If there is one truth to always have at the back of your mind about baseball, it is a sport with plenty of nicknames and terms and uses unusual words. You may only know some of its words if you are a player or baseball enthusiast. For this reason, you will find baseball newbies asking questions like “what is the pennant in baseball.”
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Explaining what is the Pennant in baseball
When you ask, “what is the pennant in baseball” you may likely hear that it is a triangular felt flag crafted in the team’s color and may feature their mascot sometimes.
However, when you search deeper, which we have helped you, you will realize that in MLB, Major League Baseball, the pennant has another meaning.
The pennant symbolizes the teams that won the American League Championship and National Leagues.
In simpler terms, the term pennant represents each league in the MLB. Since there are two leagues in the MLB, National League (NL) and American League (AL), there are two pennants available.
Furthermore, a team will need to advance deeper into the playoffs if they have plans on winning the pennant. So the first thing they have to do is to make it past the round of wild cards if they are unsuccessful in winning their division.
And when they win the division of the wild card round. Moreover, the two winners that emerge in the divisional rounds for both leagues will practically square off in the NLCS and ALCS.
It must be noted that the four teams are playing their best to win the pennant and their conferences. Note that the two pennant winners will meet in the World Series to play against each other.
In learning more about the question of what the pennant is in baseball, you must know that:
Only one team takes it all
In the first century, when baseball was played, it began as a race to finish, with just one team being left standing at the end of the line.
Right from the incorporation of the National League, only one team is crowned as the champion, while every other team goes back home. In fact, for more than roughly one hundred years, the National League and the American League have battled it out.
And everything came down to the season’s final month when teams jockeyed their way for positions to arrive at the top.
Example of pennant race comeback
An example we can provide for you is the 2007 Colorado Rockies, wherein the Colorado Rockies started as a mediocre team.
And after posting a 44-44 record at the All-Star Star break, most critics took the New York Mets as their wild card favorite.
However, the New York Mets stumbled while the Colorado Rockies took serious advantage with their .613 win percentage in their second half. The good fortune that the Rockies had did not stop in their regular season.
They went further to sweep out the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies in both the championship and division series.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Is winning the pennant in baseball important?
Yes, it is. It means the winning team is the league’s champion and can go further to play in the World series.
Are there many games you have to play to win the pennant?
You will have to win one hundred sixty-two regular season games in the MLB.
Conclusion
Now that you have the answers to the question of what is the pennant in baseball, you can start fully understanding baseball. Its things like this why baseball is the best sport in the world.
