Before the MLB postseason began, I dared to make some predictions about the outcome. We all do this, right? We look at the brackets and choose winners based on skill levels, who’s got the healthiest roster, who’s got home field advantage, who’s peaking at the right time, and who we think needs or wants it more. Throw in some good old fashioned fan worship and predictions are born.
The World Series results are in, and the Dodgers stunned the Yankees in five games. Let’s see how I did predicting the winners.
October is a very important month for baseball fans as it marks the start of the postseason where teams who have fought their way to the tops of their leagues put it all on the line for a chance to make history.
“This MLB season was one of the most fun and interesting seasons I’ve ever watched,” said Wyatt Laplante ‘28. I could not have agreed more.
In the American League best of three wildcard games, the Detroit Tigers (6) swept the Houston Astros (3) in two games. The Kansas City Royals (5) also took care of the Baltimore Orioles (4) in two games.
This set up the playoff picture as follows:
ALDS – Detroit Tigers vs. Cleveland Guardians
ALDS – New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals
Every team here has 1 or more all-star players. All these teams have a good chance of winning.
Here are my thoughts.
The first thing is that the Detroit Tigers looked great in the wild card while being the 6th seed, but the last game they played against the Cleveland Guardians was sloppy. The pitching against the Tigers was amazing and the Guardians have a real shot this year. The Guardians will win because of their dominant batting.
The Royals looked good, but I was not completely sold on them just yet. They have too many young players. Finally, the Yankees will win because of their good batting and their great pitching. Aaron Judge had a phenomenal season. Every pitcher besides Gerrit Cole has a 0.00 ERA in the Yankees rotation. I am going with the Yankees on this one.
I predicted the Guardians victory correctly. As much as the Tigers were, according to mlb.com, “the second team in MLB history to make the postseason after being eight or more games below .500,” they were not going to be able to capitalize on their underdog position for much longer.
I also predicted the Yankees victory correctly.
NLDS – New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies
NLDS – Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres
But I believe that the winners of these series will be the Dodgers and the Phillies.
I think the Dodgers will win because of one person, Shohei Ohtani. Shohei Ohtani is the best and the most electric player in the current MLB.
The Phillies will win because of their great batting and their amazing veteran players.
So, this is where my predictions went a little south. Despite a long list of great players—Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto . . . you get the idea), the Phillies lost to the Mets in four games. Game 1: Mets defeated the Phillies 6-2; Game 2: Phillies defeated the Mets 7-6; Game 3: Mets defeated the Phillies 7-2; Game 4: Mets defeated the Phillies 4-1.
After the ALCS, I believe that the winner of the American League will be the Yankees. Then after the NLCS the winner of the National League will be the Dodgers. I believe that the Yankees are so electric. After the signing of Jazz Chisholm, the excitement for the Yankees has never been better. For this reason, I believe that the Yankees will represent the American League in the World Series.
Next is the National League. I strongly believe that the Dodgers will represent the National League in the World Series. So, my prediction is that the World Series will be the Yankees vs. Dodgers.
My World Series prediction became a reality. The NY Yankees secured the American League pennant on October 19, beating the Cleveland Guardians in five games. The LA Dodgers secured the National League pennant on October 20 beating the NY Mets in six games.
I think that this is the Dodgers year for many reasons. The biggest reason is mostly because of two people. These two people are arguably the face of the MLB.
They are Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts. The Yankees have some very good and noticeable players—Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, and ND Alum Giancarlo Stanton. But none of them can compare to the likes of Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani.
Shohei Ohtani just came off the best game in MLB history. He went 6 for 6 with 3 HR’s, 2 doubles, 1 single, and 10 RBI’s.
The Dodgers have also managed to overcome their starting pitcher deficits by capitalizing on a strong bullpen, playing great defense, and having a starting line-up that is unmatched in the MLB.
“I strongly believe that the Dodgers pitching will not mess them up this year,” said Wyatt Laplante ’28.
The one thing that I would be worried about as a Dodgers fan is the Yankees hitting. The Yankees have always had good pitching, but I believe the hitting will be amazing in a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series. The main person I am talking about here is Aaron Judge. This season Aaron Judge has 58 home runs and has a batting average of .322. He is arguably the best hitter in the MLB. Aaron Judge can single handedly make or break the Yankees. After reading these predictions, who do you believe will be holding the Commissioner’s Trophy at the end of the postseason?
As we all know now, the Dodgers went on to win the World Series in five games. Freddie Freeman, who was “day-to-day” with an ankle injury during the playoffs, delivered the first game-ending grand slam in World Series history in the 10th inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 6-3 victory in game 1. FYI—he also homered in each of the first four games of the Series, recorded 12 RBIs, and scored 5 runs in the series.
Shohei Ohtani injured his shoulder in game 2, and while he remained in the starting rotation, could not perform his best in his first world series appearance. We would not see the showdown between Ohtani and Judge during this series.
Walker Buehler shook off what ailed him for much of the 2024 season and delivered five scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 4-2 game 3 win, but it was his role as the game 5 closer that sealed the fate of the Yankees.
I can’t wait for the 2025 MLB season.
