The final month of the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season has now underway with two key series. One of the two series is an Interleague series matchup between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox at Citi Field in New York, New York. The all-American League matchup features the Cleveland Guardians and Kansas City Royals from Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Mets @ Red Sox
The Mets are at 73 wins and 64 losses and are in the National League wildcard hunt. They trail their National League East Division foes by one game for a playoff spot. The Braves are at 74 wins and 63 losses. New York is coming a sweep of the Chicago White Sox, and have won four straight games.
The Red Sox are at 70 wins and 67 losses, and are in striking distance of the final wildcard spot in the American League. Boston is four and a half games back of the Kansas City Royals for the final playoff spot.
Guardians @ Royals
The Guardians lead the American League Central at 78 wins and 59 losses. The Royals are in third place in the AL Central at 75 wins and 63 losses, and three and a half games back of the Guardians. The Minnesota Twins are also 3.5 games back of Cleveland, but are in second place because they are one percentage point better than Kansas City. The Twins are at 74 wins and 62 losses (winning percentage of .544) and the Royals are at .543.
Who are the top players in the two series?
The Red Sox are led offensively by centerfielder Jarren Duran of Corona, California, who leads the American League in doubles (44), triples (13), and is third in hits with 167. The Major League leader in hits (187) is Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. of Colleyville, Texas. Witt also leads the Majors with a .340 batting average, 117 runs scored.
The Guardians are led by third baseman Jose Ramirez of Bani, Dominican Republic and first baseman Josh Naylor of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ramirez is second in the American League in runs batted in with 105, and second in the American League with 34 stolen bases. Naylor is third in the American League with 98 runs batted in.
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase of Rio San Juan, Dominican Republic is second in the American League with 40 saves. The Royals are led by starting pitcher Seth Lugo of Shreveport, Louisiana, who is second in the American League with 14 wins and third in the American League with 19 quality starts. Lugo gets the start on Wednesday.
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