Baseball: A Two-Way Player

Chapter 702 35: Bloodbath in October (5,000-Word Chapter, Happy New Year)

After a burst of impassioned music, the ESPN Sports production of the 2017 Major League Baseball postseason preview show officially began. To fit the theme of October, the production team even gave this special a name, called [October Blood Battle].

"Hello to the audience in front of the TV, I am your old friend Dan Shulman. The 2017 regular season has ended, and among the two main leagues and six divisions with a total of 30 teams, the final 10 teams that can challenge for the World Series championship this October have all been decided—please see the matchup chart on the screen."

When the camera returned to the studio, Dan Shulman continued, "In today's special program, I, your old friend Dan, will preview this postseason for the fans of each team or those just starting to follow Major League Baseball, analyzing the strength of each team based on specific data from the experts, and giving my predictions on the possible trends of the postseason."

Of course, Dan Shulman did not forget to introduce the two guests beside him: "Also welcome our two guests who are co-hosting the show with me—on my left, former professional women's softball player, Jessica Mendoza; on my right, former Major League infielder, Aaron Boone."

After the two guests greeted the camera, this [October Blood Battle] preview show officially began.

"Let's start with the National League," Dan Shulman naturally began the topic, "after all, this year's consensus championship favorite and 2017 regular season champion Los Angeles Dodgers are here."

"For the Dodgers, there's no doubt that this year is a splendid one: seizing 104 wins in the regular season, a .642 winning percentage granting them home-field advantage in all postseason series—the last time the Dodgers achieved such impressive results was back in the 1970s.

In terms of batting, the Dodgers have been powerful, with young outfielder Cody Bellinger, who was just promoted this year, almost locked in for the National League Rookie of the Year title, and third baseman Justin Turner achieving career highs with a .300 batting average, OPS of .945, and an on-base percentage of .415. Moreover, players like Yasiel Puig and Corey Seager also performed well, contributing over 20 home runs each.

However, it is worth noting that although the Dodgers' team home runs, at 221, ranked third in the National League, their 730 RBIs only ranked sixth, the lowest among the five National League postseason teams—this indicates the team's explosive batting power is strong, but scoring efficiency is low, which might be a concern in the series format that values offensive efficiency.

As for pitching... without a doubt, the Dodgers' well-stocked pitching staff dominates all of Major League Baseball. Whether it's Alex Wood, Rich Hill, or Yu Darvish, they are all outstanding performers, not to mention they have Clayton Kershaw, destined for the Hall of Fame—a player with a K/9 rate over 10 for four consecutive seasons, and winning the ERA title for the fifth time, the 29-year-old scholar is still a Cy Young favorite. Although his postseason performances in the past were relatively dismal, Kershaw is Kershaw, and it's hard not to have great expectations for him.

The Dodgers' opponent in the division finals will be the winner between the Diamondbacks and the Rockies. In the regular season, the Dodgers were 8 wins 11 losses against the Diamondbacks and 9 wins 10 losses against the Rockies, both unfavorable matchups. It's uncertain if this will affect their performance in the first round—but no matter what, the Los Angeles Dodgers are still championship favorites in our program team's eyes."

After finishing discussing the Dodgers, Jessica Mendoza, beside Shulman, naturally took over the topic: "In the National League Central, benefitting from other teams' weak power, the capital team Washington Nationals won the division for the third time in five years, leading the second-place Marlins by 20 games, standing alone.

The Nationals are known for their 'Three Aces' combination, with Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, and Gio Gonzalez all being top-notch pitchers. Their previously weak bullpen was significantly strengthened through midseason trades, with their ERA, K/9 rate, and FIP all ranking in the top three in the National League.

On the batters' side, the Nationals' 796 RBIs topped the National League, with a batting average of .266 and 108 stolen bases ranking third. Anthony Rendon is currently in the best form in the lineup, but main slugger Bryce Harper has not performed well after returning from injury in the season's latter half, and Trea Turner's hitting slump is also a point to observe.

The Nationals have fallen in the division finals in all their previous three postseason trips, and this time is their best chance in recent years—will the young Bryce Harper be able to prove himself in the postseason and shake off the title of 'most overrated player'?"

As for the rest of the teams, including the Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Rockies, Aaron Boone took over the topic: "Last year's World Series champion, the Cubs, performed moderately in the new season, with batting stats ranking in the top three of the National League, and core players like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant maintaining good form.

Their issue lies in the weakness of the starting pitcher lineup: including Jon Lester, the main starters showed varying degrees of decline. If not for a strong enough bullpen and getting José Quintana through midseason trades, they might not have even reached 92 wins.