The Mets have ousted the Phillies, while the Dodgers roared back against the Padres. Meanwhile, the Yankees and Tigers are one step closer.

For the NL East champion Phillies, who won 95 games and finished six ahead of the wild-card Mets during the regular season, it was a bitter exit early in the playoffs and a disappointing step backward after they advanced to the 2022 World Series and then lost Games 6 and 7 of the 2023 NLCS at home to Arizona.

Though close in geographic proximity, it would've been laughable to call the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres rivals not so long ago. In order to be a true rivalry, the teams don't necessarily have to be on even footing,