Baseball in the Cold October Air

Welcome to the postseason, everyone. We are approaching the cold end to the baseball season that will finally determine which team was able to survive the gauntlet of hot and cold streaks. The most important part of the baseball season is when a team gets hot. Take this year’s New York Mets, for example. The team was white hot to start the year, leading all of baseball in June, but they find themselves missing out on the postseason. Hot streaks are nice, but they feel so much better when the weather gets colder. As we prepare for another thrilling baseball postseason, I would like to break down some of the biggest postseason runs in recent history. 

What Makes a Great Postseason Run?

  When you think back to some of your favorite postseason runs, what comes to mind? Is it a dominant season that leads to a World Series title? Is it a lovable band of underdogs that somehow goes further than anyone expected them? 

I would argue that a great postseason run doesn’t need to end in a World Series title. For example, as discussed in the previous post, the Colorado Rockies’ Rocktober run of 2007 is one of the most iconic postseason performances I have ever witnessed. While they were fortunate enough to benefit from an umpire’s error, that shouldn’t take away from their incredible accomplishment. The Rockies were out of the postseason by a healthy margin in September of 2007. The team finished the regular season 14-1 to force a game 163 with the Padres. After the controversial call, the Rockies swept their way through the National League Postseason, proving to everyone in baseball that they deserved to be there. There was magic in the air in the Mile High City that October; everyone was proud of this team (shocking given the state of Coors Field this season). Unfortunately for the Rockies, the magic wore off after they got to the World Series too fast. They had to wait for the Boston Red Sox to make it through the American League side of the bracket. Whether it was the days off or something unexplainable, the Rockies fell apart. In four games, the playoff sweepers quickly became the swept. While this postseason story is a disappointing one, it is still important. It showed the world that the Rockies were there to compete even as a relatively new team in baseball. A postseason run doesn’t have to result in a win; just proving yourself as a team and bringing the whole city/state together can be enough. 

Eye of Newt, Tongue of Dog, and Other Ingredients for a Curse

  Every sports fan is at least a little superstitious. Whether you have a lucky hat, a specific seat while watching the game, or game-day snack that you know will result in a win for the good guys, superstitions are traditions that keep fandom alive. While our superstitions today may seem trivial and unimportant, they were everything in the early 1900s. Curses defined ballclubs and, in some cases, took decades to break. 

The two most famous curses in baseball history are the Curse of the Bambino and the Curse of the Billy Goat. As previously discussed, the Curse of the Bambino started when the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth away to the Yankees, a decision that would go on to haunt them for over 80 years. The Red Sox finally broke the curse by winning the World Series in 2004, and then won 3 more since then. Waiting 86 years may seem like a lot, but even that pales in comparison to the longest title drought in American sports. 

In the early 1900s, the Chicago Cubs were a sight to behold. The new ballclub had won the World Series in back-to-back years and was looking to dominate 20th century baseball. The team had won multiple National League Pennants and had just made the 1945 World Series. The Cubs were playing the Tigers, and a local tavern owner bought two tickets to the game, one for him and one for his pet goat. The man and his four-legged friend were denied access to Wrigley Field, resulting in him cursing the team. From 1946 to 2003, the team had only 15 winning seasons and 0 World Series appearances. All of this changed in the famous 2016 Chicago postseason run for the ages. It seemed like everyone was rooting for the Cubs to finally break the curse and win a World Series. After a long October, a fateful rain delay, and an extra inning for good measure, the Chicago Cubs were finally World Series Champions after 108 long, cursed years. 

What is the Difference Between Fame and Infamy?

In 2017 the Houston Astros were on the verge of claiming their first World Series title. The city had been devastated by Hurricane Harvey just a couple of months earlier, and the Astros were able to put together a playoff run to lift the spirits in Houston. This was the story we all initially believed. 

To maintain my composure, I will keep the next section brief. It came out a few years later that the Astros had been using cameras, a live feed to the dugout, and a trash can to steal pitching signs and give their hitters an advantage. While sign-stealing is allowed in Major League Baseball, using outside technology and tools to aid in stealing is not. The team led the league in home runs and had the fewest strikeouts, a combination that is anything but common. The baseball world was left spinning as the once heroic Astros quickly became the league’s top villains. The Dodgers, losers of the 2017 World Series, petitioned the commissioner’s office to strip Houston of their World Series title. This effort failed, as the Astros were allowed to keep their World Series title.

What Are We in Store For?

As we prepare for another great postseason, here is what each team has to look forward to. 

Dodgers: The Dodgers are attempting to win back-to-back World Series titles, becoming the first team to do so in the 21st century.

Yankees: The Yankees are looking to prove last year was a fluke and add yet another ring to their long list of accomplishments, not to mention reward #99 for staying in the Bronx.

Brewers: The Brewers hope to cap off what has been a dominant season. The team is young and looking to prove themselves.

Blue Jays: The Blue Jays are looking to prove themselves when very few people expected them to excel this season. If they do the little things right, like they have all season, they will go far in the postseason.

Phillies: The Phillies must win with their stars; they have been competitive for many years, but haven’t quite clicked in the postseason.

Mariners: The Mariners have had an incredible regular season and hope to follow Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh to the first World Series appearance in team history.

Cubs: The Cubs have been rebuilding over the last few years and want to prove that their 2016 title wasn’t a flash in the pan. 

Guardians: The Guardians are attempting to build on their previous postseason success and finally snap their long World Series drought.

Reds: The Reds are a surprise addition to the postseason and are looking to shock big teams like the Dodgers and Phillies. They have young stars who will be getting valuable postseason experience.

Tigers: The Tigers are another young team looking to make a deep postseason run. While their road to the postseason was a little rocky at the end, they are looking to right the ship and back up lights-out pitching from Tarik Skubal.

Padres: The Padres have been the younger brother of the Dodgers; will this postseason finally be their turn to win the World Series?

Red Sox: The Red Sox are returning to the postseason after a rebuild. While they have been rebuilding for the past few years, they appeared to be sellers at the trade deadline. Did the Red Sox sell too much, or will these trades help them in the postseason?

Sources

Major Hurricane Harvey—August 25-29, 2017. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://www.weather.gov/crp/hurricane_harvey

Rockies memorable 2007 season. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://www.mlb.com/news/rockies-memorable-2007-season

The Billy Goat Curse. (n.d.). The World-Famous Billy Goat Tavern. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://www.billygoattavern.com/legend/curse/

The Houston Astros’ 2017 Cheating Scandal Explained—The New York Times. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://www.nytimes.com/article/astros-cheating.html

The only MLB playoff preview you need: World Series odds, likely MVPs and how far all 12 teams will go. (2025, September 29). ESPN.Com. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46389225/2025-mlb-playoffs-preview-world-series-odds-matchup-keys-tips

Yellon, A. (2021, November 2). Today in Cubs history: The Cubs win the World Series. Bleed Cubbie Blue. https://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2021/11/2/22723272/today-cubs-history-world-series-win