Final Month Finds Abundance of Teams in Race

Curt Schilling can feel the tension building with every fastball.

“One mistake can cost you a game,” the Arizona ace said. “One game can cost you the pennant.”

And this year, perhaps more than any other, a lot of big leaguers feel the same way.

As Labor Day approached, more than a dozen teams were smack in the middle of playoff races, hoping to make a postseason push in the final month.

For fans, it promised to be a frantic four weeks -- mostly because baseball’s unbalanced schedule ensured so many head-to-head matchups the rest of the way.

All that, and now mix in the retirements of Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn.

Ripken, whose home run was the highlight of the All-Star game, finishes at Yankee Stadium. Gwynn winds up at Pacific Bell Park, where Barry Bonds might very well be trying to set the home run record.

Then again, it’s already been quite a season:

--The runaway Seattle Mariners, with a chance to set baseball’s all-time wins record. They’re led by rookie Ichiro Suzuki -- he’s 27, and there’s no dispute about his age.

--The surprising and feuding Philadelphia Phillies, trying to end Atlanta’s record streak of nine straight division titles.

--The Cleveland Indians, stunning Seattle with a 12-run comeback and then setting off Mariners reliever Arthur Rhodes by forcing him to take off his earrings.

--Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Luis Gonzalez connecting like crazy, along with Colorado pitcher Mike Hampton.

--Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, David Wells, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mark McGwire among the stars missing time with injuries.

--The NL champion New York Mets collapsing and the young Minnesota Twins contending.

The three-time World Series champion New York Yankees led the AL East with help from Roger Clemens, who at 17-1 was tops in the league in victories. Their weekend series against the second-place Red Sox began a stretch of seven games in 11 days between the teams.

“This is a very important time. We’re in our division now and play Boston two series almost back-to-back,” Yankees manager Joe Torre said. “We don’t have to play scoreboard watching anymore.”

No need to tell the AL Central-leading Indians what each win meant.

“Guys who were here last year understand how important games in August and September are because they saw what happened,” center fielder Kenny Lofton said.

The Indians’ run of five straight division titles ended in 2000, and their hopes of winning the wild card slot were dashed on the final day of the season. Cleveland wound up one game behind Seattle for the extra slot.

This time around, the Mariners are the only team sure to make the playoffs. Three weeks ago, Seattle received permission to start selling postseason tickets.

“Winning series is what we’re all about,” All-Star second baseman Bret Boone said. “That’s what we focus on.”

While Jason Giambi and the Oakland Athletics have surged into the AL wild card lead, the NL playoff scramble seemed to be getting wilder each day, partly because there were no killer teams. At least, not yet.

Houston is hoping to hold off Sosa and the Chicago Cubs in the Central. Schilling, Randy Johnson and Arizona are trying to stay ahead in the West.

And what a chase for the wild card!

Bonds, getting closer and closer to McGwire’s record of 70 home runs in a season, leads the way for San Francisco. Kevin Brown, back in the rotation after an elbow injury, boosts Los Angeles.

The Giants and Dodgers, on the 50th anniversary of one of the most famous pennant chases ever, have the possibility of restaging the great race. There’s six games left between the longtime rivals -- could Bonds deliver another version of the Shot Heard ‘Round the World?

“Now, it’s really important,” Bonds said. “Time doesn’t stop. The clock keeps ticking. These games just keeping going by. You want to be as close as you can come September. If not, it’s going to be a lot harder.”

McGwire and the St. Louis Cardinals, the Cubs and either Atlanta or Philadelphia also could end up going down to the last day with a chance to reach the postseason.

“We have a mission to finish in first place and go to the playoffs,” Sosa said. “We have to make the playoffs.”

The Cubs will certainly get their chance to catch Houston. They play the Astros seven times in the last 10 games, finishing with a four-game series at Wrigley Field.

“It’s the fairest way,” Houston manager Larry Dierker said. “Let the teams decide it among themselves.”