The 2010 MLB season has featured a number of tight playoff races in both the American and National Leagues. This
includes the AL and NL Central, NL East and both leagues’ wild card spots.
But none has been tighter than the AL East, where the defending champion New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays are currently tied for first place with MLB-best 78-49 records.
The two teams have been in and out of first place throughout the season with the Rays currently holding a 6-5 edge in the season series. The division and home field advantage throughout the AL playoffs could hinge on the outcome of their remaining 7 games against each other – a three-game series in Tampa starting September 13 followed by a four-gamer in the Bronx one week later.
While the suits at the “Bristol Improv” would surely prefer yet another Yankees-Red Sox showdown, the Yankees-Rays race features two of the top offenses in all of baseball. New York ranks first in both runs scored and RBIs, while Tampa Bay is third in both categories. Apart from that, the two teams couldn’t be more different:
- The Yankees have the highest MLB team payroll in 2010, $206.3 million. Tampa ranks 21st with a payroll of $71.9 million.
- The Yankees are a team of free agents and aging veterans, while the Rays are a team with a roster of predominantly young, home-grown players.
- One team plays in a state-of-the-art, cathedral-like park (the new Yankee Stadium), while the other plays in a domed dump where the roof catwalks are in fair territory.
- One team has a third baseman who dates an actress, while the other has one who almost shares the name of an actress.
Expect this race to stay close well into September.
The Yankees could have an advantage if they get Alex Rodriguez and Andy Pettite back from the disabled list but the Rays have the schedule edge at the end of the season. After their final visit to New York, the Rays end with their final nine games against the Mariners, Orioles and Royals.
The ‘X-factor’ in all this?
The Yankees’ hated rival, the Boston Red Sox, face them six times in the final nine games and would love to play the role of spoiler.
Used with permission of the author.
Chris Lardieri covers the Los Angeles Dodgers for Examiner.com and has written about Major League Baseball for Inside Edge, a scouting company that provides content to ESPN Insider and Yahoo Sports. He previously wrote for 1766, the Rutgers Alumni Magazine, and popular blog, ‘The Outer Loop’. Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter for more MLB and sports observations.
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