MLB: Day One Hundred and Seventy-Four
On Friday the Major League Baseball season continued to march toward the end of the season and the playoffs. This weekend two teams will have a chance to clinch their divisions. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are just a game away from winning the American League West while the Cleveland Indians are two games away from clinching the American League Central.
The Seattle Mariners are currently in second place in the AL West. They are fighting for their playoff lives. But at least for this weekend, they control their own destiny. That’s because they are playing the Angels right now. And on Friday the Mariners managed to stay alive for at least another day when they beat the Angels six to zero. However, it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Angels will win the division, probably this weekend.
In the American League Central the Cleveland Indians have a magic number of two. They are playing the Oakland A’s right now. The Indians won on Friday by a score of four to three. That allowed the Indians to lower their magic number by a game. However, the magic number didn’t go any lower because the second place team, the Detroit Tigers, also won. The Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals five to four on Friday.
In the other division in the American League – the East – the Boston Red Sox aren’t close to winning their division but they did gain a very important game on the New York Yankees. The Boston Red Sox now lead the Yankees by two and a half games. That’s because the Red Sox beat the Tampa Devil Rays while the Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays. So at least for a couple more days, Boston and their fans can rest a little easier.
Over in the National League things remain tight in all the divisions. The Chicago Cubs continue to lead in the National League Central. They still have a game and a half lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. On Friday both the Cubs and the Brewers won – the Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Brewers beat the Atlanta Braves.
In fact all three of the races in the National League are separated by just a game and a half at the top. In the National League East the New York Mets lead the Philadelphia Phillies by a game and a half, and in the National League West the Arizona Diamondbacks lead the San Diego Padres by a game and a half.
