Preview/Prediction

The two lovable losers of baseball will face off with a chance to go to the World Series as the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs battle in the National League Championship Series.

While both teams entered the year with promising young talent, few actually believed either would reach this stage so soon. But they both kept winning in the regular season and reached the playoffs, where they pulled off impressive upsets in the division series.

The National League Championship Series (NLCS) field is officially set, as the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets both came away victorious in their respective division series.

The Cubs bested the rival St. Louis Cardinals in four games in what was the first postseason meeting between those two teams.

This is the first time the Cubs have made the playoffs since 2008 and the first time they have advanced to the NLCS since 2003. They will now be looking for their first NL pennant since 1945.

Somebody different will win the World Series this year.

Sick of the San Francisco Giants hoisting MLB's trophy every even year? Tired of the St. Louis Cardinals filling all the gaps in between? Longing for the day where the Evil Empire gets conquered while the other budding, big-market villains in Boston also step aside? Good news: Both the American League and National League Championship Series present fresh faces far removed from their last victory parade. 

Two long-suffering franchises enjoying a period of strong talent and good fortune will meet in the 2015 American League Championship Series, making this best-of-four series a particularly exciting, acutely anticipated matchup.

In the process of setting the 2015 World Series odds for MLB's four league championship contenders, there is one observation that is inescapable: Everyone left standing has an excellent chance of winning a ring.

The Kansas City Royals have the October experience, and the Toronto Blue Jays have the collection of unreal bats. But the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs have the rising stars who are poised to take over the postseason.

The Chicago Cubs already had a spot in the NLCS locked up following Tuesday's Game 4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, but the New York Mets secured their place with a dramatic 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday evening.  

With the matchup set and a pennant on the line, here's a preview of when and where you can catch all the NLCS action between two championship-starved franchises:

After the Los Angeles Dodgers failed to meet expectations for the third consecutive season, falling in five games to the New York Mets in the National League Division Series, you can be sure that changes are coming to the team.

It should surprise absolutely nobody that a winner-take-all Game 5 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets in the National League Division Series will come down to two of the best aces in baseball.

Zack Greinke gets the ball for the Dodgers at home, while Mets star Jacob deGrom takes to the mound in a Thursday night showdown that will decide who advances to face the Chicago Cubs in the NLCS.

For those who switched the channel while Toronto Blue Jays fans were busy littering the field with beer cans and other loose pieces of garbage, they switched back to find one of the craziest single innings in postseason history.

The American League Championship Series (ALCS) field is officially set as the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals both came away victorious in their respective division series matchups.

The Blue Jays rallied after falling behind 2-0 in their series with the Texas Rangers, and capped things off by winning one of the strangest elimination games you'll ever see in front of a raucous home crowd in Toronto.