Pete Alonso was one of the stars of Major League Baseball's Wild Card Series round, hitting a three-run homer in the ninth inning on Thursday night to lift his New York Mets over the Milwaukee Brewers for the series win. It was a legacy-defining moment for a slugger scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. Now it's time to see who stars in the Division Series.
The best-of-five round starts on Saturday, featuring series between the Royals/Yankees, Tigers/Guardians, Mets/Phillies and Padres/Dodgers. The four winners advance to the League Championship Series that begin Oct. 13.
A Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge matchup in the World Series still looms as an enticing October possibility. While the rooting interests of baseball fans vary widely, there's little doubt MLB and television executives like the potential matchup between two of the top sluggers of this generation.
Ohtani became the first player to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season while Judge hit 58 homers . On top of that, Ohtani (Dodgers) and Judge (Yankees) play in the nation's top two media markets for two of the sport's most storied franchises. Both the Dodgers and Yankees will have to get past the five-day break that's stymied several top seeds since MLB introduced the sport's newest playoff format in 2022.
Whatever happens in this postseason, there won't be a repeat winner in the World Series since last year's champion Texas Rangers didn't qualify for the playoffs. Here’s a look at some other .