The 1 vs. 8 series in the American League playoffs brings a ton of energy with it, as the Blue Jays travel to Tampa Bay to face the Rays. There’s so much to look forward to here.

Yes, both teams had good seasons meriting postseason berths. But more than that, these teams were a ton of fun to watch throughout the season. The Rays had four walk-off wins, tied for second-most in the Majors, and the Blue Jays had three. Comebacks abound, and there were plenty of reasons to pay attention to every pitch.

The Blue Jays played the season with Sahlen Field in Buffalo as their home park due to COVID-19 restrictions in Canada. But being away from the Rogers Centre didn’t faze the Jays, who finished 32-28 to earn an AL Wild Card berth -- the team’s first postseason appearance since 2016.

• AL Wild Card Series presented by Hankook Tire, Game 1: Today, 5 p.m. ET on TBS

If there’s one thing that’s evident when watching both of these teams, it’s energy and passion. The Rays, who won 90 games in 2018 but missed the playoffs and 96 in ‘19 but were an AL Wild Card team, put together the second-best season in the Majors (by winning percentage) and won their first division title since '10. When a team plays like it has something to prove the way the Rays do, that emanates through the television while watching.

When either of these two teams play, there’s always a memorable moment to take away -- a defensive gem, a home run or a celebration. With the stakes at an all-time high, there are bound to be even more instances.

And so much of it is visual. You just have to see these teams. Here are some GIFs and videos to show you why you absolutely must watch the Rays and Blue Jays this week.

Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Blue Jays

Football fans know that one of longtime ESPN sportscaster Chris Berman’s frequent refrains is “nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.” Essentially, the phrase means that nobody rallies like them. When it was announced that the Blue Jays would be playing their home games in Buffalo, the phrase made its rounds. Then, in their seventh game at Sahlen, in the second of a doubleheader, the Blue Jays engineered an epic comeback. After allowing seven runs in the first inning to the Phillies, they went on to score nine unanswered runs to win, 9-7. It was the first time a team won a game after allowing seven runs in the first inning since 2006.

That, folks, is circling the wagons. Here’s a video recap of that momentum-inspiring afternoon.

It’s hard not to connect that wagon-circling to the team’s youth. The average age of Blue Jays hitters this year is the youngest on any playoff team in franchise history, and the team made it all the way to the postseason without a 10-year veteran appearing in a game. Elias tells us they’re the first team to do that in the Divisional Era (since 1969). Who needs veterans when you have Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Teoscar Hernandez and so many others? Youthful exuberance abounds.

Kevin Kiermaier’s defense is on another planet

Watching Kiermaier play the outfield, you can see that he is just on another level. The three-time Gold Glove Award-winner uses elite speed to get to plays you wouldn’t even think possible, and he has a rocket for an arm, too. He tied for second among outfielders with five Outs Above Average in 2020, and he had one of the six strongest arms in the outfield.

Kiermaier had three five-star catches this season -- which are plays with a 25 percent or lower catch probability -- the most of any outfielder. It just so happens that two of those were against the Blue Jays, and both against the same batter: Danny Jansen. Here’s a look at both.

The Blue Jays crush the ball

The Jays had a 41.5 percent hard-hit rate, highest among AL teams, but you don’t need stats to tell you that they mashed the ball. Watching their games, it’s hard not to be aware of just how hard the ball is being hit. There’s Guerrero Jr., who had his fair share of 110+ mph batted balls, and Hernandez, who hit the ball at least 95 mph more than half the time. They did it against every team they faced, which is where a connection to this series comes in.

Vlad Jr.’s hardest-hit home run of his career was on Aug. 21 this year, against none other than the Rays, at Tropicana Field. He rocketed a Ryan Yarbrough pitch to left field at 115.9 mph.

Tyler Glasnow is nasty

Glasnow’s ERA wasn’t as good as it was in 2019, but his curveball was even better. Opponents got 10 hits all year on Glasnow’s curve, in 83 at-bats, and had a 52.8 percent whiff rate on the pitch. That means that more than half the time, when an opponent swung at a Glasnow curve, he missed on that swing.

By the way, Glasnow also reaches 100 mph with his fastball, which averages 96.9 mph. Best of luck, hitters.

Elite social media teams

It’s 2020. Team Twitter accounts are always good -- and are pretty much expected to be, at this point. That being said, @RaysBaseball and @BlueJays both did particularly stellar jobs this season, and both are worth pointing out.

When the Rays marched into Yankee Stadium on Aug. 18-20 and handed the Yankees their first three home losses, the Tampa Bay Twitter account called the team “savages in the B(r)o(n)x” -- playing off the 2019 Yankees in-game rant.

When the Blue Jays beat the Yankees, 14-1, on Sept. 23, they had a similar concept in mind.