NEW YORK — Clayton Kershaw looks around the major leagues and sees opponents convinced they can reach the playoffs.

“It’s just a matter of everybody beating up on everybody,” the Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher said. “We want everybody to feel like they’re in it.”

It’s the year of parity in the major leagues, when almost no one has managed to break away from the pack or fall way behind. Kershaw, a three-time Cy Young Award winner and the reigning NL MVP, has a won-lost record reflecting the parity — he’s 6-6.

Every team in the American League reached the All-Star break with a .450 winning percentage or higher. It’s the first time an entire league did that since 1944, according to STATS, and many rosters that season were depleted of stars because of World War II.

“It’s fantastic to see,” Pittsburgh pitcher Gerrit Cole said. “All the teams at .500 all think they’re going to finish over .500, and all the teams that are over .500, and even us, we’re always fretting, looking behind our back.”

Boston headed to the All-Star break in last place yet just 6 1/2 games from first — only the second time since division play began in 1969 the AL East spread was that close. The first-to-last gap has been that narrow in any division just nine times overall in the expansion era, STATS said.

“We’re at the bottom of the barrel right now, but we’re not that far out,” Red Sox All-Star Brock Holt said.

Oakland has the worst record in the AL but at 41-50 is just 8 1/2 games behind the West-leading Los Angeles Angels. While last in the AL Central, the Chicago White Sox are 41-45 and only 5 1/2 games out for the AL’s second wild card.