Dutch Lion’s 2022 MLB Playoffs Preview

Dutch Lion’s 2022 MLB Playoffs Preview

It’s that time of year. The leaves are ripening. The bananas are ripening. The pumpkins are ripening. Yeah, everything ripens, like a two-week-old bag of garbage that was accidentally left in the corner of the garage rather than put out with the rest of the trash on pick-up night. The slight hole in the bag let the air in and out, and oh yeah, the flies that invaded the bag and then sired maggots because of that leftover cornish hen and half-eaten ribs that was stuffed in said bag. Where was I? That’s right, it’s harvest time.

In baseball time, that means it’s the season where MLB Baseball tries to complete their most exciting part of the year while competing against NFL Football, NCAA Football, CFL Football, and soon to be NBA Basketball and NHL Hockey seasons. Why dominate in August when you can delay your Playoffs and World Series with freezing cold games in competition with the real national pastime, football, by waiting to end your season in October (and the early part of November)?

Oh well, that’s the glass-half-empty way to look at MLB’s Playoffs. It’s not quite what we expected, and predicted, in our Preseason Preview, but stuff happens. The glass-half-full way to look at it is, “Hey bro! It’s time for the Baseball Playoffs!”

American League Playoffs

1. Houston Astros (106-56) – BYE
2. New York Yankees (99-63) – BYE
3. Cleveland Indians (Guardians) (92-70)
4. Toronto Blue Jays (92-70)
5. Seattle Mariners (90-72)
6. Tampa Bay Rays (86-76)

AL Wild Card Round (ALWC – Best of 3; all three games at top seed)

#6 Tampa Bay at #3 Cleveland (all three games at Cleveland) – PICK: Cleveland

#5 Seattle at #4 Toronto (all three games at Toronto) – PICK: Toronto

AL Division Series (ALDS – Best of 5; 2-2-1 format)

#4 Toronto at #1 Houston – PICK: Houston

#3 Cleveland at #2 New York – PICK: New York

AL Championship Series (ALCS – Best of 7; 2-3-2 format)

#2 New York at #1 Houston – The Yankees and Astros rivalry goes back a few years to when Houston beat them in the Playoffs in their World Series Championship year of 2017. You might recall that ’17 was the year Houston cheated by banging on the trash can in the dugout to relay pitch types to their hitters. Oh yeah, who cares about that right? Nobody will bring THAT up in this series, especially not the diehard New York fans in Yankee Stadium. PICK: New York

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National League Playoffs

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (111-51) – BYE
2. Atlanta Braves (101-61) – BYE
3. St. Louis Cardinals (93-69)
4. New York Mets (101-61)
5. San Diego Padres (89-73)
6. Philadelphia Phillies (87-75)

NL Wild Card Round (NLWC – Best of 3)

#6 Philadelphia at #3 St. Louis (all 3 games in St. Louis) – PICK: St. Louis

#5 San Diego at #4 New York (all 3 games in New York) – PICK: New York

NL Division Series (NLDS – Best of 5)

#4 New York at #1 Los Angeles – PICK: Los Angeles

#3 St. Louis at #2 Atlanta – PICK:

NL Championship Series (NLCS – Best of 7)

#3 St. Louis at #1 Los Angeles – PICK: Los Angeles

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2022 World Series (Best of 7; 2-3-2 format)

New York Yankees at Los Angeles Dodgers – Here we go! This is the matchup we’ve been waiting for, and writing about, for several years. This is the throwback Subway Series from the 1940s and ’50s. This is Duke Snider vs Mickey Mantle. This is Jackie Robinson vs Billy Martin. This is Roy Campanella vs Yogi Berra. This is Don Newcombe vs Whitey Ford. This is Ebbets Field vs Yankee Stadium. This is Brooklyn vs the Bronx.

The Yankees and Dodgers are the two biggest and best franchises in modern baseball, and in baseball history. Back then it was Brooklyn instead of L.A. but don’t forget about the more recent New York/L.A. rivalry in the 1977, ’78, and ’81 World Series matchups. That era was featured in an ESPN Films Documentary movie called “An Uncivil War”.

This year’s matchup will feature some great pitching in Gerrit Cole, Julio Urias, and Clayton Kershaw. Don’t forget about the fantastic hitters such as Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, and Freddie Freeman. These are truly terrific teams. We can’t wait to see what happens.

How can we pick against a 111 victory team? We can’t. PICK: L.A. Dodgers MVP: Mookie Betts

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