After a surprisingly strong start by the National League, it appears that the American League is starting to assert its usual dominance in interleague play. Numerous commentators praised the National League for showing well this season, yet that may have been premature. Through Wednesday’s games, the American League leads the National League, by six wins, 61-55.
American League Starting To Reassert Itself In Interleague Play
Three teams have led the AL’s resurgence: Boston, Chicago, and Detroit are all 6-2 against the NL. The White Sox and the Tigers, it should be pointed out, have both had the pleasure of playing the Pirates. Carrying the banner for the NL are the red hot Mets, who are 7-1 in interleague play.
It’s very close, still. When you look at the expanded standings, it’s clear that most AL teams are now slightly above .500 in interleague, and most NL teams are now slightly below. The last time interleague play was this close came in 2004, when the AL edged the NL 126-125. The last time the NL actually came out on top was in 2003, when they prevailed 137-115. Nevertheless, it is still early, and the NL certainly aren’t out of it yet.
The American League’s superiority over the National League has been an important (and somewhat puzzling) element of sabermetric analysis over the last five years. If it turns out that the National League has truly closed the gap, the overall statistical evaluation of many teams in the National League will have to change. In the past, the point had to be made, “well, they’re doing this in the National League.” We’ll have to see if that changes in 2010.
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