For Ohio University students, there are four teams that have a large following on campus. In no particular order, they're the Reds, Indians, Pirates and Tigers, being the four closest teams to Southeast Ohio.
This season, not unlike the prior, has the appearance of these four teams making a playoff push deep into the season. The Reds and Pirates are right at the top of the National League, and the Tigers and Indians are fighting for first place in the AL Central. The teams have a combined record of 163-126 as of June 21.
The Reds and Tigers have been to the promised land of October before, and will continue to play at their current level. Betting against them would be a mistake.
The Indians and Pirates on the other hand have been prone to collapses, yet this year just seems to have a different flavor.
The Indians spent money no one was predicting they would spend, and brought in veteran players such as Nick Swisher and Micheal Bourn who were top flight free agents as well as guys like Mark Reynolds who were coming off down years looking to rebound.
With a good-enough offense to avoid long losing streaks, the Indians pitching will determine where they finish. On the bright side for them, they have one of the easiest remaining schedules in baseball. With many games against sub .500 foes, including every game they have following September 5th, the Indians really can only beat themselves, which Cleveland fans are well aware isn't out of the question.
The Pirates have won games with a different approach than Cleveland, relying on some of the best pitching in baseball to reach their current height. While the rotation has been decimated by injuries, the Pirates seemingly keep calling up starters who aren't just able to hold the fort down for a start, but continue to be just as dominant as the pitcher they're replacing. With a rotation now running 10 deep, the Pirates finally have the pitching depth that has been the reason for their late season collapse the past two seasons.
Athens fans are looking at a September playoff push, meaningful games every night and the victors advancing to the October stage.
Should be a fun few weeks on Court Street.
Pirates/Reds is no new rivalry
After wrapping up a four game set with the Reds, which included a beanball-war and heated tempers on both sides, many are claiming that the Pirates have a "new" rival.
This "new" rival sits just a half-game up on the Bucs after the series split, and the teams have the second and third best records in all of the big leagues.
Yet, the Pirates/Reds rivalry is nothing new, simply one that remained dormant for the better part of the past 20 years. The two city's are separated by just under 300 miles, which is the closest National League town to Pittsburgh. However, distance isn't the only thing linking these two teams.
Beginning at the start of the 70's, these teams have met five times in the NLCS, with the Reds winning in '70, '72, '75 and '90 and the Pirates winning in '79. The teams combined to play in seven of ten League Championship Series during the 70's, and were two of the best teams in the National League.
Now, it looks as if that could be the case over the next decade.
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