AL vs NL in terms of what league is "Better"

[Blackout]

i think the AL has better quality teams


but a few friends of mine think the NL is better because they won the last 2 WS's and ASG's


i think that's ridiculous to base it on just that

[RaysFan_98]

I think if price would have started it would have been a different story or even if sale would have gotten the nod.

[chicagowhitesox1173]

Hopefully Sale didn't throw too many pitches, along with Peavy. I could care less who wins or who is better.

[LI METS FAN]

chicagowhitesox1173;2035195]Hopefully Sale didn't throw too many pitches, along with Peavy. I could care less who wins or who is better.

Agreed. Fans of a particular team think their league is better. The NL is better because the pitching is better and there is no DH, or the AL is better because the batters hit more home runs and there is a DH for bad fielders, good hitters. (This NL fan loves Robin Ventura though, the White Sox are lucky to have him)

[Thatguyoverthere]

Two pitchers gave up the 8 runs scored in yesterday's game, the play of two players in two innings of a glorified exhibition game hardly tells you about the strength of either league. The NL may have won the last two championships, and the last three All-star games, but that's a total of what - 14 games? Meanwhile, the AL has dominated interleague for awhile now (and 142-110 this year is pretty dominant), which is hundreds of games per year. The AL is pretty clearly the superior league.

[Bulldog19]

Two pitchers gave up the 8 runs scored in yesterday's game, the play of two players in two innings of a glorified exhibition game hardly tells you about the strength of either league. The NL may have won the last two championships, and the last three All-star games, but that's a total of what - 14 games? Meanwhile, the AL has dominated interleague for awhile now (and 142-110 this year is pretty dominant), which is hundreds of games per year. The AL is pretty clearly the superior league.

Okay, but consider this. Since they started this whole "it counts" thing the AL had dominated the All-Star Game until the last three years. Obviously we don't know what will happen this year, but even though the AL has had home field advantage for so many years simply because of this game, they have only won 4 World Series Championships. (2002 would make it 5, but don't remember when "it counts" started...)


Really I don't see a 56%-44% split to be that "dominant."

[dgarza]

2010-2012 Batting

AL
AVG = .258
SLG = .408
Total Hits = 50565
Hits/Team/Year = 1445 = 3.89 more per slot in the lineup per year
Total HRs = 5788
HRs/Team/Year = 165 = 1.78 more per slot in the lineup per year

NL
AVG = .254
SLG = .397
Total Hits = 56418
Hits/Team/Year = 1410
Total HRs = 5969
HRs/Team/Year = 149

Considering DH vs. pitcher, is this really a meaningful difference in hitting?

Of course, this isn't the whole picture, but I don't have time to look into pitching, base running, or defense.

[GiambiJuice]

The AL is obviously vastly superior. Over a much larger sample size called interleague play, the AL dominates the NL every single year.

A couple of AS games and WS games doesn't change that.

[Bulldog19]

The AL is obviously vastly superior. Over a much larger sample size called interleague play, the AL dominates the NL every single year.

A couple of AS games and WS games doesn't change that.

Yep, 12% difference in winning is a "vastly superior" group.

I love how the AL likes to tell the NL how "superior" it is but when the "best of the best" from each league match up it doesn't matter. Good call.

[GiambiJuice]

Yep, 12% difference in winning is a "vastly superior" group.

I love how the AL likes to tell the NL how "superior" it is but when the "best of the best" from each league match up it doesn't matter. Good call.

1. Um, yeah. 12% is a big difference and the AL has a better record EVERY SINGLE YEAR. Coincidence?
2. We are talking about the leagues as a whole. AL vs. NL. That doesn't mean the best team can't be in the NL.
3. World Series is a very small sample size.
4. The NL has won the last two, that's not a streak. AL won 4 out of 6 before that. So what?
5. The "best team" doesn't always win the world series. In fact it usually doesn't.
6. Small sample size alert. You are really trying to disprove more than a decade of AL dominance, over 250+ games per year, by saying the NL won the last two WS and AS games? That doesn't make any sense at all.

[dgarza]

The AL is obviously vastly superior. Over a much larger sample size called interleague play, the AL dominates the NL every single year.

What are the records recently, say they last 2-3 years?

Interleague play is in its 16 season.
The NL/AL from 1997... from 2002... from 2007.... is not the same NL/AL in 2012.

[Thatguyoverthere]

What are the records recently, say they last 2-3 years?

Interleague play is in its 16 season.
The NL/AL from 1997... from 2002... from 2007.... is not the same NL/AL in 2012.

2010: AL won 134-118
2011: AL won 131-121
2012: AL won 142-110

That's a .538 winning percentage, which translates to 87 wins over a 162 game season.
This year it was a .563 winning percentage, which translates to 91 wins over a full season

Go back to 2005 and it's been 1121-895 AL, which is a .556 winning percentage, or 90 wins over a full season.

The AL has dominated. And 2000 games is a fairly large sample size, especially compared to World Series and All-Star games.

[GiambiJuice]

What are the records recently, say they last 2-3 years?

Interleague play is in its 16 season.
The NL/AL from 1997... from 2002... from 2007.... is not the same NL/AL in 2012.

I'm glad you asked.

In 2012, the AL was 142-110 vs. the NL. This is a .563 winning %, equivalent to 91.2 wins over 162 games.

Over the last 3 years (2010-2012), the AL is 407-349 vs. the NL, a .538 winning %, equivalent to 87.2 wins over 162 games.

Over the last 5 years (2008-2012), the AL is 694-566 vs. the AL, a .551 winning %, equivalent to 89.2 wins over 162 games.

EDIT - LoL, thatguyoverthere beat me to it!

[dgarza]

2010: AL won 134-118
2011: AL won 131-121
2012: AL won 142-110

That's a .538 winning percentage, which translates to 87 wins over a 162 game season.
This year it was a .563 winning percentage, which translates to 91 wins over a full season

Go back to 2005 and it's been 1121-895 AL, which is a .556 winning percentage, or 90 wins over a full season.

The AL has dominated. And 2000 games is a fairly large sample size, especially compared to World Series and All-Star games.

So it seems like it is starting to level out somewhat, or at least was, as 2012 is an upswing for the AL.

2005-2009 = .567 AL winning %
2010-2011 = .526 AL winning %
2010-2012 = .538 AL winning %
2012 = .563 AL winning %

[milladrive]

Well, it seems pretty obvious to me the AL is the stronger league, and it's been so for several years. At the risk of bringing up the decaying horse, I can't help but wonder if honing the use of the DH has had something to do with it.

[LI METS FAN]

The AL is obviously vastly superior. Over a much larger sample size called interleague play, the AL dominates the NL every single year.

A couple of AS games and WS games doesn't change that.

Interleague play is irrelevant. The goal is to win the World Series- you of all people know that. The NL has won the WS 3 of the last 4 years and the ASG 3 straight years. The new pattern for a new century is clear. The AL is in decline. My Yankee fan friends tell me over and over again- nothing counts until the playoffs.

[GiambiJuice]

Interleague play is irrelevant. The goal is to win the World Series- you of all people know that. The NL has won the WS 3 or the last 4 years and the ASG 3 straight years. The new pattern for a new century is clear. The AL is in decline. My Yankee fan friends tell me over and over again- nothing counts until the playoffs.

I'm not going to take the bait this time. Sorry.

See post #10. I'm moving on.

[EdTarbusz]

Interleague play is irrelevant. The goal is to win the World Series- you of all people know that. The NL has won the WS 3 of the last 4 years and the ASG 3 straight years. The new pattern for a new century is clear. The AL is in decline. My Yankee fan friends tell me over and over again- nothing counts until the playoffs.

The only World Series pattern I've seen in the 21st century is a bunch of lackluster Series's, that mainly show what a crapshoot the MLB post-season has devolved into.

[Thatguyoverthere]

Interleague play is irrelevant. The goal is to win the World Series- you of all people know that. The NL has won the WS 3 of the last 4 years and the ASG 3 straight years. The new pattern for a new century is clear. The AL is in decline. My Yankee fan friends tell me over and over again- nothing counts until the playoffs.

Sample size, sample size, sample size, sample size. What two teams do in one seven-game series tells you next to nothing about the strength of the leagues as a whole. It's not even an argument of "best vs. best" because the two best teams hardly ever even get to play each other in the World Series anymore because of how much of a crapshoot the playoffs have become.

[Bulldog19]

Well until there is balanced scheduling in interleague play, it won't tell us anything either. When the Yankees and Red Sox get weak NL teams year after year it can only help the AL.

Just remember, there's only a few big prizes given out each year. The World Series trophy means much more than a winning record against teams in the other league in May..

[milladrive]

The only World Series pattern I've seen in the 21st century is a bunch of lackluster Series's, that mainly show what a crapshoot the MLB post-season has devolved into.

Which leads us to a statement even more poignant to the thread...

Sample size, sample size, sample size, sample size. What two teams do in one seven-game series tells you next to nothing about the strength of the leagues as a whole. It's not even an argument of "best vs. best" because the two best teams hardly ever even get to play each other in the World Series anymore because of how much of a crapshoot the playoffs have become.

Excellently said, imo.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Sample size, sample size, sample size, sample size. What two teams do in one seven-game series tells you next to nothing about the strength of the leagues as a whole. It's not even an argument of "best vs. best" because the two best teams hardly ever even get to play each other in the World Series anymore because of how much of a crapshoot the playoffs have become.

But that goes against what LI METS FAN's Yankee fan friends have told him when the AL teams (Yankees) do well.

[ipitch]

As others have said, the AL is dominant by a pretty good margin. The World Series games may have a lot riding on them, but they don't tell you which league is dominant any more than an ordinary interleague game does. If you wanted to know which team weighs the most, would you just compare the weights of the heaviest player on each team? Of course not. You'd have to weigh all of the players.

[Thatguyoverthere]

Well until there is balanced scheduling in interleague play, it won't tell us anything either. When the Yankees and Red Sox get weak NL teams year after year it can only help the AL.

Just remember, there's only a few big prizes given out each year. The World Series trophy means much more than a winning record against teams in the other league in May..

The scheduling can't account for all of the dominance, and things like that should even out over time (ie: the best NL teams facing the worst AL teams)

And it's also completely false. Take this year for example. The Yankees went 13-5 in interleague, but faced the Reds, Mets, Braves, and Nationals, who have a combined .555 winning percentage...

[milladrive]

2010: AL won 134-118
2011: AL won 131-121
2012: AL won 142-110

That's a .538 winning percentage, which translates to 87 wins over a 162 game season.
This year it was a .563 winning percentage, which translates to 91 wins over a full season

Go back to 2005 and it's been 1121-895 AL, which is a .556 winning percentage, or 90 wins over a full season.

The AL has dominated. And 2000 games is a fairly large sample size, especially compared to World Series and All-Star games.

I'm glad you asked.

In 2012, the AL was 142-110 vs. the NL. This is a .563 winning %, equivalent to 91.2 wins over 162 games.

Over the last 3 years (2010-2012), the AL is 407-349 vs. the NL, a .538 winning %, equivalent to 87.2 wins over 162 games.

Over the last 5 years (2008-2012), the AL is 694-566 vs. the AL, a .551 winning %, equivalent to 89.2 wins over 162 games.

EDIT - LoL, thatguyoverthere beat me to it!

So it seems like it is starting to level out somewhat, or at least was, as 2012 is an upswing for the AL.

2005-2009 = .567 AL winning %
2010-2011 = .526 AL winning %
2010-2012 = .538 AL winning %
2012 = .563 AL winning %

I don't know why, but for some reason, and if it's not too difficult to look up, I'd be interested to know the home/road splits.