I’ve loved baseball my entire life. As a newborn, my parents took me to a St. Louis Cardinals game when I was only four weeks old, and I played on the diamond for most of my childhood. Every year, I look forward to the MLB postseason and the memories that come with it.
Despite calling Kansas City home — like assistant sports editor Gabbi Lumma — my father from St. Louis raised me as a Cardinals fan. I’m used to seeing the Cardinals make playoff runs year after year, unlike Chicago Cubs fans, and witnessed them win the World Series in 2006 and 2011.
Growing up, the postseason introduced me to childhood heroes such as Cardinals’ infielder David Freese and formed lasting memories with my family. I remember hugging my mother as Freese hit a game-tying triple and a walk-off home run in game six of the 2011 World Series. Less than 24 hours later, I celebrated with my family after the Cardinals won their 11th championship in franchise history.
After the 2011 postseason, my father promised we’d go to the Cardinals’ next World Series game in St. Louis. Not long after, we saw the Cardinals play in the 2013 World Series and shared a night together as diehard fans and, most importantly, father and son.
Besides creating memories, the postseason gives underdog teams a chance to beat their rivals and surprise fans. In the 2022 postseason, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Braves — their divisional rival — in the National League Divisional Round. The Phillies eventually fell to the Houston Astros in the World Series, but their run brought postseason baseball to Philadelphia for the first time since 2011.
Personally, I watched the Kansas City Royals make an unexpected postseason run in 2014. After qualifying as a Wild Card team, the Royals advanced to the World Series and fought the San Francisco Giants to seven games in the Fall Classic. The postseason energized my hometown all month and made me proud to be a Kansas Citian.
There’s nothing that compares to the difficulty of the MLB postseason, a month of non-stop action that can consist of up to 53 games. After 162 regular season games — making MLB’s season the longest of all major US leagues — a team may have to play an extra 22 games before being crowned World Series champions. The postseason’s length ensures a plethora of highlight catches, towering home runs and clutch plays that emit deafening roars from fans.
The MLB postseason has also created some of the most well-known moments in sports history. In the 1932 World Series, New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth called his shot, pointing to the right-center field wall and proceeding to hit a home run in the same spot. Just last year, Atlanta Braves slugger Jorge Soler crushed a 446-foot home run against the Houston Astros in the Fall Classic, silencing Astros fans with one swing.
Closer to home, I attended the Royals’ 2014 Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics — the first MLB postseason game in Kansas City since 1985. After sitting on the edge of my seat for 11 innings, I saw Salvador Perez hit a walk-off single in the 12th inning as my city screamed in excitement.
Moments like these give me chills and are why I cherish October baseball.
The MLB postseason is action-packed and unlike any other playoff format. It’s created lasting memories for me and if you want to learn what true love, heartbreak, loyalty and defeat is then I encourage you to tune in next season — but only if you promise to root for the Cardinals.
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