Interleague play:  Round two

by
June 14, 2010

We’ve now completed the second full weekend of interleague play for this season. After the initial round, in this space we noted that the National League, which has served as the AL’s doormat in interleague competition for the past several years, had surprised with a slight 22-20 superiority.

This time the American League got the advantage back. But they achieved only the same 22-20 margin that the NL had managed earlier, so at this point in 2010 the leagues are all tied up in interleague play, at 42-42.

Ordinarily such an inconclusive result might be considered a non-event. But as we noted last time, given the context of AL-over-NL drubbing that’s been the norm since 2005, if the National League is able to reclaim anything resembling parity, it’s big news. So far this season, that’s what’s been happening.


Steve Treder has been a co-author of every Hardball Times Annual publication since its inception in 2004. His work has also been featured in Nine, The National Pastime, and other publications. He has frequently been a presenter at baseball forums such as the SABR National Convention, the Nine Spring Training Conference, and the Cooperstown Symposium. When Steve grows up, he hopes to play center field for the San Francisco Giants.
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Tree
15 years ago

I don’t know if this would hold up to any actual analysis, but my guess is that there is an AL East disparity, with everyone else in baseball being evenly matched. Which would also mean that the AL/NL are fairly evenly matched, since the three you-know-who’s aren’t (quite) so dominant as to tip the balance.

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Steve Treder
15 years ago

I don’t know.  The AL East is 13-17 against the NL so far this year.  The Yankees and Red Sox are both 4-2, but the Rays are 3-3, and the Blue Jays and (natch) Orioles are both 1-5.

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