When interleague play first began, I was weary of the idea. The amount of interleague games appeared overwhelming for my liking, as I would propose a policy where two weekends are set aside for ?rivalry? type showdowns like Mets-Yanks and Cubs-White Sox. Selig and Crew have watered interleague play down to a shred with the Red Sox, for example, facing NL opponents in six series (Phillies twice). The potential matchups are sure fun to watch (Mussina-Willis, Pedro-Beckett), but it does take away from the specialty the World Series brings to the table. Only somewhat. As for the Red Sox, interleague play has been a gift from the Baseball Gods in 2006.
You can say that for many of the upper-tier teams in the American League looking to gain ground on their divisional foe. The Tigers are 10-2 vs. the NL, but have failed to extend their lead in the AL Central, as the White Sox are also 10-2. The Twins, the third slot in that division, are 10-2. The Red Sox have been able to create some room between them and the Yanks as they post a 10-1 interleague record, giving the Sox a slim 2.5 game lead. But why this domination? Can the fact the American League has posted a gaudy 103-64 record in 2006 vs. the National League be explained, or is this simply luck?
Folks, this has nothing to do with luck. There are too many correlations and examples that can be pointed out that show the superiority of the AL. For example, two first ballot Hall-of-Fame pitchers made the transition from the AL to the NL in the last few years- Roger Clemens in 03 and Pedro Martinez in 04. In Roger?s last year in the AL, he posted a 3.91 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 112 ERA+ and struck out 190. In 2004 with the Astros, Roger posted a 2.98 ERA, with a 1.15 WHIP, 145 ERA+ and struck out 218. With an outstanding pitcher like Clemens, this cannot be a fluke. Pedro Martinez did the exact same thing. With the BoSox in 2004, Pedro finished with a 3.90 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and a 125 ERA+. In 2005 with the Mets? 2.82 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 148 ERA+. Obviously, the American League lineups post a bigger threat.
There?s also a sample size of how pitchers flourished in their first years in the American League compared to the National League. Four prominent pitchers that came over from the NL in 2005 were Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Matt Clement. In the National League, the pitchers posted a combined 3.09 ERA. In 2005, they finished with a 4.57 ERA in less innings. Sure, you can factor in the designated hitters as being a reason why AL offensive production is greater, but you can?t use the DH as an explanation for such a vast change.
Free-agents like Pavano, Wright and Clement are beginning to fluctuate over to the AL at a more rapid pace. With the AL winning every All-Star game since 1996 and seven of the last nine World Series winners coming from the AL (including the last two by a clean sweep), free-agents are drawn to the prospect of winning championships. The two NL champions, the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2001 and the Florida Marlins in 2003, needed to ?clean house? after their World Series parades. Curt Schilling was traded off to the AL Red Sox and Johnson to the AL Yankees a few years later. The ?clean house? method was exemplified greatly by the Marlins in 2003, with seemingly every player but Miguel Cabrera being traded. You guessed it, ten of the fourteen Marlins players crossed the border to the American League.
With the large payrolls featured in the American League, the chance of collecting a ring skyrockets. Right now, the AL has an average payroll of $82.5 million, while the NL stands at $66.5 million. The rich continue to get richer with additions like Jim Thome and Javier Vasquez for the World Champion Chicago White Sox this past off season from the NL. The White Sox rank fourth in baseball in payroll with $102,750,667. The top three? The AL Yankees, the AL Red Sox and the AL Angels. With money, constructing a winning baseball team, signing top-notch free agents and collectively shifting the balance of power in baseball becomes a whole lot easier. Is there any connection you can find between the aforementioned names Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Matt Clement? Or take Edgar Renteria from the Cardinals to Boston, or Adrian Beltre from the Dodgers to Seattle. The wave of talent switching leagues since the beginning of the decade is stunning.
There are also smaller factors that contribute to the American League?s winning ways. More traditional, historical, over-promoted teams play in the American League. The Yankees play in legendary Yankee Stadium, the Red Sox at Fenway, and these teams are on national television constantly. What kind of player wouldn?t love being shown on ESPN every night? Take a player like Matt Holliday for example, rotting away with the Colorado Rockies. His numbers are outstanding, posting a 1.009 OPS with 15 HR, 54 RBI, 41 XBH and a decent .318 SecA (I?ve been studying). Barely any casual baseball fans have heard of Matt Holliday. The #1 reason is because he plays with the Colorado Rockies. If he was putting up those kinds of numbers on the Yankees, he would be a household name tearing it up on ESPN every Monday night. That?s what you get with money and winning World Series rings. Have I mentioned the Yankees are in the American League?
Also, the lower payroll teams from the AL have found success like the Oakland Athletics and Minnesota Twins. Sabermetric methods were born from AL clubs. I have no stat to prove this, but it appears the general managers in the AL (Billy Beane, Theo Epstein, J.P. Ricciardi, Bill Stoneman) have proven to be more strong-minded than NL GM?s, with a few exceptions of course.
That?s the best I can do to explain why the American League has become the Goliath of baseball. Sure, the outstanding record for the AL has something to do with luck on the playing field, but most has to be attested to the previously mentioned factors. It simply cannot be the biggest coincidence known to mankind. With big payroll teams dominating interleague play and winning championships in the American League, this trend will not conclude any time soon. Unless the Mets prove me wrong.
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