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After clinching their first American League East title in 22 years, the Toronto Blue Jays enter the postseason as strong 3/1 favorites on the odds to win the World Series at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

It has been a tale of two seasons for the Blue Jays, who were a mediocre 50-51 at the end of July and looked to have fallen out of postseason contention.

The Blue Jays' 43-18 record since then has fueled their rise to the top of the World Series odds and has made them 29/20 chalk to capture the American League pennant.

Toronto opens its postseason with an ALDS clash with the Texas Rangers, who rode a 20-12 run down the stretch to capture the AL West crown but trail at a distant 12/1 on the World Series betting lines.

The Kansas City Royals remain close on the Blue Jays' heels with 5/1 World Series odds. Owners of the best record in the AL, the Royals await the winner of Tuesday night's Houston Astros-New York Yankees AL wild card betting matchup at Yankee Stadium. Both New York and Houston trail the pack on the World Series odds at 4/1.

The St. Louis Cardinals' 100 wins led the majors this season, making them 21/10 chalk on the odds to win the National League pennant.

The Cardinals will face the winner of Wednesday's NL wild-card matchup between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago Cubs in the NLDS, and currently sit alongside the Royals as a 5/1 bet to claim their third World Series title in six years.

The Pirates and Cubs won 98 and 97 games, respectively, during the regular season, but with one of them assured to go home following their wild-card matchup, they trail the pack in World Series betting with Chicago at 10/1 and Pittsburgh at 11/1.

Chicago won the season series over Pittsburgh by an 11-8 margin, taking six of 10 from the Pirates at PNC Park, including three of four in mid-September, but dropped two of three at home two weekends ago.

The Los Angeles Dodgers hold home-field advantage and an edge on the World Series odds over the New York Mets in their NLDS matchup. The Dodgers are a strong 6/1 bet to win this year's Fall Classic, just ahead of the Mets at 7/1.

However, the Mets hold a slim advantage in recent matchups with the Dodgers, winning four of seven meetings this year after going 3-13 in their previous 16 meetings.

Thumbnail photo via John E. Sokolowski/USA TODAY Sports Images