According to ESPN Stats & Info (via Elias Sports Bureau), Thursday marked the earliest in MLB history that a single league has had three 50-win teams. Those three teams are the Red Sox (50-26), Yankees (50-22), and Astros (50-26).
The three clubs have been the dominant juggernauts in a league that has been otherwise a bit lop-sided in competitiveness at this point in the season. The Red Sox and Yankees are the only two teams in the AL East above .500, while the Indians are the only team in the Central that is above .500. The Astros share the AL West with the 46-29 Mariners and 40-35 Angels, but the Angels are still 9.5 games behind the Astros. In total, there are eight sub-.500 teams in the American League, and six in the National League, rounding out to 14 total sub-.500 clubs.
The Astros (.267) and Red Sox (.261) lead the MLB at No. 1 and 2 respectively in team average, while the Yankees (.253) currently sit at No. 8. The trio of teams are tied at the top of the league in RBIs, with the Astros (380) sitting in first, followed by the Yankees (371), and Red Sox (363).
The Yankees are off to a significant lead in the team home run tally, holding the No. 1 spot in the league with 122. The Red Sox, after finishing last season with 168 total home runs, sit at No. 2 in baseball with 107. The Astros have hit 96, good for No. 7.
The Astros are led by 5-time All-Star Jose Altuve, who is slashing .347 on the season. Justin Verlander has retaken his former Cy Young/MVP form, spinning a 1.60 ERA in 107 innings pitched while striking out 130. Gerrit Cole (2.59) and Charlie Morton (2.74) also have sub-3.00 ERAs, helping the team claim a league best 2.86 ERA (No. 2 is the Cubs at 3.17).
For the Yankees, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have been the effective home run duo expected, each hitting 19 and 18 home runs respectively. Aroldis Chapman has led the Yankee bullpen with a 1.07 ERA, while Luis Severino has been their one effective starter, with a 2.24 ERA and 11-2 record over 104 2/3 innings pitched.
Notable Red Sox performers so far include Mookie Betts (.344 average, 19 home runs, 39 RBIs, 14 stolen bases), J.D. Martinez (.315 average, 22 home runs, 55 RBIs), Andrew Benintendi (.292 average, 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, 12 stolen bases), and Xander Bogaerts (.280 average, 12 home runs, 43 RBIs). Betts trails only Altuve for the MLB lead in average, while Martinez is one home run shy of Mike Trout for the league lead in home runs. Each starter in their pitching staff of Chris Sale (2.74), Rick Porcello (3.44), Eduardo Rodriguez (3.59), and David Price (3.81), has knocked their ERA down to sub-4.00.
The Red Sox have four series remaining with the Yankees, and one with the Astros (a weekend homestand from Sept. 7-9). The team will face off against the Yankees in New York next weekend, as well as once in August (2nd-5th) and twice in September (18-20th in the Bronx, and the regular season finale, 28-30th at Fenway).
