Baseball: Notes on Three American League Contenders

The three American League teams that have gone the longest amount of time without a post season berth are in contention for one this season.

Those teams are the Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.

The Royals, who have not been to the post season playoffs since winning it all in 1985, are in the midst of another good run that has them battling the Detroit Tigers for the A.L. Central crown.

The Mariners, who last made the post season with an American League record 116 wins in 2001, are in the thick of the race, for what likely will be one wild card berth.

By the way, the New York Yankees defeated the Mariners in five games in that year’s ALCS and Seattle, now in their 37th to be completed season, has never made the World Series

The Blue Jays last in post season when they rode Joe Carter’s game six home run to a second straight title in 1993, are on the outside looking in, trailing, but still factors in the race, for that likely to be lone wild card spot available.