Pennant Race: New York Yankees Face 25-Game Sprint to the Finish in AL East
September 5, 2012 · Phil Watson · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
If you’ve ever driven a car, then you’ve seen this phrase written on the passenger-side mirror: “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”
When the New York Yankees forged a 10-game lead in the American League East on July 18, the Baltimore Orioles were in second place. The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays were tied for third at 10.5 games behind and the Toronto Blue Jays brought up the rear of the division, trailing by 12.5 games.
I’m sure those teams were just teeny little specs in the Yankees’ mirror at that point. A funny thing happened in the intervening 48 days and now the Orioles aren’t really in the rear-view mirror at all.
Since that date in July that no one in the world thought would be considered fateful, the Yankees are 19-25. At the same time, the Orioles have gone 29-15, the Rays 28-16, the Red Sox 16-29 and the Blue Jays 15-28.
Just like that, Baltimore no longer appears at all in the mirror. That’s because they’re in the next lane, getting ready to pass the Yankees. And Tampa Bay? Well, they’re definitely in the blind spot.
While the Orioles were pasting the Blue Jays in Toronto 12-0, the Yankees were losing their third straight game and the seventh in their last 10 as the Rays won their fourth in a row 5-2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Just like that, Baltimore and New York are tied for first place. It’s the first time since June 11 that the Yankees haven’t had sole possession of first place in the division, while Tampa Bay pulled to within one-and-a-half games of the co-leaders.
For the Orioles, the last time they were in first place this late in the season was 1997, which was also the last year they won the division.
The Yankees have been almost mind-numbing in their consistency since 1995. The tally: 17 seasons, 16 playoff berths, 12 division titles, five World Series championships.
Some argue that New York wins because it outspends everybody else in baseball but money doesn’t always equal success. For proof of that, check out the Yankees’ playoff history from 1982-93. It’s a really short read, trust me.
The Red Sox have spent almost $500 million in the last three seasons and will have zero postseason appearances to show for it. The Los Angeles Angels have spent more than $400 million in that span and may miss the postseason again this year.
The only miss for New York was in 2008, when they won 89 games and finished third in the AL East. Then again, you may want to consider the miraculous nature of finishing 16 games over .500 while giving 35 starts to Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson.
The reason for the flip in the standings has a lot to do with pitching.
Baltimore remade its starting rotation on the fly this year, with Taiwanese rookie Wei-Yin Chen the only guy from the rotation in April who is still a member of it in September.
The Oriole rotation has nine quality starts in its last 11 games with a 2.22 ERA. Not bad for an in-season makeover that included bringing up youngsters Chris Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez and Steve Johnson and picking up Joe Saunders from the Arizona Diamondbacks just before the end of last month.
The Rays have a team ERA in the second half of 2.45, which would be the second-lowest post-All-Star Game ERA since they started playing the All-Star Game back in 1933. The leader is a bit of a surprise: The 1972 California Angels posted a 2.37 ERA in the second half…and still only finished 75-80 in the strike-shortened season.
On the other hand, the Yankees are hoping CC Sabathia’s balky elbow stands up to the heat of the pennant race. They’re trying to milk innings out of Freddy Garcia for the second year in a row, praying Phil Hughes figures out how to find some consistency and doing everything short of considering some sort of pagan sacrifice to get 40-year-old Andy Pettitte back from a fractured ankle.
Only Hiroki Kuroda has provided any consistency on the mound. Only, the Yankees can’t seem to score when he pitches—his run support is near the bottom of the American League.
Yes, New York has had injuries. But injuries are to be expected when the average age of the 42 players used this season is 33.0 years. That’s old. Really old.
So while Tampa Bay got a spark in its lineup when Evan Longoria returned after missing 85 games with a torn hamstring and Baltimore looks young and fresh and eager to prove the doubters wrong by staying in a race that on paper they have no business winning, the Yankees just look old and slow.
Can New York bounce back and hold on to the division crown for a fourth straight season? Sure.
But given this is now a 25-game sprint to the finish, then at least at first glance the Yankees don’t appear to have the legs to keep up with the O’s and Rays.
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