Thanks to a trio of lopsided wins on Thursday, three teams have advanced to Major League Baseball’s final four.
The Braves topped the Marlins 7-0 to sweep their NL Division Series 3-0, the Dodgers beat down the Padres 12-3 to sweep their NLDS and the Astros defeated the A’s 11-6 to take their AL Division Series 3-1.
Now, the Dodgers and Braves will face off in the NLCS for the opportunity to go to the World Series while the Astros will wait for Friday’s game between the Yankees and Rays to find out their opponent for the ALCS.
The Dodgers, who will be playing in the NLCS for the fourth time in five years, are the clear favorites to win the World Series, which would be the franchise’s first since 1988.
With three of the four teams set, all eyes are on the Yankees and Rays after New York staved off elimination with a 5-1 win over Tampa Bay in Game 4 of their ALDS.
In the deciding game of the Yankees-Rays series on Friday night, Tyler Glasnow — who struck out 10 Yankees on Tuesday — will start again on short rest. Opposing him will be New York’s Game 1 starter Gerrit Cole.
The pitching matchup is a rematch of last year’s ALDS Game 5 between Houston and Tampa Bay. In Houston’s 5-1 victory, Cole pitched eight innings of one-run ball while Glasnow was pulled after eight outs and four runs.
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