As we discussed yesterday, the AL playoffs feature four expansion teams -- the Royals, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Astros. But over in the National League, it's all fame and glamor. The St. Louis Cardinals -- who have appeared in the National League Championship Series in each of the last four years -- will be taking on their ancient rivals, the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs and Cardinals -- the Red Sox and Yankees of the Midwest -- have never met in the playoffs, and there will be great excitement throughout that part of the country. But the coasts also have an interest in these playoffs, as the Mets and Dodgers will meet in the post-season for the first time since their 1988 donnybrook that was one of the greatest playoff series ever played. I'm very eager to see both of these series.
The Giants missed the playoffs, but next year they'll be looking for their fourth consecutive World Series title in an even year. The Nats were a huge disappointment, but their fans can take hope from the fact that a new manager will soon be on the way. The most disappointed fans in baseball, however, have to be the Pirate fans, who saw their team bounced in a one-game playoff for the second year in a row. In the last three years, Pittsburgh has won 94 games, 88 games, and 98 games -- but they have yet to reach the NLCS, and they haven't even made the divisional playoffs in each of the last two seasons.
Here are the final standings. Teams in the divisional playoffs are in italics. The Cardinals are the first National League team to win 100 games in the regular season since the 2011 Phillies. That team, of course, lost to the Cardinals in the divisional playoffs and haven't returned to the post-season since. The Cardinals will be hoping for better fortune:
1. St. Louis Cardinals: 100-62 --
2. Pittsburgh Pirates: 98-64 2
3. Chicago Cubs: 97-65 3
4. Los Angeles Dodgers: 92-70 8
5. New York Mets: 90-72 10
6. San Francisco Giants: 84-78 16
7. Washington Nationals: 83-79 17
8. Arizona Diamondbacks: 79-83 21
9. San Diego Padres: 74-88 26
10. Miami Marlins: 71-91 29
T11. Colorado Rockies: 68-94 32
T11. Milwaukee Brewers: 68-94 32
13. Atlanta Braves: 67-95 33
14. Cincinnati Reds: 64-98 36
15. Philadelphia Phillies: 63-99 37
I hate this playoff format.
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