No Lead Is Safe: Following a History of Great Collapses
As we near only one month left in this year’s baseball season, the Chicago Cubs have what seems like an insurmountable lead in the NL Central race.
But is such a lead really safe? Has a team with a lead of 6 or more games collapsed and not even made the playoffs? In order to answer these questions, we must take a trip back in history. In 1964, the Phillies blew a 6-1/2 game lead. In 1978, it was the Red Sox going from 14-1/2 games up to runners-up in the division. It was the 2007 Vikings missing the playoffs after starting 6-0, and the 1978 Redskins starting 6-0 only to be home by December as well. In 2007, the NY Mets watched a 7 game lead evaporate over the final 17 games.
The names will never be forgotten either, such as Bill Buckner missing a ground ball, What do all of these examples mean? They mean exactly this: the Cubs lead is not guaranteed, and it is still acceptable to be cautiously optimistic about their playoff hopes. There is no reason to believe such a collapse lies in the future of this year’s NL Central leaders, but as history has shared with us before nothing is ever guaranteed.
