Who You Want: Yankees or Rays?

I spoke too soon. Maybe you thought it too. It seemed like a foregone conclusion that if and/or when the Texas Rangers made the playoffs they'd face the New York Yankees. NY would win the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays would win the Wild Card and the Minnesota...

By Richie Whitt

September 14, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18855504",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17105533",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105532",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18349797",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17105535",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

I spoke too soon. Maybe you thought it too.

It seemed like a foregone conclusion that if and/or when the Texas Rangers made the playoffs they'd face the New York Yankees. NY would win the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays would win the Wild Card and the Minnesota Twins the Central. As the Wild Card, Tampa would play the best record but since they're in the same division the Rays would then slide over to No. 2, the Twins.

But hold your horses.

In the wake of the Rangers sweeping the Yankees, and last night in Tampa, Reid Brignac hitting an 11th-inning homer, which gave the Rays a 1-0 victory over the Yankees, well- don't look now - but the lead in the East has changed to the Rays.

By beating the Yankees, the Rangers may have avoided playing the Yankees.

If the playoffs started today it would be Yankees-Twins and Rangers-Rays. That could certainly change over the season's final 2.5 weeks.

This year the Rangers are 2-4 against the Rays and 4-4 vs. the Yankees. Texas is winless on the road against both teams.

Your preference?

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, Dallas Observer has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.