By Scott Brumett, Staff Writer
As you all may know by now, the hunt for October is finally over and the MLB Playoffs have started. The teams that made the playoffs are the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a long season and now the hunt for the World Series trophy begins. We should see how each team got to the playoffs.
The Yankees finished the season with a 97-65 record. The Yankees also lead all off the major league clubs in the category of homeruns with 222 homeruns in the 2011 season. They also were second in the majors with 867 runs total. On the pitching side the Yankees pitching was averaging a total team ERA of 3.73 and along the way also striking out 1,222 batters. The combination of a high powered offense and tough pitching is what put them in the playoffs.
The Rays had the eighth best team ERA with a 3.58 ERA in the majors. James Shields and rookie Jeremy Hellickson really stepped up for the Rays this year and newcomer Kyle Farnsworth provided stability in the closer role. With solid defense, timely hitting, and speed on the bases the Rays played their style of baseball into the playoffs. A big reason they are in was their drive and the collapse of the Boston Red Sox. The Rays were 9 games down in the Wild Card at the beginning of September, and slowly but surely chipped away at Boston. It wasn’t until the last game of the season that Tampa Bay had a huge come back from behind win versus New York and Boston blew the lead versus Baltimore that sealed Tampa Bay’s place in the 2011 playoffs.
The Texas Rangers finished this year with leading the majors in team batting average and drove in a total of 807 runs. Texas is lead by Josh Hamilton, last year’s AL MVP. CJ Wilson is also a big reason they are in the playoffs as well. The Texas Rangers’ defense and speed on the bases is another reason they are and will be a force in the playoffs.
The Detroit Tigers are another team that made the playoffs this year. The tigers are lead by All-Star Justin Verlander who won 24 games for the Tigers with a 2.40 ERA while striking out 250 batters. The Tigers also have a great and powerful offense. The tigers scored 787 runs in the 2011 regular season and had a team Batting average of .277. So it’s safe to say that with their key and timely hitting, along with their pitching, the Tigers are very deserving of being in the playoffs.
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming back to the playoffs this year with a loaded team. They are stacked on Starting pitching with Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels. With this group and more, the Phillies lead all of baseball with a team ERA of 3.02. The Phillies also had a very hot bats in the offensive side of the ball with scoring 713 runs this 2011 year and also stole 96 bases as a team.
The Cardinals had a bumpy road this year, but overcame adversity to make the playoffs. The cardinals had a team batting average of .273 scored 762 runs this 2011 regular season. They have the Star Power with Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, and Lance Berkman. The pitching came in the clutch at the end of the year and the hits came to send the Cardinals into the playoffs this year as the National League Wild Card Spot.
As for the Brewers they made the playoffs due to the .332 hitting Ryan Braun and consistent pitching from starter Zack Greinke and closer John Axford. The Brewers come into the playoffs hungry for a ring after many early postseason exits.
The Arizona Diamonbacks broke into the playoffs with an eight game lead over the San Francisco Giants. Lead by the emergence of Justin Upton and the up and coming ace Ian Kennedy, the Diamondbacks pose a threat to the other National League teams who have more postseason experience.
The Yankees face the Tigers, with the Bombers wielding home field advantage while the Rays face off against the Rangers with the Rangers having the extra home game. In the National League the Phillies host the Cardinals while the Brewers have the Diamondbacks coming into town.
