Prep talk: Garfield faces South Gate with Eastern League baseball title at stake
A three-way tie for first place is possible in the Eastern League as baseball regular season ends.
Garfield players and coaches meet on the field immediately after defeating rival Roosevelt in their first game at their new baseball field in 2023. (Luca Evans / Los Angeles Times) About the only drama left in the City Section baseball regular season involves the Eastern League, where Garfield (9-1), South Gate (9-1) and Bell (8-2) are battling for the league title and seeking bids for the City Section Open Division playoffs that will be announced on Saturday. Garfield and South Gate begin a two-game series on Wednesday at South Gate, followed by a regular-season finale at Garfield on Thursday.
Bell plays South East in a two-game series. Bell is ranked higher than Garfield and South Gate for seeding purposes based on computer rankings, but the City still uses league finish as part of consideration. Junior catcher Michael Santillan has been a big contributor for Garfield.
The Eastern League has never sent three teams to the Open Division playoffs in baseball. That might happen or one team could end up as No. 1 seed in Division I.
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