Well, we made it. After a hectic year and a hectic MLB season, we made it to the playoffs, where the best teams duked it out for a chance to win the World Series.

With a COVID-19 shortened season, a new playoff format, and a recent cheating scandal, these playoffs were full of stunning narrative after stunning narrative. By September 28th, the teams were set. We were ready for a month of postseason baseball.

The Tampa Bay Rays were heavy favorites to win the American League, boasting the second-best record in all of the majors. The New York Yankees were also strong contenders for the pennant along with the Oakland Athletics and the Minnesota Twins.

There were eight playoff teams in the American League this year, so each team had to play a three-game wildcard series to advance to the next round. The Rays trounced the Blue Jays in 2 games, the Yankees won their series, and the Athletics came back from being down a game to winning their round against the White Sox. Unexpectedly, the hated Astros, who cheated in the past three seasons, beat out Minnesota in two games, extending the Twins’ playoff losing streak to 18 games in a row.

In the next round, there would be a five-game divisional series. The underdog Astros would face the Athletics, while the Yankees would play Tampa Bay. The Astros would continue their dominance over the Athletics, but the Rays and Yankees competed in an epic series for the ages.

One of the most compelling narratives of the playoffs happened in this series. Earlier in the season, Yankees pitcher Aroldis Chapman nearly took Mike Brosseau’s head off with a 101 mph fastball. The series went to 5 games, and Mike Brosseau hit a home run off of Aroldis Chapman to give the Rays the lead. The Rays advanced to the seven-game ALCS to face the hated Astros.

The Rays jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the series, but the Astros came back to tie the series at 3-3. After a nail biter game 7, the Rays were able to advance to the World Series.

Over in the National League, the Dodgers had the best record in baseball and were favored to win the pennant. The Braves and Padres were expected to go far, but the Dodgers were by far the best team. The Marlins were considered heavy underdogs, but in their entire playoff history, they never lost a single playoff series.

In the Wild Card round, the Marlins maintained their playoff success by winning against the Cubs, the Braves beat the young Reds, San Diego pulled it out against St. Louis, and LA smothered the Brewers.

The Braves ended the Divisional round game and the Marlins’ hopes of continuing the season. The Padres and Dodgers also duked it out, but the Dodgers came out on top.

The NLCS came, and the Dodgers faced the underdog Braves. Atlanta came up with a 3-1 series lead, but then LA came back to make it to the World Series.

Tampa Bay and LA were the competitors, with the Dodgers favored to win. The Dodgers were up 2-1 at game 4, but then Brent Phillips hit a crazy walk-off to tie the series at 2.

However, the Dodgers were too good that year. The Rays would not win another game all season, and the Dodgers walked away with the World Series trophy.