The New York Yankees are finding this out the hard way. They are barely clinging to the lead in the AL East even though they lead the league in most offensive categories including runs per game, home runs, batting average, RBI, and on-base percentage.

What really wins championships is pitching and defense. The St. Louis Cardinals have won 9 of their last 12 games and are leading the NL Central. Do you know why they are leading? Sure, Albert Pujols is leading the majors in home runs and RBI, but who else do the Cardinals have? The Cardinals are leading the NL Central because of their pitching and defense. Three starters—Carpenter, Wainwright, and Piñeiro –each have an ERA under three. Carpenter and Wainwright will probably finish in the top five for the Cy Young.

The St. Louis Cardinals defense is what got them this far and will get them to the World Series. They are leading the majors in ground ball double plays per game. They also have four Gold Glove candidates: Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, Yadier Molina, and Brendan Ryan.

For the most part, in every level of baseball, offense wins games, pitching and defense win championships.