As September approaches, the focus intensifies on the playoff race, which is well-deserved. Division titles and Wild Card spots remain up for grabs in both leagues.
In addition to the playoff excitement, there are plenty of intriguing statistical races to follow, notably the competition for the NL home run title between Kyle Schwarber and Shohei Ohtani.
Here are 10 thrilling statistical battles to keep an eye on during the last five weeks of the regular season.
All stats are accurate as of Sunday.
These two sluggers seem to exchange home runs every day, and they practically do. Recently, Schwarber hit his 44th home run to take a temporary lead in the NL, only for Ohtani to tie it later that day with a powerful hit clocked at 115.9 mph. Schwarber responded the next day with his 45th home run. This rivalry appears set to continue until the end of the season, with both players in MVP contention.
AL ERA
Leader: Eovaldi, 1.73 ERA (TEX)
Can anyone catch Eovaldi? The Texas pitcher boasts a remarkable 1.73 ERA across 22 starts, performing exceptionally when healthy. Despite a couple of injuries, he has pitched enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, with a significant gap between him and other contenders. However, don’t overlook Skubal, who is also performing well after leading the AL with a 2.39 ERA last season.
AL Strikeouts
Contenders: Crochet, 207 (BOS); Skubal, 200 (DET)
The battle for the AL strikeout title is heating up, featuring two strong left-handers. Last season, Skubal led with 228 strikeouts, and he’ll need to exceed that to stay ahead of Crochet. Both pitchers are among a select group averaging at least 11 strikeouts per nine innings this year.
The NL batting title race is crowded, with at least six players in the mix, and the leader changes frequently. Recently, Turner surged ahead by accumulating 21 hits over 34 at-bats from August 14-20, improving his average significantly. Smith, while having the fewest plate appearances, is assured a chance to qualify by season’s end, making this a contest likely to last until the final day.
