After more than 70 games, all 5 teams in the NL West are within 1.5 games of each other. Is this the closest division ever? Does anyone know how this is measured, and what other division have ever been closer in the history of th MLB? Thanks!
2006-06-21 08:21:49 · 7 answers · asked by BayAreaMan 2 in Sports ➔ Baseball
Really not interested in proving or disproving that the NL West is the best just because it is close. It is just a curiousity and makes for a much more interesting season. I will concede that no one in the division is very strong, but as a division they have the best record in the NL and are second only to AL East (by less than a game). So comments about their being the worst division in baseball are ignorant.
2006-06-21 09:00:25 · update #1
You could use a bunch of different measuring sticks. Last year's NL East had the top four teams finish within 7 games of each other, while the West had the last place team only 15 games behind the division winner, the same as the 1996 NL Central. The 1995 NL West (only 4 teams) had an 11 game gap between first and last, but that season was strike-shortened, as was 1994 when the 4 teams in the AL West were within 5 1/2 games of each other. The 2004 AL West had the top three teams within 3 games of each other.
If we're only going to go back to the 3-division format in each league, those have been the closest races.
2006-06-21 11:43:18 · answer #1 · answered by TheOnlyBeldin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd have to agree with you. It is a close division, and it always has been. No one team has jumped out in front and stayed there since the 6 division format was adopted by MLB. I wouldn't know how to measure it, or if there's ever been one like it, but just remember that each year, every team in the division always makes at least one significant upgrade to their roster, and when it was so awful last year, every single team was decimated by injuries to key players.
And to the NL West bashers, what about the days just a few years ago when the AL and NL Central teams just completely sucked? Seems like every year, there would only be one team leading the pack, and that was usually the only team even above .500! And if you want perennial disappointments, what about the NL East, with the Mets always throwing money at players only to find themselves at the bottom of the division at season's end? Yes, I know the Mets are doing great now, and good for them, but when we talk about different divisions, the West (AL and NL) has always been the toughest to play in.
2006-06-21 08:46:15 · answer #2 · answered by Adam 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'll let the guys with more time on their hands provide the actual stats, but I remember that in the first year of divisional play (1969) the NL West was tight right up to the last week. The Braves, Giants and Dodgers kept trading first place, the Reds were about a game or two behind, the Astros a couple of games behind that and only the brand-new Padres completely out of it. The Braves pulled it out in that last week.
I predict, only half-jokingly, that the team that wins the NL West will be the team that does the best (perhaps the team that does least badly) against the Seattle Mariners. Going into today's game against the Dodgers (which they are currently leading), the Mariners are 7-0 against the NL West this year: three wins each against the Padres and Giants, and one against the Dodgers.
(I am sure that Barry Bonds fans never want to see him face Seattle closer J.J. Putz again! He did it twice, and Putz struck him out to end the game both times.)
2006-06-21 16:53:38 · answer #3 · answered by BroadwayPhil 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A better question is who cares... I am an NL fan, but the AL is sooo much better this year, it won't really matter. Plus the NL west is only close because none of the teams are that good. Probably the Dodgers will pull away with it, but like I said... who cares?
2006-06-21 08:27:18 · answer #4 · answered by In the light 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
And have you ever wondered why? Because the entire division completely stinks! It's a bunch of people fighting each other to be proclaimed the best team in the worst division in baseball. Whooptie doo. Good for you.
2006-06-21 08:27:19 · answer #5 · answered by yogabbagabba 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NL west is very close, but the teams are playing like crap, the highest win loss percentage is .533.
2006-06-25 20:41:38 · answer #6 · answered by Southie9 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ask again at the end of the season. Right now the records are meaningless.
2006-06-21 08:43:27 · answer #7 · answered by danceman528 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋