Wild card isn’t the only race in town
Here’s a look at some of what’s at stake in the final week of the regular season:
TRIPLE CROWN
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has an uphill battle to get back into the mix for a rare feat: leading the league in home runs, RBIs and batting average. Guerrero is batting .315, just behind Houston’s Yuli Gurriel’s .317 for the AL lead, and tied with Kansas City’s Salvador Perez for the most homers at 46. The issue is that Guerrero trails the Royals catcher in RBIs by 10, which is a lot of ground to make up with not much time left to do it. Guerrero figures to fall shy of the Triple Crown, but there’s an outside chance.
AL CY YOUNG
Blue Jay Robbie Ray appears to be the favourite, but he still has one start remaining as does his top rival, Gerrit Cole. In fact, if the Yankees decide to use Monday’s off-day to give Cole an extra day of rest, the two could be matched up for Thursday’s series finale. The Jays lefty holds the advantage in most of the key stats. His 244 strikeouts are tops in the majors and he’s the AL leader in innings (188), walks plus hits per inning pitched (1.04) and quality starts (23). A clunker vs. Cole could alter the landscape, but this appears to be Ray’s award to lose.
MVPS
If Guerrero somehow makes a miraculous comeback for the Triple Crown, it’s possible things will change, but entering the final week the clear favourite for AL MVP is Shohei Ohtani. Entering Sunday, the two-way star led Guerrero in Baseball Reference’s wins above replacement (8.5 vs. 6.8) and his combined FanGraphs WAR of 7.7 was ahead of Guerrero’s 6.7. In the NL, Bryce Harper has emerged as a favourite.
FRANCHISE RECORDS
Blue Jay Marcus Semien needs one more homer to break the record for the most ever hit by a second baseman. He’s tied with Davey Johnson, the former Orioles manager, who hit 43 in 1973. Semien, who entered Sunday with a .548 slugging percentage, is already a lock to surpass Aaron Hill’s .499 for the highest by a Jays middle infielder.
If Lourdes Gurriel Jr. returns from a hand injury to face the Yankees, he will have six games to break the record for September RBIs. He’s tied with Kelly Gruber (30, 1990).
The Jays lead the majors with 248 home runs, the second-most in franchise history. The club record is 257, set in 2010. Considering how streaky this team can be, that number is within reach.