The top six teams in the 'A' Division will begin postseason play this weekend.

With the regular season at an end, the top six teams in the NYCMBL 'A' division will take the field this weekend to begin the double-elimination tournament that will crown the 2019 champions. But although the NY Blacksox have established themselves as the divison's top dogs, there are several challengers with a legitimate chance to win the title. Let's take a look at the first round of play!

Saturday, July 27

(3) New York Patriots (19-8-2) vs. (6) Skyscrapers (10-16-1) - 10 a,m @Randall's Island #27

The Patriots and Skyscrapers squared off in the last week of the regular season, and if those results are any indication, the No. 6 seed could be in for a tough time on Saturday morning. The Pats pounded the Skyscrapers, outscoring their first-round foes 30-7 over the course of a doubleheader, so they should be brimming with confidence heading into this weekend's meeting between the two clubs. 

Snoop Ferreira's club has been hot as of late, earning a split with the first-place Blacksox on July 14. They come into the postseason having won seven of their last 10 games and have three of the top seven hitters in the league in Suero, Cancel and Sanchez. The Skyscrapers will need a vintage performance from ace Jared Slow if they want to stay in this ballgame. Slow has plenty of experience in big games, however, having pitched in both the 'A' and 'AA' playoffs in the past. 

The winner of Saturday's game will move on to play the No. 2 Dodgers on July 28. 

(4) Yonkers Railsplitters (15-11-1) vs. (5) Nassau Yankees (16-12-1)

The Railsplitters and Yankees will square off again on Saturday, just seven days after playing against each other on "seeding weekend." That double header was a resounding success for the Yanks, who swept the defending champs with victories of 17-1 and 10-9 to end the season on a high note. 

Those two final wins put the season series between the clubs at 3-3, which is a good indication that the matchup between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds should be a barnburner. Although neither team has officially announced it's Game 1 starter, the Yankees' ace this year has unquestionably been Patrick Malave who finished the regular season with a 4-1 record and an ERA of 2.88. The Railsplitters, on the other hand, have no shortage of viable starters, and could go with either Mike Boothby (3-3, 2.33), Ruddy Perez (4-1, 3.46) or Elizabeth Benn (2-2, 3.71) on the mound. 

The winner of this game will play against the top-seeded New York Blacksox on July 28.