With the 2012 Major League Baseball regular season coming to a close on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Pirates will finish the year with another losing season regardless of the result of their final game against the Atlanta Braves. After falling to the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 30, the Pirates registered their 20th consecutive losing season, which was made all the more painful by the team's strong start to the season.
The Reds will win their second division title in three years on the back of an impressive 97-64 regular season performance. Entering the final game of the season, the team is tied with the Washington Nationals for the best record in the MLB. The St. Louis Cardinals will also represent the division in the postseason as the inaugural winners of the second wild card berth.
Here's how the NL Central Standings look entering the final day of the regular season:
1. Cincinnati Reds, 97-64
2. St. Louis Cardinals, 87-74
3. Milwaukee Brewers, 83-78
4. Pittsburgh Pirates, 79-82
5. Chicago Cubs, 60-101
6. Houston Astros, 55-106