Hot Take: There Will Be a Three-Way Tie for the AL East in 2019
- AL East Report
- May 7, 2019
- 3 min read
By: Nathaniel Ascher
After one full month of baseball, the Rays find themselves on top of the AL East, ahead of the Yankees and the Red Sox. This is surprising, as many people thought the Yankees and Red Sox would be the ones in a dog fight for the top, myself included. Nevertheless, the Rays have proven that last year was no fluke and that they’re the real deal. Once the Red Sox become sober and the Yankees become healthy, I expect all three teams to battle it out for the division title in 2019. And, if the Yankees and Red Sox get hot, there could even be a three-way tie for the AL East between the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays in 2019. Here’s why I think this could actually happen:
1. Beating up on the Bad Teams
Admittedly, there are many bad teams in the American League. This includes the Orioles, Blue Jays, Royals, Tigers, White Sox, and Rangers. In 2019, the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox will all play 19 games apiece against two of the six teams above. This will drastically help them out and in the long run and balance out the Rays’ current lead over the Yankees and Red Sox. But remember, this is baseball, and the bad teams will always find ways to win. That’s why it’s extremely important for the Rays to maintain this early lead because once the Yankees get healthy, it will be hard for the Rays to stop them. Look for the Yankees to not do as well as you think they should against bad teams, as this is a trend that we’ve seen in the past few years. This is an area where the Rays could strive in. Since they aren’t a “powerhouse” like the Yankees and Red Sox, they may struggle against other great teams such as the Yankees, Indians, Astros, etc. If this happens, the AL East Race could come down to the wire.
2. Lack of Divisional Matchups in September
In September, there aren’t many inter-divisional matchups within the AL East. Besides the Blue Jays, who play AL East opponents for the majority of the month, every other team plays a good chunk of their games against non-AL East teams. For instance, the Yankees only play 12 of their 25 September games against divisional foes, while the Orioles also play 12 of their 27 September games against divisional rivals. For the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox, this could end up biting them in the butt or being their key to success in winning the division. If there were more divisional matchups in the last month of the season, teams would have been able to better control their destiny. Since that’s not the case, however, teams like the Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox will have to focus on doing their jobs and being in the best position to come out on top.
3. Never Say Never
In an MLB season, there are many crazy things that happen. For instance, players have hit 4 home runs in one game, pitched a perfect game, struck out five times, gone 63 at bats without a hit, and have had to exterminate bees from the field (Yes, I’m looking at you, Derek Dietrich). Fans, especially myself included, love to see miracles and things that seem impossible actually come to fruition. You can easily fall in love with a player for just for one miraculous thing they do. Look at Khris Davis for instance: Over the past four years, he’s had the same batting average every season (.247). Many marvel at how seemingly impossible it is to have the same average over this stretch. As for a three-way tie, although it has never happened before and seems extremely unlikely, you may wake up on October 1st and see that your favorite team has to play additional regular season games. If you’re a baseball fan, you should know to never say never.
Overall, the likelihood that there is a three-way tie for the AL East in 2019 is low. But, due to the number of bad teams in the American League, the lack of divisional matchups in September, and the randomness and unpredictability of baseball, this unprecedented tie may actually happen.
This is our hottest ‘Hot Take’ yet, and it is only fitting that it includes something that has NEVER happened before in baseball.
Comments