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MLB standings based only on first inning runs: Dodgers threaten Braves

By Kristen Wong

Miguel Vargas #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a ground-rule RBI double during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Miguel Vargas #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers hits a ground-rule RBI double during the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 24, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /
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How would MLB teams stack up if standings were ordered by who scores the most early in games? Here are MLB standings based on first inning runs.

Everyone knows a good start means nothing if you can’t close the game. But getting hits off early and often doesn’t hurt, either, and some MLB teams are better are scoring in the first inning than others.

The MLB has a plethora of ways to order standings (home runs, money spent for wins) and ranking teams by first inning runs is only one more way of seeing who has an advantage or disadvantage at the start of any given game.

What are some takeaways from ordering standings based on first inning runs? For one thing, the AL Central stinks at scoring early (and scoring in general). So do the Athletics, which comes as no surprise. The team that struggles the most early in games, however, is a roster that has one of the highest payrolls in the league.

Here’s the lowdown on which MLB teams perform well in first innings and which don’t.

MLB standings: Divisional standings ordered by first inning runs

AL East

  1. Tampa Bay Rays — 44
  2. New York Yankees — 34
  3. Boston Red Sox — 32
  4. Toronto Blue Jays — 29
  5. Baltimore Orioles — 19

The Rays lead the pack with the Yankees and Red Sox trailing behind. Anthony Rizzo has helped keep up New York’s early production while Aaron Judge has been out due to a toe injury. The Orioles record the fewest runs in the first inning in the division, but they perform much better in the second, third, and fourth innings and remain in the top-10 in total runs scored.

AL Central

  1. Minnesota Twins — 32
  2. Kansas City Royals — 32
  3. Cleveland Guardians — 30
  4. Detroit Tigers — 29
  5. Chicago White Sox — 27

The Twins get the nod over the Royals for having more total runs (270 vs. 237). Three AL Central teams rank in the bottom four of the league in total runs, something you can’t tell just by looking at these first inning stats. In fact, the AL Central actually performs quite decent in the first inning — it’s the rest of the game that sees these teams start to choke.

AL West

  1. Houston Astros — 44
  2. Los Angeles Angels — 42
  3. Texas Rangers — 40
  4. Oakland Athletics — 33
  5. Seattle Mariners — 27

To no surprise, the Astros and Angels lead the division. Houston has profited from top batters like Mauricio Dubon and Yordan Alvarez, and the Angels have, as everyone knows, Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. And look at that, the A’s aren’t so bad! They’re second to last in total runs scored, but for the first innings of games, Oakland doesn’t disappoint.

NL East

  1. Atlanta Braves — 55
  2. Philadelphia Phillies — 37
  3. Washington Nationals — 37
  4. Miami Marlins — 19
  5. New York Mets — 14

All hail the first inning leaders, the Atlanta Braves. They lead the division and the rest of the league with 55 total runs, though a certain NL West team is close behind. Atlanta’s 1-2-3 punch of Ronald Acuna Jr., Matt Olson, and Austin Riley is slaughtering teams — Chipper Jones was right.

Now allow your eyes to lower all the way to the bottom of the division, where you will find Steve Cohen’s ridiculously expensive roster scoring a grand total of… 14 runs in the first inning in 2023. Still wondering why the Mets got swept by the Braves this past week?

NL Central

  1. Milwaukee Brewers — 41
  2. Cincinnati Reds — 39
  3. (T-2) St. Louis Cardinals — 39
  4. Pittsburgh Pirates — 30
  5. Chicago Cubs — 26

The Brewers lead the NL Central with 41 runs in the first inning, yet they rank in the bottom-10 in total runs scored. The Reds and Cardinals are tied in first inning runs and total runs; the Cubs miss Cody Bellinger dearly. Maybe there’s some hope for the Pirates…

NL West

  1. Los Angeles Dodgers — 54
  2. San Francisco Giants — 38
  3. Arizona Diamondbacks — 35
  4. Colorado Rockies — 33
  5. San Diego Padres — 33

Well, well, well. Look who came to bat. The Dodgers rank top of their division in first inning runs, just one run behind the Braves for the top overall spot. LA boasts a talented batting order with the likes of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy, and the club’s investment in its power hitters is certainly paying off.

The Rockies and Padres are tied for last in the league with 33 first inning runs a piece, though Colorado’s hitters start to get hotter in the fifth and sixth innings while San Diego struggles to record consistent production throughout games.

MLB standings: League standings ordered by first inning runs

American League

  1. Tampa Bay Rays — 44
  2. Houston Astros — 44
  3. Los Angeles Angels — 42
  4. Texas Rangers — 40
  5. New York Yankees — 34
  6. Oakland Athletics — 33
  7. Boston Red Sox — 32
  8. Minnesota Twins — 32
  9. Kansas City Royals — 32
  10. Cleveland Guardians — 30
  11. Toronto Blue Jays — 29
  12. Detroit Tigers — 29
  13. Chicago White Sox — 27
  14. Seattle Mariners — 27
  15. Baltimore Orioles — 19

National League

  1. Atlanta Braves — 55
  2. Los Angeles Dodgers — 54
  3. Milwaukee Brewers — 41
  4. St. Louis Cardinals — 39
  5. Cincinnati Reds — 39
  6. San Francisco Giants — 38
  7. Philadelphia Phillies — 37
  8. Washington Nationals — 37
  9. Arizona Diamondbacks — 35
  10. Colorado Rockies — 33
  11. San Diego Padres — 33
  12. Pittsburgh Pirates — 30
  13. Chicago Cubs — 26
  14. Miami Marlins — 19
  15. New York Mets — 14

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