At this point, Houston Astros’ fans continue to process through the stages of grief that for the 1st time since 2016, the MLB postseason will not include the good guys that call the 713 area code home. Much can and will be said about why that is the case and what can the Astros do in the weeks and months ahead to get back to the postseason for the 10th time in 12 seasons. However, while the season is over in Houston, it is not for the rest of baseball. On Tuesday, MLB kicks off the Wild Card Round,
with the rest of October and maybe into November dedicated to playoff baseball.
With no dedicated team to root for, a Houston fan might ask “is there a team to that maybe I can back?” The answer is yes. You have 12 teams across two leagues to choose from. Still, that can be a bit daunting. Thus, this handy guide to help you, the Houston fan, figure out who you could cheer for:
AL:
Toronto Blue Jays: They’re the #1 seed in the AL. They won the AL East over the vile Yankees and do play some exciting baseball. Haven’t won it since 1993, so they will be excited to advance. Besides, they got George Springer, and we all know the excitement of a Springer Dinger in the postseason.
Seattle Mariners: #2 in the AL. Trying to win their first home playoff game since 2001. The only team to never get to the World Series. Might be fun to see Big Dumper outplay Aaron Judge for MVP. There are negative divisional considerations, but in certain circumstances, might be worth some cheering.
Cleveland Indians: #3 in the AL. Haven’t won the World Series since 1948. Snake-bitten franchise that was left for dead back in August, but came all the way back to win the AL Central. 3B Jose Ramirez is a baller. Emmanuel Clase would bet you that he is the best bat out there. Give you better odds than Ohtani, er, Ohtani’s translator…
New York Yankees: #4 in the AL. Probably no real reason to cheer for the Yankees, unless you would like to see Judge finally overcome his rep for not playing up to his potential in the playoffs…nah, you’ll want to see him live down to expectations. Likely you will cheer for them to fail, especially since they don’t open against an AL Central Team. Stick around to see how GM Brian Cashman will spin a 2025 postseason shortfall as a way to blame it on the 2017 Astros.
Boston Red Sox: #5 in the AL: Sometimes the fans get annoying, but they get to play the Yankees, whom they dominated in the regular season, and whom they’ve owned in the postseason since the epic 2004 ALCS comeback. Plus, a postseason with Alex Bregman and Breggy Bombs against said Yankees? Yes, please.
Detroit Tigers: #6 in the AL: How did this team get in? Oh, right…swept the Astros a couple of weeks ago. I mean, they have Hinch and Sukbal…maybe they can redeem themselves? Last won in 1984, so they too will be super happy to win it all, if they can put their near-epic meltdown behind them.
NL:
Milwaukee Brewers: #1 in the NL: Doing it for the “Ueck”. Best record in the game. Never won the World Series. Kinda hard to root against them.
Philadelphia Phillies: #2 in the NL: Schwarber and Harper hitting bell-ringing dongs? They finally breakthrough after falling short in 2022? A team that actually tried to win the whole thing vs. protect the bottom line? Last won it in 2008, but Philly is eager for a title double (to pair with their recent Super Bowl). The fans will light up the ballpark, but maybe avoid too much interaction. Like Seattle, depends on certain matchups.
Los Angeles Dodgers: #3 in the NL: You have absolutely no reason to cheer for them. Yeah, Kershaw is retiring after this season, but maybe he gives the Dodgers one last classic Kershaw postseason performance? For a team that spends on players salaries more than the annual GDP of most third-world countries…and the franchise’s attitude towards baseball, along with the fanbase…yeah, this is your hate watch.
Chicago Cubs: #4 in the NL: It’s only been 9 years since their last World Series this time. Wrigley Field is a fun place to watch playoff baseball. Plus, King Tuck.
San Diego Padres: #5 in the NL: “[Expletive Deleted] them prospects! We going for it all! World Championship or bust”. In the modern game, that is a nice attitude to have (looking at you, Pirates, A’s, Marlins). If their talent can put it together all at once, watch out. Also, they’ve never won a World Series and the city is still jilted by Spanos and the Chargers. Could be a fun celebration.
Cincinnati Reds: #6 in the NL: Snuck in thanks to an epic Mets collapse. Have some quality pitching and Elly De La Cruz could provide a highlight to two. Last won it back in 1990. Plus, they open against the Dodgers, so you get your first underdog rooting interest.
And there you have it, your playoff rooting interest guide. It is possible to dispassionately watch, since playoff baseball is playoff baseball. However, it is more fun to watch when you have a rooting interest. While we at Totally Not Fake News will maintain our journalistic integrity and not try to predict a winner, we do have some certain…viewpoints on certain teams. We do hope that watching this postseason can be an enjoyable experience for your “temp” team. We respect all fan decisions. We are sure whatever Fall Classic comes to pass will be a fine matchup. However, there is the possibility we get the nightmare watch, again. If that happens, well, consider this guide to help you for a rooting interest in that worse-case scenario.
