This is the time of year in baseball when the chokers start choking. Most of them won’t live to see October. Others will complete their choke jobs after the postseason arrives.
Even the best teams can choke away once-promising seasons. We saw it happen in 2011 when the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves both fumbled seemingly secure playoff berths in September. In October, the Philadelphia Phillies followed up their 102-win regular season with a swift exit from the playoffs at the hands of the eventual world champion St. Louis Cardinals.
Since we know that there will be chokers, the question we should be asking ourselves now is, who the chokers will be this year.
I’ve identified six teams that are doomed to die choking deaths before all is said and done this season. The first four are teams that won’t make it to the postseason (two for the AL, two for the NL), and the last two are teams that won’t have what it takes to survive in October.
Be sure to leave your angry comments in the section below after you’re done reading (keyword being after).
Note: All stats are current as of the start of play on Tuesday, September 4, and they come from Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.