What is the story about?
As of today, there remain roughly 30 games of Major League Baseball yet to be played by each squad. So, with the Twins doing their best late-1990s impersonation, let’s take this opportunity to look around both leagues and see which playoff races might be worth keeping an eye on down the stretch run.
AL Central
- We all know this one—the Detroit Tigers are running away from everyone. The only question is whether the Skubal Squad can squeeze out the best AL record and have all opponents enter under Panthera Tigris.
AL East
- Every time the Toronto Blue Jays have lofty expectations, they falter. So in a predicted so-so ‘25 season, of course they find themselves out in front of the New York Yankees & Boston Red Sox. That could change, but the Blue Birds seem to be solidifying their grasp as opposed to letting it flit away.
AL West
- Can the Big Dumper—Cal Raleigh—hit enough home runs to finally propel the sea-farers over the Houston Humidities? Those two clubs have been going back-and-forth all summer and it’s still anyone’s division.
AL Wild Card
- The WC wafflers likely will winnow down to New York (eww), Boston (ehh), & whoever doesn’t win the West (please be the Astros, please be the Astros). Kansas City, Cleveland, Texas, & Anaheim still have outside shots at the final slot, but such opportunities are fading faster than Joe Pohlad’s Q score.
NL Central
- So, uh, you know that squad to our east in a smaller market with less resources? Yeah—they have the best record in the NL. No word on if Milwaukee’s owners have leveraged the franchise for debt. Remarkably, the Brew Crew are just 5-or-so games clear of the Chicago Cubs in a dogfight division.
NL East
- Unless the New York Mets make a late push—and their entire organizational history suggests otherwise—the Philadelphia
TwinsPhillies of Max Kepler, Harrison Bader, & Jhoan Duran vintage will raise another banner in Rockyland.
NL West
- This has been the exact pattern of the NL West race the last few seasons: the San Diego Padres pull ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but then Dave Roberts & Co. realize “hey, we have all the good players!” and put their foot on the gas again. Is this the year the Friars finagle their first division title since 2006?
NL Wild Card
- The first two berths are comfortably occupied by the Cubs and whoever doesn’t emerge victorious from LA/SD. This leaves the Mets and the Fightin’ Franconas (Cincinnati Reds) duking it out for the final ticket. The St. Louis Cardinals & Arizona Diamondbacks harbor only “Impossible Dream” hopes.
So, with the Twins playing at a level where a prospect promotion to AAA is exciting, those are some races you can keep an eye on if well-played baseball trumps the hometown variety for you down the stretch.
Do you find this article useful?
