The Evil Empire Strikes Again/Bye, Bye, Birdies.

Another prediction I got wrong, and this was the one I should have picked right. After 5 games, and a tied season series, the New York Yankees defeated the Baltimore Orioles for the chance to advance to their 41st World Series appearance in franchise history, and the Orioles' first winning season in a decade and a half comes to an abrupt end.

Thanks to some re-energized veterans (not you, A-Rod), the Yanks are in a position they are very familiar with.

One tends to assume (I assume) that the Yankees are normally a lock for the playoffs (ignore the years between 1981 and 1995). You take for granted that you're going to see pinstripes worn deep into the fall, and if you're a staunch fan, any season ending in anything less than a 4-game sweep of the World Series is viewed, overall, as a failure. While the Yanks are the last American League team to win it all, that was back in 2009. In terms of championship-obsessed fans, that was ages ago. And after two disappointing playoff exits in the past 2 years (an ALCS exit to the eventual champion Texas Rangers in 2010, and an embarrassing first-round defeat by their opponent in this year's Championship Series, the Detroit Tigers), this year, they knew they had to do something to sate the insatiable, to satisfy the unsatisfiable, to deliver a championship to a fanbase that would immediately say, "Great, do it again next year or no one will care." Derek Jeter was up to the test. A 38-year-old shortstop who many thought was past his prime, Jeter hit his stride after his 3,000th hit last July and hasn't looked back. He led the American League in hits with 216, and his .316 batting average was not only his highest season BA since the last Yanks championship, but was good enough for 5th in the AL. Curtis Granderson, the low-average-high-power centerfielder, and Mark Teixeira, the similarly-skilled first baseman, combined for 67 home runs, 190 RBIs, and a .242 batting average (believe it or not, the Yanks were 8th in baseball in BA, with .256, helped in part by the midseason acquisition of embattled Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, clamoring to play for a contender once more before he retires). And after injuries decimated most of the rotation and left legendary closer Mariano Rivera out for the entire season, starters CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and closer Rafael Soriano lended some timely performances, even though they ranked between 10th and 19th in all defensive categories. Although they missed many opportunities in the LDS thanks to third baseman and notorious October choker Alex Rodriguez continuing to see his skills decline at a terrifying pace, people like MVP candidate Robinson Cano and pinch-hitting expert Raul Ibanez kept the Bombers alive to outlast the O's in 5.

Even after a crushing first-round exit, the Orioles have a lot to look forward to.

The Orioles must hate seeing any postseason scenario that would match them up with the Yanks at any point. After the infamous Jeffrey Maier incident in 1996 that many point to as the beginning of a long period of poor performance for the O's, the Baltimore crew found themselves entering 2012 in a position they had been in for 15 years: manning the bottom of the AL East and serving as fodder for better, more prepared teams. But something different happened: they won some games. A lot, to be exact. For a team that finished with a 69-93 record, just winning 70 games the next year is an improvement. But thanks to some key pieces, mainly newly-extended centerfielder Adam Jones, who led the team with a .287 average and 103 runs, Rangers castoff Chris Davis leading the team with 33 home runs and 85 RBIs, and rookie hurler Wei-Yin Chen, who faltered down the stretch but still led the rotation with 12 wins, a 4.02 ERA and 154 strikeouts, the Birds got to experience postseason baseball for the first time since 1997, after cruising to a playoff berth with 93 wins and a defeat of the 2-time defending AL champs, the Rangers. A lot of their success was credited to Manager of the Year likely Buck Showalter, whose creativity and experience saved a team that had to use 12 different starters throughout the year, with Chen being the only one making more than 20 starts (he made 32). The addition of longtime DH Jim Thome and the re-emergence of first baseman/strikeout machine Mark Reynolds as a hitter cut in the same cloth as Granderson and Teixeira, as well as the late addition of highly-prized prospect Manny Machado bolstered the offense, that ranked as high as 11th in all offensive stats. The bullpen was where most of the Orioles' magic really came from in 2012: closer Jim Johnson exploded for a breakout year not seen in a 9th inning man since Eric Gagne's Cy Young award-winning season in 2003, with 51 saves in 71 games pitched and a 2.49 ERA in 69 innings pitched. Although the season ended much sooner than these hungry Beltway fans were anticipating, the Orioles can be proud of the season they enjoyed. They improved all across the board in all offensive and defensive stats, and 93 wins gave them their first winning season since, you guessed it, 1997. And who knows? With the way they've been playing, only one botched play by an opponent could have them in a much better position this time next year.

The Tigers, winner in their LDS matchup against the A's, will face the Yankees in the Bronx tomorrow in Game 1, when Doug Fister, who set the MLB record for consecutive strikeouts just a few starts ago, will take on Andy Pettitte, the winningest postseason pitcher in history. As for the Giants, they await the result of the Cardinals-Nationals Game 5 taking place right now. In just a few hours, we'll have the first round recap and updated predictions.