A.L. “Race” Nowhere Near ’67, Yet Interesting

Trust me, it is not even close to the drama or greatness of the league’s 1967 pennant race when one team and one team only, qualified and gained World Series entry, however the scramble in the A.L. these 58 years later, is quite interesting.

Most interesting, is that the one eighth or not even that, “div” race that seemed Detroit’s, now has only a one half game loss (ode to Beano Cook, who ripped baseball when after the hostages were issued lifetime baseball passes, he quipped “haven’t they suffered enough?!’– yet Beano, who once loved baseball always called it the all important loss column, now even more important with no playoffs for regular season, another way the once great game is being ruined) separation, as Detroit faces an epic collapse, juxtaposed with the Cleveland Guardians nee Indians, perhaps staging an incredible comeback.

Next Detroit plays 3 games in Cleveland. Of course the non div winner might still qualify for the 12 team tournament ahead.

Also, let’s call the ’77 expansion teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, the latter the only one of the 30 big league teams never to have even made the World Series, no less win it, the respective A.L. 1 and 2 seeds with the Yankees a very likely “4”seed.

The Det/Cleve div winner will be the “3” while Boston, Houston and the non div winner are vying for the two remaining tournament spots.

Click above to view Carl Yastrzemski’s big, game tying hit B6 of the season’s final game. They won the game, then clinched the incredible longshot pennant when the Angels gained a split in their doubleheader vs Detroit.

Detroit, Boston hmm– but again, nowhere as great as ’67, yet pretty good!!