Why Canadians should cheer for Cleveland in the baseball playoffs

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The first round of the Major League Baseball post-season ended in dramatic fashion last night as Mets star Pete Alonso smashed a three-run homer off Brewers closer Devin Williams to lift New York to a 4-2 win in the deciding Game 3 of their series.

The second round opens Saturday with the top two seeds in each league coming off a bye to face the winners from the wild-card round. In the National League, the top-ranked Los Angeles Dodgers square off with intrastate rival San Diego while No. 2 Philadelphia faces the Mets. In the American League, the top-seeded New York Yankees play Kansas City while second-ranked Cleveland takes on surging Detroit.

If you're a Canadian baseball fan who's still looking for someone to cheer for after the Toronto Blue Jays failed to make the playoffs, there are some glamorous options here.

The Dodgers, of course, are led by the incredible Shohei Ohtani, who hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases to become the founding member of the 50-50 club. The Yankees, baseball's most storied franchise, are powered by 6-foot-7 giant Aaron Judge, who topped the majors with 58 home runs and teamed with Juan Soto to become the first pair of Yanks to hit 40 dingers in the same season since Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris.

The Phillies pheature a dynamic duo of their own in two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper and popular slugger Kyle Schwarber. Plus, manager Rob Thomson is Canadian. And you gotta love the Canadian-bordering Detroit Tigers, who were eight games under .500 on Aug. 10 before turning into the hottest team in baseball and sweeping the nefarious Houston Astros.