Fansided

Top 25 MLB pennant races of all time

By Joshua Sadlock

(Original Caption) Bucky Dent is a happy fellow as he jumps on home plate and is greeted by Roy White and Chris Chambliss after he hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park.
(Original Caption) Bucky Dent is a happy fellow as he jumps on home plate and is greeted by Roy White and Chris Chambliss after he hit a three-run home run in the 7th inning at Fenway Park. /
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BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 10: Josh Hamilton #32 of the Texas Rangers looks on during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during the first game of the double-header on May 10, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD – MAY 10: Josh Hamilton #32 of the Texas Rangers looks on during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during the first game of the double-header on May 10, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Tringali/SportsChrome/Getty Images) /

12. The first year of the second Wild Card, 2012

I think it goes without saying that all MLB fans can agree that the addition of the second Wild Card team in each league only serves to make the pennant races more exciting and dramatic. We can quibble over the nature of the sudden-death playoff, but the extra playoff spot is good as a whole. The 2012 season was the first year of the additional playoff team in each league, and it did not disappoint, creating even more reason to stay locked into the MLB season deep into the start of football season.

In the American League, the AL West was not decided until the final day of the year, with Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton’s shoddy defense allowing the Oakland A’s to win the coveted division title and stay out of the Wild Card Game. The Baltimore Orioles shocked the world by emerging from nearly 20 years of malaise to make the playoffs for the first time since 1997. The Orioles run to the playoffs was incredible, as they went 29-9 in one-run games and 16-2 in extra-inning games.

The National League was not quite as intriguing, with only one division decided by fewer than five games. An interesting race could have materialized in the NL West, but the Los Angeles Dodgers faded in late August and early September and lost the division to the San Francisco Giants who would go on to win the World Series.

The 2012 season proved that the addition of the second Wild Card was not a negative for the sport of baseball and would only lead to increased excitement for the pennant race. An expansion to eight playoff teams may not be far behind, especially if the league adds two more teams and goes to four divisions in each league.

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