Baseball’s race to the finish line

If you are a baseball fan, September is the month you have been waiting for. It is when nearly five months of play all comes down to the final moments. October may be the home of the “World Series Classic,” but it is September when teams can truly earn their playoff stripes.

Think of it like a horse race, where after galloping all the way through the first mile and a quarter, the horses now have rounded the bend and are headed for home. “And down the stretch, here they come!” the excited race announcer might yell. So which teams might be the ones to cross that finish line first and get to play in the World Series this October? Well for one, Cubs fans, you can relax, because how do we put this gently? You got no shot. The Cubs broke out of the gate slowly, limped badly in the middle of the race, but have had some recent moments of optimism. Let’s hope September gives the Cubbie fans some hope for next year.

The White Sox on the other hand? Still a glimmer of hope, albeit a fleeting one. The boys in black just haven’t quite put it together this year and continue to wander aimlessly around the .500 mark. They do, though, still have a shot at making the playoffs, and as we all know, once you get there, anything can happen. September will be the Southsiders true test.

As for the rest of the field, most of the season, everyone was anticipating the Dodgers and Yankees meeting in October. Both teams have been dominant all season, especially the Dodgers, but the Yankees had a brutal month of August, and other teams are rapidly gaining on them. The next two most dangerous contenders are the always pesky Houston Astros, who have been running neck and neck with the Yankees, and the New York Mets who have caught fire and are rapidly chasing down The Dodger Blue.

Are there other potential contenders who could storm down the stretch to pass up all the other “horses” in the field and cross the finish line first? The Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, and let’s not forget the still defending champs—The Atlanta Braves.

 Who will play in October’s World Series? September’s “down the stretch they come” finish will ultimately decide.

(Jon Cohn is a New Eastside resident. Email ideas for Jon to [email protected])