MLB Pennant Race 2021: Yankees Slide, Giants Take Over NL West

The month of September is the most important month in baseball, as it is the last one before the postseason begins. Any and all races are settled in the month of September, which definitely separates the contenders from the pretenders. With four weeks left in the regular season, huge developments are taking place, so here are the main shifts that took place as of this point.

Remember the New York Yankees' 13-game winning streak? Yankee fans (myself included) do--fondly. Now it seems like a distant memory. The Yankees' 13-game winning streak resurrected the team's season and moved the Bronx Bombers into a prime playoff position. However, since the end of that streak, the team has lost six of eight, capped off by a home series loss against, of all teams, the Baltimore Orioles. Here's a not-so-fun fact: entering that series, the Orioles had won only one series against a divisional opponent--the season-opening series sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Fenway. They had been winless in 17 straight (15 losses and two ties) until they took two of three from the Yankees in The Bronx. Even worse for the Yankees: they are only 9-7 vs the lowly Orioles.

What's Next: The Yankees' hold on the #1 Wild Card spot is slipping. It's bad enough that the team's winning streak didn't manage to make a dent in the Tampa Bay Rays' division lead, but their current skid makes winning the AL East all but out of the question. The Yankees will play four at home against the Blue Jays, followed by the weekend Subway Series in Queens against the Mets.

Could the Seattle Mariners' two-decade postseason itch finally be a thing of the past? The Mariners have been on a winning tear as of late; winning five straight and six out of seven; though facing the Diamondbacks is a big help. Their winning ways have move the M's past a struggling Oakland Athletics team in the Wild Card ladder, now serving as the #1 bubble team in the American League. The Mariners have the longest postseason drought in North American sports; their 116-win 2001 campaign was the last time the Mariners reached the playoffs.

What's Next: The Mariners head to Houston to face the Astros for three, and after an off day, it's a weekend series at home against the Diamondbacks. The Astros have been slumping lately, so this could continue Seattle's winning tear.

Are the New York Mets back? This team, somehow, led the National League East for a long time--even with injuries piling up. The strange thing: the Javy Baez trade was the beginning of their slide, as in one fell swoop, the Mets went from first to third--having been surpassed by the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. However, the Mets seem to be getting back in the winning spirit; winning eight of the last nine games, mainly thanks to playing doubleheaders in the last week. With the NL East being pretty mediocre, the Mets have a smaller deficit in the division than in the Wild Card race, as they are behind four teams in the Wild Card standings.

What's Next: The Mets won't have a day off until September 16. They will finish their series with the Washington Nationals, and later head to Miami for three against the Marlins before hosting the weekend Subway Series and a three game set against the St. Louis Cardinals. They'll also have to do some scoreboard watching, as they have six total games left against the Braves and Phillies.

The San Francisco Giants actually lost the National League West lead that they had since the end of May. It's amazing, I don't think anyone had the Giants winning the NL West this year. With the Los Angeles Dodgers coming off their World Championship, and the San Diego Padres on the rise, many figured that it would be those two neck-and-neck for the division. The Giants had something to say about that, and this was before they traded for Kris Bryant! The Giants and Dodgers ended up tied entering their final series of the season, and in the end, the Giants got the lead back by going 2-for-3.

What's Next: The Giants will spend the next week in Denver and Chicago, and they'll have to do scoreboard watching for the rest of the year, as they are done with the Dodgers. It would really be something if these two finished tied after 162 games. Game 163 between these two clubs will be off the chain, if it comes to that.

So here's how things stand. In the American League, the Rays (East), Astros (West), and White Sox (Central) are the division leaders, while the current Wild Cards are the Yankees and Red Sox. Yankees and Red Sox in the Wild Card Game, can you imagine?. In the National League, the division leaders are the Giants (West), Brewers (Central), and Braves (East), while the Dodgers and Padres hold the Wild Card positions. The Dodgers have a double digit lead for the #1 Wild Card spot, so it's a foregone conclusion that whoever ends up as the runner-up in the NL West will host the NL Wild Card Game.

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