Major League Baseball playoff races are heating up, which reminds us of some of the greatest pennant chases in MLB history.
Is there anything better than a good, old-fashioned playoff race? With September just days away, five of the six divisions in Major League Baseball are still up for grabs (with the Kansas City Royals’ domination of the AL Central the lone exception).
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As of Saturday, August 29, there were 17 teams within nine games of first place in their respective divisions. That means there are 17 teams with a legitimate shot to not only make the playoffs, but to win their division. Throw in the Minnesota Twins, who are just a half game back in the AL Wild Card standings, and that’s 18 teams still fighting for a chance to make it to the postseason. If you count the Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians – all of whom are within 6.5 games of the second Wild Card slot, that’s 21 teams.
Sure, the odds are stacked against a team overcoming a nine game deficit with just a month left to play, but it’s not impossible.
Remember, the Minnesota Twins were six games out in the AL Central on September 1, 2006 before storming back to steal the division title away from the Detroit Tigers exactly one month later, on the final day of the regular season. Also, the 2012 Oakland A’s were five games out with just nine games left to play before they beat out the Texas Rangers in the AL West on the season’s last day.
And, believe it or not, there have even better finishes. With that in mind, we count down the greatest pennant chases in Major League Baseball history.
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