Binge Sports: MLB Poll Results, Wild Card Matchups
Welcome back to Binge Sports. Well, the exhausting 162-game regular season in Major League Baseball has finally come to an end. Throughout the campaign, I’ve been bringing you constant updates with standings and breakdowns and everything in between, but the best part is that you’ve been able to join in on the fun. All season long, I’ve been putting up fan polls for you to partake in, asking who would win each division. After 26 weeks of baseball, we can finally reveal the results. But we’re not done there. Following the results, I’ve got two more votes for you. Before the division series can get underway this week, we’ve got two wild card games to get to. I’ll preview those as well and give you the chance to vote for the winners. Thanks to all those who voted throughout the season, and I’ll hope you’ll continue to participate throughout the MLB Postseason. It should be a fun ride. As we have all year, let’s start in the American League.
American League East
Toronto Blue Jays: 50%
New York Yankees: 23.7%
Boston Red Sox: 10.5%
Tampa Bay Rays: 7.9%
Baltimore Orioles: 7.9%
This was one of only two divisions that didn’t have a zero percent entry. This vote was very balanced throughout the season, as was the division. But the vote played out nearly exactly as the division did. After some big trades, the Toronto Blue Jays just took over the AL East, bypassing the Yankees late in the season. Don’t worry, New York, the Yanks are still going to the playoffs. One for one.
American League Central
Kansas City Royals: 67.6
Detroit Tigers: 13.5%
Cleveland Indians: 10.8%
Minnesota Twins: 5.4%
Chicago White Sox: 2.7%
Most of the votes that came in for the teams not named the Kansas City Royals came in fairly early in the voting process, which is basically the only time they had any chance against KC, who have essentially had this division locked up for months. Two for two.
American League West
Houston Astros: 46.2 %
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 33.3%
Seattle Mariners: 12.8%
Texas Rangers: 7.7%
Oakland A’s: 0%
How fun was this race? Coming down to the last day of the season, the Rangers clinched on Sunday with a win over the Angels, and in the process secured a playoff berth for the Houston Astros, who led the division most of the year. They led the poll most of the year as well. I guess you guys had to be wrong at some point. Two for three.
Playoff Teams
Kansas City Royals: 91.7%
Houston Astros: 87.5%
Toronto Blue Jays: 79.2%
New York Yankees: 79.2%
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 58.3%
The only team you missed here was the Texas Rangers, but it took a late run for them to get in, so you’re forgiven.
American League Wild Card Game
Houston Astros at New York Yankees
Date: Tuesday, October 6
Where: Yankee Stadium, New York
Time: 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central
TV: ESPN
It might be a surprise to fans of both teams that these two are here. The Astros are ahead of schedule with their young team, and the Yankees got some surprise pop from some veterans this year. Nevertheless, the Yankees and Astros are set to square off on Tuesday night in the first playoff game of what is sure to be an unforgettable postseason. Are the Astros ready to take the next step? Or are the Yankees primed for another run? Make the call.
[yop_poll id=”291″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
National League East
New York Mets: 53.1%
Washington Nationals: 43.8%
Miami Marlins: 3.1%
Atlanta Braves: 0%
Philadelphia Phillies: 0%
After a hot start, the Mets seemed as if they would cool off in the summer, but a strong pitching staff overcame the injuries to key players to send New York to the postseason ahead of a very disappointing Nationals team. They’ve got the likely NL MVP and a guy who threw two no-hitters this year, and they still couldn’t pass the Mets, not in the standings and not in the polls either. Three for four.
National League Central
St. Louis Cardinals: 60.6%
Chicago Cubs: 27.3%
Pittsburgh Pirates: 12.1%
Cincinnati Reds: 0%
Milwaukee Brewers: 0%
This was far and away the best division in baseball this season. The top three teams had the top three records in all of baseball. Is there much more to say than that? It’s a shame that with the way the playoff system is set up, one of these teams will be going home very early, but more on that in a minute. Four for five.
National League West
Los Angeles Dodgers: 55.3%
San Francisco Giants: 42.1%
Colorado Rockies: 2.6%
Arizona Diamondbacks: 0%
San Diego Padres: 0%
Once again, true to the action on the field, this vote went back and forth throughout the season. The Giants and Dodgers traded spots for a while, but in the end, the Dodgers came out on top. Five for six.
Playoff Teams
These are the five teams who made it to the National League Playoffs. Are these the top five you picked? Let’s take a look.
St. Louis Cardinals: 92%
Chicago Cubs: 80%
Los Angeles Dodgers: 76%
Pittsburgh Pirates: 72%
New York Mets: 60%
Nice work. Now let’s take a look at that first playoff game.
National League Wild Card Game
Chicago Cubs at Pittsburgh Pirates
Date: Wednesday, October 7
Where: PNC Park, Pittsburgh
Time: 8:00 Eastern/7:00 Central
TV: TBS
We knew this matchup was coming for a while, but now we finally know where it’s going to be held. With a win against the Reds on Sunday, the Pirates will be the home team for this huge matchup with the Cubs. The Pirates, who finished with the second-best record in all of baseball, will send Gerrit Cole and his 19-8 record to the mound against Chicago, who finished with the third-best record in MLB, and their Cy Young hopeful, Jake Arrieta. Arrieta finished at 22-6 with an 1.77 ERA, and an astonishing 0.75 ERA since the All-Star break, an all-time record. Both lineups have plenty of pop with names like Rizzo, Bryant, McCutcheon, and Alvarez. I said it before and I’ll say it again; it’s a shame that one of these teams has to go home after this game. So who’s going home and who’s going to St. Louis?
[yop_poll id=”292″ tr_id=””” show_results=”-1″]
Stay tuned this week for an all-new Binge SportsCast, where I’ll be breaking down the season and making some playoff predictions. Until then, get all the latest updates, including the BFFL and the Binge Sports Pick ‘Em Contest, by following @BingeSports and @THElukenorris on Twitter. And make sure to tune in tomorrow for the all-new BingeCast, sign up for the newsletter, and get some new Binge Media merchandise already. You’re gonna see me a lot this week.