MLB Baseball Summary - Final Day

MLB Baseball Summary - Final Day

Braves out; Cards in. As if that fact were not depressing enough for Braves fans, the way it happened put salt on the wounds. The Braves blew a lead in the 9th, then lost in the 13th. Ultimately, they were doomed by the math - a .309 team on-base percentage (.292 on the road, the lowest in the majors).

Red Sox out; Rays in. Same deal here. The Sox also blew a 9th inning lead. Before the season began, many people picked the Red Sox to win the World Series with their star-studded line-up. Unfortunately for them, that still has to be done on the field, not on paper.

(Two epic collapses)

Milwaukee edges the D-Backs for home field advantage. Because of the Braves' collapse, the Braves and D-Backs end up playing each other, while the Cardinals will take on the Phillies. The Brewers' triumph is somewhat diluted by the fact that they had to use Greinke in the last game of the regular season. They would prefer to have him pitching in game one at Miller Park, where he has been the second coming of Koufax in Dodger Stadium

The Rangers edge the Tigers for home field advantage. The Rangers will start at home against Tampa Bay while the Tigers head to NY to face the Yankees.

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Kemp ended up leading the NL in HR and RBI, while finishing third in batting average. He also led the league in runs scored and finished second in stolen bases and OPS. He just missed 40-40 by a single homer. Braun led the league in OPS, but Reyes won the batting crown by hitting a bunt single in his first at bat, then sitting. Joey Votto led in doubles and walks.

Cabrera won his first batting championship in the AL, and also led the league in doubles, adding 30 homers and 105 RBI to sweeten the pot. Bautista led in homers. Granderson led in runs and RBI. Cabrera almost closed the gap in OPS with Bautista, but Bautista's monster first half provided just enough cushion to hang on 1.056-1.033.

Albert Pujols had never before failed to bat .300 or knock in 100 runs. He just missed on both accounts: .299 and 99 RBI.

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There was no real competition in the pitching categories:

Clayton Kershaw won the NL pitching triple crown, with 21 wins, a 2.28 ERA and 248 Ks. He also led in WHIP with a .98.

Verlander won the same four categories in the AL, with 24 wins, 250 Ks, a 2.40 ERA, and a .92 WHIP.