By
Hailee Miguel on Thursday, September 25
th 2014
This weekend will be the last series of play for the majority of teams around the league as the regular season comes to a close. It has been a great season filled with outstanding performances and a few surprise teams. The final weekend of the season will be important for teams making a final playoff push, but also for an MLB legend.
With the New York Yankees eliminated from postseason contention, shortstop Derek Jeter will play his final game this Sunday against the Red Sox at Fenway. The future Hall of Famer announced his retirement before this season started, and his playing career will come to an end with this season Sunday afternoon. His retirement tour has been a big story this year and his final moments on the baseball diamond are something baseball fans won’t want to miss.
Another player MLB will be without next year is Paul Konerko, although he isn’t getting nearly as much attention as Jeter. Konerko, like Jeter, has had an amazing career and will play his final game in Chicago against the Kansas City Royals; a series that will be very important for the Wild Card race.
Looking at the matchups this weekend, only a few will have importance when it comes to potentially playing spoiler. The National League teams are all but set at this point. The Nationals, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Pirates are all playoff bound with the San Francisco Giants looking to take the second Wild Card behind the Pirates. Now, homefield advantage is something that will be determined between the two teams this weekend as the Pirates travel to Cincinnati to play the Reds, and the Giants will host the San Diego Padres.
The American League, the Angels, Orioles, and Tigers have all earned their playoff rights, but there is much more at stake for the Wild Card race. Currently, the Wild Card has proved to be very interesting with the Royals and Oakland A’s tied for the first spot, while the Seattle Mariners hope for a miracle being three games out with four to play.
The White Sox could play a role in the Royals near future and whether or not they play October baseball; and the Texas Rangers could do the same with the A’s as they host Oakland for a four game set.
Seattle has shown a lot of improvement this year, and will end the season at home against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Halos have already clinched the AL West, and in order for the M’s to have a shot at making the postseason, they would have to sweep the series, which doesn’t seem likely.
The Cleveland Indians are also still holding hope to play in October this year. They are three and a half games behind the Royals and A’s. Cleveland will host the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, and are one loss away from elimination.
This final weekend of baseball is sure to be an exciting one with the playoffs fastly approaching. Not only is this weekend important for teams vying for October baseball, but also because we will see two baseball icons play for the last time. It’s hard to believe that the season is almost over, but it has been a great year for the players and fans alike.