The NL West's race for a rare year in run differential
Browntown is Scandinavian by way of San Diego, and therefore is in the midst of a two week vacation. Full issues will be back Tuesdays and Fridays in August. But I couldn’t resist getting online to share a fun fact!
Before 1994, there were four divisions in the majors. Each one had seven teams in it. Even so, it was very rare to have three teams who scored enough and pitched well enough to reach a +100 run differential over a full season in a single division. The AL East had three teams that solid in 1980: the Yankees, Orioles and Brewers, although the Brewers were quite unlucky to finish 86-76 and a full 17 games behind the Yankees. Their Pythagorean expected record based on runs scored vs. runs allowed was 94-68, poor fellas.
Three divisions have had three teams that strong since 1980, all after the 6-division split in ‘94: the 2002 AL West (A’s, Angels, Mariners); the 2004 NL Central (Cardinals, Astros and Cubs, with the caveat that there were six teams in that division, although again, even when there were seven teams in divisions it rarely happened); and the 2008 AL East (Rays, Red Sox, Blue Jays—somehow the Jays finished fourth in the East that year behind the Yankees, whose run differential was +62.)
After yesterday’s 5-2 victory in Miami, the Padres once again have a run differential of +100. The race is on!
It could be tough for all three teams to maintain that pace as they’ve still got loads of games against each other, but those games should swing back and forth run-wise, so assuming all three teams keep winning more games than not against the rest of the field, three +100s are in play for the first time in 13 years.