Interleague MLB wagering odds for 2010 are finished and as it usually is, the American league was the champion but this year it was not by much.
The American League went 134-118 in the 252 Interleague matches. Much of the success vs the baseball lines for the American League was as a result of the results of the Chicago White Sox and Red Sox.
Because of the recent dominance, baseball betting odds like the AL much of the time when they face the NL. The AL has not lost the season series versus the NL since 2003. The AL can thank the Chicago White Sox, who went an awesome 15-3 in Interleague play, this year. Because of their success in Interleague play, the White Sox went from also-rans in the American league Central race to a contender.
The leading hitter in Interleague tournament was Texas’ Josh Hamilton who hit .472 with 34 hits. New York Mets third baseman David Wright had 24 RBIs to lead all hitters in Interleague play. Chicago’s Mark Buehrle had the most victories with 4 in Interleague event while Jack Peavy had the lowest ERA at 0.78. With eight, Bobby Jenks had the most saves.
The White Sox were unreal in Interleague play but some other squads also had fantastic results vs the baseball probabilities. Based on their interleague history, the boston Red Sox made a huge run in the rankings. Boston went 13-5 in Interleague play. The Texas Rangers went 14-4 in their 18 Interleague competitions.
Even with the Chicago White Sox, Red Sox and Rangers doing very well vs the baseball lines, the AL only barely won the in total series. The New York Mets did nicely for the NL as they went 13-5.
The Red Sox suffered numerous injuries, so interleague play wasn’t all good news for the American league. They lost 2nd baseman Dustin Pedroia, starting pitcher Clay Buchholz and catcher Victor Martinez due to injury. The Florida Marlins played poorly in Interleague play and they even went so far as to fire their manager Fredi Gonzalez.
When the American League was founded in 1901 to challenge the National League’s monopoly on pro baseball, a ferocious rivalry was born that proceeds to this day.
The American League’s regular domination of the MLB season can easily be attributed to a variety of factors other than the statistics of its participants. For example, the AL has the designated hitter rule. This essentially gives American League squads a major advantage over NL squads by providing them an extra man. Given the track record of interleague play this year it’s certainly not that a lot of an advantage, but it could make the difference.
Between 1903 and 2009, there’ve been 105 World Series played. (The Series was called off in 1904 and 1994). The American league has won 63 times while the National League has won only 42 times in those 105 series.
We say so long to Interleague action for now. A full slate of Interleague competitions is not going to happen again until next May and the AL and NL will not meet again until the World Series.
Tags: baseball