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Pursuing the pennant
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When does a pennant race start?
After the all-star break? The final three weeks of the season? At the start of the season?
It has been my belief a pennant race begins in August. The Dog Days. The days when some teams wilt and others get hot and surge to a division championship or a playoff berth.
Today is Aug. 1.
That means the Wild Things, who are tied for first place in the Frontier League’s East Division with Evansville but only a game away from being in third place, are in a pennant race for the first time since … oh, let’s say 2008.
The last time the Wild Things played August games that had any kind of serious impact on their playoff chances was back in 2009, when Mark Mason was the manager. Washington was in third place on Aug. 1, 7 games behind first-place Kalamazoo and 3 1/2 games behind second-place Lake Erie.
The Wild Things were coming off a sweep at Florence, then promptly opened August by getting swept by the Midwest Sliders in Yipsilanti, Mich., and disappearing from contention. Being 7 games back and then, for all intents and purposes, being eliminated before playing a home game in August doesn’t exactly count as being in a playoff race.
So, we go back to 2008, when Greg Jelks was the Wild Things’ manager. Washington entered August six games above .500 and in second place in the East. However, they faded down the stretch and Consol Energy Park hasn’t seen an important August game since 2008.
That is, until this month, which promises to be interesting and entertaining. If you’re a Wild Things fan and have been for a long time, then this is the month you’ve waited six years to experience.
Washington has 21 games remaining against teams currently at .500 or better. Evansville plays 16 games against teams with winning records. Southern Illinois plays only nine. The Wild Things and Otters will meet six more times, including the final three games of the season at Consol Energy Park. Because of the Frontier League’s goofy scheduling format, Southern Illinois does not play Evansville or Washington the rest of the season.
Sounds like a recipe for a fun month.