For most of my life as a baseball fan, I have gone into the postseason without the option of cheering on my favorite team. I had a block of time in high school (1996-97), a few years in my mid-30s (2012,
2014, 2016), and, of course, the past two seasons.
I think that many of us believed that this year would be another playoff year for the Orioles, but it wasn’t meant to be. After such a disappointing season, maybe you are finished with baseball until spring. But I enjoy watching baseball’s biggest stars play under intense pressure with everything on the line. I like the unexpected storylines of players who come out of nowhere to lead their team.
And if I’m watching the postseason, I want to pick a team to root for. Ultimately, when I’m choosing, I go on vibes. But there is something of a formula for those vibes. How long has it been since that team won the World Series? Have they had a long playoff drought? Do they have any former Orioles on the team or players I find otherwise endearing? Have the Orioles had recent negative run-ins with them?
One good thing about this postseason is that the Houston Astros are not in it. They were eliminated on Saturday and will miss the postseason for the first time since 2016. Another good thing is that the Yankees and Red Sox play each other in round one, so one of those teams will be eliminated immediately. If both of those teams are going to be in the postseason, that’s the way to do it.
The postseason begins tomorrow with four games on the docket, two AL and two NL. The Blue Jays, who locked up the number one seed yesterday, have a bye. The Tigers and Guardians face off at 1:08 EDT, while the Red Sox and Yankees are slated for primetime (shockingly).
AL Wild Card Game 1: Detroit Tigers @ Cleveland Guardians
From April 5th through September 21st, the Detroit Tigers were alone in first place for all but one day. As late as September 3rd, they held a 10-game lead in the AL Central. Then they went 6-15 over the rest of the season. Over that same time period, the Guardians went from 69-69 to 88-74, giving them a one-game lead in the division. It was quite a feat by the Guardians to go with an epic collapse from the Tigers.
The winner of this series will face the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS.
Detroit Tigers
- Last postseason appearance: 2024 (lost ALDS to Guardians)
- Last World Series win: 1984
- Former Orioles: Jahmai Jones, Jack Flaherty
The fact that the Tigers haven’t won the World Series in 41 years makes them an easy team to root for; their drought is just one year younger than the Orioles’. Since their WS win, the Tigers have had stretches of futility that make the Orioles look successful. Another point in their favor. As for the current team, Tarik Skubal is a top lefty pitcher in the game and always fun to watch.
I don’t personally like the idea of rooting for a team that played so poorly down the stretch that they went from a near certainty to win the division to almost getting booted out altogether. If not for a tank job by the Astros, the Tigers would be sitting at home. Additionally, if you have any lingering Jack Flaherty hate, you may not want to see the Tigers succeed. Although he hasn’t been very good this year.
Cleveland Guardians
- Last postseason appearance: 2024 (lost ALCS to Yankees)
- Last WS win: 1948
- Former Orioles: N/A (although John Means is in their system)
1948. 1948! Not only was I not alive the last time this franchise won the World Series, neither were my parents. If you want to ballpark the youngest age at which someone would remember their favorite team winning the World Series at, say, eight years, then only Guardians fans at least 85 years old can recall when their team last won it all. That is wild. And for that reason alone, I’ll always have a soft spot for this team. They have been somewhat regulars in the playoffs since 1995, with 14 appearances, but have not been able to go all the way.
If the memory of the 1997 ALCS is still fresh in your mind, you may hold a grudge against Cleveland. They also faced some scandal this year when two of their regular players, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, were suspended in August under suspicion of gambling activity.
AL Wild Card Game 2: Boston Red Sox @ New York Yankees
The Yankees were just a tiebreaker away from the AL East crown, thanks to ending the season on a torrid run. They have to settle for the top wild-card seed and a home series against their biggest rivals. As I said before, at least one of these teams will be eliminated in the first round. Whichever team you hate less in this series, I understand.
Boston Red Sox
- Last postseason appearance: 2021 (lost ALCS to Astros)
- Last World Series win: 2018
- Former Orioles: N/A
The best thing I can say about the 2025 Red Sox is that I didn’t hear too much about them. They were good enough to make the postseason, sure, but not so dominant that they were in my face too much. Other than their surprise trade of star player Rafael Devers, they’ve been kind of blah for a playoff team.
We had three postseasons without the Red Sox, and I appreciated that. This current team isn’t nearly as obnoxious as the David Ortiz era Red Sox, but I’ll never root for them. Too many years of sitting in Camden Yards with 30,000 Boston fans while the Orioles get their faces smashed in to ever want anything to do with that.
New York Yankees
- Last postseason appearance: 2024 (Lost WS to Dodgers)an
- Last World Series win: 2009
- Former Orioles: N/A
I have nothing good to say about this baseball team. Sure, they’re good. They have maybe the best player in baseball in Aaron Judge. I actually kind of like Judge, even if I don’t want to. But take what I said about the Red Sox above, add in an additional level of attitude from the fans, the 2012 postseason, Nick Markakis’s hand, the 1996 Jeffrey Maier fiasco, and so much more. No thank you.
The winner of this series will face the Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS.
The Bye Teams
Toronto Blue Jays
- Last postseason appearance: 2023 (Lost WC to Twins)
- Last World Series win: 1993
- Former Orioles: Anthony Santander, Kevin Gausman, Seranthony Domínguez
I hate all AL East teams. This includes the Blue Jays, whom I have hated longer than I hated the Red Sox or the Yankees. It just has to do with formative years. My tween years coincided with the Blue Jays winning back-to-back World Series and the disrespect of Mike Mussina by Cito Gaston in the 1993 All-Star Game at Camden Yards. I’ll always hold a grudge.
But in the years since the early 1990s, I suppose the other AL East teams in this year’s playoffs have become more objectionable. If I had to choose between them all, I think the Blue Jays come out on top. This year, this is especially true because an Orioles favorite is on the team. Anthony Santander spent most of the season injured and bad, but has been back with the team since last week. We all know how capable Santander is of turning it on to have a huge series, and it would be a lot of fun to have him do that in the playoffs.
Seattle Mariners
- Last postseason appearance: 2022 (lost ALDS to Astros)
- Last World Series win: N/A
- Former Orioles: N/A
The Seattle Mariners have existed since 1977 and have never appeared in the World Series. When they made the postseason in 2022, they snapped a 19-season drought. To put it simply, it’s hard out there for a Mariners fan. This year, they had a solid season, including a fantastic September where they went 17-7. They have Cal Raleigh, a tremendous catcher in the midst of an incredible 60-homer season. Julio Rodríguez is having a fantastic season as well and is just a fun player to watch.
Why would anyone root against the Mariners? Maybe an Astros fan would. The Orioles only beat them once in six tries this season, but it seems like those were more about the Orioles being frustrating than anything.
So how would you rank them? For me, the Mariners are tops, followed by the Guardians and Tigers. The other three teams can pound sand.
