The American league east division has had a season for the record books. Three of the six teams in the AL playoff picture this season are from that division. The New York Yankees, who held a winning record this year, were 19 games behind the division leader as the season ended. The Tampa Bay Rays ended second in the division despite winning 99 games this season. The division had a .554-winning percentage. The NL east was the division that came anywhere close to that number with a .522 division winning percentage, which was probably aided by having the team with the most wins in baseball in its division.
In sports though, there can only be one winner. The Baltimore Orioles took home the AL east division title this year. Baltimore finished with a 101-61 record. That means that the O’s had the most wins in the AL this year. This should be a no brainer then, right? The team with the most wins should come into the playoffs as the favorite. However, Baltimore is still the underdog and has a lot to prove this month.
2016 was the last season that the Orioles were in the postseason; you know, the year that the Cubs won the world series. I am just going to give you a fair warning that I am a huge Cubs fan and believe that the season was rigged to not let us in the playoffs but that is beside the point. The Orioles have a combined age of 28.25 with a lot of their main players being younger. The young star catcher Adley Rutschman is only 25 years old. This means that the O’s are young and inexperienced when it comes to the postseason. This fact really works against them when teams like the Rays and the Houston Astros are two teams that they must beat out for a spot in the fall classic.
So far, we have only mentioned the reasons that the O’s will not win it all. So, when do the positives come into play? Well, let’s observe their season. When you look at what they did this summer, the whole season was pretty much a 162 game playoffs. Constantly watching scoreboards and constantly in contention while facing tension at every turn. When you look at the season, Baltimore won a huge postseason series when they won the division.
Regarding team stats, they were top ten in the AL in stats for batting average, home runs, stolen bases, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. They were top five in the AL in RBI, runs scored, doubles and triples.
In football, defense wins championships. In the baseball world, pitching win championships. The Orioles had plenty of pitching. Ranking in the top five in ERA, wins and WHIP. The O’s are set for pitching. Baltimore also ended the year with a .988 fielding percentage, good enough to rank number two in the AL.
One stat though, puts the nail in the “are they good enough” coffin. Baltimore had 49 saves this season, making the number-two team in that category in the AL. That means that 49 times they faced a close game and won. October is full of close games. There is something about the cold weather of fall that brings one and two-run ball games. When October comes, be ready for close ninth innings. I think that it is safe to say that Baltimore is ready for close games.
The Orioles are to only ready for the postseason, but also, they are primed for a magical October. While the Atlanta Braves have the most wins and the Astros are the most experienced team in the playoffs, the Orioles are young and exciting to watch. Baltimore is ready for the struggle; I just hope that the teams they face this month are also ready.
by Ollie Hammonds
