09/29/2017
Fittingly, the Cubs' scrubs eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention tonight, with a 2-1, 11 inning win in St. Louis, that had most of the Cubs regulars watching from the bench.
As MLBs most BORING playoff chase in history draws to a close, the seasons final three games will mean something to just seven teams, and only one of those seven won't actually make it to the postseason.
This is what's left to be decided.
2nd NL Wild Card Spot
This is probably the most "exciting" chase to follow this weekend, and that's just sad. It's long been the Rockies spot for the taking, but they just haven't seemed fully committed to taking it (they are just 38-39 since July 1).
They lead the plucky Brewers by two with three to play, so it's gonna take kind of an epic choke not to make it, but I think that's our best hope for some excitement this weekend.
The Rockies will battle the Dodgers at home, while the Brewers play the Cardinals in St. Louis.
Whoever comes out on top will travel to Arizona to take on the D-backs in the NL Wild Card tilt, with the winner of that matchup earning the right to face the Dodgers in the first round. Washington will do battle with the Cubs in the other NLDS matchup.
AL East/1st Wild Card Spot
Not really much to see here. After both teams lost tonight, the Red Sox lead the Yankees by three with three to go. Simple math says the Yanks must take all three from Toronto at home to make this thing interesting, while the Sox will simply have to avoid being swept by the Astros in Houston in order to clinch the East crown. Either way, though, both teams are in.
Most likely scenario? The Yanks play the Twins next Tuesday in New York in the AL Wild Card game. What we'll hope for, however, is for an improbable season ending tie, forcing a one game playoff next Monday, with the loser relegated to the Wild Card.
Not exactly Bucky Dent or Aaron Boone inspiring drama, but hey, it would be Yankees vs Red Sox, and that's worth something.
AL Home Field Advantage
The damn near invincible Indians won their 100th game of the year tonight, incredibly their 34th win in their last 37 games (an amazing .919 winning percentage). They lead Houston, who tonight notched their 99th victory, by one game in the chase for the top seed in the AL, and will finish the season in Chicago taking on the 66-93 White Sox.
This will certainly have an impact in how October plays out, particularly if the Astros and Indians end up facing off in the ALCS. So that's something.
If the Tribe holds on to the top spot, they'll take on the Wild Card game winner (either Boston, New York, or Minnesota), with Houston facing off against the AL East champs (the Yankees or, more likely, the Sox).
Likewise, the Astros, if they overtake Cleveland, would matchup against the WC winner, with the Indians having to battle whoever prevails in the East.
World Series Home Field Advantage.
This year, finally, the team with the best overall record in the regular season will have home field advantage in the World Series.
The Dodgers enter the final weekend in the drivers seat with a MLB best 102 wins, two more than Cleveland, and three more than Houston. They can guarantee themselves home field advantage in the Fall Classic, should they manage to avoid yet another embarrassing October collapse, by taking two-of-three against the Rockies.
In the event of a tie, however, the first tie breaker is head-to-head record. The Dodgers beat the Indians twice in three games, so LA would have the advantage in a potential Dodgers vs Indians scenario, but they did not face Houston during the regular season.
In that scenario, the next tie breaker is the best record within your own division. Should Houston manage to tie Los Angeles for the best record, and both teams face off in the World Series, they would have the advantage based on their 50-26 record against the AL West, as the Dodgers are currently just 39-34 versus the NL West.
So yeah, at least there's "all" that.
