As promised, the pennant races have come down to the wire. Some feature head-to-head match-ups, but others do not.
Three teams in the American League are fighting for two spots in the west and wild card, and three teams are vying for one spot in the central. In the National League, the central race is tighter than tight, and the wild card race will come down to the last game of the season.
In the AL West, the Oakland Athletics are up on the Seattle Mariners, but the Mariners have an opportunity to gain three games in the last three of the season by sweeping Oakland. The final series of the season sends the A’s into Safeco Field in Seattle, with the potential of falling from first in the west to out of the playoffs.
The Boston Red Sox have the best position of the bunch, leading in the wild card race and controlling their own destiny. The Red Sox are also in danger of losing their spot, but by finishing their season strong, they can secure a spot as soon as Friday.
The Minnesota Twins have come on quickly in the second half of the season, and need only decent play for the last week of the season to clinch the AL Central playoff berth. The Twins are holding off the Chicago White Sox and the Kansas City Royals for the right to continue to the post-season.
The New York Yankees have all but clinched home field advantage through the AL playoffs, and they are waiting to see who they will face in the first round. If Boston is the wild card, then the Yankees will play the winner of the AL Central.
If Oakland or Seattle is the wild card with the other winning the AL West, the Yankees will play the wild card team, with the winner of the west playing the winner of the AL Central.
In the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros are feeling each others’ breath on their necks, and each is playing a non-contender in the final week of the season. The Cardinals are not out of the race, but it’s not likely that the Cubs and Astros will fall apart.
The NL wild card playoff berth is a scrum currently between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Florida Marlins. The Phillies and Marlins are playing head-to-head, so the loser of the Central Division may sneak in if they split their series.
The other interesting race in the NL is the race for home field advantage. The Atlanta Braves and San Francisco Giants, who have long ago clinched their divisions, are knocking heads for home-field throughout the NL playoffs.
If the Phillies or the Marlins win the wild card, then they will take on the Giants in the first round and the Braves will play the winner of the NL Central.
Should the Cubs or Astros steal the wild card from the Phillies or Marlins, the Braves would play the wild card team with the Giants playing the winner of the central.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the AL won the right to have home field advantage in the World Series by winning the All-Star game this summer in Comisky Park in Chicago.
The last intriguing race in the Major Leagues this season is the Detroit Tigers trying to avoid becoming the worst team in history. They have a good chance of breaking the 120 loss record set by the expansion 1962 New York Mets.
