Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

9-18-90 The American League batting race is as close as it can get. As of this morning, the leader is George Brett of the [Kansas City] Royals, whose percentage is .3254. Rickey Henderson of the [Oakland] Athletics is second at .3251 and Rafael Palmeiro of the [Texas] Rangers is third at .3247. When rounded, all three percentages are .325. Until last night, it appeared that Palmeiro would fall off the pace, but he went five for five to jump back into it. What an effort! Although I like Palmeiro and have nothing against Henderson, I’m rooting for Brett, the old man of the group. He won batting titles in 1976 and 1980, so a third this year would give him batting titles in three different decades. He has been the most consistent hitter of the three for the past couple of months. As for the divisional races, Oakland has all but clinched the American League West, while Boston [the Red Sox] and Toronto [the Blue Jays] are fighting it out in the East. Cincinnati [the Reds] has a decent cushion in the National League West, though I wouldn’t rule out the [Los Angeles] Dodgers. In the closest race of all, Pittsburgh [the Pirates] and the New York Mets are virtually tied in the East. My beloved [Detroit] Tigers are struggling along in third place, well behind the Red Sox and Blue Jays. The only bright spots for the Tigers are Alan Trammell, who’s hitting over .300, and Cecil Fielder, who leads all major leaguers in home runs (forty-seven) and runs batted in (118).