Kurkjian: Bring on the World Series! Why we're so excited for the final round

After astir a week without baseball, the World Series starts today! With each its storylines -- the Houston Astros' effort to triumph a cleanable title, the Philadelphia Phillies' blistery streak continuing -- it promises to beryllium memorable.

And if it isn't? If we get a dud of a bid oregon a sweep? It won't substance -- due to the fact that this postseason already has been a stunning success, 1 of the champion of each time. From Harper to Hoskins, from Hader to Bader, from 1-0 successful 18 innings to a seven-run pb blown, from the Nola Brothers to Big Dumper, from aggregate unforgettable location runs to an inside-the-parker by a catcher, the 2022 postseason has reminded us, arsenic it does each year, that determination is thing better, thing much unpredictable and much captivating than October baseball.

There were records breached and caller stars made, and the instauration of an wholly caller playoff format: six teams from each league, alternatively than four, and a three-game bid for the 8 wild-card teams. But it happened fast, and present we are successful the last circular -- with a reminder of each the champion from the aboriginal series.

The wild-card circular -- wherever upsets reigned

Predictably, the surprises began successful the archetypal crippled of the postseason erstwhile the Guardians bushed the Rays 3-2 successful a crippled that lasted ... 2 hours, 17 minutes, the fastest postseason crippled since 1999. But lightning-paced shot wasn't the lone unexpected lawsuit of the day. The Phillies, the 12th effect successful the tournament, scored six runs successful the ninth to bushed the favored Cardinals. The Padres pounded ace Max Scherzer to bushed the favored Mets. And the Mariners' Luis Castillo delivered the archetypal of what would beryllium galore overpowering pitching performances successful October. He was truthful ascendant against the Blue Jays that 1 Mariner said, "We person to determination the mound backmost a ft and a half. There's nary clip for hitters to respond to this stuff.''

Day 2 provided the archetypal classical crippled of the 2022 postseason. The Mariners, down 8-1 aft 5 innings, roared backmost to bushed the Blue Jays 10-9, sending them to the ALDS -- wherever the Astros waited. First, though, Seattle became the 3rd squad successful postseason history, joining the 1929 A's and the 2008 Red Sox, to triumph a crippled that it trailed by 7 runs. Three of the biggest hits were provided by Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, already a people leader successful Seattle erstwhile helium became the archetypal subordinate successful past to deed a pinch-hit, walk-off location tally to clinch a playoff berth, Seattle's archetypal successful 21 years. His nickname is Big Dumper due to the fact that helium hits bombs, and, good -- arsenic 1 teammate said, "His butt is arsenic large arsenic a trailer.''

"Sounds astir right,'' Raleigh said, laughing. "More radical present telephone maine Big Dumper than Cal.''

The Phillies and Guardians precocious connected Day 2, arsenic well, and past the wild-card round, accent connected wild, ended with the Padres beating the Mets 6-0 successful the round's lone Game 3 (and making the Mets conscionable the first of 3 100-win teams successful the regular play to beryllium dispatched truthful acold this October). San Diego's Joe Musgrove became the archetypal pitcher ever to propulsion 7 scoreless innings and let lone 1 deed successful a winner-take-all game. He told his teammates earlier the crippled that helium was going to propulsion the champion crippled of his life, and past helium did, contempt the Mets having the umpires cheque his ears during the crippled for sticky stuff.

Nothing was found, and successful fact, Musgrove said of the check: "It conscionable made maine better."

The part bid -- wherever giants fell

Right from the jump, the part bid gave america different unforgettable moment: The Astros were down 2 runs with 2 retired successful the ninth inning against the Mariners erstwhile Yordan Alvarez deed a three-run, walk-off homer disconnected Robbie Ray for a 7-6 victory. Alvarez joined Joe Carter (1993), Kirk Gibson (1988) and Lenny Dykstra (1986) arsenic the lone players to deed a walk-off homer successful a postseason crippled erstwhile their teams were trailing.

"Yordan reminds maine of Willie McCovey,'' Astros manager Dusty Baker said.

The Phillies played their archetypal location playoff crippled since 2011, and the wonderfully frenzied fans astatine Citizens Bank Park were indescribably loud. "I've ne'er seen a assemblage that was lasting and cheering from the archetypal transportation to the last,'' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. "It was unbelievable.'' Phillies archetypal baseman Rhys Hoskins, who was booed during the introductions successful portion due to the fact that of a mediocre antiaircraft play helium had made successful a nonaccomplishment 2 days earlier successful Atlanta, drilled a three-run homer successful the 3rd inning disconnected Spencer Strider, sparking a 9-1 victory. Hoskins gleefully slammed the bat to the crushed arsenic helium ran to first.

"I didn't adjacent cognize I did that, I blacked out,'' helium said. "I saw it the adjacent day. I don't retrieve it.''

The adjacent time was Saturday, Oct. 15 -- and it's nary exaggeration to telephone it 1 of the top days successful shot history.

• The Mariners played their archetypal location playoff crippled since 2001 -- crushed to celebrate, adjacent though they mislaid to Houston 1-0 successful 18 innings. It tied for the astir innings ever played successful a postseason game, and it was the archetypal 1 ever to spell scoreless done 15 innings. It lasted 6 hours, 22 minutes, and it included a postseason-record 42 strikeouts, 22 by Seattle, 20 by Houston. Seattle pitcher George Kirby, who had finished the clinching crippled of the wild-card bid against Toronto with his archetypal vocation save, became the archetypal rookie to propulsion 7 scoreless innings successful his archetypal vocation postseason commencement with his squad facing elimination. It was yet decided connected a location tally by 1 of the emerging stars successful October, rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena, who had been 0-for-7. "Man, that was something,'' Baker said. "I've ne'er seen thing similar that.''

• The Guardians scored 3 runs successful the bottommost of the ninth inning to bushed the Yankees, who had ne'er mislaid a postseason crippled that they led by aggregate runs entering the ninth. But astatine slightest for the Yankees, the fable of Harrison Bader, the Bronxville Bomber, continued to turn with yet different location run, his 4th successful six games. Sure, others person matched that successful the postseason -- but ne'er idiosyncratic who had deed lone 5 homers each season.

• The Phillies eliminated the Braves with an 8-3 win. Not lone were the Braves the 2nd 100-win squad to beryllium eliminated, their nonaccomplishment besides ensured that the 1998-2000 Yankees would stay the astir caller repetition satellite champions. The crippled included an inside-the-park homer by the Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, the archetypal catcher to bash truthful successful a postseason game. There person been 3 inside-the-park homers successful the postseason successful the past 93 years: Paul Molitor successful 1982, Alcides Escobar successful 2015 and Realmuto (I covered each 3 games). With the win, the Phillies became the archetypal squad since the 2008 Dodgers to beforehand to the league title bid with arsenic fewer arsenic 87 wins.

• The Padres, playing earlier a location assemblage arsenic raucous arsenic any, eliminated the Dodgers, who had won 111 games: The past squad to triumph that galore games and not triumph a postseason bid was the 1954 Indians. The Padres, down 3-0 successful the seventh inning, scored 5 times to triumph -- they had mislaid their past 91 games down three-plus runs entering the seventh inning, and the Dodgers had won their past 153 games up by three-plus runs entering the seventh. The Padres had been demolished head-to-head by the Dodgers during the regular season, winning 22 less games overall. San Diego became the archetypal squad to decision a squad successful a playoff bid with specified a ample triumph differential since the 1906 World Series, erstwhile the White Sox bushed the Cubs, who had won 23 much games during the season.

The title bid -- wherever legends were made

The Padres, with 89 wins, and the Phillies, with 87, met successful the National League Championship Series, the archetypal clip an LCS had included 2 teams with less than 90 wins. The Phillies won Game 1, but the Padres won Game 2 successful portion due to the fact that of a five-run 5th inning sparked by a hit-and-run azygous by Padres catcher Austin Nola disconnected his younger brother, Aaron. It marked the archetypal clip successful postseason past that member faced member successful a batter-pitcher matchup. Their parents went to each the games, naturally, but they were conflicted astir which lad to basal for.

"I didn't get overmuch a accidental to ticker them during the games,'' Aaron Nola said. "But I was told my dada paced a batch and my ma was truly quiescent ... but the full happening was truthful cool.''

Game 2 was closed by the Padres' Josh Hader, who, successful this postseason, became the archetypal pitcher to ever onslaught retired 8 batters successful a row, and the archetypal pitcher ever to onslaught retired the broadside (three batters faced, each strikeouts) successful consecutive appearances. And yet helium didn't transportation successful the 3 games, each losses, successful Philadelphia. In Game 4, the Phillies became the 3rd squad ever to triumph a postseason crippled successful which it gave up 4 runs successful the apical of the archetypal inning, and the 2nd squad ever to triumph a postseason crippled successful which it trailed by 4 runs, tied the score, past came backmost from different multi-run shortage to triumph the game.

Game 5 was different masterpiece. Hoskins deed different homer, his 3rd successful his past six at-bats. The crippled was decided and the pennant was won erstwhile Bryce Harper deed a two-run homer disconnected Robert Suarez successful the eighth, turning a 3-2 shortage into a 4-3 lead, which Ranger Suarez protected with a two-pitch, two-out save. It was the biggest infinitesimal and biggest location tally of Harper's career, it was 1 of the top moments successful the past of the Phillies and it was precisely wherefore the Phillies gave him a 13-year, $330 cardinal contract. It was a infinitesimal that seemingly was built specifically for Harper erstwhile helium was a 15-year-old phenom. We each knew that infinitesimal would come, and we knew helium would deliver. We conscionable thought it would travel astatine property 25, not 30 -- and that it would travel for the Nationals, not the Phillies.

"We each knew Bryce would bash that,'' Hoskins said. "It was nary astonishment to us.''

Maybe we should person known that the Astros would rotation the Yankees successful 4 games; it was, aft all, the 4th clip the Astros person eliminated the Yankees from postseason play, which is simply a first. In the series, the Astros' Jose Altuve ended the longest hitless streak (0-for-23) ever to commencement a postseason, and ageless ace Justin Verlander struck retired 11 successful a six-inning gem that gave him much vocation strikeouts than immoderate pitcher successful postseason history. The Astros and their ridiculously bully pitching unit held the Yankees to a .162 mean with 50 strikeouts. Aaron Judge, a escaped cause aft the season, represented the last anticipation for the Yankees successful Game 4, down 1 tally with 2 outs successful the ninth inning, but helium grounded backmost to the pitcher successful what mightiness person been his last at-bat arsenic a Yankee.

"This is cruel,'' Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "This stings.''

The World Series -- wherever a champion volition beryllium crowned

During the postseason, we said goodbye to retired Cardinals icons Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina, but we said hullo to Pena and Phillies shortstop Bryson Stott, who volition go the archetypal rookie shortstops to commencement successful the aforesaid World Series. Pena won the ALCS MVP against the Yankees -- his three-run homer successful the 4th inning turned Game 4.

"He's the lone Dominican dude,'' Baker said, smiling, "to spell to the University of Maine.''

Stott is simply a terrific defender, gets large hits and has a consciousness of humor. Asked astir the Phillies being connected the roadworthy for 17 consecutive days during the extremity of the regular play and the commencement of the postseason, Stott said, "I took each garment I own, each brace of underwear, connected the trip. When I got home, I had nothing. All the apparel I ain successful my beingness I took connected that trip.''

The satellite was besides introduced to Phillies manager Rob Thomson, 59, who took implicit for Joe Girardi erstwhile the Phillies were 22-29, and the squad went 65-46 the remainder of the way. Thomson brought a much relaxed approach. "I emotion him,'' said Kyle Schwarber. "Everyone loves him. If anyone connected the different squad would ever spell aft our manager, 25 guys would leap implicit the dugout obstruction and termination the guy. Well, we wouldn't termination him -- you cognize what I mean.'' Thomson was a manager for the Yankees for 10 years, and much recently, Girardi's seat manager for the Phillies, but his calm manus and wry wit steadied the Phillies. During the NLDS against the Braves, Thomson, a Canadian and a erstwhile hockey player, was asked by the Philadelphia Flyers to execute the ceremonial bang of the drum 5 times earlier the hockey team's location opener.

"As I was leaving the arena, virtually each instrumentality was wishing maine luck, saying, 'Go get 'em, coach,''' Thomson said. "It was a great. A twelvemonth ago, nary 1 had immoderate thought who I was.''

They bash now. Two managers successful large league past person taken implicit a squad during a play and won the World Series that season: Bob Lemon with the 1978 Yankees and Jack McKeon with the 2003 Marlins. Thomson has a accidental to go the third. And Baker, 73, has yet different changeable to triumph his archetypal World Series, though fixed helium has 2,093 victories and is the lone manager to triumph a part rubric with 5 teams, it seems apt that the Hall of Fame successful Cooperstown volition someday see Baker, triumph oregon suffer this year.

There are truthful galore fascinating storylines entering the 2022 World Series. It's going to beryllium great. But nary substance what happens, this postseason has again reminded america that shot is the champion crippled ever.