Why the AL East Title Matters

Many people have been saying, "Oh, it doesn't matter if the Yankees or Red Sox get 1st place or the wild card, they'll still make the Playoffs." Well, I disagree with that statement and I'm here to prove them wrong. See, if the Sox get 1st place, they will go likely go up against the Detroit Tigers. The Red Sox, this season have gone 5-1 versus the Tigers, against 0-3 versus the Rangers. The Red Sox are 1st in MLB with a .281 batting average, 2nd in the league with 141 home runs, and 1st in the league in runs scored with 631. The Tigers are 6th in MLB with a .265 batting average, 16th with 110 home runs, and 11th in the league with 517 runs scored. The Rangers are 2nd in the league with a .277 batting average, 3rd in the league with 140 home runs, and 3rd in the league with 599 runs scored. Of these, you can tell that the Tigers clearly have the worst offense. So, let's look at pitching: The Red Sox are 17th in the league with a 3.91 ERA, 9th in the league with 847 strikeouts, and 9th in the league with a 1.27 WHIP. The Tigers are 24th in the league with a 4.22 ERA, 22nd in the league with 782 strikeouts, and 22nd in the league with a 1.34 WHIP. The Rangers are 12th in the league with a 3.77 ERA, 16th in the league with 823 strikeouts, and 11th in the league with a 1.28 WHIP. Once again, you can clearly see that the Tigers clearly are the worst of the bunch. With the Red Sox bats going up against the Tigers' mediocre pitching, the Sox would have an easy series win. Against the Rangers it may be a different story, as the two teams are fairly evenly matched, except in bullpen strength where the Red Sox are far superior. Basically what I'm trying to say is that it would be an easy series for the Sox with the Tigers and difficult with the Rangers. I expect it to be a Red Sox-Yankees ALCS anyways, but 1st or 2nd place absolutely matters.