2006 NL East Champs
1. We are the Champions: The first playoff spot in baseball has been clinched. Not surprisingly, it went to the New York Mets. The Mets had had a magic number of 1 for four straight days until they finally won against the Marlins yesterday. The win clinched the division title for them, and officially ended the Braves’ streak of 14 straight division titles. Steve Trachsel pitched shutout ball for six-plus innings to improve to 15-7, and Jose Valentine homered twice in their 4-0 win. At 91-58, New York has the best record in baseball, and they’ve been the only team in the league to score more than 750 runs and allow less than 700. And they’ve done all this with their highest-paid player, Pedro Martinez, on the DL for most of the year.
2. Game of the Year: Possibly the best game of the season played out yesterday between the Padres and the Dodgers. Los Angeles, who was down a half game in the division to the Padres, retook the lead with a 10 inning, 11-10 win that featured a crazy back-and-forth scoring battle. Going into the ninth inning, the Padres were up 6-5, and they padded their lead with three runs. But the Dodgers did something that no team had done since 1964. They hit four straight homeruns in the bottom of the ninth–an incredible rally that tied the game up. No team had hit four in a row in any inning during the last forty years, but the Dodgers did it in the ninth to tie the game at 9-9. But Josh Bard hit a single in the 10th that drove in a run for the Padres. Then Nomar Garciaparra responded with a big-time, two-run homerun that won the game for Los Angeles and finally ended the 3 hour, 53 minute game. This was the final game of the season series for these two clubs, and they sure ended it well.
3. Different Directions: The season’s final battle between the Tigers and White Sox is underway. These two teams were once thought to be the best in the MLB; now they rank 3rd and 6th in terms of record respectively. The Tigers were able to win yesterday, putting them six games above the White Sox in the division. The ChiSox have now lost four in a row and likely won’t make up the ground necessary for a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the 90-60 Tigers are still leading the division, 1.5 games above the Twins (who didn’t play yesterday). Detroit won 8-2 after another great start from Kenny Rogers, who allowed no earned runs for his fourth time in his last eight starts. Magglio Ordonez led the charge offensively with two solo homeruns, and Craig Monroe hit a three-run jack in the ninth to seal the deal. It appears the Tigers will be on their way to their first playoff spot in years, and they’ve already clinched a winning season.
4. Scoring is easy: Just ask the Rockies, who put up a rare 20-run effort against the Giants yesterday. They scored in each of the first six innings, and in seven of the eight in which they batted. Underrated Garrett Atkins had a career day with a 4-5, 6 RBI performance. Atkins has gone almost unnoticed despite the .324, 110-RBI season he is having. Also, .332-hitting Matt Holliday went 3-4 and drove in three runs himself. Todd Helton put up two hits, runs and RBIs. But the greatest Rockie on the day was outfielder Jeff Baker, who was called up from the minors a couple weeks ago. Baker had two homeruns, three runs, and drove in six on the day. Colorado’s offensive machine was reminiscent of the old days at Coors Field, when there was a double-digit scoring effort almost every other night. A game like this hadn’t happened this year. By the way, the once-soaring Giants are now back down to earth and back under .500.
5. More popular than ever: Have you been to a minor-league baseball game lately? If not, than you can consider yourself in the minority. Minor league baseball drew a record 41 million fans this season, breaking the record for the third year in a row. Many leagues such as the Pacific Coast league, the Texas League, and the South Atlantic league set individual record to help the cause.
