Before the start of the season, the general consensus was that the Royals would take a strong hold on the division. Then, as the season progressed, it looked like the White Sox would end up locking up the division.
Right now, both of those teams are doing relatively well....but neither are in first. Because the Indians are atop the division right now.
...bet ya didn't see that one coming.
It's generally easily explained- the Indians have been sitting at second or third for most of the season, right behind the team in command of the division. And then, when the White Sox fell to third, they went to second. So, all it took was a huge hit to the Royals lead...which was supplied, of course, by the Indians, as part of a three-game-sweep of the Royals.
And just like that, a team that didn't look any more impressive than it did last year...has somehow landed in first place.
I know my tone has been pessimistic so far, but I absolutely love that this is happening. The Indians, of late, have been a very underdog-y team, and the fact that they've finally broken out of fourth is fantastic. People like Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez are playing pretty damn well, and the pitching staff, especially Danny Salazar and Corey Kluber, are impressing. Even if they're up at first due to some Royal slumpage, they deserve to be there because of their talent, and because of how far they've come.
I have no idea how long this is going to last, and going forward this could be a blip on the radar...but I know a fun baseball story when I see one, and I SOOOOO BADLY want this to keep going for a while.
Coming Today: One of the many strong pitchers of the Generally Blah St. Louis Cardinals
No comments:
Post a Comment