The Stage Is Set: Guardians, Yankees, Mets, Dodgers

The Final Four in MLB's 2024 Postseason - Image Credit: Bill Menzel, George Napolitano, Emma Sharon

NEW YORK, NY — So the stage is set and down to the final four. The ALCS and NLCS, better known as the pennant winning teams who will get that opportunity to be crowned World Series champions of Major League Baseball. We wait for this in October and this has been a postseason with memorable moments.

It was Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in Game 4 of the NLDS for the Mets, the lowest seed and Wild Card team of the NL. The Mets are a story here with momentum that began in mid June, a turnaround of their season.

The Mets weren’t supposed to be here but they beat NL East division winner Phillies in the four-game NLDS.

And the Dodgers-Padres NL Division Series was almost epic, only because at one point it appeared the Padres, also a Wild Card entrant, was headed to eliminating their rivals who had the best record in the NL and won the west. Though the rivalry got more intense with some fireworks at Dodger Stadium and surely it will continue in 2025. The Padres were close with Fernando Tatis Jr. (2020 NL LatinoMVP) and Manny Machado (2022 NL LatinoMVP), once again failing to advance out of a division series.

The Yankees faced a new rival, the Royals in the ALDS. Their bullpen that got stronger in September continued in that series, a team that won the AL East division after a neck-and-neck season battle with the Orioles.

They have home field advantage in the ALCS with the Guardians in the Bronx, but the Dodgers had the better record and if they take the best four-of-seven over the Mets will have that distinction and edge in the World Series.

Last time they met in the 2015 NLDS, the last Mets World Series appearance, with the Chase Utley slide into Ruben Tejada at second base causing an uproar and changed a rule across MLB. Tejada would never be the same and the Mets hold a 9-6 postseason history advantage over the Dodgers.

Then there is the intrigue of Ohtani and Lindor, both in the discussion for the NL MVP.

Oh and those Guardians, young and athletic. They don’t hit many home runs but have a tendency to get hits, walks, and score enough runs.

Their starting pitching can provide five innings in a championship series and have the best bullpen in baseball to secure a win. Emmanuel Clase (2022 AL LatinoMVP Reliever of the Year), closed the season with a .061 ERA and led the league in saves.

Only one glitch in the ALDS for Clase, a Game 3 loss to the young Detroit Tigers, giving up three earned runs for the first time this season, a home run to Kerry Carpenter that broke a scoreless tie in the ninth and evened the series.

Regardless, the stage is now set for a best 4-of-7:

Dodgers-Mets Game 1 at Dodgers Stadium Sunday evening. Yankees-Guardians Game 1 at Yankee Stadium Monday evening.

Three of the four teams have the highest payrolls in baseball:
Mets ($350.3 million
Dodgers ($339.9 million
Yankees (314 million
Guardians ($140.3 million)

So much for parity? Though the Guardians were AL Central division winners, the Twins went on their swoon as Cleveland continued their run to a division title. Remember, though, Wild Card teams advanced to the World Series, Diamondbacks and Rangers last year. And remember 2019, the Nationals and Juan Soto winning their first World Series title with a marvelous run.

The Mets, many saying they resemble those Nationals of 2019 with momentum and contributions up-and-down the lineup, interesting also how this all came together after a mid-May swoon of 11-games under .500 and long-shot to be where they are.

But this is baseball, and a reason why so many have a passion for the unpredictable. The Tigers fooled us, the Yankees had their struggles and adversity. The Dodgers with pitching rotation injuries due to injuries. And the Guardians win with that bullpen and taking the extra base. And José Ramírez hits well against Yankees pitching and waiting to break out in a postseason series.

Did someone say the Subway World Series in New York? Last time, 2000, the city stopped. And there is every possibility we can have a revival 24-years later with the Mets and Yankees, and who in New York City would say no? Guarantee if we get another one the Empire State Building turns blue and orange one night (Mets) and White pinstripes on another (Yankees).

Both teams stand a chance to get an opportunity and battle for baseball rights in NY. And did I hear the past two weeks of Yankees or Mets players complaining about sleeping in their beds at night after traveling on a 162-game and rigorous postseason schedule?

Seriously, though, the Mets stand a chance to get there. So do the Yankees in their quest to achieve their 28th World Series championship and first since 2009. The Mets are clicking on all cylinders with outstanding pitching, timely hitting, and the cardiac kids are known for that late inning comeback.

And it has come at the right time of year when all of this is more significant, unexpected, though has been their run of securing a wild card, winning the best-of-3 against the Brewers (Thank you Pete Alonso and the timely home run).

And the rookie manager Carlos Mendoza has pushed the right buttons utilizing a revamped bullpen to perfection with a shaky Edwin Díaz closing out the wins, disposing of the favored Phillies in four games that had everyone beginning to believe.

And for the Yankees to eliminate the Guardians? Aaron Judge needs to snap out of his postseason inability to make a difference at the plate (2-for-13, no RBI and scored twice) in the ALDS. Juan Soto has to continue to follow his MVP Yankees season with more contact as he continued to draw walks against the Royals.

Gleyber Torres has become an outstanding table setter since manager Aaron Boone put him in the leadoff spot of the lineup.

A bullpen that has seen Luke Weaver become the best closer in the postseason, a four-out save in Game 1 of the ALDS, five-outs in Game 3, and in the series clinching Game 4. They have a good setup with former closer Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle.

Who will start Game 1 in the Bronx? Carlos Rodón or Clarke Schmidt? Gerrit Cole slated to follow for Game 2 in the Bronx. Of course every team that begins Game 1 on the road in a best-of-seven looks for a two-game split or sweep, then again it’s postseason baseball and this series has the makings of going to a seven and deciding game.

The Yankees with the advantage at home, so need I say the Houston Astros are watching at home?

Batten your hatches as Bob Murphy, the late Hall of Fame Mets broadcaster used to say. Both series are sure to continue what has been an exciting postseason leading to this.

Scouts I spoke with have been riding with a Mets-Yankees Subway Series.

I won’t predict outcomes, of course not. Baseball is unpredictable, it’s why the game draws the passion of so many.

Rich Mancuso is senior writer and contributor Latinosports.com – X (Twitter): @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

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