It is the end of October, which means the MLB playoffs are almost over. In the first game of the postseason which began on Oct. 3, the New York Yankees were set to take on the Minnesota Twins. The 2017 postseason got off to a hot start when the Yankees beat the Twins 8-4 after the Yankees bullpen dominated, giving up just one run over the span of eight and two-thirds of an inning.

The next day the Diamondbacks and Rockies played in the NL wild card. The red-hot Diamondback got off to a fast start, scoring six runs in the first three innings to take a 6-0 lead. The D-Backs were able to hold off the Rockies comeback efforts, winning 11-8.

On October 5th, the American League Division Series (ALDS) began with the Astros taking on the Red Sox and the Indians matching up with the Yankees. The Astros and Indians dominated in both games of their series taking the first two games in Houston and Cleveland. These wins put the two teams only one win away from an American League Championship Series (ALCS) birth. The Red Sox bats came alive in game three, scoring ten runs after they were held to just four in games one and two.

Meanwhile, the Yankees were on the brink of elimination when the series was headed to New York. The Yankees got the push they needed from the home crowd and won two straight games to even the series at two apiece to force a decisive game five.

The Red Sox were looking to save their season when they sent 2016 AL Cy Young award winner, Rick Porcello, to the mound to face Charlie Morton. The Astros came out on top 5-4 and for the first time in 12 years, the Astros made it to a championship series.

They awaited the result of game five of the Yankees and Indians, which would send one of the two teams on to the ALCS to face the Astros. Didi Gregorius had two home runs and 3 RBI to lead the Yankees to a 5-2 win in game five to send them to the ALCS. The win was very important as they had come from behind down 2-0 to win the series.

In the National League, the National League Division Series (NLDS) began on October 6th. The Dodgers were coming off their worst month yet and the Diamondbacks coming off seven straight wins against the Dodgers in late August and early September. Game one and two of the Dodgers NLDS games were powered by great offense and bullpen with game one and two ending in 9-5 and 8-5 victories that put the Dodgers up with a two none series lead, showing flashes of the June-through-August Dodgers.

Two days later the Dodgers shut down the Diamondbacks and went on to win 3-1 and win the National League Championship Series (NLCS), which is something they have now done for the third time in the last five years.

The Cubs and Nationals were arguably the most evenly matched team throughout the playoffs, and it showed as they were close all the way from games one through five. The biggest deficit in the series was five, and pitchers from both teams showed their best stuff all the way until game five. Eventually, the Cubs prevailed in five games after defeating the Nationals 9-8 in a back and forth series. The Cubs were headed back to the NLCS for the third straight year, while the Nationals continued a string of disappointing first-round losses that would send them home early once again.

With only four teams left the ALCS began on October 13th with the Yankees taking on the Astros. The first two games were low scoring, and the pitching was dominant with the Astros winning both games 2-1.

In the NLCS, the Dodgers took on the Cubs in a rematch of the 2016 NLCS. The Dodgers took control in games one and two after defeating the Cubs 5-2 and 4-1. The bullpen was perfect through 8 innings for the Dodgers, and they were beginning to run away with the series early.

Game three of the ALCS saw the Yankees heading back to the Bronx where they had done so well in the ALDS and regular season. Sabathia dominated once again and Judge hit a three-run homer that would cut the series lead to just one. The next day the Astros looked to take game four from the Yankees. Again, the Yankees stayed undefeated at home in the postseason and rallied back to win 6-4 after being down 4-0 in the seventh.

Back to the NLCS, Darvish pitched his second game of the postseason and was just as lights-out as he was in game three of the last series, helping LA to a statement win that put them up 3-0 in the series. The next day, the Yankees and Cubs both won, which would lead the Yankees to a 3-2 series lead after being down 2-0 and the Cubs to their first win of the 2017 NLCS. With Kershaw on the mound in game five, the Cubs looked to force the series back to a LA for game six but the Dodgers were having none of it.

They scored seven runs in the first three innings and pounded Chicago pitching to help themselves to an 11-1 victory. With the win, the Dodgers saw themselves clinch their first World Series berth since 1988.

The ALCS resumed when game six was held in Houston. Astro hitting was at its best and easily led Houston to a 7-1 win to force a deciding game seven the next day. CC Sabathia who had done so well in this postseason was sent to the mound to face the Astros right-hander, Charlie Morton. The Yankees were 4-0 facing elimination in these playoffs and were ready to defeat the Astros to set up a Dodgers-Yankees World Series. Even with the odds in their favor, the Yankees couldn’t string together any good innings at the plate and fell to the Astros 4-0 in game seven.

With games 1-5 finished, the series is headed back to Los Angeles on Tuesday. This has arguably been the best World Series thus far. In game one the Dodgers took a 1-0 series lead, powered by Chris Taylor and Justin Turner home runs. Kershaw went seven strong and Jansen closed out the game to put the Astros behind.

In game two, the Dodgers lost 7-6 in 11 innings. The Dodgers were up 3-1 headed into the eighth inning and were looking ready to take a commanding 2-0 lead. Jansen came into the inning to get a six out save, but he gave up one run in the eighth. It was 3-2 Dodgers going into the top of the ninth and Jansen, who had converted 41 out of 42 save opportunities in the regular season was ready to get his second consecutive save of the World Series. He got Marwin Gonzalez behind 0-2 and was ready to get the first out of the ninth.

The next pitch was a flat cutter that landed right over the middle of the plate and was crushed to center. Marwin Gonzalez had tied the game in the ninth and after the Dodgers failed to score in the their half of the ninth, the game was headed to extra innings. The Astros scored two runs in the top of the tenth and took a 5-3 lead on back to back home runs by Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa.

Though the Dodgers were down by two with three outs to go, they didn’t go quietly. Puig led off the inning with a solo home run and Logan Forsythe singled and got to second on a wild pitch by Giles. Kike Hernandez singled to right, and Forsythe was just ahead of the throw to lead the Dodgers right back to a tied game. Right when it looked like the Dodgers could outlast the Astros in extras, they came back and scored two more run when George Springer hit a two run homer into right center field. The Dodgers scored one more run in the 11th, but it wasn’t enough as the Astros tied the series at one with the series headed to Houston.

In game three the majority of the scoring came off Yu Darvish who gave up four runs in the second inning due to his poor command with his slider. The Astros took game three by a score of 5-3 to take their first lead of the series.

Game four was a pitcher’s duel from the beginning with both starters pitching deep into the game. Alex Wood pitched amazing and took a no hitter into the sixth, while Charlie Morton gave up just one run and three hits over six and a third. The Dodgers and Astros were tied going into the ninth and Joc Pederson was able to put the Dodgers ahead with a three run homer. This led to a five run ninth and carried the boys in blue to a 6-2, game four win to even the series at two.

Game five started out with the Dodgers jumping all over the Astros and taking a 4-0 lead into the fourth. Clayton Kershaw was sharp and was up four runs. It was looking like the Dodgers were going to take a 3-2 lead in the series up until Yuli Gurriel hit a three run home run into the Crawford boxes in left to help the Astros tie the game at four.

This was only the start of a crazy five hour game as Cody Bellinger and Altuve traded blows hitting three run homers to take a three run lead and tie the game at seven. In the ninth the Dodgers found themselves down 12-9 with three outs to go and the bottom of the line up coming up. Again they wouldn’t go away and Yasiel Puig was able to hit a home run off the Astros’ Chris Devenksi to make the game 12-11.

Three batters later there were two outs and a runner on second with Chris Taylor at the plate. He battled back and forth with Devenski before running the count to 2-2. On the next pitch he cracked a single into center to tie the game at 12. This would be all the scoring for the Dodgers in the ninth and they would not score in the tenth either. Dodgers closer, Kenley Jansen came into the game and shut down the Astros to begin the tenth, getting two quick outs.

He ended up hitting Brian McCann during a six pitch at bat and gave up a walk to Springer in the next at bat. He still had to get one out to go, but was not able to when Alex Bregman hit a single into left to lead the Astros to a 13-12 win.

With the Astros up 3-2 the series is headed back to LA and it should be an interesting game or two.