Encouraging news for Dodgers fans: Of the eight teams that have made it into the Major Baseball League playoffs (now that the wild card spots have been determined), the boys in blue have the best chance of winning the first-round series and moving on.
That’s the prediction of mathematician and Mets fan Bruce Bukiet, who uses a complex formula to project which MLB teams will come out on top.
In the AL East, Bukiet projected a three-way tie between the New York franchise and those of Toronto and Tampa Bay. In fact, the Red Sox beat them all.
According to his fresh set of predictions, the Los Angeles Dodgers are heavy favorites to beat the Atlanta Braves in the series that begins tonight. He gives them a 63 percent chance of coming out on top.
The other races are closer. After crunching the numbers, Bukiet gives the Detroit Tigers a 59 percent chance of eliminating the Oakland As. The Boston Red Sox have a 55 percent chance of beating the Tampa Bay Rays, while the surprising Pittsburgh Pirates have a 53 percent chance of defeating the St. Louis Cardinals.
Bukiet, an associate dean at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, did quite well with his projections for the regular season. In the National League, he correctly predicted the Dodgers, Cardinals, and Braves would win their respective divisions.
He also correctly predicted the Tigers would win the American League Central Division, and was half-right for the AL West, projecting the Oakland As would tie with the Angels for the most wins.
The Angels, of course, were one of the big-budget teams that disappointed fans this year. So were the Yankees. In the AL East, Bukiet projected a three-way tie between the New York franchise and those of Toronto and Tampa Bay. In fact, the Red Sox beat them all, although the Rays did make it into the playoffs as the wild card team.
Also worth mentioning: The Houston Astros failed to live up to Bukiet’s bleak projection that they would end the season with a record of 56 wins and 106 losses. In fact, they finished with a record of 51-111.
