The roars of October have returned. Waves of excitement, sprinkled with disappointment and frustration, will soon become the theme of the baseball world until a new World Champion is decided. For several teams in the 2015 postseason, this is a familiar road, hoping to make it farther than ever before. For four teams, most players on the roster have little to no playoff experience, a testament to their drought of success.
The best record of the season belonged to the St. Louis Cardinals, who will try to recapture their former glory, when they won it all in 2011. Joining them are the Los Angeles Dodgers, perennial losers to the Cardinals, as they were knocked out of the bracket for two consecutive years by the Redbirds.
In the American League, the defending league champions Kansas City Royals can call themselves the favourites after claiming the best record and winning their first division title since 1985 – the first and only time they won a World Series. Also returning to the postseason after a short absence are the Texas Rangers, powered by a late September push, to compete in October since their Wild Card loss to the Orioles in 2012.
On the other hand, the other four teams hope to provide thrills and excitement for the sports world through their collective returns after long hiatuses. First, the Astros are fighting to avenge their World Series sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox in 2005, the last time they saw playoff action – and years ahead of their rebuilding schedule. Also, in the Junior Circuit, the Blue Jays will storm back to October action, with their first division title and playoff berth since Joe Carter’s walk-off World Series-winning homerun.
Mirroring the American League, the Senior Circuit features the returning New York Mets, who were seen last as the Game 7 losers of the 2006 National League Championship Series at the hands of the Cardinals. Rounding out the returnees are the young and hungry Chicago Cubs, playing their first playoff game since 2008, and striving to return to the World Series since the end of World War II.
The stories of the favourites have become common and dull by now, but the 162-game journey back to the postseason for the four returning teams is fascinating. How did they finally turn their respective franchises around? Here’s a closer look.
- Houston Astros
Space City was ready to celebrate the Astros’ ascent to the throne back in 2005, before their dreams were swept away by the White Sox. At that time, Houston fans were disappointed, but little did they know that they would not return to the postseason for a decade.
The decline came unexpectedly. They competed until Game 162 in 2006, when they lost a crucial game to the Atlanta Braves and missed the playoffs. Personnel trouble surfaced in the offseason, when star pitchers Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens left the team via free agency. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell soon retired, while a series of trades by new General Manager Ed Wade bought the future at the price of the present. All-Star Roy Oswalt could not bring the team back to the postseason, and was traded to the Phillies in 2010. The same season, Houston traded Lance Berkman, removing all the anchors of the team.
The fire sale continued the next year, with Hunter Pence and Michael Bourn finding new homes via trade. The team tanked beyond expectations, losing 106 and 107 games in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The next few years showed few signs of improvement, as management awaited the development of their promising young talents – all of which were predicted to make an impact in the 2017 season at the earliest.
Just like the team’s sharp decline, however, the rise to the limelight was sudden. This season, with new manager A.J. Hinch at the helm, the Astros dominated the AL West division for months. Young players, such as Carlos Correa and José Altuve, emerged into stars, while under-the-radar pitcher Dallas Keuchel pitched himself into the frontrunner position for the Cy Young Award.
The relative youth and experience were challenged by critics throughout the baseball community, but Houston bulldozed through their first hurdle in the form of the New York Yankees on Tuesday, pitching a 3-0 shutout win over the experienced pinstripes. The Astros will have more to prove against the reigning American League champions in the Division Series, but regardless of the result, their Cinderella run has been unforgettable.
- Toronto Blue Jays
The Bluebirds are back. 22 years after delivering the most memorable finish to the Fall Classic in MLB history, the only team north of the border has finally given its fans something to cheer about.
Some may blame the 1994-95 MLB strike for the loss of momentum for the Jays, but for those who remember, Toronto was 16 games behind the Yankees for the division lead, and 5 games under .500, at the time of the work stoppage. Thus, the Jays have simply been unable to return to the same heights as the back-to-back World Champions of 1992-93.
The case of Toronto is curious. Some of the best players in the league over the past two decades have suited up in blue-and-white, including Pat Hentgen’s 1996 Cy Young Award campaign, Roger Clemens’ 1997 and 1998 Triple Crown seasons, Eric Hinske’s 2002 Rookie of the Year victory, Roy Halladay’s 2003 Cy Young Award campaign, and José Bautista’s 2010 breakout season. However, regardless of the combinations and individual achievements, the Jays simply could not break through the glass ceiling that prevented the postseason to be hosted in Toronto.
This year, the Jays began the season with more buzz than usual, after the signing of Canadian catcher Russell Martin and trading for everyday third baseman Josh Donaldson. Those unfamiliar with the two players were soon dazed by the performances they delivered, with Martin throwing out 44.4% of baserunners en route to perhaps an easy Gold Glove win, and Josh Donaldson’s triple slash line of .297/.371/.568 with 41 homers and 41 doubles.
However, even with the best offense in baseball, the Jays were struggling to capitalize on close wins – until July 31st. Before the trade deadline, General Manager Alex Anthopoulos pulled off some of the best trades in franchise history, receiving SS Troy Tulowitzki, SP David Price, OF Ben Revere, RHP Mark Lowe, and RHP LaTroy Hawkins. Boosted by incredible defense, Toronto flew to the top of the division standings, and claimed the right to play in a five-game division series.
The Toronto Blue Jays would love to bring home the trophy as the World Champions, but as of this moment, Canadian baseball has already been revitalized by the success of the Bluebirds.
- New York Mets
The Mets compete in a tough division. The Phillies had dominated the NL East for half a decade, until the Nationals usurped Philadelphia. Since then, the Braves and the Nats alternated division wins, with the New York Mets far away from any conversation about division contention. After all, “The Kings of Queens” were hijacked by injuries each year, with the 2009 season being the most memorable, when nearly every starter hit the disabled list at one point or another.
In a division dominated by pitching over the years, inhabited by the likes of Roy Oswalt, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Pedro Martínez, R.A. Dickey, Max Scherzer, and Stephen Strasburg, the Mets finally realized that they must solidify their rotation in order to compete. Through the development of young talent, paired with the timely spectacular performances of the starting pitchers, the New York Mets began the season in contention, and did not disappoint.
Anchored by a sparkling rotation of Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, and Jacob deGrom, the Mets pitched their way to many impressive wins over division rivals, while the combination of youngsters and veterans throughout the lineup provided excitement and wisdom on and off the field. Many of the team’s key players were not even drafted at the time of the Mets’ last run at the crown, but the other team from New York has shown the ability to deliver consistently solid games throughout the season, and the pitchers’ duel against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round will undoubtedly be one for the history books.
- Chicago Cubs
The century-old tale of the Lovable Losers may flip the page to a brighter future before November 4th, the scheduled date for Game 7 of the World Series. With decades of disappointment burning in their minds, Chicago began the year with a promising start. Year after year, the Cubs were simply too young and too unexperienced to crack the postseason, but today, following an inspiring 2015 campaign, the Cubs are all grown up.
The history of the oldest existing North American professional sports team is obviously too long to recap, especially when the last World Series won by the Cubs was in 1908. However, the Cubs have had many opportunities since that fateful day of the Curse of the Billy Goat, with their last postseason appearance being in 2008.
Since their series sweep at the hands of Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series, Chicago has struggled to return to the playoffs, opting to rebuild in order to pray for a young core of players that could establish a dynasty. Fans suffered seasons of failure, to the point where “I’m a Cubs fan” became punchlines of sports jokes everywhere. Still, attendance at Wrigley Field, as well as TV ratings, remained consistent, as diehard supporters stuck with the team through the bad times, in hopes of one day seeing their team return to playoff contention.
Sparked by highly anticipated debuts and development of young stars over the years, such as Starlin Castro, Anthony Rizzo, Javier Báez, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, and Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs became the most exciting team to watch this season. Perhaps this synergy allowed Jake Arrieta to finally emerge and fulfill his potential, as he delivered one of the greatest pitching seasons in recent memory, dominating opponents on all levels.
Each time the Cubs lost a key player, like Randy Wells, Matt Garza, Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster, and Kerry Wood, the fans realized that they would have to wait yet another season. At last, the opportunity has arrived, and Cubs fans worldwide can be sure that Chicago will fight tooth and nail for every single out. After all, who knows when the next chance will come around?