AL WC Race 2021

[Frayed Knot]

The division races in the AL are essentially over.

TBR boasts a 9.5 game lead on the Yanx

CHW up 11 full ones on the .500 [CROSSOUT]Indians[/CROSSOUT] Guardians

and while I suppose Houston could still conceivably blow their lead, they're still up by 6.5 and it's not even over the A's anymore

as the Mariners have snuck into 2nd



So the WC race is where all the action is going to be as five fight for two spots.

The Yanx are +0.5 on the BoSox but the Blue Jays are suddenly riding a six-game streak (last two over NYY, 3rd coming up tonight)

and sit just 2.0 G back of Boston. Then at 3.0 & 3.5 back it's Seattle and Oakland.



So the assumption (or the 'Prayer' as they call it in TV land) that the WC card will be just MFY & BOS battling for home field in the

one-game play-in game is far from certain. Be great to have a whole mash-up going into the final week ... especially since the

division races will almost certainly be a yawn-fest down the stretch.

[MFS62]

Thanks for the update, but I don't think Jerry Seinfeld will be sweating over the AL race.

In a chat the other night with Steve Somers on WFAN, Jerry said:

I don't really follow the AL, because I don't consider it real baseball

Like us, he doesn't like the DH.

But he did predict the Mets will make the playoffs.



https://www.nj.com/mets/2021/09/festivus-for-the-rest-of-us-mets-superfan-jerry-seinfeld-makes-bold-prediction-about-fall-ball-in-queens.htmlhttps://www.nj.com/mets/2021/09/festivus-for-the-rest-of-us-mets-superfan-jerry-seinfeld-makes-bold-prediction-about-fall-ball-in-queens.html



Later

[Frayed Knot]

The Yanquis, currently on the outside looking in in the AL WC race (one game behind both Boston and Toronto) thanks to losing 2 of 3 in their most recent series, are down 5-1 in the 7th inning to the last place Twinkies in a make-up game in front of a few hundred fans at YSIII



That the Yanx last lost a game of import to Minnesota back around the Carter administration sometime makes this developing story even better.





oe: and now it's 5-2 ... Joey Gallo

[Frayed Knot]

And now it's 5-5



With two out, one on and a full count in bottom 8, Gardner was awarded 1st on a ball that caught the corner and should have ended the inning. Next up was Judge who popped to RF ... but y'all know what that means when you're in the Bronx.

[bmfc1]

Yup, strike 3 but of course they got the call.
https://twitter.com/KenTremendous/status/1437521087055630336

[Frayed Knot]

What's Ken Tremendous's non-porn name?

[bmfc1]

Frayed Knot wrote: What's Ken Tremendous's non-porn name?

That's TV's Michael Schur (e.g., "Parks & Rec"; "The Good Place")

[Frayed Knot]

Frayed Knot wrote: What's Ken Tremendous's non-porn name? That's TV's Michael Schur (e.g., "Parks & Rec"; "The Good Place")

Don't know him.



btw, the Twins found a way to lose.

[G-Fafif]

Honestly, fuck the Twins.

[Frayed Knot]

So the AL WC race currently has the Yanx on the outside looking in as the AL East holds the top three teams fighting for the right to play each other in a single game elimination

Our next opponent sits atop with surging Toronto just one game back. The Yanx look to gain but also have to watch Oakland hot on their tail and if the A's stumble the not-yet

out-of-it M's are almost by definition the beneficiary (see below)



BOS +1.0

TOR ---

NYY -1.5

OAK -2.0

SEA -4.0



BoSox have an all NYC week: two vs NYM then a weekend series vs the Yanx, all at Fenway, sandwiched around days off on MON & THU

No days off for the Jays this week (why would they want them? -- 15-3 in Sept) as they're in Tampa for three then Minnesota for four

Yanx host the Rangers for three starting Monday ahead of the Fenway trip

The A's host SEA in a BIG four game series, then HOU for three ... they then finish IN SEA & HOU for three each [Astros up by 6 & 8 in the division]

The Mariners do @ OAK, @ LAA, then home for those same two squads to finish out

[seawolf17]

I wish these two Mets/Sox games didn't matter for us, but we need to win them too.

[Edgy MD]

The New Mets Rallying Cry: "FEWER MEANINGFUL DATES IN SEPTEMBER!"

[Frayed Knot]

The Sawx have a 2.5 game lead over MFY-nation and a three game series at home this weekend to further that.

And if that's not enough then maybe they'll be in the play-in game against the Yanx and have another chance

to take care of things that way. Plus maybe they wouldn't be in this precarious position had they not been one

of the teams playing the part of road kill during the Yanx' 13-game win streak back in August.



So if losing one or both games during this little two-game series with us puts too big a dent in their playoff

plans then that's their fucking problem not ours.

I ain't watching this week wishing to help other teams' goals or hoping for a better draft slot.

[Willets Point]

The Red Sox already won the season series against the Yankees in, like, July and have a chance to add more wins this weekend so if the Yankees fail to make the postseason, their crappy play against their division rival would be their undoing. Of course the Yankees also lost the season series to the Mets, so that can be attributed to their failure as well.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Guest

[seawolf17]

I meant "not matter" in a *good* way, like we'd already clinched.

[Frayed Knot]

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[/TABLE]

					MON[/TD]	[TD]TUE[/TD]	[TD]WED[/TD]	[TD]THU[/TD]	[TD]FRI[/TD]	[TD]SAT[/TD]	[TD]SUN[/TD]
[TD]YANX[/TD]	[TD]+1.0[/TD]	[TD]OFF[/TD]	[TD]@ TOR[/TD]	[TD]@ TOR[/TD]	[TD]@TOR[/TD]	[TD]TBR[/TD]	[TD]TBR[/TD]	[TD]TBR[/TD]
[TD]BOS[/TD]	[TD]----[/TD]	[TD]OFF[/TD]	[TD]@ BAL[/TD]	[TD]@BAL[/TD]	[TD]@ BAL[/TD]	[TD]@ WAS[/TD]	[TD]@ WAS[/TD]	[TD]@ WAS[/TD]
[TD]TOR[/TD]	[TD]-1.0[/TD]	[TD]OFF[/TD]	[TD]NYY[/TD]	[TD]NYY[/TD]	[TD]NYY[/TD]	[TD]BAL[/TD]	[TD]BAL[/TD]	[TD]BAL[/TD]
[TD]SEA[/TD]	[TD]-2.0[/TD]	[TD]OAK[/TD]	[TD]OAK[/TD]	[TD]OAK[/TD]	[TD]OFF[/TD]	[TD]LAA[/TD]	[TD]LAA[/TD]	[TD]LAA[/TD]
[TD]OAK[/TD]	[TD]-3.0[/TD]	[TD]@ SEA[/TD]	[TD]@ SEA[/TD]	[TD]@ SEA[/TD]	[TD]OFF[/TD]	[TD]@ HOU[/TD]	[TD]@ HOU[/TD]	[TD]@ HOU[/TD]

Both the Yanx and Boston tried to lose last night's game by playing worse defense than Sunday's Mets did, but in the end only the Sox succeeded in failing which completed the MFY sweep.

The schedule favors anyone but the Yanx -- in the old days this would have resulted in George filing complaints that the league and the schedule makers were "anti-Yankee" -- although the

road for the A's doesn't look good either but that's their own fault for getting swept by the Mariners last week at home. The rest of the teams aren't probably saying "why can't we be facing

the Mets this week, then we'd get in fer sure!!"

[bmfc1]

I'd be happy to see TOR and SEA make it in lieu of NYY and BOS.

[Edgy MD]

The class of 1977.



I recall my friends and I getting our first packs of baseball cards that year and asking each other, "What the Hell is a MaREENer?"

[Willets Point]

Despite the sweep this weekend, the Red Sox won the season series vs. the Yankees 10-9. I think that will make a difference that will see Boston ahead in the standings at the end of the season as they now play 6 games against bottom feeders Baltimore and Washington while the Yankees play contenders in Toronto and Tampa Bay.

[Frayed Knot]

Willets Point wrote: Despite the sweep this weekend, the Red Sox won the season series vs. the Yankees 10-9.

Which matters only in that it will make the Sox the home team in the one game play-in if they and the Yanx are tied for WC #1 & #2 (and not tied with anyone else).

And we all know that home field is of extreme importance ... except when it's not.



The upcoming sked is the more important factor going forward but the Yanx have recently been at their best facing good opponents while stumbling facing the dregs

of the league ... so whothehellknows.

[Willets Point]

Of course, Toronto may take one of those spots instead. And if the Yankees find themselves one game out of the postseason, the season series will be the difference maker.

[Frayed Knot]

Willets Point wrote: Despite the sweep this weekend, the Red Sox won the season series vs. the Yankees 10-9. I think that will make a difference that will see Boston ahead in the standings at the end of the season as they now play 6 games against bottom feeders Baltimore and Washington while the Yankees play contenders in Toronto and Tampa Bay.

So is it safe to say that we can sum up your faith in Boston as more than a feeling?







Sox win, Yanx lose, Toronto wins (vs Yanx) but now they all have to worry about an unexpected heat wave coming out of the Pacific Northwest: Seattle = 18-8 in September




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[/TABLE]

			[/TD]	[TD]THU[/TD]	[TD]FRI[/TD]	[TD]SAT[/TD]	[TD]SUN[/TD]
[TD]YANX[/TD]	[TD]+1.0[/TD]	[TD]@TOR[/TD]	[TD]TBR[/TD]	[TD]TBR[/TD]	[TD]TBR[/TD]
[TD]BOS[/TD]	[TD]----[/TD]	[TD]@ BAL[/TD]	[TD]@ WAS[/TD]	[TD]@ WAS[/TD]	[TD]@ WAS[/TD]
[TD]TOR[/TD]	[TD]-1.0[/TD]	[TD]NYY[/TD]	[TD]BAL[/TD]	[TD]BAL[/TD]	[TD]BAL[/TD]
[TD]SEA[/TD]	[TD]-0.5[/TD]	[TD]OFF[/TD]	[TD]LAA[/TD]	[TD]LAA[/TD]	[TD]LAA[/TD]

Oakland was eliminated from contention last night thanks to their 12-15 September including 0-7 vs the Mariners

[Fman99]

I know TB has sown up the home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs, and really has nothing to play for, but it'd still be great to see them mash the MFYs right out of the WC game. Especially since all of the other 3 contenders are playing bad teams.

[seawolf17]

I wish baseball players cared as much about this stuff as we did, because I feel like the real response is for the Rays to roll over and die. But GOODNESS it would be fun to see them sweep them out of existence.

[Willets Point]

The Orioles are taking their role as spoilers very seriously. I'm sure they rolled over for the Yankees earlier in the season.

[Frayed Knot]

For once the Yanx actually didn't dominate the O's this year: 8-11 for Balt vs NYY and 6-13 vs BOS



Usually the Yanx do to Baltimore what the Rays did this year: 18-1

[Edgy MD]

Yeah, it turns out they can play like big leaguers on occasion.

[Frayed Knot]

Yanx beat Toronto tonight making it 2 of 3 on the heels of 3 straight vs Boston.



So they'll have a 2.0 game lead over all three contenders going into the final weekend making them an almost certainty to grab one of the two WC slots.

[bmfc1]

AL Wild Card update:

Yankees 91-68 +2.0

Red Sox 89-70 --

Mariners 89-70 --

Blue Jays 88-71 1.0



Three games left for each. NYY at Rays, Red Sox at WSH, Mariners vs. Angels, Blue Jays vs. Orioles.

If things ended today, Mariners at Fenway in Game 163, the winner faces NYY.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Guest

[Frayed Knot]

In order to miss the playoffs entirely, the Yanx would have to go 0-3 while at least two of the three others go 3-0 this weekend.

The other scenario has them going at least two games worse than at least two of them which would then force them into a play-in game just to make the play-in game.



The Sawx have no one to blame but themselves after going 1-5 vs the Yanx and O's this week.