Coming into their game tonight, the Los Angeles Dodgers magic number was at two. They needed a win with a San Diego Padres loss in order to clinch the NL West. In the bottom of the seventh inning, a Dodgers clinch seemed all but inevitable. That is when the Dodgers were beating the Los Angeles Angels. The A’s had already clinched their division, but they played a tough game right from the beginning. That notwithstanding, the Dodgers really flexed their power and crushed them—hitting four homers. The eighth-straight NL West title is not very surprising to most people. The Dodgers are widely-considered as a favorite to play in the World Series. A lot of experts expect them to win it all in 2020. However, in a crazy, shortened season, anything can happen.
The A’s have been on fire this year, being the first American League team to clinch their division. They have a six-game-advantage over the second-place Houston Astros. With the great season that the A’s have put together this year, it is possible that they find themselves in the Fall Classic themselves. That would certainly make things historic. This is because the Athletics have not been in the World Series since they were swept in 1990. That 1990 Series was their third appearance in a row with a World Series win in 1989—sandwiched between two losses. Conversely, the Dodgers last won the World Series in 1988. That series was against none other than the Oakland Athletics. There are four postseason series this year, so there are plenty of obstacles between now and that potential reunion. So, we will all see how the postseason plays out.
Playoff Picture after Dodgers Clinch
As of today, the Dodgers have only lost one series this whole season. That was a recently-avenged loss at the hands of the Colorado Rockies. They have the best record in all of baseball, at 39-16. The players who have been struggling a bit as of late are starting to heat up. This includes Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy, which is very good news since the first series is only a best-of-three, and the Dodgers really need them to show up with their bats blazing. As of tonight, the playoff picture has slightly changed. The AL seeding is as follows 1. Tampa Bay Rays vs 8. Toronto Blue Jays. 2. Chicago White Sox vs 7. Cleveland Indians. 3. Oakland Athletics vs 6. Houston Astros. 4. Minnesota Twins vs 5. New York Yankees.
In the National League, the teams are currently seeded as follows: 1. Los Angeles Dodgers vs 8. Philadelphia Phillies. 2. Chicago Cubs vs 7. Cincinnati Reds. 3. Atlanta Braves vs 6. St. Louis Cardinals. 4. San Diego Padres vs 5. Miami Marlins. This seems to be a good bracket set up for the Dodgers as of this writing. If the Dodgers beat the Phillies in the first round, then they play the winner of the Padres and Marlins in the DS. It is not as if the Padres, Marlins, and Phillies are not good teams, because they are. However, the teams in the lower bracket seem to have much more difficult paths to the NLCS. Regardless, nothing can be taken for granted in the postseason, which is almost here.
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