Tag: nlcs

MLB Final Four: How to Root For One

For the first time since 2021, none of our teams are in the league championship series. It’s not a good feeling for us. While we plan on watching both LCS’s and the World Series, the interest in the rest of the season won’t be as intense without one of our dogs in the mix. Believe it or not, I can make a case to root for any one of the final teams left in these playoffs. However, once I go through my review of the Blue Jays, Brewers, Dodgers and Mariners, it is quite clear that there is only one team that gets my vote (and I venture to say that all of us will be rooting for the same team).

Christian Yelich looks to avenge 2018. Credit: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Seattle Mariners: They are the only team in Major League Baseball to have never made the World Series. It’s a great fanbase that plays in a beautiful ballpark. The Mariners have an outstanding starting rotation including a guy who is local to us, Rye’s George Kirby. They have a catcher who hit 60 home runs, for crying out loud. Who doesn’t love to see the Mariner Moose parade around the top of the dugout? Seattle has been talked about for years as a contender that doesn’t have a good offense. That has changed during this run.

Toronto Blue Jays: Impossible to root for since they eliminated the Yankees? Not so fast. There is an adage that says that if you lose to someone in a playoff round, you’d like it to be against the eventual champion. One of my favorite family vacations was a trip to Niagara Falls two years ago, which is only about an hour from Toronto. The Blue Jays have six players on the roster that came from the Yankees, Mets and Phillies. Their matchup against Seattle represents a meeting between teams that both entered the league in 1977.

Milwaukee Brewers: I actually saw a couple of Brewers’ playoff games in person: Games 3 and 5 of the 1981 divisional series at Yankee Stadium. Milwaukee has made one World series appearance, losing in seven games to the Cardinals in 1982. They were baseball’s best team in 2025, winning an MLB best 97 games. The league’s smallest market has also been one of its most consistent, even if the playoff ledger says otherwise. The Brewers face the Dodgers, hoping to have a different result from 2018 when they lost in seven games in this very round. Christian Yelich was the league MVP that year. He would like to be the NLCS MVP this year.

Los Angeles Dodgers: How can you root for the champs? One word: tradition. It oozes through their 100 plus year history. They are one of the winningest franchises in the sport. Other than the occasional Spanish wearing days, the uniform does not change. Dodger Stadium is still majestic, some 60 years after it was built. Peer pressure from MLB Network will force you to root for Shohei Ohtani so you might as well submit to it. We love winners. Why not cheer for the one going for their third championship in six years?

The verdict: It’s not a debate. The Milwaukee Brewers are the clear favorite in our house. There are a number of reasons why we wouldn’t be pulling for the Blue Jays and Dodgers; the losses by the Yankees and Phillies are the icing on the cake. Seattle is a little trickier, just based on the fact they have never been to a World Series. What tips the balance in favor of the Brewers is that I still remember the Yankees losing to the Mariners in the 1995 playoffs. I could get over it except that is the last time Don Mattingly played baseball. After being a small market team that seemingly has to struggle every season, it’s time for the Brewers to finally claim a championship.

New York Mets: New Territory for Matthew

Because it is just a two day turnaround for the start of the National League Championship Series, there hasn’t been much time for hype. Not much time for thoughts on the opponent. The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers are about to clash for the right to play in the World Series. This represents the first time Matthew gets to see his baseball team play in an NLCS. He can lean on his brother and sister for solace in case the Mets’ magical ride comes to an end. If they win, then it’s only Caitlyn that can tell him what it is like to watch your team in the World Series.

Sean Manaea will take the ball in Game 2. Photo from Sports Illustrated

Matthew is ready. We had a talk about the Mets’ rotation. He thought they would use a full five man rotation. I explained that in a seven game series they only go four starters deep. That means David Peterson will most likely pitch out of the bullpen again. Kodai Senga gets the start in Game 1 ; expect to see Peterson go multiple innings right out of the gate. Sean Manaea gets the call in Game 2. After that, it is TBD. Matthew is not nervous. In fact, he is supremely confident that the Mets will win in six games. He predicts Shohei Ohtani will go 7 for 20 with two home runs. Most importantly, he says that Francisco Lindor will win the NLCS MVP.

My only piece of advice for Matthew is that he should enjoy the moment. I told him I was 8 when I watched the Yankees play in the World Series. I had some memories of those games but I didn’t stay awake for all of them. The next time I saw them play in an ALCS, I was out of college. He will be lucky enough to watch the conclusion of all the games. Cherish the next week. Celebrate the wins. Don’t give up after the defeats. Realize that win or lose, you will always remember the journey and how much fun it was.