PHOTO USA Today Sports Images From opposite coasts and in dueling leagues comes a baseball clash that represents the best of the best and potentially the most vulnerable, all at once.
The best divisions in baseball this season have been the American League East and the National League West, with as many as three possible playoff teams from each as just seven weekends on the schedule remain to sort it all out.
So with apologies to the American League Central, which also could have three playoff participants amid a season of breakthroughs, it is the coasts that have represented best this season.
Each division could end up with the top team in their respective league, which offers something of a cautionary tale. Winning the regular season and then following that by representing your league in the World Series is not as simple as it might seem.
The last time two No. 1 playoff seeds met in the World Series was in 2020 in a wild 16-team postseason. The last time it happened in a full 162-game season was in 2013.
In 2023, it was the No. 5 AL seeded Texas Rangers getting the best of the No. 6 NL seeded Arizona Diamondbacks for the title. So be careful what you wish for.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
Jul 31, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday (7) is interviewed after a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports The Baltimore Orioles were the AL’s best team in the 2023 regular season, and their young roster has continued to churn out victories this season. But consistency has been hard to come by of late, with Baltimore heading into Thursday’s game with a 13-17 record since July 9, when they were 24 games over .500. Young standouts Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman struggled in July but have been slightly better in August as they dig deeper for a second wind.
The New Yankees have been all over the place this season, from a hot start that had them 28 games over .500 in the middle of June to an alarming 4-14 stretch into early July. More alarm bells rang when they were 2–5 after the break. That was followed by an 8-1 run, with Aaron Judge back to leading the way again. Judge and Juan Soto are leading the offense, just as expected. In becoming the fastest player ever to 300 home runs, Judge has sealed his status as one of the greats in the history of an organization full of them.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
Aug 9, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Yasmani Grandal (6) and Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) watch the flight of the ball on a two-run home run in the third inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports Is the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte the true NL MVP, even while playing in a division that has Shohei Ohtani putting on a show following his much-chronicled move to the bright lights of LA?
Snakes can strike from unassuming postures, and the Diamondbacks’ star has been compiling a standout season while also doing his part on defense, even when his team was scuffling. Now that Corbin Carroll is back to showing what won him last season’s NL Rookie of the Year Award, Arizona has been rising from the ashes and looking more like the team that roared through the second half last season. Right-hander Merrill Kelly is back now, and first baseman Christian Walker (oblique) could be back soon to continue his torment against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It was supposed to be the greatest roster ever assembled, or something like that, but the Dodgers have wobbled with bottom-of-the-order inconsistencies, bullpen disappointments, and starting rotation injuries. The Dodgers, along with the Yankees, are still flirting with the honor of having the best record in baseball, which goes to show how good both clubs can be that their struggles are front and center while their records suggest success. LA has reinforcements like Max Muncy, Blake Treinen and Ryan Brasier ready to rejoin the fray, while Mookie Betts just returned.
Expectations for the San Diego Padres were tempered when Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell departed via free agency and Soto was traded.
That all changed in May, when the Padres went old school and added singles-machine, strikeout-averse Luis Arraez in a trade with the Marlins. There is a new merry-go-round in the Gas Lamp District of downtown San Diego, and it is the infield at Petco Park, as Padres baserunners go station to station while delivering a sideways glance at the efficiency formulas of analytics.
BEST OF THE BEST
The nod goes to the NL West, only because the resurgence of the Padres and Diamondbacks will create an epic division chase that lights a fire under all that talent in Los Angeles.
