The Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason has brought October baseball excitement to Sacred Heart University, where students are following their favorite teams as they compete for a spot in the World Series.
Tampa Bay Rays Junior Caminero slides into home during a game in the 2026 MLB Postseason.
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“It’s been exciting to see all the teams that haven’t won a World Series before in this group. Teams such as the Rays and Brewers really impressed me because of how dominant they were,” said senior Matt Gavagan.
The early playoff rounds featured several one-sided series. Three of the four MLB Wild Card Series ended in a 2-0 sweep, and only one Division Series went to a fifth game.
“I was bummed that the Cubs lost, but I wasn’t surprised by the results because the Cubs have been playing pretty average for the last month and a half. So, as sad as it is, the Padres beating the Cubs did not surprise me,” said Professor John Barnes, School of Communication, Media, and the Arts.
The New York Yankees left their fans on campus disappointed following their postseason exit in the American League Division Series (ALDS).
“The Yankees are terrible, and I’m really sad about how they choked. So that’s unfortunate,” said sophomore Owen Telesmanick, a media arts student.
This year’s postseason featured several matchups between teams from the same division, including the American League (AL) East and National League (NL) East. The number of
divisional matchups in October has raised questions about whether or not MLB should reseed teams to reward those with the best regular season records.
Reseeding would rearrange playoff matchups after each round based on the remaining teams’ record, which could potentially give higher-seeded teams a more favorable path to the World Series.
“It’s a real question whether or not they should reseed because the more you add to the playoffs, the more chance you have to reseed and try to give an advantage to teams with the better overall records to make the regular season mean a little bit more,” said Barnes.
“Seeing that there may be a strike next year, I really think there should be some changes made which should include reseeding for the playoffs,” said Gavagan.
The MLB’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union is set to expire after the 2026 season, raising the possibility of a labor dispute if the two sides cannot reach a new agreement.
With the postseason narrowing down to the final series, attention will shift to the big stage. The World Series is scheduled to begin Friday, Oct. 23. The Milwaukee Brewers have secured their spot, but as of press time, the American League Championship Series (ALCS) had not concluded, leaving their World Series opponent undecided.
