No New York or Boston in the MLB Playoffs?  

If MLB were to become the equivalent of the movie “The Perfect Storm”, 2008 may be the year that neither the New York Yankees nor the Boston Red Sox make the playoffs.  How could something like this happen?

Not since the likes of 1993, when there was no wild card in baseball, has there been a season when either the Yankees, the Red Sox or both have not been in the playoffs.  Since 1995, both have been in the AL final four seven times.  SEVEN TIMES!  That doesn't count the times they were in separately.  They've taken up two of the four AL playoff spots SEVEN TIMES.

Even more amazing, since 1995 there have been 52 AL post season first round slots available.  Between the two teams, they've held 20 of those spots. 

Guess what?  In 1993, had the wild card existed, the Yankees would have been it for the AL.  1993 also left both teams at another disadvantage for making the post season.  Only two teams from each league made it in, since there weren’t three divisions per league.  Toronto and the Chicago White Sox represented the American League.  The Phillies and Braves were the National League division winners.  Toronto won the World Series.

One could make the argument it’s been since 1994, because that was the year of the strike and no World Series, but in all honesty that shouldn’t count.  No one made the playoffs.

It’s now almost August, and the Tampa Bay Rays lead the AL Eastern Division.  In order for the “Perfect Storm” to happen, Tampa will have to hold onto the division. 

Additionally, someone, from the AL Central or the AL West will have to take over the wild card lead currently held by, you guessed it, the Boston Red Sox.  As a matter of fact, two of the top three teams in wild card contention are Boston and the Yankees.  Currently, the “Perfect Storm” scenario rests squarely on the shoulders of the Tampa Bay Rays, and the Minnesota Twins.

Will 2008 be the year the string of thirteen consecutive trips to the post-season by the Yankees comes to an end?  Will it also be the year both the Yankees and the Red Sox sit on their couches in September during the first round of the playoffs?  Even more maddening, will it be the year Boston, New York, AND Atlanta are out? 

You can pretty much stick a fork in the Braves, but everything else is up for grabs.  Personally, I’m praying for “The Perfect Storm”.

And if it does happen, it makes perfect sense the Indians won’t be in the post-season reaping the benefits.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 3:27 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.