National Baseball League

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New York Yankees: 9th ALCS berth
1904 1905 1909 1910 1912 1913 1920 1921 1922

[Mike Francesa voice]
"Chris, Chris, lemme tell ya somethin’—this is a game the Yankees had absolutely no business winnin’. None. They gave up thirteen hits through four and a third innings. Thirteen! You’re sittin’ there thinkin’, ‘Alright, this is one of those nights where Seattle’s just gonna bludgeon ‘em, the Yanks are gonna pack it in, and we’re headed to a Game 5.’ But somehow—somehow—they wriggle out of jam after jam. Every time the Mariners had ducks on the pond, somethin’ went wrong for ‘em. Lineouts, double plays, missed opportunities. And that’s how you steal a ballgame."

[Chris Russo voice, high-pitched, fast-talking]
"MIKEY, you nailed it! THE YANKEES HAD NO RIGHT, NONE, ZERO, to come outta this game with a W! Barnard gets blasted early, the Mariners are hittin’ lasers all over T-Mobile, you’re thinkin’ six, seven runs easy—and somehow it’s still close! Rivera, MVP, fine, he gets on base, Wilson with the big home run—BUT THE STORY, THE STORY, MIKE, IS SEATTLE LEAVIN’ TEN MEN ON BASE!! You can’t do that in October! CAN’T DO IT!"

[Mike, calm, deliberate]
"And listen—credit where it’s due. You win ugly, it still counts. Yankees bullpen settled down, Nevarez came in, did his job. And then boom—Garcia’s homer in the 8th, Wilson earlier with the three-run shot in the 2nd, those are your difference-makers. That’s postseason baseball. You don’t ask how, you just survive and advance."

[Chris, cutting in]
"AND NOW, Mikey, they’re goin’ back to the ALCS for the third year in a row! Ninth time overall! I mean, it’s unbelievable. Doesn’t matter if it’s Cleveland, doesn’t matter if it’s Texas, the Yankees’ll be there, right in the thick of it! But Seattle—oh, boy—they’re gonna be sick about this one. Fifteen hits! Fifteen hits, six runs, and they LOSE! Absolutely brutal, Mike, absolutely brutal."

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“Folks, you look at this game—Los Angeles Dodgers, a very strong team, very talented—but the Milwaukee Brewers, they came out firing. Tremendous performance. Josh Tidwell, unbelievable guy, 2-for-3, home run, walks, scoring three runs—really did it all. I mean, you don’t see that every day. People are talking about it, everybody’s talking about it.
The Dodgers, they tried—they tried very hard—but they just couldn’t get it done. They made some mistakes—errors, bullpen issues—but you know what? That’s baseball. Sometimes it’s about talent, sometimes it’s about timing. Milwaukee, tremendous focus. They forced a Game 5. A very exciting, very important Game 5. People are going to be watching—big crowd, tremendous attendance.
The big moment, folks—you see the eighth inning, bases empty, Dodgers down by one. Pedro Huerta strikes out. Huge out. Game on the line, Milwaukee pitcher Alex Jeoffrey, very smart, very skilled. That’s what winners do—they step up in the big moments.
So now, we’ve got a Game 5 at Dodger Stadium. Big game, huge stakes, everybody talking about it. It’s going to be fantastic. Really, one of the best Division Series you’ve seen in a long time. Tremendous baseball. Tremendous players. And remember, folks, Milwaukee showed heart—real heart. Game 5, it’s going to be incredible. Believe me.”

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Texas Rangers: 2nd ALCS berth
1918 1922

It’s a crisp October afternoon at Jacobs Field, the kind of day that makes baseball feel timeless. The Texas Rangers, after enduring three straight Division Series heartbreaks, finally exorcised the demons. With a 2-0 win over the Cleveland Indians, they advance to the American League Championship Series for only the second time in franchise history.
And what a series it was. Cleveland, a team with World Series pedigree—champions in 1919 and 1920—couldn’t find an answer this year. They didn’t even win a playoff round, a stark contrast to their recent glory. The Rangers, patient, precise, opportunistic, seized the moment.
It was pitching that set the tone. Vinny Luevanos, the Rangers’ ace, delivered a masterpiece: seven shutout innings, just three hits allowed, four strikeouts, no walks. The kind of performance you replay in your mind, the kind that makes you appreciate the artistry of a well-thrown fastball and a perfectly placed curve. When he handed the ball to J. Gates to close it out, it was icing on the cake: two scoreless innings, and just like that, the Rangers’ season rolls on.
Offensively, it was methodical rather than flashy. Tony Guerrero, the series MVP, didn’t need to hit towering home runs to dominate. He set the table, drove in runs, scored runs—.389 in the series, six RBIs, four runs scored. He was the kind of player who reminds you that baseball isn’t always about the highlight reel; sometimes it’s about consistency, timing, and putting pressure on the opposition inning after inning.
Cleveland had their moments, but Texas made them pay when it mattered most. Pitches were located, outs were recorded, and the clock struck “Rangers time.” For the fans in Texas, delirium. For Cleveland, disappointment. And for the rest of us, another chapter in the rich narrative that is Major League Baseball.
Next up: the Rangers face the New York Yankees. A clash of leagues, a meeting of history and momentum. The ALCS promises fireworks. But for now, we tip our caps to the Texas Rangers, who, after years of near-misses, finally delivered when it counted.

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Los Angeles Dodgers: 5th NLCS berth
1902 1910 1914 1918 1922

Dodger Stadium on a clear Sunday afternoon, 71 degrees, a gentle breeze blowing left to right, and baseball at its most dramatic. The Milwaukee Brewers, after a hard-fought series, were just three outs away from advancing to the National League Championship Series—but the Los Angeles Dodgers had other plans.
This was a classic example of postseason tension: close, tight, every pitch carrying the weight of a season. Willie Chavez on the mound for Los Angeles was the story early, working seven innings of one-run baseball, mixing precision and poise in a way that can only be described as surgical. He struck out eight, allowed just three hits, and when it came time for J. Kovach to record the final two outs, it was a textbook closer’s performance—calm, methodical, unshakable.
Offensively, it was Cory Brierton, the Dodgers’ first baseman, who earned the MVP honors. He was relentless: three hits, including a double, five runs scored, a home run, and a .550 batting average for the series. Alongside him, W. Cortez provided key support with timely hitting, including a double in the seventh that kept the Dodgers within striking distance. But it was Pedro Huerta, the former Oriole, who delivered the coup de grâce—a two-run, bottom-of-the-ninth hit that stole the series and sent the Dodgers into the National League Championship Series.
For Milwaukee, it was a cruel twist of fate. R. Alvarado had delivered seven strong innings, just four hits and a single run allowed, striking out seven. They battled, they competed, and yet, the postseason can be cruel, and the Dodgers snatched victory from the jaws of near-certain defeat.
When the winning run crossed home plate, 3-2 Dodgers, the crowd erupted. For Los Angeles, a trip to their fifth National League Championship Series awaits, facing the New York Mets, who swept the Reds 3-0. For Milwaukee, it’s a gut punch, a reminder of the fine margins that define October baseball.
This is why we watch. This is why the postseason captivates us: the triumph, the heartbreak, the drama, all unfolding in real time on a stage like Dodger Stadium.

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1922 League Championship Series