After a September to remember in 2011, the Major League Baseball chase is beginning to heat up now with only two weeks left in the season.  September 28^th 2011 was labeled by some baseball commentators as the greatest day in the history of the MLB as two pennant races were decided in the final innings of three “do or die” games.  Major League Baseball has decided to attempt to make this September even more thrilling than the last by instituting an additional Wild Card spot in each league (moving from one to two Wild Card spots in each league). This addition has opened the doors to an extremely exciting September– many fans don’t remember the last time they were this hyped for the end of the baseball season.

In the American League, it is likely teams will continue to fight until the very last day, with the Wild Card race a dead tie between the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles.  In addition, the Angels are only three games behind the Wild Card leader, but the Rays have fallen off pace as they are now are five games back. Both Oakland and Baltimore have taken MLB by surprise in the second half of the season. Overlooked at the beginning of the year and rising from complete obscurity, the A’s and the O’s have been able to upset the MLB playoff race and take down titans such as the Tigers, Red Sox, and Angels (whose salaries are four times higher!). Also, fans should be watching the AL East as the surging O’s are only one game behind the injury-filled Yankees for the division lead.

The National League is even more exciting with seven teams within five games of securing a Wild Card playoff spot. The Braves and the defending, champion Cardinals currently hold the two wild card spots.  However, right on their heels is the new- look Dodgers, who are only a game back after making a blockbuster trade this summer to acquire All-Stars Adrian Gonzalez and Josh Becket.  These new additions  have surged in the last couple months of the regular season. Still only 2.5 games behind the Wild Card leader are the Brewers, who lost a heartbreaking series to the Cardinals in the 2011 NLCS, and the Pirates, who have slipped in the last several weeks of the season.  As with the American League, no one knows for certain who will make the playoffs in the National League.

Here are my predictions for who will make the MLB playoffs:

AL

East
Baltimore Orioles

Central

White Sox

West

Texas Rangers

Wild Cards
New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics

AL Pennant Winner:       Oakland Athletics

NL

East

Washington Nationals

Central

Cincinnati Reds

West

San Francisco Giants

Wild Card

Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers

NL Pennant Winner:       Cincinnati Reds

WORLD SERIES

Reds 4, Athletics 2

I predict the Reds will win the 2012 World Series and become champions of the MLB. We will see how the playoff race pans out over the next several weeks, and everyone will be looking forward to an electrifying  finish.