The American League Wild Card race is providing MLB fans with endless amounts of intrigue as the 2021 season winds down.
At this very moment, it’s anyone’s guess as to which teams are going to come away with Wild Card bids in the AL.
We’ve got five teams vying for two spots, and with about three weeks to go, the race will likely only get more intense the rest of the way.
Here’s what the picture looks like right now:
- Wild Card No. 1: Toronto Blue Jays
- Wild Card No. 2: Boston Red Sox (trail Blue Jays by percentage points)
- In The Hunt: New York Yankees (1 GB)
- In The Hunt: Oakland Athletics (3 GB)
- In The Hunt: Seattle Mariners (3 GB)
This is everything you can hope for as a fan of the sport.
It feels like it has been a very long time since we had such a massive logjam this late in the season, but it sure is fun.
Here’s a little rundown on each of the teams that are in the AL Wild Card mix.
Blue Jays
The Blue Jays are arguably the most intimidating team in baseball right now.
They just annihilated the Baltimore Orioles in a weekend series, outscoring Baltimore by a total score of 44-19.
Sure, the Orioles are a weak opponent, but scoring 44 runs over three games is insanity.
Plus, two of the games were just seven innings in length.
The @BlueJays have scored 44 runs in the last 24 hours! pic.twitter.com/nLd1JSB9kT
— MLB (@MLB) September 12, 2021
Toronto has won 11 of its last 12 and 16 of its last 18.
Since the All-Star break, the team is 35-21.
This isn’t a club that anyone should want to face right now.
Red Sox
The Red Sox are limping to the finish line.
Amid COVID-19 issues and an overall poor second half, Boston is barely holding onto a Wild Card spot.
The team’s campaign would be regarded as a huge disappointment if it didn’t end with a playoff appearance.
Fortunately, if the season ended today, the Red Sox would find themselves in the Wild Card Game.
We’ll have to wait and see if Boston can hold on to its current place in the standings.
Yankees
The Yankees haven’t done themselves any favors lately.
The team has lost four consecutive series, and the poor stretch has come at a very inopportune time.
In fact, the Yankees are currently out of a playoff spot.
Yankees on the outside looking in for a wild card spot pic.twitter.com/MOPFWuWzmy
— Boston Sports Info (@bostonsportsinf) September 13, 2021
The good news for New York is that its next 10 games will all come against teams with losing records.
The Yankees will need to do some serious damage in this stretch and come away with seven or eight wins.
Athletics
The Athletics are three games back of a playoff spot at the moment.
They just dropped a series to a really lousy Texas Rangers team, so that certainly didn’t help the cause.
Oakland will have the benefit of playing inferior opponents this entire week, but after that stretch ends, the team’s remaining schedule will consist solely of winning teams.
There’s very little margin for error remaining.
It’s make-or-break time for the Athletics.
Mariners
The Mariners are looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2001.
Their 19-year playoff drought is the longest active one in North American sports.
Fans in Seattle would love for that to change this season, but the team’s three-game deficit looks a little bit daunting at this point.
The Mariners are going to have to start stringing some wins together if they want to land in the playoffs.
They’ll open a huge series with the Red Sox tonight.
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