With the first games of interleague play we can look back prior to 1997 where there was no such thing. It’s crazy to think that it has only been 14 years since the AL and NL played each other in the regular season.
I personally love interleague play because I get to see players that I typically would not get to see on a regular basis. For example, if you watch the AL you get to see players like Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder, or on the other side Miguel Cabrera, Evan Longoria and Mark Teixeira.
It’s also fun to see pitchers from the AL try to hit. It is actually quite amusing. It also allows players themselves to travel to nostalgic fields like Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium where players have always dreamed of playing their entire lives.
You also get to see great rivalries like the Chicago Cubs vs White Sox, the Yankees and Mets and the Dodgers and Angels. This is great for the players, fans and owners as ticket sales go through the roof for these games.
Interleague play is also great for managers to get into the swing of managing in an opposing league’s ballpark to prepare for the World Series games. I know teams like the Tigers will have a hard time due to the fact that their DH is also their backup catcher and Leyland will have to find ways to get him into the lineup. It’s fun to see players who typically don’t play that position play, like V-Mart at first or Cabrera at third, and you would not have this without interleague play.
Every year the AL does seem to dominate interleague play, but we will see how it turns out this year. It has been said that the AL is the more dominant league because they do have the DH, but the last 10 seasons the World Series champions have an even 5-5 split per league, the last one of course going to the San Fransisco Giants of the NL.
So all we have to do now is just kick back and watch some exciting interleague Major League baseball just in time for the heat of summer.
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