The Spire

Jake Ruderman ‘26

Sports Editor

With around 20 games left in the season, it’s about that time when the MLB showcases one of the most competitive stretches in all of sports: the final push for the playoffs. These last few games are filled to the brim with high-stakes moments, intense rivalries, and furious hot and cold streaks. Award races can be swung entirely, teams can determine their fan bases’ feelings as they head into the offseason, and young players can get a chance to prove themselves amidst rosters depleted from injury and lacking the necessity of veterans. Let’s take a closer look at some of the storylines that will dictate this year’s homestretch.

The Search for Gold in the AL West

The AL West is far and away the most interesting divisional race down the stretch. The Rangers held the division for almost the entire season, but have collapsed in the last few weeks. After starting slow, the Mariners surged to the top of the division after a remarkable August, which saw them go 21-6, including a crucial 3-game sweep of the Astros. Similarly, the ‘Stros have risen to the top after starting their year slower than usual, finding their rhythm at the right time. As it stands today, the Astros have a 2.5 game lead on the Mariners, who are only half a game above Texas. A crucial three-game set between Seattle and Houston looms at the end of September, and may very well decide the division, while Texas is left hoping for a miracle. 

MVP Races Closer Than They Seem? 

For most of this season, the MVP awards have been locked up, with Shohei Ohtani and Ronald Acuña Jr. rising above the rest. But in the last few weeks, potential challengers have arisen. In the National League, both Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have made serious strides in Acuña’s direction; Betts has racked up an astonishing 8.0 WAR thanks to his league-leading 1.020 OPS and 38 HR, while Freddie’s slashing an insane .335/.413/.573, trailing only Acuña and Betts in OPS. Though both Betts and Freeman have the chance to make it interesting down the stretch, Acuña shows no signs of slowing down in his record-breaking campaign.

In the American League, Ohtani’s potential problems come from within; he tore his UCL in late August, meaning he won’t pitch again for the rest of this season, and a strained right oblique has kept him from hitting for much of September. On top of his late-season injury struggles, the Angels have absolutely tanked since attempting to add at the trade deadline, going an embarrassing 10-26 and falling WAY out of playoff contention. Despite these unfortunate occurrences, Ohtani still has around a 99% chance of remaining the AL MVP, but crazier things have happened in 20 games. Maybe Kyle Tucker lights the world on fire and cements the Astros as division champs; or maybe Corey Seager goes nuclear and carries the Rangers back to the top of the AL West! Anything’s possible in these last 20 games, even though Ohtani’s still the most likely to take home the hardware.

The New York Youth Movement

For teams that are out of playoff contention, the end of the season is often used to call up prospects, providing young players with Major League experience without the typical pressure to win games. This year, teams like the New York Mets and New York Yankees have already done so, calling up top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Ronny Mauricio. Domínguez has slugged four homeruns (in only eight career games!) to the tune of an exceptional .980 OPS, while Mauricio has come out of the gates hot as well, batting .360 with a .385 OBP. These young studs have provided glimmers of hope for their incredibly dejected fan bases as both the Mets and Yankees limp to the finish line, with the possibility of last place division finishes staring shamefully back at them.

The Race for the Worst Team of All Time

Both the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics currently stand at a whopping 44 wins. The A’s have racked up 99 losses while the Royals have amassed 100, good for a .306 winning percentage – a truly impressive mark. Unfortunately for history’s sake, both teams have already surpassed the laughably horrendous 43-119 record (a .265 winning %!) set by the 2003 Detroit Tigers, which stands as the worst 162-game record of all time. Both the 2018 Baltimore Orioles and the 2019 Detroit Tigers stand proudly at 47 wins apiece, although the Orioles out-lost the Tigers 115-114, thanks to a late rainout which caused the Tigers to play only 161 games (this was probably God saving the world from some of the worst baseball ever played). That being said, both the A’s and Royals still have a chance to finish as the second worst baseball team since 1962. But it would take an impressive 2-16 (or 17 for the A’s) finish down the stretch: a true cherry on top for their historic seasons.