We will not know for certain just how significant the above date will be in terms of the 2017 Major League Baseball season until the World Series is over several weeks from now, but from the vantage point of today, September 13, something happened to flip a switch in the fortunes of two MLB teams or about that date.
On August 24, the Dodgers defeated the Pirates 5-2 in Pittsburgh to complete a 3-of-4 series victory over the Pirates. The next night, they defeated the Brewers in LA and pushed their record to an astonishing 91-36, a pace that would have them winning 116 games over a full season. As I said, astonishing, and talk of the Dodgers being a Super Team was being bandied about freely.
Over the next seventeen games since then, the Dodgers have gone 1-16, and 3-16 over the next nineteen games (they are now on a two game winning streak). What was a 21 game lead over Arizona in the NL West has now shrunk to a 10 game lead. It is still almost inconceivable that thay will not win their division, but all talk of then being a super team has long been abandoned, and they are as shaky as the San Andreas Fault upon which they sit as they enter into the MLB post-season.
Maybe Rich Hill losing that no-hitter on Josh Harrison's tenth inning walk off home run on August 23 took more out of them than we realized at the time.
Meanwhile, over in the American League Central, on the morning of August 24, the Cleveland Indians were chugging along nicely at 69-56 and had a 4.5 game lead in the Central over the Minnesota Twins. That night they beat the Boston Red Sox, 13-6, and THEY HAVE NOT LOST A GAME SINCE THEN!!!! Their winning streak is now at 21 games, they are 90-56, and hold a 13.5 game lead over the Twins.
Like I say, a remarkable turn of events for two different MLB teams, and it all began on August 24 (sort of).
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