Who Is In Baseball Playoffs?

The MLB playoffs are underway and we have a rundown of who is in and who is out.

American League

The American League playoff field is set. The Tampa Bay Rays won the AL’s final playoff berth on the last day of the regular season, clinching a spot in the expanded postseason. The Rays will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL Wild Card Game on Wednesday. The winner will advance to the AL Division Series to face the top-seeded New York Yankees.

Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. The Indians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division, where they are currently the defending World Series champions. The team’s spring training facility is at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona. Since 1994, their home ballpark has been Progressive Field, located in the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex in downtown Cleveland.

The Indians began play as a minor league franchise in 1900 and originally competed in the short-lived Western League before joining the American League in 1903. In addition to winning eight AL pennants, they have won two World Series championships: in 1920 and 1948.

The team’s name originates from then owner Charles Somers, who wanted to honor Native Americans. Nicknames for the team include the “Tribe” and the “Wahoos”.

Houston Astros

As of September 24th, the Houston Astros have clinched the American League West division title and are headed to the playoffs. The Astros have had a historic season, led by their MVP candidate Jose Altuve. The team is looking to make a deep run in the playoffs and bring home a World Series title.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. The Red Sox have won eight World Series championships and have played in thirteen. Founded in 1901 as one of the American League’s eight charter franchises, the Red Sox’ home ballpark has been Fenway Park since 1912. The “Red Sox” name was chosen by the team owner, John I. Taylor, circa 1908, following previous incarnations of the team that had used names such as the “Boston Red Stockings”, “Boston Puritans”, and “Boston Pilgrims”.

The Red Sox are consistently one of the top MLB teams in average road attendance, while the small capacity of Fenway Park prevents them from leading in overall attendance. Since 2003, they have played more games than any other MLB team. From 1912 to 2018, the Red Sox employses baseball’s longest continuous ownership group, owned by John W. Henry since 2002.

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Bronx, New York City. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the National League’s (NL) New York Mets. The Yankees began play in 1901 as an expansion team before winning their first AL pennant in 1921 and their first World Series in 1923. Since then, they have won 27 World Series championships, the most of any MLB team. The Yankees have played in 40 World Series (both winning and losing 19 times), appearing in their 28th Fall Classic this year.

The team ranks first in MLB history with 18 division titles, 40 AL pennants, and 27 World Series championships, as well as possessing the most iconic players in baseball history such as Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, and Mariano Rivera.

National League

The National League playoff race is heating up with only a few weeks left in the season. The Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals are currently in first and second place, respectively. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets are all within two and a half games of each other for the final spot.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team that plays in the National League. The Dodgers are one of the most successful teams in baseball, winning the World Series six times. The Dodgers have a rich history, dating back to when they were founded in 1884. The team has been based in Los Angeles since 1958, and they play their home games at Dodger Stadium.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadium while their permanent stadium, Nationals Park, was being built. In 2008, they moved in to Nationals Park and have played there ever since. The Nationals are owned by Mark Lerner and heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson is a limited partner.

The team began life as the Montreal Expos in 1969. Along with the Seattle Pilots, they were part of MLB’s expansion that year. The Expos were the first Major League franchise located outside the United States. The franchise was sold after the 2004 season to Major League Baseball’s ownership group for $120 million US dollars and relocated to Washington, D.C., for the 2005 season, becoming known as the Nationals.

Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. They play their home games at Wrigley Field, located on the city’s North Side. The team first played in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings (a founding member of the NL), before moving to Chicago’s West Side Grounds for one season in 1871, which they shared with the Chicago Black Sox (now the Sox). The Cubs have appeared in eleven World Series. They have won two World Series championships—in 1907 and 2016—and played in a third in 1945 appeared but lost it to Detroit Tigers.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks, often shortened as the D-backs, are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. They are one of two MLB franchises in Arizona; the other is the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).