The 2017 Major League Baseball postseason was the playoff tournament of Major League Baseball for the 2017 season. The winners of the Division Series would move on to the League Championship Series to determine the pennant winners that face each other in the World Series. This was the first edition of the postseason in which home field advantage in the World Series was awarded to the team with the better regular season record, rather than the winner of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
In the American League, the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox returned for the second year in a row, the Houston Astros and New York Yankees returned for the second time in three years, and the Minnesota Twins made their first appearance since 2010. This was the first of what is currently seven consecutive postseason appearances for the Astros. It was also the first of six consecutive appearances for the Yankees.
The postseason began on October 3, and ended on November 1, with the Astros defeating the Dodgers in seven games in the 2017 World Series. It was the Astros' first title in franchise history.
Playoff seeds
After the end of the 2016 season, MLB changed the format of the World Series. Instead of home field advantage being awarded to the team from the league that won the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, home field advantage in the World Series was determined by the team with the better regular season record.
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Yankees and Twins, with the Yankees winning the previous four meetings. The Yankees won 8–4 and advanced to the ALDS.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Rockies and D-Backs. They previously met in the 2007 NLCS, which the Rockies won in a sweep en route to the World Series. Despite a late rally by the Rockies, the D-Backs held on to win 11–8, and advanced to the NLDS.
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Indians and Yankees, with Cleveland winning two of the three previous series including both times in the ALDS (1997 and 2007). The Yankees won the 1998 ALCS. The Indians won the first two games to go up 2–0, but the Yankees rallied to come back and win the series in five games, advancing to the ALCS for the first time since 2012.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Astros and Red Sox. The Astros won the series in four games to advance to their first ALCS. This was the first playoff series win by the Astros since the 2005 NLCS, when the team was still in the National League.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks. The Dodgers swept the Diamondbacks to advance to the NLCS for the second year in a row.
The Diamondbacks would not return to the postseason until 2023. They would again meet the Dodgers in the NLDS, and the Diamondbacks would win in a sweep.
†:Originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 10, but postponed due to weather.
The Cubs narrowly defeated the Nationals in five games to return to the NLCS for the third year in a row. As of 2023, this is the last playoff series win by the Cubs.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Yankees and Astros. In an ALCS where neither team won a road game, the Astros defeated the Yankees to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2005.
The Astros held off a late rally by the Yankees to win Game 1. In Game 2, Justin Verlander pitched a complete game as the Astros won by a 2–1 score again to go up 2–0 in the series. In the Bronx, the Yankees blew out the Astros in Game 3 to get on the board in the series. In Game 4, the Astros held a 4–0 lead after the top of the seventh, but the Yankees scored six unanswered runs to win and even the series. Masahiro Tanaka pitched seven shutout innings in Game 5 as the Yankees won 5–0 to go up 3–2 in the series headed back to Houston. In Game 6, Verlander again had another solid pitching performance as he threw seven shutout innings in a blowout win for the Astros. Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers Jr. helped shut out the Yankees in Game 7, 4–0, to clinch the pennant for the Astros.
Both teams would meet again in the 2019 ALCS, which the Astros won in six games, and in the 2022 ALCS, in which the Yankees were swept.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Cubs, and a rematch of the previous year's NLCS. The Dodgers defeated the defending World Series champion Cubs in five games to return to the World Series for the first time since 1988.
In Game 1, the Dodgers scored five unanswered runs across the fifth, sixth and seventh innings as they overcame an early 2–0 Cubs lead to win. In Game 2, the Dodgers prevailed off a walk-off three-run home run from Justin Turner in the bottom of the ninth. Turner's three-run home run was the Dodgers' first walk-off homer in the postseason since Kirk Gibson's two-run home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series.[41] When the series shifted to Chicago, Yu Darvish struck out seven in 61⁄3 innings of Game 3 as the Dodgers won 6–1 to go up 3–0 in the series. The Cubs would deny the Dodgers a sweep with a narrow victory in Game 4, however the defending champions were ultimately eliminated in a blowout loss in Game 5, 11–1. This was the third straight season in which the National League pennant was won at Wrigley Field.
As of 2022, this is the last time the Cubs appeared in the NLCS. The Dodgers would win the NL pennant again in two of the next three postseasons — the next year they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games to capture the pennant, and in 2020 they defeated the Atlanta Braves, also in seven games.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Dodgers and Astros. They had previously met in the 1981 NLDS, which the Dodgers won in five games en route to a World Series title. The Astros defeated the Dodgers in seven games to capture their first World Series title in franchise history, becoming the first team from Texas to accomplish such as feat. The Astros became the first team from Houston to win a championship since 1995, when the Houston Rockets repeated as NBA champions.
The Dodgers convincingly took Game 1 in the shortest World Series game since 1992 at 2 hours and 28 minutes. Game 2 was an 11-inning slugfest which the Astros won 7–6, as both teams had four different players hit home runs. Game 2 was the first World Series game won by the Astros in franchise history. When the series moved to Houston, the Astros took a 2–1 series lead with a two-run victory in Game 3. Game 3 was marred by controversy, as Houston's Yuli Gurriel made a racially insensitive gesture in the dugout at Los Angeles' Yu Darvish after his home run. He stretched the sides of his eyes and mouthing the Spanish word chinito, which translates to "little Chinese Boy"; Darvish is from Japan.[49][50] Gurriel apologized, and said that anyone from Asia is called a chino in Cuba, although he acknowledged knowing that the term was offensive in Japan from having played there.[49][51] As a result, Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of Baseball, suspended Gurriel for the first five games of the 2018 Major League Baseball season without pay, but allowed him to continue playing in the World Series.[52][53] The Dodgers rallied late in Game 4 by scoring six runs in two of the final three innings to even the series at two.
The series was notable for its Game 5, which saw a record six game-tying home runs and 25 combined runs scored. The six game-tying home runs in the series to this point is the most for any World Series on record.[54] This World Series set a new record for most players to hit a home run (14 to date in the World Series). With the teams combining to score 25 runs throughout the game, this was the highest scoring World Series game since the Florida Marlins defeated the Cleveland Indians 14–11 in Game 3 of the 1997 World Series.[55]
When the series shifted back to Los Angeles, Tony Watson defeated Justin Verlander in a pitchers' duel as the Dodgers won 3–1 to force a seventh game. However, George Springer helped carry the Astros to victory in Game 7 with his fifth home run of the series.
The Astros' victory became controversial when MLB determined in 2019 that they had been illegally using technology to steal signs from opposing teams during their championship season, in addition to during the following season.[56] As a result, the Astros were fined $5 million and docked several top draft picks, while Astros manager A. J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were suspended for one year; both were subsequently fired. However, Commissioner of BaseballRob Manfred opted against punishing any of the players involved or revoking the Astros' World Series title.[57]ESPN writer Sam Miller opined that although competitive and memorable, the 2017 World Series "produced a champion we all regret having felt happy for".[58]
Broadcasting
This was fourth year of eight-year U.S. TV contracts with ESPN, Fox Sports, and TBS. ESPN aired the American League Wild Card Game, Fox Sports 1 and MLB Network split the American League Division Series, and the Fox broadcast network and Fox Sports 1 split the American League Championship Series. TBS had the National League Wild Card Game, Division Series, and Championship Series, with sister network TNT used as an overflow channel. The World Series then aired on the Fox broadcast network for the 18th consecutive year.
