All four league division series were on the brink of concluding on the same day for the first time in 30 years. However, that will not come to pass, as only three teams will advance to their league championship series.

The Cleveland Guardians exploded for nine runs against the Chicago White Sox to keep their season alive. The Los Angeles Dodgers took care of business, slamming the door shut on the Atlanta Braves for good. The Tampa Bay Rays will also advance, completing a three-game sweep against the New York Yankees.

Here is the main takeaway from each division series game.

Guardians Flip Script With Offensive Explosion

The Guardians were held to three runs between Games 1 and 2. However, they flipped the script in Game 3, winning 9-3 to force a Game 4 at Rate Field. Scoring four runs in the third inning, Cleveland took a commanding lead they would not relinquish the rest of the game.

Jo Adell, who they acquired at the trade deadline from the Angels, delivered the big knock in the frame. His bases-clearing triple gave the Guardians a 4-1 lead.

Superstar third baseman José Ramírez produced another run as the White Sox cut the lead to two. Ramírez doubled, stole third, then outran Chase Meidroth's throw home on a Chase DeLauter ground ball up the middle.

The Guardians capitalized on 10 walks by the White Sox, pounding out 11 hits. Ramírez added a two-run triple in the eighth to provide breathing room. Cleveland plated two more runs in the ninth to turn this one into a laugher.

With the way the White Sox are managing their pitching staff, the series could start shifting momentum. Cleveland hitters have seen most of Chicago's pitching staff multiple times, which could come to their advantage if they can force a Game 5.

Dodgers Bullpen Dominates Again in Game 4

The Dodgers pitching staff closed out the Braves, holding them to one run in back-to-back games on the road. In Game 3 it was Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In Game 4, the Dodgers bullpen shined.

The game began as a pitchers duel between Tyler Glasnow and Tyler Mahle. Glasnow struggled with command, as he walked five Braves in his start.

With two on and two outs in the fifth, manager Dave Roberts went to his bullpen. The biggest at-bat of the night was between left-hander Alex Vesia and Braves first baseman Matt Olson. Vesia would escape the jam by inducing a ground ball from Olson in just one pitch.

The Dodgers capitalized in the seventh. Back-to-back walks with two outs gave Andy Pages an opportunity. The 25-year-old entered the game hitting .123 in postseason play, but he made the most of that chance with a two-run single to put Los Angeles up for good.

The trio of Edgardo Henriquez, Tanner Scott, and Edwin Diaz took care of the rest. The three pitchers got the final 11 outs of the game and allowed just one baserunner. Diaz has looked sharp of late, securing back-to-back saves to finish off the Braves.

The win was also Roberts' 72nd in the postseason with the Dodgers. That pushed him ahead of legendary Athletics and Cardinals skipper Tony La Russa for the second-most in MLB history, per Sarah Langs. Only Joe Torre's 84 is left to catch, although that can't happen until next year at the earliest.

The Dodgers became the first team to punch their ticket into the National League Championship Series. It marks their third straight. With how well they pitched against the Braves, they look like the favorite going in.

Victor Mesa Jr. Sends Rays to ALCS

The Rays became the second team to advance. Tampa Bay finished off a three-game sweep of the Yankees, never trailing for a single pitch in the three games.

The big moment came in the sixth inning. Victor Mesa Jr. got a sweeper at the top of the zone and blasted out a go-ahead two-run home run to put the Rays up 4-2. That was a big number, as teams that have scored four runs this postseason are 14-0 entering play on October 6, per MLB's Sarah Langs.

The Rays' lead would be immediately tested in the bottom half of the inning. Griffin Jax walked George Lombard Jr. after an ABS challenge overturned a strike call on a 3-1 count. That brought the potential tying run to the plate in Anthony Volpe.

Volpe drove a ball out to left, which was initially ruled a home run when it didn't return to the field of play. But replay showed fan interference, which changed the play to an RBI double. Jax got Spencer Jones to whiff at the next three pitches to end the threat.

The Rays kept the Yankees off the scoreboard the rest of the way, despite the tying run reaching in both the eighth and ninth innings. Kevin Kelly struck out Giancarlo Stanton to end the eighth and Bryan Baker picked up his second one-run save of the series to finish it out.

Garrett Mitchell Ends Brewers 8-Year Postseason Drought

The Brewers suffered a tough Game 3 loss in San Diego, but they responded in their typical fashion for Game 4. Their defense was excellent throughout the night, punctuated by a game-saving grab by Garrett Mitchell. Mitchell's catch denied Manny Machado a game-tying home run that could have changed the entire series.

Mitchell also had a big day at the plate. After a 2-for-11 start to the series, manager Pat Murphy brought him, Jake Bauers, and Brice Turang in his office to chat. Mitchell doubled his series hit total, with an RBI single that put the Brewers on the board in the third. He added an RBI double for the game's decisive run in the fifth.

The Brewers bullpen was excellent in preserving a tight lead. Aaron Ashby got the win with three excellent innings. Abner Uribe pitched a scoreless eighth, with Mitchell's help. Trevor Megill ensured there would be no drama in the ninth, retiring the side in order.

The win snapped an 11-game road postseason losing streak. Their previous win came all the way back in the 2018 NLCS against the Dodgers. Speaking of the Dodgers, that's who they'll play. It will be the second straight NLCS matchup, and the third in the last nine postseasons.