Oct. 11, 2001
Going into the final day of baseball's regular season, there is only one game that counts.
All of the division races have been decided.
Boston, a 100-game winner, has a safe lead over wildcard-bound Toronto in the AL East. Cleveland managed to fend off the White Sox in the AL Central and Anaheim long since buried Seattle, Oakland and Texas in the AL West.
Montreal will slip past Atlanta in the NL East regardless of what happens today. St. Louis can lose and still beat Cincinnati by two games in the NL Central, while the San Francisco Giants did enough to keep the LA Dodgers at arm's length in the NL West.
There is only one question remaining to be answered: Who will take the NL wildcard spot? If the Dodgers win, they're in. If they lose and the Reds win, LA and Cincy will stage a one-game playoff tomorrow in Cincinnati to determine the final post-season entry.
The NL wildcard race has been a treat to follow since baseball resumed from the 9/11 break. Both teams have been playing some of their best baseball, distancing themselves from the other contenders but unable to shake one another in the wildcard standings. Cincy has won eight of its last 10 and the Dodgers have captured seven of their last 10.
The odds would seem to favor a special playoff. Los Angeles must complete its season series against a solid Houston (83-78) team. Cincy will play against a woeful Pittsburgh squad (70-91).
Ted Lilly will take the mound for the Dodgers today, while
Frank Garcia gets the nod for Cincy.
A one-game playoff would likely match the LA's
Andrew Zarzour, who leads his team with 17 wins, against the Reds'
Hipolito Pichardo, the probable NL Cy Young winner.
Zarzour (17-6) has been steady since the summer and hasn't been credited with a loss since August. Pichardo has won three of his last four.
While everyone else can yawn today, fans of the Dodgers and Reds will be on the edge of their seats...