There is about a month left in the 2021 MLB regular season and the Wild Card races are heating up in a big way.
The American League has five teams realistically in that race for two spots, while the National League has five as well for the second spot, with the sixth being the Los Angeles Dodgers holding a massive lead with the first spot.
There are the favorites, but we want to look at three teams clinging to hope that they can jump over those ahead of them and make a miraculous run to the postseason.
3. Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays enter Saturday five games back of the Boston Red Sox for the second AL Wild Card spot.
UNBELIEVABLE!
The @BlueJays complete the comeback! #Walkoff pic.twitter.com/eQSPpMLWVQ
— MLB (@MLB) September 4, 2021
However, they are only three actual losses behind Boston in the standings.
Hope is alive and well in Toronto and having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on the field on a daily basis also helps the cause.
The good news for Toronto is that they still have seven games left against the disastrous Baltimore Orioles.
They even close the season with a three-game set against Baltimore at home in Canada.
That has to be an easy sweep for the Blue Jays.
Injuries have hurt this team and keeping George Springer healthy all month could be the key to a big run.
2. Seattle Mariners
We jump up in the standings one spot and find the Mariners four games back of the Red Sox heading into Saturday.
Seattle may be one of the biggest surprises in baseball this year and are still only 6.5 games back of Houston in the AL West race.
They have won three straight entering the weekend and are currently taking on a weak Arizona Diamondbacks squad.
The Mariners then have a three-game set against the Astros before yet another series against the Diamondbacks.
This could be a franchise-changing run over the next week, or it could be a reminder the team is probably still a year away from contention status.
1. New York Mets
The Mets easily have dealt with the most drama of any MLB team this season.
Just in the past few weeks we have seen players fighting with fans, the owner calling out said players, and the acting GM arrested on DWI charges.
Yet somehow, the Mets are four games back in the division and the same amount back in the Wild Card.
.@javy23baez CRUSHES this one! #LGM pic.twitter.com/jb9MMAPoLP
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 4, 2021
A recent five-game win streak has the team back to .500 at 67-67.
While winning the division would be ideal, we stick with the focus in the Wild Card just because of the uncertainty surrounding this team.
The Atlanta Braves are also proving to be a legitimate contender in the NL East.
The two teams are set to square off in October for a final three-game set to wrap up the regular season.
For now, we are talking Wild Card for the Mets.
By then, it may be a series to determine a division winner and the second Wild Card spot.
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