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In year of parity, nearly every team has playoffs chance

National League's Madison Bumgarner, of the San Francisco Giants, talks with Clayton Kershaw, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, before the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
National League's Madison Bumgarner, of the San Francisco Giants, talks with Clayton Kershaw, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, before the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) National League's Madison Bumgarner, of the San Francisco Giants, talks with Clayton Kershaw, of the Los Angeles Dodgers, before the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 14, 2015, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

By Associated Press 4 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Clayton Kershaw looks around the major leagues and sees opponents convinced they can reach the playoffs.

“It’s just a matter of everybody beating up on everybody,” the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher said. “We want everybody to feel like they’re in it.”

It’s the year of parity in the major leagues, when almost no one has managed to break away from the pack or fall way behind. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the reigning NL MVP, has a won-lost record reflecting the parity – he’s 6-6.

Every team in the American League reached the All-Star break with a .450 winning percentage or higher. It’s the first time an entire league did that since 1944, according to STATS, and many rosters that season were depleted of stars because of World War II.

“It’s fantastic to see,” Pittsburgh pitcher Gerrit Cole said. “All the teams at .500 all think they’re going to finish over .500, and all the teams that are over .500, and even us, we’re always fretting, looking behind our back.”