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Feeling cozy
NL West on pace to be tightest division ever
Posted: Friday May 25, 2001 2:47 AM
Updated: Sunday May 27, 2001 10:59 AM
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| First to Last |
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A breakdown of how many games back last-place teams have finished since divisional play began in 1969:
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| GB |
No. |
| 50-plus |
3 |
| 40-49 |
14 |
| 30-39 |
46 |
| 20-29 |
49 |
| 10-19 |
20 |
| 0-9 |
0 |
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By Jacob Luft, CNNSI.com
The Rockies were feeling good about themselves on May 11. Their 19-16 record had them in a tie for second place in the NL West, a half game out of the lead.
But Colorado lost seven of its next 11 games, a slide that sent the Rockies tumbling into last place.
Such is life in the tight-as-can-be NL West, where the division is separated by three games from top to bottom and the Padres have bolted into the lead despite a 7-14 start.
Since the institution of divisional play in 1969, there have been 132 champions. The closest race was the 1987 AL West, in which the last-place Rangers finished 10 games behind the first-place Twins (see chart, below).
The 1988 AL East had the most teams clustered at the top, with 3.5 games separating the top five clubs.
| Close Encounters |
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The divisions with the fewest games separating the first- and last-place teams (since 1969):
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| Year |
Division |
First Place |
Last Place |
GB |
| 2001* |
NL West |
Padres (26-21) |
Rockies (23-24) |
3 |
| 1987 |
AL West |
Twins (85-77) |
Rangers (75-87) |
10.0 |
| 1995# |
NL West |
Dodgers (78-66) |
Giants (67-77) |
11.0 |
| 1995# |
AL West |
Mariners (79-66) |
A's (67-77) |
11.5 |
| 1973 |
NL East |
Mets (82-79) |
Phillies (71-91) |
11.5 |
* Through May 24
# Lockout-shortened season (144 games)
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