Oh, How I Love Interleague Play…

Really. I do.

Is it because the Angels are 18-6 over their last 24 interleague games? Not really. Is it because the Halos are 106-92 against the National League overall? Nope. Then it must be because our beloved team bats a collective .330 against the “other” league. Wrong again.

Honestly, I’m not too sure why I get so excited around this time of the season. It very well may have something to do with the fact that we have completely dominated the National League in recent history. I’m not sure. But I do know that I love every minute that we are playing any team from the NL.

I think the main reason why I love interleague play is because we get a chance to play teams that we don’t normally see. We get the opportunity to watch players that we don’t normally get to watch. It’s hard to not love a time, such as now, where we can watch the Halos play a team that fields the best hitter in baseball (Chipper Jones), one of the most exciting young catchers (Brian McCann) and one of the games premier switch hitters (Mark Teixeira). It’s hard to hate a time where we get to play the New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals all in within a 2 week span. But most of all, how can an Angels fan be upset when the Freeway Series is right around the corner?

I love the fact that interleague schedules change up every year. I am especially excited that we get to see the National League East Division this year. The Mets, as bad as they’ve been this year, can easily be one of the best teams in the Majors. The Braves are a traditional powerhouse in the National League. The Phillies and Nationals, though not as intimidating, both have beautiful new ballparks that any baseball enthusiast can appriciate. These are all exciting teams that can play the game very well, and I’m sure we’ll have to play almost perfect baseball to continue our winning trend.

Another reason why this time is so great is because the Angels play a very NL style of baseball, and it’s fun to watch us play a team that plays the game with a similar style. The Angels are known for their hit-and-run, base-stealing, situational hitting type of play. While most other teams in the American League will sit back and wait for the 3-run homer, most of the National League teams will do the very things that make the Angels great. Though the Angels are better than any team they’ll be facing over the next 2 weeks, the competition always seems to be a bit stiffer when the team they’re playing does the same things almost as well as they do.

The Angels always seem to play with a little more enthusiasm and conviction when the National League comes around. With that in mind, I am looking forward to the Halos continuing their recent dominance of the National League, and I am sure looking forward to the next 2 weeks of Angels baseball.