Pete Alonso is first big star of the postseason; MLB's playoffs move to the Division Series

Pete Alonso was one of the stars of Major League Baseball’s Wild Card Series round, hitting a three-run homer in the ninth inning on Thursday night to lift his New York Mets over the Milwaukee Brewers for the series win.

It was a legacy-defining moment for a slugger scheduled to become a free agent this offseason.

Now it’s time to see who stars in the Division Series.

The best-of-five round starts on Saturday, featuring series between the Royals/Yankees, Tigers/Guardians, Mets/Phillies and Padres/Dodgers. The four winners advance to the League Championship Series that begin Oct. 13.

A Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge matchup in the World Series still looms as an enticing October possibility.

Pete Alonso is first big star of the postseason; MLB's playoffs move to the Division Series | iNFOnews.ca — FILE – Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, of Japan, warms up before the start of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)

While the rooting interests of baseball fans vary widely, there’s little doubt MLB and television executives like the potential matchup between two of the top sluggers of this generation. Ohtani became the first player to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season while Judge hit 58 homers.

On top of that, Ohtani (Dodgers) and Judge (Yankees) play in the nation’s top two media markets for two of the sport’s most storied franchises. Both the Dodgers and Yankees will have to get past the five-day break that’s stymied several top seeds since MLB introduced the sport’s newest playoff format in 2022.

Whatever happens in this postseason, there won’t be a repeat winner in the World Series since last year’s champion Texas Rangers didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

Here’s a look at some other things to know about MLB’s postseason:

Rule changes

Many of baseball’s recent rule changes are still in effect during the postseason, including the pitch clock, a ban on extreme infield shifts and a limit to how many times a pitcher can disengage from the rubber. The pitch clock has been a huge change for the sport and widely celebrated, cutting game times by about a half-hour.

There is one rule that doesn’t make the postseason cut: the so-called “ghost runner” in extra innings.

During the MLB regular season, if a game goes to extra innings, a runner is placed at second base to start the 10th inning when each team bats. That won’t happen in the postseason. Extra innings will be played just like the previous nine.

Betting favorites

The Yankees are the current betting favorites to win the World Series at +325, followed by the Dodgers (+340) and Phillies (+400), according to BetMGM Sportsbook.