The 2001 Major League Baseball season is coming close to the end and the chance to make the playoffs is getting smaller every day. The biggest story this season by far has been San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Barry Bonds chasing St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire’s single-season home run record of 70.
It’s been extremely exciting to see Bonds in action, but every fan knows it doesn’t mean anything if the Giants do not make the playoffs. “It has been really great to see Bonds all season chasing McGwire, but a chance to win a championship is always top on the list,” said senior Guilford baseball player Tim Huie.
In the American League, the Seattle Mariners of the West have posted the best record in the league and in the majors. The Mariners will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Also in the West, the Oakland Athletics, who are 14 games behind the Mariners, have clinched a Wild Card berth in the playoffs. Look for the Seattle Mariners to win it all because of their pitching and overall power as a team.
In the American League East, the New York Yankees have blown by opponents to easily clinch a berth in the playoffs. “I can’t stand the Yankees and I hope they get their *ss kicked in the playoffs,” said Guilford junior J.J. Edwards.
In the Central there is a major fight for the last American League playoff berth and it will come down to the last five games of the season to see if the Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, or the Minnesota Twins will win the division. The Cleveland Indians are in front and look to receive that last playoff berth.
In the National League, talk has been mainly on the subject of the home run record chase, but of course the playoffs are more important.
At the moment, the National League is up for grabs. Not one team has clinched a playoff berth yet because the standings are too close to call.
In the East, the Atlanta Braves lead the division with an 84-72 record through Oct. 1 while the Philadelphia Phillies are only two games out, and the New York Mets are four and a half behind.
In the Central, the Houston Astros lead with a league-best 91-65 record while the St. Louis Cardinals are only one game behind from taking the division. “I am predicting that the Atlanta Braves will just breeze through the playoffs because of their superb pitching staff,” said Edwards.
Finally, in the West, the Arizona Diamondbacks, whom Guilford alumnus Tony Womack plays for, are atop the division with an 88-68 record, but Barry Bonds and his San Francisco Giants are only two games behind.
“Me being from the West Coast, I’m going to have to go with the Giants, because Barry Bonds’s record chase is going to pump up the team enough that they will want to win it all for him,” said Guilford junior James Hereford.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are pulling a late surge for the playoffs, only being six games out of the chase.
The “Hunt for October” is coming to an end. It’s all up to the teams to decide if they make that step to keep playing, or pack up their belongings and go home for the remainder of the year.
Make sure to watch all this week as the final games wrap up, the teams make their way into the playoffs, and Barry Bonds goes for 71 homeruns to break the single-season record.