2022 postseason review

The 2022 season is officially over. This season, the MLB unveiled a new postseason format and there were actually lots of interesting things happening in the playoffs. Firstly, the Phillies certainly benefited from the new format. The Phillies finished the season with 87 wins and 75 losses and punched their ticket to the postseason as the final wild card in the NL. In the postseason, the Phillies swept the Cardinals to advance to the NLDS. In the NLDS, they defeated the division rival Atlanta Braves to advance to the NLCS. And, they beat the Padres to win the NL pennant. If under last season’s format, the Phillies wouldn’t have clinched a postseason berth. In addition, the Phillies clinched their first postseason berth since 2011 and the Mariners ended an even longer postseason drought. The Mariners clinched their first playoff berth since 2001. In the AL Wild Card series, they defeated the Blue Jays and advanced to the ALDS. The Mariners lost to the Astros in the ALDS. Nonetheless, October baseball eventually is back to Seattle.  Thirdly, 3 teams with 100+ wins didn’t win any series this postseason. The New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves each won 101 games in 2022. However, the Mets were defeated by the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series. Additionally, the Braves won the NL East title and secured the No.2 seed. The Braves had the home field advantage in the NLDS, but they were unable to stop the Phillies. In the NLDS, the Braves gave up 24 runs in 4 games and the Phillies hit .271 against the Braves pitchers. During the regular season, the Braves pitchers posted a 3.46 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. An ERA of 3.46 ranked 5th among 30 MLB teams. Furthermore, the Dodgers had a great 2022 season with 111 wins. During the regular season, the Dodgers were dominant and against the Padres, the Dodgers won 14 games and lost only 5 times. Nonetheless, you really don’t know what will happen in October baseball. The Dodgers couldn’t replicate their performance during the regular season and lost to the Padres in the NLDS. Finally, it’s about the “last game”. Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina won two World Series titles with the Cardinals. However, this year, they were unable to do it again. But, they did their best in the last game in the Cardinals uniform. In Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series, Yadier Molina collected a hit and Albert Pujols had 2 hits. Moreover, Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, Dansby Swanson, Clayton Kershaw and other great players will become free agents. Some of them might just play the last game for the team. Well, we will have to wait for a while until baseball is back. Nonetheless, the 2022 postseason is surely memorable. The Phillies benefited from the new postseason format and won the NL pennant. Their great performance in the postseason truly surprised many fans. Additionally, veteran players each showed their values. 42-years-old Pujols and 40-years-old Molina did their best in the postseason. Justin Verlander, who is 39 now, just earned his first career win in the World Series. Furthermore, we can’t ignore some youngsters. For example, rookie Jeremy Pena became the ALCS MVP and World Series MVP.