to eliminate Baltimore in the wild card series, has convinced me that they’re this year’s Cinderella story that, at least, deserves to show their chops against the Yankees in a potential ALCS.
– Kavner: Guardians — I probably shouldn’t go against whatever is happening right now in Detroit, but all those Cleveland relievers in a short series might just be overwhelming enough to end the Motor City magic.

Phillies vs. Mets
– Thosar: Mets — They’re defying the odds left and right, and it wouldn’t be smart to bet against them right now. The Mets won three out of four against the Phillies in their final homestand of the season, and after a rest day on Friday, they should have no fear walking into Citizens Bank Park with the way they’re playing right now.
– Kavner: Phillies — I said earlier this year I thought the Phillies were the most complete team in a season full of flawed clubs, and I’m going to stick with them. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, plus that rotation should get it done if the bullpen can hold up.

Dodgers vs. Padres
– Thosar: Padres — San Diego’s pitching is lights out and has the depth required in a short and long series. Even though the Dodgers have Shohei Ohtani as their lethal weapon, their pitching doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
– Kavner: Padres — At full strength, I’d take the Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani is capable of carrying any club almost single-handedly the way he’s playing lately, but with their rotation in such rough shape, and with questions about Freddie Freeman’s health, and with the way the Padres have come together after their midseason adds, and for all the reasons I listed in question No. 1 above, I think San Diego now has the edge.

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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The New York Mets are heading to the NLDS after a dramatic, ninth-inning comeback sparked by Pete Alonso’s go-ahead, three-run home run to oust the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Mets’ run to the playoffs after a dismal start has been improbable, to say the least. And now, according to MLB history, New York actually has a great shot at making the World Series due an absurd, hard-to-believe pattern related to the Brewers’ unfortunate playoff history.

The trend is this: In the ten times that the Brewers have made the postseason in franchise history — nine of which have come in years when there was a division series in the MLB playoff format — every team that has defeated Milwaukee has gone on to at least reach the World Series, if not win it altogether.

Here is a breakdown of how all those teams fared, via FOX Sports Research:

1981 New York Yankees: Defeated Brewers in ALDS, reached World Series

Though the division series was not permanently instituted until 1994, MLB debuted it for the first time in 1981 as a way to sort out the East and West division winners from the first and second halves of the 1981 season, which was interrupted partway through due to a strike by the players’ union. The first-half AL East winners, the New York Yankees, beat the second-half division-winning Brewers 3-2 in the ALDS in Milwaukee’s playoff debut. The Yankees then went on to sweep the Oakland A’s in the ALCS before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1981 World Series.

1982 St. Louis Cardinals: Defeated Brewers in World Series

This one technically counts! This was the Brewers’ first and only World Series appearance in franchise history. They were AL champions at the time facing their now-NL Central division foes from St. Louis. The Cardinals prevailed thanks to a late comeback in Game 7, powered by future Hall of Famers Ozzie Smith and Bruce Sutter, and series MVP Darrell Porter.

2008 Philadelphia Phillies: Defeated Brewers in NLDS, won World Series

The Brewers finally returned to the postseason in 2008 thanks in no small part to CC Sabathia, who became one of the greatest trade deadline acquisitions in MLB history, carrying Milwaukee to a wild-card spot with an 11-2 record and 1.65 ERA over the final two months of the season. However, the Brewers were no match for a loaded Philadelphia Phillies squad that dispatched Milwaukee in four games in the NLDS, before beating the Dodgers in the NLCS and the Tampa Bay Rays in the World Series.

2011 St. Louis Cardinals: Defeated Brewers in NLCS, won World Series

The Brewers advanced to the NLCS with a win over none other than the D-backs in the 2011 NLDS, only to fall to the Cardinals in six games in the NLCS. St. Louis then beat the Texas Rangers — the 2023 AL pennant winner — in a seven-game World Series classic led by then-rookie David Freese.

2018 Los Angeles Dodgers: Defeated Brewers in NLCS, reached World Series

The Dodgers edged the Brewers by winning an instant-classic Game 7 of the NLCS in Milwaukee, denying a 96-win Brewers team the chance to make it to the World Series. L.A. then lost the World Series for the second consecutive year, falling to the Boston Red Sox in five games.

2019 Washington Nationals: Defeated Brewers in wild-card game, won World Series

The Brewers looked poised for a rematch with the Dodgers team that ended their season in 2018 — until outfielder Trent Grisham overran a seventh-inning, bases-loaded Juan Soto single, allowing all three runners to score and turning a 3-1 Brewers lead into a 4-3 deficit that stood up as the final score. Washington went on to stun the Dodgers in the NLDS and sweep the Cardinals in the NLCS, and then shock the Houston Astros in a seven-game thriller of a World Series.

2020 Los Angeles Dodgers: Defeated Brewers in wild-card series, won World Series

The 29-31 Brewers were the last of eight teams — including a record five NL wild-card teams — to qualify under a temporarily expanded playoff format. Milwaukee was no match for the Dodgers, who breezed through them in the best-of-three series and then swept the San Diego Padres in the NLDS, rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, and defeated the Rays for their first World Series title since 1988.

2021 Atlanta Braves: Defeated Brewers in NLDS, won World Series

The 88-win Braves were widely regarded as the weakest team in the NL playoff field, but stunned the Braves in the NLDS, did the same to the Dodgers in a rematch of the 2020 NLCS, then defeated the Astros in six games in the 2021 World Series behind a homegrown core that has since turned Atlanta into one of the best MLB teams this decade.

2023 Arizona Diamondbacks: Defeated Brewers in wild-card series, reached World Series

The Diamondbacks were the last team in the playoff field, and the Brewers had Arizona on the ropes in each of the two games the teams played in Milwaukee, only for the “Snakes” to stay alive and come back to win both times. Arizona then went on its own improbable run, demolishing the NL West-winning Dodgers in the NLDS and outlasting the Phillies in an epic NLCS. The D-backs went on to lose the World Series in five games to the Rangers.

2024 New York Mets: Defeated Brewers in wild-card series*

New York’s run started with an epic comeback against the Braves in a weather-postponed doubleheader to seal a playoff berth. Will the Mets continue their run and reach the World Series? Up next is a daunting NLDS against the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies which begins on Saturday at 4:08 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX.

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October baseball has begun with a bang. With the Mets down to their last two outs, struggling slugger Pete Alonso flipped the script and launched New York past Milwaukee and into the National League Division Series. 

Amazing.

FOX Sports MLB writers Deesha Thosar and Rowan Kavner offered their top takeaways from Thursday’s thriller.

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What’s cooler than cool? The Polar Bear

Pete Alonso, after scuffling through September and the first days of October, finally got his moment. Entering the biggest at-bat of his career, Alonso had two options. He could end his 2024 campaign (and perhaps his Mets career) on the sourest of notes, doing little to nothing to change the script in a win-or-go-home game. Or, he could help save the Mets season and possibly send them to the NLDS against the Phillies. Which one was calling out his name? 

Option number two. 

During a hard-fought at-bat against closer Devin Williams, in which he took balls on pitches 2, 3 and 4, Alonso’s decision to swing on the fifth pitch, a changeup in the heart of the zone, was a moment of destiny. The All-Star slugger crushed a ninth-inning three-run home run, the Mets dugout emptied onto the field, the watch party of 10,000 fans at Citi Field lost their minds, and a season of underwhelming moments from the Polar Bear were all but forgotten.

Up until Thursday’s Game 3, Alonso was becoming the butt of the joke. He couldn’t hit with runners in scoring position. He recorded a full-season career-low 34 home runs. As if things couldn’t get worse, he tripped on his bat while running out of the box in Wednesday’s Game 2 to produce an inning-ending double play. In a Mets season full of whimsy, humor and joy, Alonso was the odd-man out. 

All year, the Mets waited for Alonso’s big moment. All year, manager Carlos Mendoza said it would come. Finally, in Game 165, it came. With one swing, Alonso erased all the bad memories of his walk year. Alonso needed that home run, no doubt. But the Mets needed it more, and that’s why Alonso delivered. — Deesha Thosar

Young talents are meeting the moment in these playoffs

In another world, we’d be talking about rookies Jackson Chourio and Tobias Myers catapulting the Brewers to the National League Division Series. Of course, Pete Alonso authored a different tale.

Devin Williams had allowed three runs in 22 appearances this season. The Mets tagged the Brewers star closer for four in the deciding Game 3 of the wild-card series. And just like that, a day after the neophyte Tigers bombarded former All-Star relievers Ryan Pressly and Josh Hader to move on in Houston, another highly decorated closer was sent off unceremoniously into a long winter.

While it won’t ease the pain of Brewers fans, it was their young standouts who gave them a chance. Chourio, at just 20 years old, finished the three-game set with five hits, including two game-changing homers in Milwaukee’s Game 2 victory that forced the win-or-go-home matchup. After Freddy Peralta was tagged for three runs in four innings in Game 1 and Frankie Montas allowed three runs (one earned) in 3.2 innings in Game 2, it was Myers, in his first career postseason appearance, spinning five scoreless frames. And before the late implosion, it was 24-year-old Sal Frelick providing a usually reliable Brewers bullpen an insurance run to work with.

MLB’s abundance of youthful talent has been on full display early in October, and that shouldn’t change now.

Padres Rookie of the Year candidate Jackson Merrill went 3-for-7 in the wild-card series with a double and a triple. Parker Meadows started the scoring in the Tigers’ clinching wild-card game in Houston with a homer.

For the division winners waiting for their turn, Yankees catcher Austin Wells and pitcher Luis Gil have been in the AL Rookie of the Year conversation most of the year. In Cleveland, Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis have helped turned the Guardians bullpen into a juggernaut. Both teams also have another rookie X-factor who could help flip a series in Jasson Domínguez and Kyle Manzardo, respectively. Whatever happens from here, more rookies will have a say. — Rowan Kavner

Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar.

Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner.

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In what could have been his final at-bat in a New York Mets uniform, star first baseman Pete Alonso instead hit the biggest home run of his career, a go-ahead three-run opposite-field line drive in the ninth inning of the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Mets National League Wild Card series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

That turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 Mets lead, stunning a crowd at American Family Field that had grown raucous as the Brewers took the lead on back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning and came within two outs of their first playoff series win since 2018. Alonso is now the first player in MLB history to hit a go-ahead home run while trailing in the ninth inning or later of a winner-take-all playoff game, per Opta Stats.

Instead, however, the wheels continued to fall off for Brewers closer Devin Williams. After retiring Jose Iglesias for the second out of the inning, Williams hit Jesse Winker with a fastball. Winker then stole second base and scored on a single from Starling Marte to give New York a 4-2 lead. Reliever David Peterson then worked around a leadoff single from Sal Frelick in the bottom of the ninth, inducing a game-ending double play ball to Francisco Lindor.

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Time will tell whether Alonso’s dramatic home run will be the start of a possible Mets run to the World Series, but history is now on their side. Every team to have eliminated the Brewers from the playoffs has gone on to reach the Fall Classic.

The Mets’ comeback victory in the decisive Game 3 gave them their first playoff series win since claiming the NL pennant in 2015. New York will face the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS, marking the first time the two fierce rivals have ever met in the postseason. Game 1 of that series starts at 4:08 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports App.

New York went 6-7 against the Phillies during the regular season and finished six games behind them in the NL East standings.

The Associated Press contributed tothis report.

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The 2024 MLB playoffs are on to the divisional round, as postseason squads continue to make their charge toward the Fall Classic.

Which four teams will qualify for the ALCS and NLCS?

Check out the odds for each best-of-five divisional round series via DraftKings Sportsbook as of Oct. 4.

Follow along for the entirety of the divisional rounds.

AL DIVISIONAL 

Detroit Tigers @ Cleveland Guardians
Regular-season series: Guardians won 7-6

Series winner: Guardians -125 (bet $10 to win $18 total); Tigers +105 (bet $10 to win $20.50 total)

GAME 1 (Saturday)
Spread: Guardians -1.5 (+145)
O/U: 7 total runs scored
Moneyline: Guardians -148, Tigers +124

Kansas City Royals @ New York Yankees
Regular-season series: Yankees won 5-2

Series winner: Yankees -215 (bet $10 to win $14.65 total); Royals +180 (bet $10 to win $28 total)

GAME 1 (Saturday)
Spread: Yankees -1.5 (+110)
O/U: 8 total runs scored
Moneyline: Yankees -205, Royals +170

NL DIVISIONAL

San Diego Padres @ Los Angeles Dodgers
Regular-season series: Padres won 8-5

Series winner: Dodgers -140 (bet $10 to win $17.14 total); Padres +120 (bet $10 to win $22 total)

GAME 1 (Saturday)
Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+160)
O/U: 7.5 total runs scored
Moneyline: Dodgers -135, Padres +114

New York Mets @ Philadelphia Phillies
Regular-season series: Phillies won 7-6

Series winner: Phillies -185 (bet $10 to win $15.41 total); Mets +160 (bet $10 to win $26 total)

GAME 1 (Saturday)
Spread: Phillies -1.5 (+114)
O/U: 7.5 total runs scored
Moneyline: Phillies -198, Mets +164

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