Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
September 14, 2007
Midwest Rivalry

The Cubs and Cardianls have a strong, long-standing rivalry. But they seldom compete head-to-head for the division title:

The regional Cardinals-Cubs rivalry rarely has carried much weight in September.

Only six times during major-league baseball's live ball era (1920-present) have both teams finished among their league or division's top three with both within five games of the lead.

Most recently the Cardinals took a one-game lead over the Cubs into a four-day, five-game series at Wrigley Field in September 2003. The Cardinals lost four of five because of a thin bullpen and entered a free fall that left them 85-77, in third place and three games behind the eventual division champion Cubs.

That year marked only the second instance since the Cubs reached the 1945 World Series that both teams finished within five games of their league or division lead.

This is probably why the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry has a more storied past. While I'm sure the local fan interest is as intense in all four cities, the number of epic battles between New York and Boston captures the interest of fans from far and wide.


Posted by David Pinto at 09:07 AM | Division Races | TrackBack (0)
Comments

it doesnt matter what place the Cubs are in, the games are always closely followed, especially those against the Cardinals.

Posted by: Chris at September 14, 2007 02:40 PM
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