This is absurd. Both Minnesota and Detroit lost again. Neither team deserves to win the division, although one of them will. The teams are still tied with one game to play.
Addendum: It's Sunday morning, the final day of the 2006 regular season. As I said last night, the Tigers and Twins are tied—at 95-66. There are four scenarios for today's games:
1. Both teams win.
2. Both teams lose.
3. Detroit wins and Minnesota loses.
4. Minnesota wins and Detroit loses.
Here's my ranking, from most preferred to least preferred: 3 > 1 > 2 > 4. Three of the four scenarios (all but 4) result in a division title for the Tigers, but only scenario 3 results in an outright title. Major League Baseball specifies (apparently) that if there is a tie for the lead in a division, and one of the teams is the wild-card team, the team with the best record in head-to-head play is deemed the winner of the division, with the other being the wild-card team. I don't like that rule, even though it works to the advantage of my Tigers on this occasion (since the Tigers beat the Twins in the season series). The teams should have to play a one-game series. Settle it on the field. But I'd rather the Tigers win that way than lose the division outright. By the way, someone commented that it doesn't matter whether the Tigers win the division or the wild-card berth, since either way they go to the playoffs. Au contraire! It matters very much. Only someone who doesn't understand the history between the Tigers and Twins, or who has no sense of honor, pride, and competitiveness, could think otherwise. Go Tigers!
It is a stumble to the finish for sure, but the real games begin later this week.
After looking at the rules, if the division is tied at the end of the regular season, they look at the head-to-head meeting ant the best record is declared the division winner.
jvc