September baseball means insane hot streaks epic collapses in the race to the finish line
The Major League Baseball playoffs are less than a month away and the playoff races are starting to heat up.
Before getting into the heated battles, we will start off with the teams who look like they have their divisions wrapped up. These teams are the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago White Sox and Milwaukee Brewers. Each of these teams boasts at least an 8.5 game lead over the second-place team in their division.
Now it’s time to look at the close division races to watch down the stretch. The Braves are sitting just one game up on the red-hot Philadelphia Phillies, who have gone 8-2 in their last 10 games. The controversy-riddled Mets are still in contention for the division as well, sitting four games back of Atlanta.
Meanwhile in the NL West, the San Fransisco Giants have arguably been the best story in baseball this season. They currently have the best record in baseball at 88-50. However, the Dodger, defending champions, are right on their tail sitting just one game back.
The final month of the season is always a fun time for baseball fans as the wild card race brings some life to the end of a long season. The MLB has gone back to normal with the playoff format, as they got rid of the 16-team playoff field they had last year and are back to 10 squads making the postseason. This means that there will only be two wild card teams from each league.
The AL East currently owns the two wild card spots, as the Yankees and Red Sox occupy the first two spots. They have had nearly the complete opposite seasons as the Red Sox started off on a roll and have fallen hard back down to Earth. Meanwhile, the Yankees had a rough start to the season but have bounced back and now have a 0.5 game lead over Boston.
Additionally, the Blue Jays, Mariners and A’s are all less than four games behind the Red Sox for the final wild card spot. Toronto is starting to find their groove and is 8-2 in their last 10 games, gaining substantial ground on that second spot.
The NL race is just as exciting, although there is only one wild card spot up for grabs as either the Giants or Dodgers will own the first spot. That second spot is currently claimed by the San Diego Padres, with the Reds, Phillies, Cardinals and Mets nipping at their heels.
The Reds might have seen themselves stumble a little too late as they are 3-7 in their last 10 games, while the Phillies are starting to make their run.
No matter what happens in the final month of the season, the playoff races in both the AL and NL are bound to be must-watch TV.