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| The resurgence of a great, but fledgling, franchise like the Pirates is great for baseball. (Credits: Peter Diana) |
For much of the past decade, the Baltimore Orioles and Pittsburgh Pirates have been fledgling franchises with storied pasts. For the Orioles it wasn't until last year that they broke a 15-year playoff drought as they spent most of the early 2000s in the basement of a brutally tough AL East. In the case of the Pirates, they have been one of the worst teams in baseball for the past 20-some-odd years, losing more than 90 games 10 times since they last made the playoffs in 1993. These decade long playoff droughts made both of these quite historic franchises pretty meaningless; two franchises who were contenders in the 60s, 70s and 80s were complete jokes. But now, after enduring years of empty seats and ugly records, both have turned the corner and it's an awesome thing for the MLB.
Last year the Orioles broke their playoff hiatus with a beautifully constructed 93-win season. In the NLDS they pushed the Yankees to Game 5 before bowing out as a result of a vintage C.C. Sabathia performance. With emergence of stud slugger Chris Davis, all-around phenom Manny Machado as well as the continued growth of Adam Jones, Nick Markakis and Nate McLouth the O's have developed one of the better lineups in the league. Add that to growing pitchers Miquel Gonzalez and Wei-Yin Chen and you have a team on pace to win 90-plus games again for its second straight playoff appearance.
Pittsburgh awoke from the dead last season winning 79-games for the first since 1997, however they faded down the stretch going a combined 20-39 in August, September and October. It was, at its core, just a young team not being able to handle their first half success. The foundation of Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata had righted the lineup. Yet, the real reason the Pirates are making a return to glory, and it's a completely legitimate one, is because of their pitching. Led by Jeff Locke, a resurfacing Francisco Liriano, and possibly the best bullpen in baseball the Pirates lead the league in ERA, BAA and are third in WHIP. These are numbers that not only make them a playoff team, but a serious contender. Right now they're locked into the either one of the wild card spots by a solid 7.5 games and have the second best record in baseball. The Pirates, unlike the Orioles, should cruise into the playoffs without breaking a sweat.
As a fan of a team (the Mets) who hasn't been in the conversation in five years, it's nice to see some classic franchises pull themselves out of the baseball doldrums, which now is pretty much inhabited by only the Royals. Couldn't you just the imagine an Orioles-Red Sox ALCS and a Dodgers-Pirates NLCS and how it would conjur up great memories from the past. Then a Pirates-Red Sox or Pirates-O's World Series? It would be a playoffs to remember and for a fan without a playoff team, I would be quite interested. Plus both of these teams have phenomenal stadiums with deep-rooted fanbases, something that always makes October even more riveting.
The Pittsburgh "P," potentially the most classic logo, in the playoffs. Camden Yards, arguably the best modern stadium in sports, as a site of the playoffs. Absolutely beautiful.
MLB must be salivating over the fact that these teams have turned it around, because this is something that interests more than just the fan of each team. I also don't think it's a coincidence that the resurgence of these two franchises have made their resurgence at the same time MLB has added the Wild Card game. It just adds interests to more teams and that boosts attendance and makes the sports all that more intriguing come September.
This season is shaping up to produce a phenomenal October, I'm ready for the ride. Are you?
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