Interleague Winding Down
The Houston Astros are moving to the American League next season. Maybe the Mets should consider talking to Houston about staying put while the Amazin’s move over to the junior circuit.
With last night’s win against Baltimore, completing the three game sweep, the Mets lifetime record against the American League has jumped to 134-125 (.517). It’s not a spectacular record but it is a winning one against teams that most critics have declared a better bunch then the NL group.
Of the fourteen American League teams, the Mets hold a winning record against nine of them. Percentage wise, the Mets best mark is against the Cleveland Indians with seven wins against two losses. Wins wise, discounting the Yankees because of the many more games the Mets have played against them, the Mets have won 19 against the Orioles. Do you think it gave older Orioles’ fans chills this week to see their team swept in New York by the Mets? The last time that happened was in 1969 in late October.
Overall the most interleague games the Mets have won are 35 against the Yankees. However, the Mets have lost 52 games against the Bombers. Three more games are scheduled this weekend at Citi Field with the Yanks. The Mets have played more games against the Yankees by far when compared to other AL clubs, a total of 87.
The fewest number of games against an AL club is against the White Sox. It’s puzzling but the Mets have played only three games (1-2) against the Chi-Sox, all at US Cellular Field back in 2002. The next fewest games are six (3-3) against the Royals, three in Kansas City and three at Shea Stadium.
Next season, because there will be fifteen teams in each league, an interleague contest will be going on somewhere every day. It is unclear what the schedule will look like. All we know is that the scheduling group at MLB is working on it.
With the odd number of teams in each league, there could be periods where all NL teams are facing AL teams or just some are but always at least one. With 15 teams in each league, the number of interleague series at any one time must always be an odd one. An even number of teams must be left over in each league for the schedule to balance out. Therefore on any given day there can be one, three, five, seven, nine, eleven, thirteen, or fifteen interleague series being played. Will there be a minimum amount of interleague series at a time? Will there be periods where all teams are involved with interleague series? We yet do not know. Likely we will get a first glimpse of the 2013 schedule soon.
With both leagues so integrated these days, you have to think the designated hitter will eventually be adopted by the National League. How can it not? Have you been to a minor league game lately, affiliated or independent? They all are employing the DH. Have you taken in a game or two of the College World Series? Pitchers don’t bat there either. Nor do they in Babe Ruth league, or any other semblance of baseball, just the National League. It really makes no sense anymore and I am someone who hates the DH. But even I can see the writing on the wall. The DH has been around for forty years. It’s not like its some recent experiment.
However the Mets have one more interleague series to go this season as mentioned, with the Yankees at home this weekend. The Mets need one win (currently they are 7-5) to insure a winning record against the AL this season. I hope they can do better than that.
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