- By Brennan Weiss
No matter what your favorite baseball team is, or what league you may follow, everyone has his or her own opinion of the “other guys”. Tension between the National League and American League has risen over the last few years, but the rivalry has never failed to attend. Whether it is the controversial mid-season interleague play, the All-Star game, or the World Series, both leagues continually try to prove why they are superior. So who wins? That decision is up to you, but here are some pivotal reasons why I believe that the American League is far better, without question.
The best way to determine which league is better is probably the most obvious, head-to-head matchups. Just consider the last 13 midsummer classics. The National League hasn’t won an All-Star Game since 1996, which ironically was hosted by our own Philadelphia Phillies. Do the math. Though one-on-one matchups are he most efficient methods, taking a look at a few players known as “league jumpers”, might work just as well.
- Cliff Lee; Since being traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Phillies just before the July 31st MLB trade deadline, Lee has gone 7-2 with a 2.67 ERA. Through his first five starts as a Phillie, Lee was 5-0. With the Indians in 2009, Lee went 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA If you analyze his stats with the Indians, you will see that he either stepped up his game in the second half, or performed better in the NL because it was “less competition”.
- Matt Holliday; Before being traded to the Athletics during the offseason, Holliday was a stud playing leftfield for the Rockies, helping them clinch the National League Pennant in 2007. In 2009 with the Athletics, Holliday was hitting .286, with 11 homeruns, and 54 RBIs. After being traded to the Cardinals to back up “King Albert” during the deadline, Holliday was hitting an astonishing .358, with 12 homeruns, and 48 RBI’s. Was it coincidence that he underperformed in the American League, or is the pitching just “easier” in the National League?
- Brad Penny; After the Red Sox released the failed experiment of Brad Penny, the surprising team of the year, the Giants, decided to pick him up as a free agent and they signed him to a minor league contract. After having an ERA above five and losing eight games with the Sox, Penny has pitched magnificently with the Giants providing three wins in as many starts and a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings pitched. Either the change of scenery helped Penny return to form, or the National League hitters aren’t as fierce as the AL. The way this has been going, I would put money on the second option.
So what do I conclude? Well, the American League has dominated the National League in All-Star Games and Interleague play, and almost every player making the Al to NL transition seems to have gotten “coincidentally” better, and… Ok, I will just bluntly state it and you can quote me, “The American League is far BETTER than the National League.”
- By Brennan Weiss
