What to watch
for in sports this Fall
By Ryan Kelley
With all four of the major professional
sports leagues in action at once,
it can be hard to keep track of
the latest storylines in the Fall.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan of
every team in your city, a casual
fan who only tunes in for the big game or a shark who
wagers on athletes you’ve never heard of, here’s an
easy guide to help keep you in bounds.
Baseball
They don’t call it “the hunt for October” for
nothing. This is the most exciting time of the long
baseball season for players and fans alike. The
World Series is just weeks away and only four teams
still have a shot at the title.
In the National League, the Milwaukee Brewers
are the team that came out of nowhere this year.
With a regular season record of 96-67, the Brewers
had the best record in the NL and finished 10 games
better than they did in 2017. It was only the second
time since the franchise moved to Milwaukee in
1970 that the team reached 96 wins.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, on the other hand, are
trying to return to the World Series for the second
year in a row. While most people expected the
Dodgers to be in this position, the team fell 10 games
below .500 early in the season and had to claw their
way back into contention all year. In fact, they didn’t
clinch their division until the tie-breaking last game
of the regular season. The Dodgers became just the
sixth team in baseball history to win their division
after falling that far below .500 in the same season.
The American League features a matchup
between the defending World Series Champion
Houston Astros and the best team in baseball, the
Boston Red Sox. The Astros finished the season
with the second-most wins in the league at 103-59,
marking the first time in franchise history that the
team has won 100 games in back-to-back seasons.
It was also the most single-season wins in franchise
history and only the third time the Astros have ever
eclipsed 100 wins. Just five seasons ago, the Astros
recorded their worst record in team history at 51-111.
The Red Sox were regarded by many as the most
complete team in baseball in 2018, and their record
reflected that. At 108-54, it marked the team’s best
record in franchise history and only the fourth time
the franchise has ever reached 100 wins. Along
the way, the Sox took the shine away from their
arch-rival New York Yankees who had all the hype
coming into the season after adding league MVP
Giancarlo Stanton to their roster. Boston ultimately
dismantled the Yankees 3-1 in the American League
Divisional Series.
Photo via Twitter/@RedSox
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FALL 2018 35