NewsSummer's here as Interleague returns
First Subway Series at new stadiums, WS rematch on agenda
By Mark Newman / MLB.com
06/12/09 12:00 AM ET
Here's why we can't wait for Interleague Play to start again:The American League had only a 22-20 edge in the first Interleague stretch last month, and with a larger sample size we will have a clearer picture of whether the National League is truly back. The 2008 season marked the fifth straight time the AL won the season series, extending its all-time Interleague lead to 1,536-1,420 (.520). This Interleague stretch starts Friday and runs through June 28.
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Mets at Yankees this weekend, and Yankees at Mets on the final weekend. Mainly because you have two World Series contenders and shades of 2000 -- but even bigger this year because it's new Yankee Stadium vs. Citi Field. This is a baseball first.
It ushers in summer, real summer, the kind of hazy days that make you remember the national pastime you grew up with and can't live without.
Hanley Ramirez vs. Roy Halladay. It's HR vs. RH as the Marlins open Friday in Toronto, and this is a matchup between arguably the Majors' most exciting young star vs. arguably its best pitcher (10-1). It's a marquee matchup you don't normally see.
The Dream Drought Destroyer Series. It's Indians at Cubs on June 19-21, and in the perfect world of those who believe in the meek inheriting the Earth, it would be a World Series preview. Just think: The team with the longest active title drought (Cubs, 1908) vs. the team with the second longest (Indians, 1948). It looks doubtful that Wrigleyville will see Grady Sizemore, as the Indians are simply hoping he avoids arthroscopic surgery on his ailing left elbow and said Wednesday he would stay away from any baseball activity for another five to seven days, with an MRI scheduled for Monday.
Astros at Rangers. It was all Texas in their first go-round last month, a three-game sweep that pushed the Rangers to what was then a comfy lead in the AL West. But Houston just took a pair of walk-off victories from the Cubs and is just five games out in what is sure to be a wild NL Central race from top to bottom. Might not be as easy this time in Arlington.
The crowds. From 1997-2008, attendance at Interleague games was 11.8 percent higher than the average attendance for intraleague games. Interleague games drew an average of 33,252 fans per game, compared to a 29,739 average for intraleague games. In the 2008 season, Interleague Play drew a record average attendance of 35,587 fans per game. Now MLB is about to welcome some lucky 100 Millionth Interleague Fan through a gate, likely Saturday.
Brewers at Tigers. This series is next weekend, and if they maintain their present position, it will be a showcase of Central leaders. How about Prince Fielder and all those RBIs against Justin Verlander and all those strikeouts? How about one club seeking its first world championship against one club seeking its first since 1984?
Bring on that 2008 World Series rematch, complete with cowbells. This one matters, too. It's Phillies at Rays inside the Trop on June 23-25. The last time they met, the field finally dried at Citizens Bank Park and Brad Lidge threw the final pitch of the season. Philadelphia had its long-awaited parade. Now they meet again.
Phillies at Blue Jays -- that other Phillies World Series rematch we can't wait to see. Guess who's going to be managing Toronto? Yes, Cito Gaston, who managed the Jays to that repeat world championship against the Phillies in 1993, thanks to Joe Carter's walk-off homer. The Blue Jays are right there in the AL East picture, too, so it will be a happening.
School is out or about to be out, and you can almost hear the sounds of kids rushing toward the gates, eager for more baseball and wide-eyed at the sight of Major Leaguers and a possible autograph somewhere in the mix. It is the ultimate family outing, converging with generally beautiful weather and great parks and fuel for those Interleague monster crowds.
It's Ichiro's West Coast Tour. This year's Interleague rotation calls for West vs. West, Central vs. Central and East vs. East, and that means anyone who just wants to appreciate the beauty of his multi-hit madness right now can follow him up and down the Left Coast.
A warmup for the 80th All-Star Game, which will come to St. Louis on July 14. The NL has not won that event since 1996, tying in 2002. Much of the lingering talk about AL domination can be perhaps put to rest if the senior circuit finally wins one of those. Throughout this last Interleague stretch, voting will intensify.
Fans root for their teams first, but most of them tend to root for their leagues second. That is seen annually in the submissions of All-Star ballots. There has been a clear sense of pride among NL fans. Throw in some regional rivalries, and it's about to get interesting.
The annual Interleague debate. As long as there are purists and progressives, there will be disagreement. Nothing wrong with a good baseball argument. Commissioner Bud Selig said at last month's Owners Meetings in New York that he appreciates the discussion but that Interleague will remain a fact of life, with results to back it up.
"As long as I'm here, we will have Interleague Play. I love it," he said. "I think it's great. You do hear it takes away from the All-Star Game. You do hear there are some bad Interleague matchups. Well, there are some bad intraleague matchups, too -- if you look at it that way. I guess you have to change the whole schedule. Frankly it's been very successful ... It's a dimension that really helps us in many ways as a league.
"The season's a long journey. Someone will say, 'They have a little easier schedule than me.' With St. Louis, we've heard in the past, 'Well, they get to play Kansas City.' Now look. It's not so easy to play Kansas City anymore."
Indeed, that's another reason we can't wait for Interleague Play again. Cardinals at Royals in the I-70 Series. On May 22-24 in St. Louis, the Cardinals opened with those dramatic back-to-back, 5-0 shutout victories -- and then Kansas City answered with a 3-2 victory to silence a sellout crowd as Mike Jacobs hit that pinch-hit single off Joel Pineiro to break a 2-2 tie. The Cardinals enter this series a half-game behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, while the Royals are now seven back in the AL Central and needing a crucial lift.
We can't wait to see Matt Wieters with possible at-bats against Johan Santana and the Mets at Camden Yards. Actually, we just want to see Wieters behind the plate against any new club. They are at home against the Braves and Mets, followed by road series at Philadelphia and Florida, finishing Interleague at home in the continued regional rivalry against the Nationals.
It is safe to say that every day on the baseball calendar is greatly anticipated. You don't need an Interleague Play segment to make it interesting. But the reality is, fans savor these moments and the ballparks are just fuller and louder. The Subway Series will be a two-way trip to remember, the World Series rematches will be constant, someone in Toronto will sit at Rogers Centre and remember being right there the time Joe Carter smoked that ball over the left-field wall and suddenly ended the 1993 baseball season. Mitch Williams, who gave it up as the Phillies' closer, will talk about it surely on MLB Network's "MLB Tonight."
The next wave of AL vs. NL is here. The summer awaits.
Mark Newman is enterprise editor of MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
