A casual fan's guide to the MLB postseason - ESPN

October baseball is here, and it's as glorious as ever.

The culmination of 162 games of home runs, strikeouts, bunts and diving catches. It's been a long ride, and the gift at the end is the most high-stakes version of the sport you'll find.

Of course, not everyone has been along for that long ride. Don't worry, if you've been out of the loop over the course of the regular season, we've got you covered. Here, we've sought to cover, in brevity if not complete depth, as wide a range of topical ground as possible, such as: Interesting ballpark trivia. Unique concession items. Players with unconventional backstories. Iconic moments in recent team history.

It's not everything you'll need to know. But we will strive to provide as strong an initial primer as you'll find. Here's ESPN's (un)official casual fan's guide to the MLB postseason.

Best ballpark food: The Bat Flip.

A 7-inch burger that features 2 pounds of seasoned beef patties, braised short rib, pork belly, melted cheese, crunchy onions, green leaf lettuce, sliced red tomatoes and a fried egg all stacked on toasted brioche.

Ballpark fun fact: Truist Park has a really, really large canopy.

If you're caught in the rain while at a Braves game, fear not, there's a decent chance the ballpark will have you covered — literally. Truist Park's canopy is reportedly the largest in Major League Baseball. Atlanta initially considered a retractable roof when planning out the stadium, but landed instead on the wide-spanning alternative — a 108,000-square-foot canopy.

Origin story you should know: Grant Holmes

In a sport with plenty of circuitous rises to the big leagues, Holmes' path still stands out as uniquely winding. Drafted in 2014, he'd spend a decade in the minor leagues