Thursday, September 20, 2007

The Hunt For October: Post Season AL Matchups

As the end of the regular season draws near, and the pennant race begins, the four teams to represent the American League in the post season are all but decided. This will hopefully be a good October for baseball fans and memorabilia collectors alike.

The Red Sox and Yankees have always been historic rivals, and this year is no exception in their heated fight to the finish. Although the Red Sox were dominating the AL East through the summer, the Yankee bats have been a blaze, as they've whittled away a Sox 14½ game lead in late May down to the 1½ game lead it is now. Red Sox fans have reasons to be tense. They've had a few injuries including Ortiz's right knee acting up, which has effected his batting. They also lost two of the last three to the yanks this past weekend and then continued on their spiral down, dropping three straight to the Blue Jays, who are 12½ games back in the AL East. The Yanks are leading quite an opposite life. They have won 12 of their past 14 games, racking up a whopping 103 runs in the 17 September games they've played, and show no sign of slowing down.

Cleveland has been this year's surprise success. They squeezed through the last three games against the Detroit Tigers, the second place team in the AL Central, winning by three runs or less each game, and will be well rested for next week.

The Angels have finished with the league's best record which bodes well for them in the post season, and their tendency to dominate their opposition at their home field will help them succeed in passing through the first round.

Enjoy the post season and don't forget to show off your sports memorabilia!