Thanks to a five-run seventh inning in last night's victory over the Seattle Mariners, the Los Angeles Angels clinched the AL West division after the Oakland Athletics blew their ninth-inning lead against the Texas Rangers. The Detroit Tigers lost as well and now lead the Royals by only a ½ game in the AL Central.
What seemed to be a pitcher's duel ended up turning into a rout by the seventh inning. Both C.J. Wilson of the Angels and James Paxton of the Mariners pitched six scoreless innings and it looked like the game would be determined by the better bullpen. But in the seventh inning Angels' third baseman David Freese got it started with a single that drove in Howie Kendrick after Chris Denorfia committed an error in right field. But that wasn't all.
First baseman C.J. Cron then hit a three run homer and Kole Calhoun delivered an RBI double to make it 5-0. The Mariners had no answer after the Angels seventh inning rally, which charged Paxton with three earned runs and reliever Danny Farquhar with two. Joe Smith and Huston Street finished off Seattle in the eighth and ninth inning to seal the victory and the team's first AL West division title in five years. The talented Angels missed the playoffs the past two seasons while the Athletics and Rangers dominated the AL West, but it all changed this year when Los Angeles became the third team this season to clinch their division
"It's a great feeling," said Albert Pujols, who won a World Series with the Cardinals in 2011 and then signed a record contract with the Angels that offseason. "But at the end of the day, it's a better feeling when you get to hold that trophy. And that's what we're waiting for."
While the Angels, Nationals and Orioles celebrate their division titles, the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are still battling in the AL Central. David Price and the Tigers dropped last night's game in Minnesota and the Royals' victory over the White Sox put them within a ½ game of the division lead. Kansas City (83-68) is currently tied with Oakland as they each hold a wild card spot with the Mariners trailing them by two games. The Tigers couldn't have picked a worse time to drop two out of three to the Twins.
Detroit will open a three game series against the Royals on Friday night, which could essentially determine each team's fate for the division title. After the Royals, the Tigers will host two three-game series against the White Sox and Twins. The Royals will go on the road to face the Indians and White Sox to close out the year, leaving the AL Central a big question mark until perhaps the last day of regular season.