2047.2: The Final Stretch

[Rubaboo]

Three teams. Two spots. Eight games. Everything to play for over the next three days. It all comes down to this.

The standings on September 29th, 2047 see the Aztecs at a highly respectable 88-70, sitting in the 2nd JL Wildcard spot. The standings also see the Aztecs in a dogfight for positioning with two other 88 win teams in Edmonton (88-71) and New Orleans (88-73). The main issue in all of this is that one of these teams is going home. The Aztecs, Jackrabbits, and Crawdads are fighting it out for 2 spots in a highly competitive JL Wildcard chase. The Aztecs current sit in the driver seat by virtue of a 1 game advantage in the loss column, with the Jackrabbits up on New Orleans by a game. New Orleans would seem to be the outsider in all of this as they can only hope to win the one game they have remaining and get some help. The situation with Frontier rivals Mexico City and Edmonton is altogether much juicier however. Mexico City will try to salvage the last game of a series against Boise before hosting Phoenix in a makeup game then, this is the big one, will welcome the Jackrabbits for an October 1st double-header. Edmonton is in San Antonio, then has an off day before taking the field in Mexico City. The entire season for the Aztecs and the Jackrabbits will very likely come down to October 1st.

Out of the three teams, the computers like things to land the way they are setup currently. Mexico City has current playoff odds at 72.1%. Edmonton sits at 31.4%. The Crawdads will need a Hail Mary to make it in according to Stats+, with current odds of 1.1%. The Aztecs have all 4 of their last games at home, where they hold a 47-30 record. They've been sputtering a bit lately though, with a 6-8 record over the last two weeks. The Jackrabbits are a traveling band the rest of the way and sport a 38-40 record on the road. They are, however, sizzling hot of late, with a 16-9 September so far and remarkable 12-1 record over the last two weeks. The teams have played twice in September, with the Aztecs winning both of the two games that were played earlier in the month. The season series heavily favors the Aztecs, as they hold a 10-2 edge against the Jackrabbits thus far in 2047.

It would seem to be a classic case of picking the team that's peaking at the right time vs picking the team that has been steadier all season. It would seem as though the baseball gods have decided to bestow a gift upon the BBA universe by moving the Edmonton @ Mexico City matchup to a day in the season when it can be viewed by all with no other games on the slate. Perhaps we should all take a minute and appreciate the drama that will unfold on the un-roofed, rain soaked grass in Mexico City. Were their home games played in a dome, the playoff race might have been decided already and we would not have this spectacle to look forward to. Thank you, rain, for breaking up the monotony of the end of the season.