If you're not into baseball trivia, you should stop reading immediately.
While Major League Baseball's All-Star Game won't be played until Tuesday, July 12th, the 2011 season's mid-point has been reached. As of today, all 30 major league teams have played at least 81 games, most more. Rain is the biggest reason why the Orioles finally reached their 81st game today, 4 or 5 days later than most of the other teams.
Due to scheduling and rainouts, there is obviously no single date upon which every team plays its 81st game. What follows is each team's record after 81 games displayed as standings for all the major league divisions. The standings below reflect a standings that never actually existed on any one day. It's just a way for me to see at the end of the season how each team performed in each half of the season. This is extreme baseball trivia to be engaged in only by retirees and others with an excessive amount of time on their hands.
AL - East
New York Yankees 50 - 31 (7/2)
Boston Red Sox 47 - 34 (7/1)
Tampa Bay Rays 45 - 36 (6/29)
Toronto Blue Jays 40 - 41 (6/29)
Baltimore Orioles 36 - 45 (7/3)
AL - Central
Cleveland Indians 44 - 37 (7/2)
Detroit Tigers 43 - 38 (6/29)
Chicago White Sox 39 - 42 (6/29)
Minnesota Twins 35 - 46 (7/2)
Kansas City Royals 33 - 48 (6/29)
AL - West
Texas Rangers 43 - 38 (6/29)
Los Angeles Angels 41 - 40 (6/28)
Seattle Mariners 39 - 42 (6/29)
Oakland A's 36 - 45 (6/29)
NL - East
Philadelphia Phillies 51 - 30 (6/29)
Atlanta Braves 46 - 35 (6/28)
New York Mets 41 - 40 (6/30)
Washington Nationals 40 - 41 (6/29)
Florida Marlins 36 - 45 (6/30)
NL - Central
Milwaukee Brewers 44 - 37 (6/29)
St. Louis Cardinals 43 - 38 (6/29)
Pittsburgh Pirates 41 - 40 (7/1)
Cincinnati Reds 41 - 40 (6/28)
Chicago Cubs 33 - 38 (6/29)
Houston Astros 28 - 53 (6/29)
NL - West
San Francisco Giants 46 - 35 (6/29)
Arizona Diamondbacks 44 - 37 (6/28)
Colorado Rockies 39 - 42 (6/30)
San Diego Padres 36 - 45 (6/28)
Los Angeles Dodgers 36 - 45 (6/28)
When looking back on a season, I've heard commentators say, for example, that a player had 25 HR's at the All-Star break but his second half production dropped off so he finished with only 38. If he had kept up his first half pace he would have had well over 40 HR's. If the diminished production wasn't due to an injury, they may trot out the old explanations that the dog days of August or the pressure of the pennant race got to him.
Let's take a closer look. The Los Angeles Angels are playing their 85th game today. They are scheduled to play 7 more games before the All-Star break. As a result, they play 92 games before and only 70 after. It's tough to match your 1st half production in the 2nd half when you're playing 22 fewer games!
First half surprises so far:
The Pittsburgh Pirates, at 41 - 40, have a shot at finishing at .500 or better after 18 consecutive losing seasons. The 1992 team won the NL East with a record of 96 - 66 under Jim Leyland. They also won the NL East in '90 and '91.
The Cleveland Indians, not expected to contend, have been in 1st place for most of the first half.
The Washington Nationals are playing close to .500 ball. Next year Stephen Strasburg could be back in the rotation and Bryce Harper in the starting lineup.
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