Literally, A Web Log

Baseball Perspectives (MLB.com)
Division races are literally won in September, at best coming down to the first weekend of October. That’s when the magic number hits zero, and that’s the only time a team can really say it’s in control of its division.

I can’t decide if this is technically incorrect, but it is most definitely unecessary. Although the baseball season is not technically finished in September, most division races are mathematically determined by that time, so although the title is not awarded until the season is over we already know who will win it.

This is also another example of vacillating: the division race is literally won in September — oh, except when it is won in October.

I especially like the following, which might be a nod to Yogi Berra’s famous quote, “It ain’t over ’till it’s over”:

That’s when the magic number hits zero, and that’s the only time a team can really say it’s in control of its division.