“There’s nothing like playing in the AL East” New York Yankees manager once said. Decades of history have proved that placing a bet on one of these teams would be a brilliant choice! With 5 teams in the dominant AL East Division, three made it to the playoffs; a rare feat. However, the underway 2023 postseason is narrating an ironically different story altogether.

Years of seeing the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox in October discontinued this year after their disappointing elimination. Still not hopeless, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles gave a strong contention. However, only one Eastern team stands. Does this mean that all the hype about the so-called toughest division is hollow? 

Deep Dive On What Went Wrong With the AL East

It’s time to dive deeper into what happened with the three teams that made it to the playoffs after all. The 2-0 loss to the Minnesota Twins in the opening round of the American League wild-card removed the Toronto Blue Jays from contention. With that, Blue Jays manager, John Schneider, faced the brunt of fans. Rightly so, he was answerable to them. What comes of this elimination is that the Jays did not take advantage of some crucial situations. 

Be it taking starter Jose Berrios out of the game on Wednesday or George Springer facing two outs and two-on in the third. Which eventually led to Vladimir Guerrero getting picked off by Gray to end the inning. This unfortunate situation resembles that of AL East, another team.

The Tampa Bay Rays got swept off by the Texas Rangers rather easily. Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series saw the Rangers defeat the Rays 7-1. They were led by home runs from outfielders Adolis Garcia and Evan Carter in the fourth inning. Apart from the abnormally low attendance that the Rays witnessed, their meek offense showed itself. Not only did they stay scoreless in Game 1 but also didn’t make a run till Game 2’s 7th inning.

With that, the Os are the only ones standing on the brittle stage. Baltimore is on the verge of getting swept after losing game 1 and now game 2 against the Texas Rangers. Whether it was the relievers, pitchers, or hitters, inconsistencies have had the team falling behind. As they grapple after the 11-8 loss to the Rangers, fans have raised their eyebrows questioning if the reputed AL East division is a farce after all. 

As Fans Doubt the Credibility of AL East, Baltimore Orioles Are On the Spot

2023 is not a typical year for the Eastern MLB teams. Ones that were known to be distinguished franchises with the highest percentage of wins are currently in a vulnerable spot. With the expectation that comes from the AL East team, the fans are not ones to remain silent. 

One fan said called the AL East “full of frauds”.

Some fans are gravely concerned for the Orioles. 

Some fans took the Orioles’ loss personally.

One tweet even started questioning if AL East is “over-rated”. 

Fans had high expectations from the AL East, but they did not play as the fans wanted. 

Some fans question how the AL East even earned the title of “best division”

Keeping one’s fingers crossed hoping that the Orioles understand the importance of game 3 enough to bring a win. This win has various impacts, not only for the O’s but also for the image of the AL East.

Read More: In a Cosmic Chapter of American Sports History, It’s This Underdog MLB Team That Successfully Reached the Stars

While the whole of AL East’s optics is shaken, one can only look for a ray of hope. 

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