Updated MLB Playoffs Bracket: Royals eliminate Astros, advance to ALCS

It was a crazy day for baseball, but the ALCS is set as the Kansas City Royals continue to roll back to the World Series. 

Last year the Kansas City Royals were the cinderella team that baseball fans got behind as they rode a wave to the World Series. They nearly came away as champions, falling a game short against the San Francisco Giants — but they’re one step closer to defending their AL Crown.

Kansas City entered the postseason as a Wild Card team last year but this season they’re top dogs. It was the Houston Astros who were the exciting upstart wild card team that fans were pulling of against the suddenly bodacious Royals. It was the top dogs who ended up coming out ahead though in the series, as you could argue the Royals won things in Game 4 when they came back to beat the Astros in Houston.

The Astros hung tight with the Royals in Game 5, but ultimately Kansas City blew thee lid off the series in the eighth inning and clinched a series win in convincing fashion.

Here’s a look at the current MLB Playoffs bracket now that the ALCS has been set:

Click to Enlarge

While it was looking a few days ago like an all Texas Championship Series, both the angers and Astros were bounced out of the postseason just hours apart from one another. While it’s going to be a quiet winter in Texas as far as baseball is concerned, we’re getting the two most exciting teams in the American League going toe-to-toe as the Royals are a step closer to defending their crown while the Blue Jays are hoping history can be re-written in their favor.

Houston shouldn’t hang their heads though, as they’re well ahead of schedule as far as being contenders in the American League, and should be favorites to take massive leaps forward in 2016. Until then, they’ll have to sit home and watch the ALCS, thinking about what they could have done differently to be there themselves.