Opinion

Through their first five games, the Chicago Cubs made hitting in the postseason look easy. Maybe a little too easy.

As such, a reality check like the one the Cubs were dealt in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series was coming sooner or later. But given that it was the New York Mets who dealt it, the question now becomes whether the Cubs' bats will be able to recover.

David Price’s monkey was clinging to his back by its fingertips.

Shedding it could have meant so much to the ace on a personal level, and it would have meant the Toronto Blue Jays were back in the American League Championship Series rather than being half-buried by the Kansas City Royals.

Edinson Volquez and the Kansas City Royals warmed up for the American League Championship Series by dispatching one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball.

And one game in, that’s proving to be ample practice for the most dangerous offense in baseball.

The Major League Baseball offseason can be as dramatic as the postseason—at least in most years, though this October is shaping up to be one of the best in recent memory—providing thrills and heartache for fans and teams in their quests to build championship rosters.

OK, it's time to toss away the division series the way Jose Bautista tossed away his bat.

We're ready to move on to what should be two great championship series. But first—can I have that bat back for a sec?—let's revisit an extraordinary week of division series baseball.

There were 19 games, one shy of the maximum (only the Chicago Cubs wrapped up their series in four games). Most of the games were good, a handful were great...and then there was that Game 5 in Toronto.

If it seems like MLB's collection of young shortstop talent recently went through a dry spell, you're not wrong. Between 2010 and 2013, the shortstop position was indeed lacking in young talent.

Meet MLB's final four.

LOS ANGELES — Good morning, good afternoon and good night.

By the time Jacob deGrom passed the ball to Noah Syndergaard and Syndergaard forwarded it to closer Jeurys Familia, there were singe marks throughout Dodger Stadium. Skid marks on the backs of those pristine white Dodgers uniforms. The place smelled like burning rubber.

For a time, 2015 seemed like the year the Los Angeles Dodgers finally had things figured out. After four years of trying under the current ownership group, their magic formula for winning the World Series looked like it was on the right track.

In the end, however, the Dodgers find themselves going back to the drawing board yet again.

After two dramatic American League Division Series that went five games, the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals are set to square off in the ALCS.

Which team will come out on top? What are the keys to advancing to the World Series?