Since we last left you, the MLB playoffs were crowded with four Divisional Series to be decided in a wild showdown of best-of-five series. And now here we are, atop the mountain of the Championship Series, with only the World Series laying ahead of us. Once again, we tap into the psyche of Werner Herzog to find out who the teams are, and maybe more importantly, who the fans are, and how they’ll get to the next level.
ALCS
Toronto Blue Jays Vs. Kansas City Royals
Little Dieter Needs to Fly/Rescue Dawn
The Kansas City Royals were the biggest surprise last year, cruising through the playoffs after years of captivity from the post-season to create the feel-good story of the postseason (unless you’re an Orioles fan). They scrapped their way out of purgatory and released themselves from the makeshift prison of the American League.
The Toronto Blue Jays also found themselves in a similar hole, locked away for twenty years from the postseason freedom that has eluded them since back-to-back titles in the early ’90s. But this version of their prison escape is different than the Royals version. Where Kansas City got this far mostly do to their overperforming cast of everyday players like Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain and Mike Moustakas, the Blue Jays went all-in with their rebuild like a Hollywood remake. Sure they already had some key pieces that were established, but their push at the trade deadline for David Price and Troy Tulowitzki to build up their big off-season signing of Josh Donaldson immediately propelled them to World Series favorite. Instead of the gritty intimacy of Little Dieter, the Blue Jays signed a future Batman to bring their championship home.
Prediction: Blue Jays in six
NLCS
Chicago Cubs Vs. New York Mets
Encounters at the End of the World
Just what kind of people purposely live in the most inhabitable place on earth? That’s what Werner Herzog explores to discover in his gripping documentary, Encounters at the End of the World. And much like Antarctica, the fanbases of the Cubs and Mets have been on an iceburg of their own, drifting away for years without a World Series win for these two teams, and their fans. It sure must have felt extra chilly when the fall months turn around. But yet here we are, knee deep into it, and they’re still standing! It’s actually happening! The frost of Antarctica is melting in the blazing playoff heat!
This series has a pioneer spirit to it, even if they both have been in the playoffs off-and-on the last ten years or so, it still feels like we’re discovering new teams here. Although the prospects of getting to the end are scary for both franchises, when you’ve had you’re heart broken for over a century you’re a little wary, but the fact that they both got here is a good sign for things to come.
Prediction: Cubs in seven, because of course
