Postseason Baseball- Baseball in its Purest Form

 The Major League Baseball postseason starts this week with the wild card series and it is my favorite part of the long MLB season. I will admit, I do not watch as much MLB as I used to for various reasons, but I love the postseason. My favorite baseball at any level is post-season baseball. 

Some may say that winning isn’t all that matters... it may not be ALL that matters, but it’s pretty dang important. Why play if you’re not playing to win? Playoff baseball is where winning takes precedence... or should at least. 

So what makes playoff baseball the purest form of the game? Win and move on. Survive and advance. Lose and go home. Winning takes execution. Execution takes an approach. Approach takes knowing the situation and it takes awareness. Situational offense is magnified in the post-season, much more so than in the regular season. When it comes down to it, which team executes the fundamentals of the game at a higher level will win. And again, winning is what matters in the post-season.

Teams and individuals may be more likely to get a bunt down or fight like heck with two strikes to get a ball in play that will move a runner. Guys will swipe bags when it's the right time. I think you will see guys more locked in on a plan in the box— hunt pitches; hunt speeds; hunt locations. What constitutes success in this at bat? WHAT IS MY JOB AND HOW CAN I EXECUTE IT? 

When an offense plays to the situation instead of relying on the homer, now the defense has adjustments to make and the game gets much more interesting. Pitch selection is important, defensive positioning is important, holding runners is critical in tight games, bunt plays, limiting extra bases by hitting cutoff men, heightened awareness, taking care of the ball at a high level. It’s baseball in its purest form played this way. 

Some may say fundamental and situational baseball is boring… I say it’s as good as it gets! Legendary MLB manager, Leo Durocher said it best, "Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand."

As I watch the MLB postseason unfold this year, I hope for one thing-- each team and player displays Discipline. Respect. Intensity. and Passion. 

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