By Nick Cicalese ‘18, Staff Writer

As I feel the first true fall breeze and smell the crispness of the recently changed autumn air, I can’t help but think, “Now this is baseball weather.” For some, the start of October signals the changing and falling of millions of leaves, the return of pumpkin-spiced everything, or the time when you should really be getting the college applications done. But to a baseball fan, October is synonymous with excitement and anticipation, ecstasy and broken hearts. To a baseball fan, October means one thing and one thing only: Playoffs.

Over the past few years we have been blessed with some truly great postseason moments. Last year we saw the Cubs go from 108 years as Lovable Losers to World Series Champs, we saw a pitcher (almost) singlehandedly win a World Series in 2014, and we saw one of the greatest baseball games of all time (seriously, if you haven’t seen Game 6 of the 2011 World Series, stop reading my article and go look now).

At the start of these playoffs, we were primed for one of the greatest postseasons ever. The quality of the top four teams in the American League (AL); the Indians, Astros, Yankees, and Red Sox, and in the National League (NL); the Dodgers, Cubs, Nationals, Cubs, and Diamondbacks, was so much higher than the other teams in Major League Baseball. Ranging from “Cy Young” award winning starters coming out of the bullpen to the general weirdness of the Cubs-Nationals division series (including a Game 5 that was one the best and oddest games I’ve ever watched), these playoffs have not disappointed thus far.

But the story of the playoffs so far is undeniably the New York Yankees. Largely written off as a rebuilding team that would be good in a year or two, the Yankees started off the year white hot, causing General Manager Brian Cashman to “buy” (acquiring talent in the short-term at the expense of prospects) instead of “selling” (sacrificing the short term talent of a team for future potential talent) at the Trade Deadline. The Bombers managed to win the winner-take-all wild card game where their starting pitcher recorded one out. They drew the Indians in the Division Series, whom most experts had predicted to win the World Series at the start of the playoffs, yet who fell behind 0-2 in the best of 5 series after a massive Game 2 collapse. However, the Yankees battled back and completed the reverse sweep of the Indians, saving their season and perhaps manager Joe Girardi’s job.

Now, the baseball world looks forward to two high profile Championship Series, the ALCS between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, and the NLCS between the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ALCS- New York Yankees vs Houston Astros

These two teams scored more runs and hit more home runs than any of their American League counterparts. The high-powered offenses are matched by excellent starting pitching, namely Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander for Houston, and Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka for the Yanks. One area where the Yankees have a major advantage is bullpen pitchers. At its best, the Astros bullpen has been mediocre, with very little depth beyond closer Ken Giles. The Yankees on the other hand, have shown that they have the best bullpen in the American League, and maybe in baseball. What will dictate this series is the length of start for Houston starting pitchers. Any game where the Yankees can knock out the starter in the 6th inning or earlier, they will likely win, any game where they cannot will likely be won by Houston.

The pick: As a diehard Yankee fan, I see no reason why the Yankees cannot win this series. That being said, the Astros were my end of regular season World Series favorites for a reason; their starters will likely prove a bit too strong for the potent young bats of Judge, Sanchez, and company. Astros in 7.

NLCS-Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Here we have a matchup between the defending World Series champs and the team with the best regular season record in baseball. On paper, the Dodgers may have the best starting rotation in baseball, led by Clayton Kershaw, probably the best pitcher of the era. However, the entire rotation, especially Kershaw, has had major problems in the postseason to this point in their careers. The Dodgers have an incredibly potent, yet very streaky lineup that could go storming off to a World Series championship or go quiet and have a season ended in disappointment. The Cubs, on the other hand, are mostly the same team that won the World Series last year, although their back end bullpen is something of a question mark. Their lineup is one of the best in the NL, led by superstars Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Their rotation is led by Jon Lester, who has enjoyed incredible postseason success for the Red Sox and Cubs.

The pick: Before the playoffs began, I was convinced the Dodgers would once again suffer a playoff collapse and exit fairly early, as in years past. However, in the division series, I watched the Dodgers dominate the Diamondbacks, a team which had troubled them during the regular season and a team I thought would be difficult to eliminate. Meanwhile, I saw the Cubs struggle, especially offensively, against a Washington National team I thought they’d dispose of easily. Dodgers in 6.