# 2017 Major League Baseball postseason

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 eight consecutive postseason appearances for the Astros. It was also the first of six consecutive appearances for the Yankees.
In the National League, the Washington Nationals returned for the fourth time in six years, the Los Angeles Dodgers made their fifth straight appearance, the Chicago Cubs made their third straight appearance, and the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies both returned for the first time since 2007. This was the first postseason since 2003 to feature three 100-win teams.
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.
The following teams qualified for the postseason:

### American League

* Cleveland Indians – 102–60, AL Central champions
* Houston Astros – 101–61, AL West champions
* Boston Red Sox – 93–69, AL East champions
* New York Yankees – 91–71
* Minnesota Twins – 85–77

### National League

* Los Angeles Dodgers – 104–58, NL West champions
* Washington Nationals – 97–65, NL East champions
* Chicago Cubs – 92–70, NL Central champions
* Arizona Diamondbacks – 93–69
* Colorado Rockies – 87–75

## Playoff bracket

| Wild Card Games (ALWC, NLWC) | Wild Card Games (ALWC, NLWC) | Wild Card Games (ALWC, NLWC) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | Division Series (ALDS, NLDS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | League Championship Series (ALCS, NLCS) | World Series | World Series | World Series |
| | | | 1 | Cleveland | 2 | | | | | | |
| 4 | NY Yankees | 1 | 4 | NY Yankees | 3 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Minnesota | 0 | American League | American League | American League | 4 | NY Yankees | 3 | | | |
| | | | American League | American League | American League | 2 | Houston | 4 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Houston | 3 | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Boston | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | AL2 | Houston | 4 |
| | | | | | | | | | NL1 | LA Dodgers | 3 |
| | | | 1 | LA Dodgers | 3 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Arizona | 1 | 4 | Arizona | 0 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Colorado | 0 | National League | National League | National League | 1 | LA Dodgers | 4 | | | |
| | | | National League | National League | National League | 3 | Chicago Cubs | 1 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Washington | 2 | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Chicago Cubs | 3 | | | | | | |

## American League Wild Card
### (4) New York Yankees vs. (5) Minnesota Twins

Tuesday, October 3, 2017 8:10 pm (EDT) at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, 62 °F (17 °C), clear :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Minnesota | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| New York | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| WP: David Robertson (1–0) LP: José Berríos (0–1) Home runs: MIN: Brian Dozier (1), Eddie Rosario (1) NYY: Didi Gregorius (1), Brett Gardner (1), Aaron Judge (1) Attendance: 49,280 Boxscore |||||||||||||
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.
Both teams would meet in the ALDS once more in 2019, which the Yankees won in a sweep.

## National League Wild Card
### (4) Arizona Diamondbacks vs. (5) Colorado Rockies

Wednesday, October 4, 2017 5:08 pm (MST) at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, 76 °F (24 °C), roof closed :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Colorado | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Arizona | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | X | 11 | 17 | 0 |
| WP: Andrew Chafin (1–0) LP: Jon Gray (0–1) Home runs: COL: Nolan Arenado (1), Trevor Story (1) ARI: Daniel Descalso (1), Paul Goldschmidt (1) Attendance: 48,803 Boxscore |||||||||||||
This was the second postseason meeting between the Rockies and Diamondbacks. They previously met in the 2007 NLCS, which the Rockies won in a sweep before falling in the World Series. Despite a late rally by the Rockies, the Diamondbacks held on to win 11–8, and advanced to the NLDS for the first time since 2011.

## American League Division Series
### (1) Cleveland Indians vs. (4) New York Yankees

New York won the series, 3–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 5 | New York Yankees – 0, Cleveland Indians – 4 | Progressive Field | 3:26 | 37,612 |
| 2 | October 6 | New York Yankees – 8, Cleveland Indians – 9 (13) | Progressive Field | 5:08 | 37,681 |
| 3 | October 8 | Cleveland Indians – 0, New York Yankees – 1 | Yankee Stadium | 3:17 | 48,614 |
| 4 | October 9 | Cleveland Indians – 3, New York Yankees – 7 | Yankee Stadium | 3:47 | 47,316 |
| 5 | October 11 | New York Yankees – 5, Cleveland Indians – 2 | Progressive Field | 3:38 | 37,802 |
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.
Trevor Bauer and the Indians’ bullpen shut out the Yankees in Game 1. Game 2 was an offensive grind between both teams that went into extra innings, and once again the Indians prevailed as Yan Gomes batted in Austin Jackson in the bottom of the thirteenth to take a 2–0 series lead headed to the Bronx. Masahiro Tanaka outdueled Andrew Miller in a pitchers duel in Game 3 as the Yankees got on the board in the series. In Game 4, the Yankees jumped out to a big lead early and held it to send the series back to Cleveland for a decisive fifth game. Didi Gregorius hit two home runs in a 5-2 Yankees win in Game 5 to close out the series.
Both teams would meet again in the Wild Card round in 2020, the ALDS in 2022, and the 2024 ALCS, with all three being won by the Yankees.

### (2) Houston Astros vs. (3) Boston Red Sox

Houston won the series, 3–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 5 | Boston Red Sox – 2, Houston Astros – 8 | Minute Maid Park | 3:26 | 43,102 |
| 2 | October 6 | Boston Red Sox – 2, Houston Astros – 8 | Minute Maid Park | 4:00 | 43,410 |
| 3 | October 8 | Houston Astros – 3, Boston Red Sox – 10 | Fenway Park | 3:38 | 38,010 |
| 4 | October 9 | Houston Astros – 5, Boston Red Sox – 4 | Fenway Park | 4:07 | 37,305 |
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 and first LCS overall since 2005.
Justin Verlander pitched six solid innings as the Astros blew out the Red Sox in Game 1. Carlos Correa and George Springer ignited a spark in the Astros’ offense in Game 2 as they blew out the Red Sox again to take a 2–0 series lead headed to Fenway Park. The Red Sox blew out the Astros in Game 3 to get on the board in the series. In Game 4, Verlander outdueled Chris Sale again as the Astros won by one run to close out the series.
Both teams would meet again in the ALCS in 2018 and 2021, with the Red Sox winning the former and the Astros winning the latter.

## National League Division Series
### (1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (4) Arizona Diamondbacks

Los Angeles won the series, 3–0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 6 | Arizona Diamondbacks – 5, Los Angeles Dodgers – 9 | Dodger Stadium | 3:37 | 54,707 |
| 2 | October 7 | Arizona Diamondbacks – 5, Los Angeles Dodgers – 8 | Dodger Stadium | 3:48 | 54,726 |
| 3 | October 9 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 3, Arizona Diamondbacks – 1 | Chase Field | 3:36 | 48,641 |
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 Dodgers took Game 1 despite four different players on the Diamondbacks hitting home runs - A. J. Pollock, J. D. Martinez, Ketel Marte, and Jeff Mathis. Game 2 was more of the same - the Dodgers once again defeated the D-Backs in an offensive shootout despite not hitting any home runs. In Phoenix for Game 3, Yu Darvish outdueled Zack Greinke as the Dodgers won 3-1 to finish the sweep.
The Diamondbacks would not return to the postseason until 2023. They would again meet the Dodgers in the NLDS that year, and the Diamondbacks would win in a sweep before falling in the World Series.

### (2) Washington Nationals vs. (3) Chicago Cubs

Chicago won the series, 3–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 6 | Chicago Cubs – 3, Washington Nationals – 0 | Nationals Park | 3:02 | 43,898 |
| 2 | October 7 | Chicago Cubs – 3, Washington Nationals – 6 | Nationals Park | 3:06 | 43,860 |
| 3 | October 9 | Washington Nationals – 1, Chicago Cubs – 2 | Wrigley Field | 3:09 | 42,445 |
| 4 | October 11† | Washington Nationals – 5, Chicago Cubs – 0 | Wrigley Field | 3:57 | 42,264 |
| 5 | October 12 | Chicago Cubs – 9, Washington Nationals – 8 | Nationals Park | 4:37 | 43,849 |
†: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.
Kyle Hendricks outdueled Stephen Strasburg as the Cubs shut out the Nationals in Game 1. The Nationals evened the series in Game 2 as Anthony Rendon, Bryce Harper, and Ryan Zimmerman all homered for the Nats. In Chicago for Game 3, it was another pitchers duel between both teams’ bullpens, and the Cubs would prevail to regain the series lead. Then, in Game 4, Strasburg pitched seven shutout innings in a 5-0 Nationals win to send the series back to the nation’s capital. The Cubs ultimately prevailed in an offensive shootout in Game 5 to close out the series.
To date, this is the last playoff series win by the Cubs. This was the last time the Nationals lost in the NLDS, as in 2019, they ran the table and won the World Series as the fourth seed in the National League.

## American League Championship Series
### (2) Houston Astros vs. (4) New York Yankees

Houston won the series, 4–3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 13 | New York Yankees – 1, Houston Astros – 2 | Minute Maid Park | 3:20 | 43,116 |
| 2 | October 14 | New York Yankees – 1, Houston Astros – 2 | Minute Maid Park | 3:00 | 43,193 |
| 3 | October 16 | Houston Astros – 1, New York Yankees – 8 | Yankee Stadium | 3:25 | 49,373 |
| 4 | October 17 | Houston Astros – 4, New York Yankees – 6 | Yankee Stadium | 3:37 | 48,804 |
| 5 | October 18 | Houston Astros – 0, New York Yankees – 5 | Yankee Stadium | 3:18 | 49,647 |
| 6 | October 20 | New York Yankees – 1, Houston Astros – 7 | Minute Maid Park | 3:23 | 43,179 |
| 7 | October 21 | New York Yankees – 0, Houston Astros – 4 | Minute Maid Park | 3:09 | 43,201 |
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 (in the process denying a rematch of the 1981 World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers).
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. It would be in 2024 that the Yankees would finally win the pennant again.

## National League Championship Series
### (1) Los Angeles Dodgers vs. (3) Chicago Cubs

Los Angeles won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 14 | Chicago Cubs – 2, Los Angeles Dodgers – 5 | Dodger Stadium | 3:24 | 54,289 |
| 2 | October 15 | Chicago Cubs – 1, Los Angeles Dodgers – 4 | Dodger Stadium | 3:20 | 54,479 |
| 3 | October 17 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 6, Chicago Cubs – 1 | Wrigley Field | 3:39 | 41,871 |
| 4 | October 18 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 2, Chicago Cubs – 3 | Wrigley Field | 3:15 | 42,195 |
| 5 | October 19 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 11, Chicago Cubs – 1 | Wrigley Field | 3:06 | 42,735 |
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. 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.
To date, this is the last postseason appearance outside of the Wild Card round for the Cubs. The Dodgers would win the NL pennant again in three of the next seven postseasons — the next year they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in seven games to capture the pennant, in 2020 they defeated the Atlanta Braves in seven games after trailing three games to one, and in 2024 they defeated the New York Mets in six games.

## 2017 World Series
### (AL2) Houston Astros vs. (NL1) Los Angeles Dodgers

Houston won the series, 4–3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | October 24 | Houston Astros – 1, Los Angeles Dodgers – 3 | Dodger Stadium | 2:28 | 54,253 |
| 2 | October 25 | Houston Astros – 7, Los Angeles Dodgers – 6 (11) | Dodger Stadium | 4:19 | 54,293 |
| 3 | October 27 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 3, Houston Astros – 5 | Minute Maid Park | 3:46 | 43,282 |
| 4 | October 28 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 6, Houston Astros – 2 | Minute Maid Park | 3:06 | 43,322 |
| 5 | October 29 | Los Angeles Dodgers – 12, Houston Astros – 13 (10) | Minute Maid Park | 5:17 | 43,300 |
| 6 | October 31 | Houston Astros – 1, Los Angeles Dodgers – 3 | Dodger Stadium | 3:22 | 54,128 |
| 7 | November 1 | Houston Astros – 5, Los Angeles Dodgers – 1 | Dodger Stadium | 3:37 | 54,124 |
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 eleven-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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
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. 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 Baseball Rob Manfred opted against punishing any of the players involved or revoking the Astros' World Series title. ESPN writer Sam Miller opined that although competitive and memorable, the 2017 World Series "produced a champion we all regret having felt happy for".

## 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 eighteenth consecutive year.