Major League Baseball continues with its 2023 postseason as teams forge ahead to secure a World Series championship.

On Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023, the MLB Divisional Series began play with eight teams competing for spots in the Championship Series. This series is the second of four rounds following the Wild Card Series. Only four teams will move forward from this round, thus making the stakes incredibly high.

Number one-seeded teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Baltimore Orioles and the Atlanta Braves entered this round of the postseason after a five-day bye period to prepare for their postseason runs.

Many fans do not find the postseason format appealing or fair to top-seeded teams, as long breaks tend to throw off any rhythm that ball clubs had established. Moorpark College baseball player and avid baseball fan Rodney Sabbe expressed his opinion on the format.

“I think it is unreasonable to expect a team to be ready for the highest leverage situations in the sport against the best players after not being able to play for a week,” Sabbe spoke. “At this point, it seems like the teams who win more games and get the higher seeds get punished instead of rewarded.”

In case you missed the high-stress, high-stakes 2023 MLB Divisional Series, here is a recap of the four matchups.

Minnesota Twins (AL 3) vs. Houston Astros (AL 2)

After the Minnesota Twins swept the Toronto Blue Jays in the Wild Card round, they moved on to compete against the 2022 World Series champions, the Houston Astros.

The Houston Astros went with their ace Justin Verlander for Game 1, while the Twins went with a bullpen game. The Houston offense came out blazing to support their ace and defeated the Twins to move to 1-0 on the series.

However, Minnesota kept their bats hot in Game 2, and former Astro Carlos Correa drove in three of the Twins six runs to even up the series. Houston bounced back in Game 3 and destroyed the Twins 9-1.

Game 4 stayed incredibly close until Astros first baseman José Abreu launched a home run that would end up being the game-winning home run. The Astros would advance to the American League Divisional Series, winning the best of five series in four games. This victory would launch the Astros to their seventh consecutive American League Championship Series.

Baltimore Orioles (AL 1) vs. Texas Rangers (AL 5)

The young Baltimore Orioles team came out of the shadows in the 2023 season and completely defied all expectations of them. In contrast, the Texas Rangers have experienced stars such as shortstop Corey Seager and strong starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery and Andrew Heaney. The matchup between a young team versus an experienced team is one to watch.

According to CBS News, the last time the Orioles hosted a playoff game was in 2014, and the team was last in the playoffs in 2016. After a five-day bye, the long-awaited playoff run was upon the 2023 team.

The season seemed too good to be true because the 2023 Baltimore Orioles could not secure one win versus the Texas Rangers and were swept out of the playoffs in three swift games. The Texas Rangers would move on to face fellow Texas opponents, the Houston Astros.

Los Angeles Dodgers (NL 2) vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (NL 6)

Perhaps a series that seemed to be an easy win for the LA Dodgers, the Arizona Diamondbacks looked to prove all wrong as they quietly snuck into the playoffs. It would be a National League West Divisional battle, which felt all too familiar for the Dodgers, who were knocked out in the round in 2022 by another NL West opponent, the San Diego Padres.

With that being said, the Los Angeles Dodgers seemed to disappoint everyone with their lackluster 2023 postseason performance. LA’s offense was seemingly nonexistent as huge names like Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman’s bats went utterly silent.

According to ESPN, Dodgers starting pitchers Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn combined to throw just 4⅔ innings, the fewest ever for the first three games of a postseason round. They allowed 13 runs off 16 hits and three walks during that stretch.

The LA Dodgers were swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks, who proved they had more passion, intensity and a bigger drive to win.

Sabbe spoke about his local team’s playoff run and offered his thoughts on the MLB postseason.

“The Dodgers postseason run can be described in two words, frustrating and disappointing,” Sabbe spoke. “Disappointing because they lost in the division series to a division rival for the second year in a row and frustrating because they’re paying their two superstars a combined $500+ million to go a combined 1-16 in the series with the one hit not even leaving the infield.”

Atlanta Braves (NL 1) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (NL 4)

Perhaps the most talked about series of the 2023 postseason, this matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies has earned talk from all over the country.

After the Phillies completely silenced the Braves bats in Game 1, the Braves came back in Game 2 to settle the score. The real drama occurred after the final play of Game 2, with the Braves ending the close game on a double play and throwing out former MVP Bryce Harper.

As quoted by Sports Illustrated, Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia was caught mocking Harper with his baserunning error and is quoted as saying, “Atta boy Harper.”

Arcia’s quote lit a fire underneath the Phillies and Harper who hit two home runs in the next game and made fierce eye contact with Arcia as he rounded the bases. The picture is now the pinnacle image of the series.

Thanks to Game 4 hero Nick Castellanos, who slugged two home runs in the final game, the Phillies won the series to send the number one-seeded Braves back to Atlanta. The Phillies will take on the Texas Rangers in the National League Championship Series.

Postseason baseball is something that all baseball fans look forward to, and the changes in format that the MLB made this season speed up the game’s pace. Sabbe spoke about how the changes improve the game and what MLB can do better to continue bringing in more fans.

“I think the MLB did much better getting fans involved and expanding the audience with the addition of the pitch clock but I think the MLB needs to find a way to make the worst teams more competitive,” Sabbe said. “Nobody wants to go watch an A’s game or a Royals game because they aren’t even trying to compete. More competition will bring more fans.”

The MLB Championship Series bracket is set, with four teams ready to fight for a spot in the coveted World Series championship.

Starting Sunday, Oct. 15, the Texas Rangers will take on the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. On Monday, Oct. 16, the National League Championship Series will begin with the Philadelphia Phillies battling against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

For more information on the Major League Baseball postseason, click here.