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Dodgers, White Sox Lead Divisions; Ohtani, Alvarez Top MVP Race

7/17/2026

39 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

The Los Angeles Dodgers finished as NL West champions and are on track for 100-plus wins while the Chicago White Sox lead the AL Central with the league’s second-best run differential.
The Philadelphia Phillies under manager Don Mattingly posted a 45-24 record, two games behind Atlanta.
Shohei Ohtani leads the NL MVP race as Yandy Alvarez tops the AL MVP race.

History

Historical Context

The Seattle Mariners’ 2001 campaign, managed by Lou Piniella, produced a 116-46 record (.716 win %) that tied the 1906 Chicago Cubs for the modern-era win total and set an AL record of 50.4 WAR. That dominance sparked a 21-year playoff drought, broken in 2022, and today’s Dodgers and White Sox chase similar 100-plus win seasons, echoing early-2000s record-setting trends.

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Story summary

The Los Angeles Dodgers finished as NL West champions and are on track for 100-plus wins while the Chicago White Sox lead the AL Central with the league’s second-best run differential.
The Philadelphia Phillies under manager Don Mattingly posted a 45-24 record, two games behind Atlanta.
Shohei Ohtani leads the NL MVP race as Yandy Alvarez tops the AL MVP race.

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