In the major leagues, the schedule for the regular season has all ended, and among the Japanese players, Padres pitcher Yu Darvish and Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi will advance to the playoffs.
Pitcher Darvish, who has 16 wins this season, will start in Game 1 of the district series qualifier against the Mets.
In the major league playoffs, the number of teams participating in both leagues will increase by one team from this season, making a total of 12 teams, and will start two days later on the 7th.
Of these, in the National League, the Dodgers in the western division won the district championship with an overwhelming strength of 111 wins and 51 losses, setting a new club record, while the Braves in the eastern division and the Cardinals in the central division won.
In the wild card, which gives three teams with a high winning percentage among the teams that did not win the championship, the Mets, Darvish's Padres, and the Phillies advanced to the playoffs. I will start in the first round of the district series advance decision match with.
In the American League, the Astros, Yankees, and Guardians each won district championships, and three wild card teams, the Blue Jays, to which pitcher Kikuchi belongs, the Mariners, and the Rays, advanced to the playoffs.
The Mariners made the playoffs for the first time in 21 years since Ichiro's first year in the major leagues in 2001, ending the disgraceful record of being the longest out of the four major North American sports.
The Phillies, who had stayed away from the playoffs after the Mariners, also advanced to the playoffs for the first time in 11 years since 2011, and the two teams in the major leagues that are farthest away from the playoffs are Shohei Ohtani's Angels and the Tigers, who last played in 2014. became a team.
Yusei Kikuchi "I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of atmosphere the first playoff will be"
Pitcher Kikuchi said, "It's my first playoff, so I'm really looking forward to what kind of atmosphere it will be. At the meeting, the manager and teammates said, 'Let's enjoy it with all our might,' so I want to give everything I have." I was looking forward to the match with my old nest on the big stage.