by Amaury Pi Gonzalez

ST.LOUIS MO–We are now heading into the American League and National League Championship Series. In the American League, it will be Kansas City at Baltimore, if it goes all 7 games, 4 will be at Baltimore and 3 in Kansas City. In the National League San Francisco at St Louis. if it goes all 7 games, 4 will be at St Luis and 3 in San Francisco..Two of these four teams will battle in the 2014 World Series. The World Series will open either at Baltimore or Kansas City, because the American League won the All Star Game this year, so they have the home field advantage

This is the fourth consecutive year that St Louis is in the NLCS and the first time since 2012 that they will meet San Francisco. This is the first time Baltimore has gone to the ALCS since 1997, as well as Kansas City. There is a possibility of a rematch of the 1985 World Series, when Kansas City beat St Louis in the famous I-70 World Series, which Kansas City won in seven games, their only World Series title. The Baltimore Orioles have won three World Series, the last time in 1983.

Of these four teams the most successful is St Louis Cardinals with 11 World Series titles, last one in 2011.Only the New York Yankees with 27 World Series titles have won more. The San Francisco Giants have won two World Series, 2010 and 2012 and their fans hope they can continue winning this year, and one every two years, for the next 48 years and compete with the Yankees in that department.

Some great players did not produce in the postseason. The obvious and most recent name of those great players that just do not perform well in the postseason, is Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw, with a record in the regular season of 21-3 and an earned run average of 1.77 who will win the Cy Young and probably the Most Valuable Player in the National League.

The lefty (considered the best pitcher in all of baseball) is now 1-5 in the postseason, lost 2 of the 4 games against the St Louis Cardinals in this NL Divisional Series.He is the first pitcher to finish as the earned run leader in the National League in four consecutive years. Kershaw from 2010 until 2014 (including this postseason) is 3-7 with a 4.33 against the Cardinals and 70-22 with a 1.99 against everybody else.

Then we have a young guy in the American League who is going to win the Most Valuable Player, Mike Trout, of the Los Angeles Angels who hit .287 with 36 Home runs and a league-leading 111 runs batted in. During his first playoff against Kansas City this past week, Trout had one hit in 12 at bats, a Home Run, his average for the series was .083. How about Mister Home Run King? Barry Lamar Bonds with 22 seasons with Pittsburgh and San Francisco hit 762 Home Runs? In 9 Postseasons Bonds had 37 hits in 151 at bats with 9 Home Runs for an average of .245.

And then The Greatest Hitter Ever, Ted Williams,of the Boston Red Sox, last man to hit over .400. when in 1941 finished with a .406 batting average. “The Kid”, “The Splendid Splinter”, “Teddy Ballgame”, with a legendary 19 year career hitting .344 with 521 Home Runs and 1,843 runs batted in. That same Ted Williams, in the 1946 World Series against the St Louis Cardinals in 7 games had a total of 5 hits in 25 at bats, zero Home Runs and 1 run batted in, for a total batting average of .200.

Above are just a samples of present and past players, who are great players, but come postseason they are not. The jury’s still out on Kershaw and Trout, they are still young and could easily reverse their fortunes in the future.

So do not be surprised if one of these guys are the heroes from now on: David Lough (Orioles),Christian Colón(Kansas City), Pete Kozma(St Louis), Gregor Blanco(San Francisco) they are not household names across the country, only known really in the cities they play, but one of them could easily be “The Man”
This is what makes baseball the greatest game on earth.

Of these four teams left Baltimore and St Louis won their divisions. Kansas City was the First Wild Card in the American League and San Francisco the Second Wild Card in the National League. Best record during regular season of these four teams: Baltimore Orioles 96-66. Worst record during regular season of these four teams: San Francisco Giants 88-74.

ALCS: Friday October 10 Kansas City at Baltimore 5PM West Coast Time. (TBS)
NLCS: Saturday October 11 San Francisco at St Louis 5PM West Coast Time (FOX)

I like to see the Orioles win it all. It was my very first team as a teenager in Miami that I saw play, during Spring Training and I was one of their ball and bat boys then.This was back in the 1960’s,since then I always had a soft place in my heart for the Birds.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Museum and does News and Commentary each week on http://www.sportsradioservice.com