Why aren't the Cardinals and Royals playing an interleague series this weekend in Major League Baseball?

Question

This is supposed to be rivalry weekend, and therefore we see the Chicago, New York, Florida, Texas, Ohio, Los Angeles and Bay area teams facing off in the first of two interleague weekend series. Because the NL has two more teams than the AL, two NL teams have to sit out every weekend. And since teams like Boston, Arizona and Colorado have no natural rivalry in the opposite league, MLB has rotated the rivalry pairings amongst the remaining AL teams. That makes sense, otherwise you'd have the same two NL teams being left out every year during the rivalry weekends.

But what confuses me is the pairing of St. Louis and Detroit. I have come to assume that teams with natural geographic rivalries are exempt from the rotation, yet the Royals and Cardinals are not playing this weekend. I thought those two were annual rivals? Am I wrong or did this change? Could the New York or Chicago rivalries be sacrificed in the future?

Answer 1

Judge G said basically everything I was going to say. Last year in the cross-over, the Tigers beat the Cardinals all three games they played. Then they met in the World Series. The schedule-maker did the right thing this year. Maybe it'll get back to Royals-Cardinals next year. Go Cards.

Answer 2

June 12 - 14
June 18 - 20

The rivals idea means that the two teams will play 2 series with each other, not just one.

Boston does have a natural rival in the NL. It's the Braves, who used to be the Milwauukee Braves, and who used to be the Boston Braves.

Here are the "natural rivalries" in MLB.

Yankees/Mets
Boston/Atlanta
Baltimore/Washington
Tampa Bay/Florida
Cleveland/Cincinnati
Chisox/Cubs
KC/St Louis
Angels/Dodgers
A's/Giants
Rangers/Astros

Or are they? The A's started in Philadelphia. It's a stretch to call the Twins/Brewers a natural rivalry, particularly since the Brewers began as the Seattle Pilots. For that matter, both the Rangers and the Twins began in Washington, so who not have the Nationals/Twins and the Brewers/Mariners as rivals?

The point is that for the most part, these designations are absolutely arbitrary, just as are the placements of teams within the NCAA basketball tournaments, where a west coast team can be put into an each coast bracket, and where a team can be in an eastern bracket one year and a western bracket the next.

BTW, last year's WS has nothing to do with it. It can't. The tentative schedule is given to teams in mid-summer. They go back to MLB with the teams' comments and requests, and are altered if possible. They are returned to the teams on a semi-final basis in September. Teams start posting tentative schedules anywhere from Late November to Late December, but the official schedules aren't avialbe from teams until at least January, and for some teams, not until late February.

Answer 3

I have a few theories, but I don't know how many, if any, are correct.

1. Last year's World Series featured the Cardinals and Tigers, so this could be the schedulemaker's way of giving Detroit an opportunity for revenge.
2. The Tigers are a better team than the Royals, and since the Cardinals won the World Series last year, the schedulemaker thought a series with Detroit would be more competitive than a series with Kansas City.
3. Tony LaRussa and Jim Leyland have a long and storied friendly rivalry between them, and this series would simply be the latest chapter in that.

Personally, I don't care about the result of this series or why the change was made this year. I'm happy that Cleveland won last night and would love nothing more than to see a weekend sweep. Go Tribe!

Answer 4

I'm guessing Cardinals are playing Tigers due to the possible interest in rematching their less than memorable World Series clash. Either that or MLB felt they had to
get those bitter rivals the Royals and Rockies together. Interesting idea about getting rid of the Subway series in NY or the southside vs northside of Chicago natural rivalries. If you note the NFL there is no effort whatsoever to get natural rivals such as the Jets and Giants together and fan interest seems to be no less for it. Nonetheless having the Mets play the Twins or the Yanks play the Marlins (ignoring that the Yankees are followed and draw everywhere) would not have quite the same buzz to it as the games at Shea will this weekend.

Answer 5

Most of what is said above is correct.

St. Louis and Detroit fans might rate the rivalry a little higher than everbody else, however, by remembering that they also faced each other in the '68 world series.

Also, I personally (as a Tigers fan since the late 70s) love the chance to see LaRussa get his but kicked. He made me grind my teeth when he coached the A's. As if the fact that you have a JD would make you a better coach than somebody with a high school education.

Nice game last night, by the way (Tigers won 14-4)

Answer 6

They do play each other this year. Just not this weekend. Cards will play @ KC July 12-14 then play @Oak 15-17. And the will host KC 18-20. Don't know why they wont play this weekend. But Im sure it has to do with the NL having the 2 extra teams.

Answer 7

E) San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Big series for the Giants, we won last night, but are trailing currently against the Dodgers. So I say if we can get 2 out of 3 it will be a success, because after that we face San Diego, then 4 at home against the Cubs. Hopefully this series will be a success for us.

Answer 8

well the royals are taking on the rockies
it is only 1 series during the 5 series inter league they might play eachother

Answer 9

TV ratings. That is what controlls sports today.
There is no more fan enjoyment. It is how the TV networks can make more money and more revenue off advertising.
Sorry.