NL Central Only MLB Division with All Winning Records

Chicago, Illinois - Heading into Tuesday, the National League Central became the only division in Major League Baseball where all five teams maintained winning records, a rare feat marking the second-latest point in a season for such parity, according to Sportradar data.

The Cincinnati Reds paced the group at 18-10, followed by the Chicago Cubs 1 1/2 games back, Pittsburgh Pirates at 16-13, St. Louis Cardinals at 15-13 and Milwaukee Brewers at 14-13. The division's teams combined for an 80-61 record, matching the NL West for the best collective mark leaguewide. Other divisions lagged behind, with the AL East at 73-69 and the rest posting losing records as units.

This hot start builds on last season, when Milwaukee captured the division title for the third straight year and Chicago and Cincinnati advanced as wild cards, sending three teams to the playoffs, the most from any National League division. Four NL Central clubs ranked among baseball's 12 smallest opening-day payrolls, underscoring the division's reliance on emerging talent over big spending.

Key contributors include reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes of the Pirates, young stars like Elly De La Cruz of the Reds...