If the remaining MLB playoff teams were a Quentin Tarantino flick, they might be called The Grateful Eight.
OK, that’s unfair. “Grateful” implies an element of luck. And while there’s some good fortune in every postseason run, all of these clubs deserve to be where they are.
They earned it over a 162-game slog and, in the case of the Toronto Blue Jays and San Francisco Giants, the high-pressure crucible of the one-and-done Wild Card Game.
Now, with the division series matchups set, we can parse the odds of each contender winning 11 more games, achieving World Series glory and bathing in confetti and champagne.
We’ll consider stats, naturally, as well as health, history and a dollop of old-fashioned gut feeling.
Feel free to weigh in with your own odds in the comments, and proceed when ready.