MLB: Day One Hundred and Seventy

Posted on | October 5, 2007 | No Comments

Being that it’s Monday, it’s time to take our weekly look at the standings and the playoff races in the American League. And as I mentioned yesterday, the divisional races in the American League aren’t nearly as interesting as the Wild Card race, but even the Wild Card race isn’t all that close.

If things are going to get close in the American League Central then the second place Detroit Tigers had to pretty much sweep the first Cleveland Indians this week. Well, the Tigers surrendered a five to two lead in the bottom of the eighth and lost the game six to five. So instead of the Tigers gaining a game, they actually lost a game and that all but puts the Tigers out of the race in the AL Central. It basically gives the division title to the Indians. The other three teams in the division – the Minnesota Twins, the Kansas City Royals, and the Chicago White Sox – are all out of it.

In the American League East, the Yankees continue to charge hard. The Yankees are now only three and a half games behind the division leading Boston Red Sox. Remember, the Boston Red Sox once led this division by a whopping fourteen games. Now they enjoy (and I use “enjoy” loosely) just a three and a half game lead. The other teams in the division – the Toronto Blue Jays, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays – are all out of it.

In the American League West things are pretty much decided. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim lead the Seattle Mariners by eight and a half games. This is mainly because the Seattle Mariners have collapsed over the last month or so. The other teams in the division – the Oakland A’s and the Texas Rangers – are officially out of it.

The only two teams with a shot to the AL Wild Card are the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. But the Yankees have opened up a two and a half game lead in the race, thanks to the Tigers losing to the Indians. So they Yankees are three and a half games ahead in the Wild Card and with the way they’ve been playing, the Tigers aren’t going to catch them. But stranger things have happened so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the National League where there are some tight races taking place.

Related posts:

1. MLB: Day One Hundred and Seventy-Seven
2. MLB: Day One Hundred and Seventy-Six
3. MLB: Day One Hundred and Seventy-One
4. MLB: Day One Hundred and Sixty-Nine
5. MLB: Day One Hundred and Seventy-Four

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