Interleague Oddities

One of the benefits of interleague play is  to see matchups that you don’t see all that often. White Sox and D-Backs, Phillies and Mariners, Padres and Twins. Teams that have no history verses each other playing by rules they don’t usually abide by. It’s a nice change from the pace of the regular season. The Rays finish off a tough series against Boston and suddenly there is less tension in the building when the Marlins come in. The games still count, but they don’t seem to mean as much.

This year is especially odd for me as a fan. When I’m not watching the Rays, I follow the Cubs and this year those two teams are facing each other’s rivals. The Cubs already went to Fenway and are playing the Yankees this weekend at Wrigley. The Rays meanwhile are going to Milwaukee and Houston and then hosting the Reds and Cardinals. I’m used to seeing all those teams 16-18 times a year, but not against the Rays. Both my favorite teams have a chance to help each other out in their respective divisions. I’ll probably be sick of interleague play by the time it ends, but I’m enjoying it for now.