This has been the case on an annual basis since 1924, though there have been MVPs as far back as 1911. For decades, the league split made perfect sense. The two leagues didn't play each other at all.

Unsurprisingly, MLB portrayed Ohtani as a totally innocent victim of his excessive, blind trust in allowing Mizuhara to tap into his cash account for many millions while being extended millions in credit by bookmakers. (Also, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada said back in April, “Mr. Ohtani is considered a victim in this case.”)

Throughout the season the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we picked between baseball's many Jacksons. This week we're going to tackle the AL wild-card race.

Shohei Ohtani achieves yet another piece of history, with the Dodgers star becoming the first player since 2001 to tally 400+ total bases.

He has been even better than Shohei Ohtani has been having his own season for the ages on the other side of the country.

Below, you'll find nine of the most important and unresolved dynamics, ranging from playoff berths and seeding to individual pursuits of noteworthy accomplishments -- all compiled with the intent to help you prioritize which games merit your attention over the next three days.