KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The cruel joke before the season was that someone would win the AL Central because someone had to win the AL Central. They were five teams with modest payrolls and meager expectations, each of them short on talent and long on hope.
Well, it turns out the path to the World Series — at least in the American League — is going right through the division. What was widely regarded as the weakest in baseball in April has become a postseason heavyweight in October. Three of its teams are still alive in the divisional round, with the AL Central champion Guardians set to face the Tigers, fresh off a wild-card sweep of the AL West champion Astros , and the Royals going to New York to face the Yankees after sweeping the Orioles .
“Playing in the division all year, we saw the caliber of all the teams," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. "Everybody plays each other very tough, plays very good baseball. And so it's really cool.
It's great that we have three of our divisional teams.” It's not just that it's three teams from one division, though. It's three teams from this particular division.
Each finished below .500 last season. In the Royals' case, they matched a franchise record for ineptitude by losing 106 games — a full 50 more than they won.
The Tigers won just 78 games and the Guardians won 76, which means the three teams that joined the AL East champion Yankees in the divisional round were a combined 66 games below .500 last year. Who saw that co.
