cbssports
With four teams still in contention, the 2026 MLB postseason is set to make history. Either the Los Angeles Dodgers will become the first National League club to win three consecutive World Series titles, or a lengthy championship drought will finally come to an end. The Cleveland Guardians last won it all in 1948, while the Milwaukee Brewers (founded in 1970) and Tampa Bay Rays (founded in 1998) have never claimed a title.
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt expressed his excitement after Saturday's game against the Chicago White Sox: "This was a difficult year. For us to be one step away from the World Series, our ultimate goal, this is really exciting." The Brewers and Dodgers will begin their NLCS showdown on Sunday night at American Family Field, while the Guardians and Rays open the ALCS at Tropicana Field on Monday.
Through two rounds, offense has been historically scarce. Teams are batting a combined .208/.291/.334 and averaging just 3.46 runs per game. During the Division Series alone, the slash line was .192/.284/.304 with 3.06 runs per contest. This represents roughly a 25% drop from regular-season production, far steeper than the typical postseason decline.
Historically, runs per game dip by about half a run in the playoffs. This year, the gap is over a full run. If the current 3.46 average holds, it would be the lowest-scoring postseason since the Division Series was permanently added in 1995. The next lowest marks are 3.49 in 2012, 3.55 in 2013, 3.56 in 2001, and 3.62 in 1998.
Several factors contribute to this offensive downturn. Sample size is one; 25 games over 12 days is a small sample. Additionally, the playoff field is built around run prevention: only six of the top 11 regular-season offenses made the postseason, while 10 of the top 12 teams in runs allowed per game and nine of the top 12 in defensive efficiency qualified. Key hitters like Aaron Judge (injured, no at-bats for the Yankees), Shohei Ohtani (clearly compromised physically), Jake Bauers (playing hurt), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (also injured) have been neutralized. Meanwhile, the top five and nine of the top 11 pitchers by WAR have taken the mound.
Pitching matchups have consistently favored the defense. Average fastball velocity in the postseason has jumped to 96.1 mph, compared to 94.6 mph in the regular season. Through 25 games, there have been 254 pitches thrown at 100 mph or harder, surpassing the entire 2008 regular season (211). It has never been more difficult to hit. In those 25 games, 42 of 50 team offenses have been held to five runs or fewer, and only five times has a team scored more than seven runs. No team has reached double digits yet.
Home Runs Not Leading the Way
In recent postseasons, home runs have fueled scoring even as overall runs declined. This year, however, home runs are down both in frequency and as a percentage of runs scored. The regular-season HR/9 was 1.15, but in the playoffs it is 0.96. The percentage of runs scored via homers is 41.0% in the postseason, nearly identical to the 40.5% regular-season mark, but far lower than the 45-49% range seen from 2022-25. The Dodgers ranked seventh in homers during the regular season, while the Rays (22nd), Guardians (27th), and Brewers (29th) were far less reliant on the long ball. This ALCS matchup guarantees that a bottom-10 home run team will reach the World Series for only the second time in a decade, joining the 2023 Diamondbacks.
Positionless Pitchers
The lines between starters and relievers have never been blurrier. Through 25 games, relievers have thrown 232 innings compared to 207 for starters—52.9% of all innings. This marks the fourth straight postseason in which relievers have outpaced starters. The trend stems from teams embracing openers and bullpen games as viable strategies, and from the postseason schedule's frequent off-days. The ALDS featured three off-days in a best-of-five series, allowing managers to lean heavily on their bullpens. The Guardians-White Sox series saw 53 pitching changes in five games, a pace impossible in the regular season.
While this approach can slow the game's rhythm, the four remaining teams each have at least two trusted starters. The best-of-seven format, with Games 3-5 on consecutive days, should force starters to carry a heavier load. Nevertheless, the role-less pitcher era is here to stay, and its optimized matchups contribute to the low-scoring environment.
Originally reported by cbssports.