The MLB Playoff Race Heats Up
Entering the 2023 Major League Baseball season, players on 30 teams aspired to win the win the World Series in October or November if the World Series was a long and hard fought one. Some teams faltered; others prospered. The Atlanta Braves became the first team to clinch a playoff appearance doing so on September 10th. The Braves went on to win the NL East Division title on September 13th.
With the MLB season wrapping up, who are the ones to watch? About sixteen teams are either Wild Card teams or on the cusp of it. The Orioles are worth watching to see if they can keep their hold on the AL East division. Meanwhile, as of Saturday the 16th, the Red Sox are 8 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the Wild Card. The Dodgers are also worth watching to see if the one seed in the NL goes to them, or if it stays with the Braves, who also have a grasp on the number one seed overall.
As of September 16th, the Rays were proven to be hot, having won seven of their nine games since September 7th. The Giants had won five of their last seven games. The Brewers and Rangers had won six of their last eight. The league best Braves won six of their last nine. On the contrary, the Cubs had lost six of their last eight.
Postseason baseball starts on October 3rd, and the final day of the regular season is October 1st. The race is the hottest around this time of the season for the teams that have even the slightest chance. Now is the time for teams to gather as many wins as they can, which is hard to come by since more than half the league is still in the race.
