AL's best record takes on added importance
Posted: Thursday, September 20, 2007 12:24 PM
One look at the AL standings and you could say it’s time to fast forward to the postseason. Barring a catastrophic collapse the four playoff teams -- Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and New York -- are set.
Yet, the AL may provide a fabulous race to the wire for the most wins. This year the league’s best record means much more than in the past. That's because of a new rule which gives the AL team with the best record the opportunity to choose whether it wants to play an eight-day ALDS by opening on Oct. 3 or a seven-day first-round series, beginning on Oct. 4.
Both NL first-round series begin on Oct. 3, so there's no option for the National League team that finishes with the best record. The tentative plan is to rotate this option between the leagues each year.
I recall the 2000 season when the NL West champion Giants were ecstatic at overtaking the NL East champion Braves for the league’s best record. That gave San Francisco home-field advantage and a matchup against the wild card Mets. But seven days later the Giants were gone, their best record having proven no real advantage at all.
This year the edge -- at least on paper -- gained by finishing with the AL's best record could prove significant. If Cleveland has the top mark the Indians will surely choose the ALDS schedule with a day off between Games 1 and 2, allowing them to pitch both C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona twice.
If Boston holds on to finish atop the AL, the Red Sox will certainly opt for the other ALDS schedule, counting on the depth of their starting rotation.
The Yankees want to avoid the Angels in the first round given their past struggles against Los Angeles in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Angels want the Yankees rather than Boston. Thus, the Angels have every reason to strive for the best overall record. Even if the Yankees were to overtake Boston in the AL East, the Angels could then choose the series schedule or at worst open at home against Boston.
Baseball’s move to allow the AL’s best team the luxury to choose its ALDS schedule is a terrific wrinkle, one that rewards the regular season and assures meaning to the final weeks of the schedule.
Switching leagues the Mets’ lock on the NL East looks uneasy. Whither their starting pitching? John Maine’s slide and El Duque’s injury places unreal importance on Pedro Martinez coming down the stretch.
And Moises Alou is hurt again although he is trying to play through the pain (the Mets still haven’t learned that Alou can’t play every day). All this places nerves in taut status around Shea Stadium. Both the Mets and their pursuers, the Phillies, have similar schedules down the stretch so Washington and Florida will play huge roles in determining which team wins the NL East and whether the team that doesn't is able to take the wild card.
Today’s rant: Tuesday night’s Phillies-Cardinals game was a September gem. Credit the Cardinals for playing their toughest in a game without postseason meaning to them. BUT they used 11 pitchers in a 14-inning game. It’s an absurdity caused by baseball’s most outdated rule -- expanded September rosters. No fault to St. Louis manager Tony LaRussa as he was only playing by the rules, as was Washington skipper Manny Acta who used nine pitchers to close out the Nationals' win over the Mets on the same night.
But September games and the postseason hopes of the Mets, Phillies or any other contending teams should not be impacted by out-of-contention teams using luxuries like excess pitchers that would not be possible in the regular season. In no other month of the season could a manager use 11 pitchers in one game no matter its importance. Why then in September?
