The baseball playoffs thread 2018

[SquarePeg]

I had the games right but wrong team. Congrats to the BoSox. Happy for Price, he finally pitched like he is capable of. It had to be wearing on the poor guy.

Huge monkey off his back! He looked very relieved. Per my sister in law who has worked with him on several charity events, he is a super nice guy. I hope his success carries over into the WS.

I didn’t expect the ALCS to be less than 6 games. If I had guessed I would have probably said 7.

Would love an East vs West, Back Bay vs Hollywood, humble vs cocky, Sharon vs Gary, Mookie vs Turner, the best outfield vs the best starting pitching, knock down drag out 7 game World Series!

 

[Gary A.]

I had the games right but wrong team. Congrats to the BoSox. Happy for Price, he finally pitched like he is capable of. It had to be wearing on the poor guy.

Huge monkey off his back! He looked very relieved. Per my sister in law who has worked with him on several charity events, he is a super nice guy. I hope his success carries over into the WS.

I didn’t expect the ALCS to be less than 6 games. If I had guessed I would have probably said 7.

Would love an East vs West, Back Bay vs Hollywood, humble vs cocky, Sharon vs Gary, Mookie vs Turner, the best outfield vs the best starting pitching, knock down drag out 7 game World Series!

We're one game away from that. LaLa Land vs Bean Town!

 

[Gary A.]

You know, our secret weapon, Taylor, has been silent at the plate ... you better hope he doesn't wake up. Don't forget our WMD ... Puig ... and our dirty bomb M-A-C-H-A-D-O!

 

[Gary A.]

 

[Gary A.]

 

[jcdeboever]

The recipe for the Dodgers is simple, get on base. Manufacture the runs, stop trying to hit the long ball. Shorten the swings, the ball will still travel. Advance runners, work the counts. The Brewers pitching is worn out. Same thing happened to Robert's last year and he learned his lesson.

 

[Gary A.]

I was reading some of the commentary this morning, and relating to defense, two different writers mentioned that that Benintendi and Betts would be center fielders on nearly all other MLB teams. It makes a difference this time of year.

My buddies and I have been discussing the Betts/Altuve play back and forth all morning. I think that it was over the wall, but Betts had such a clear play on it that it would seem unfair that the fans could intentionally interfere to change the outcome. Apples to orange comparison...but it’d be like a front row NBA fan going for the ball or pushing Lebron out of the way so he couldn’t get to it.

It’s hard to balance that though, with stadium design. Fans want to be close to the action, and the ideas we through out in our chat this morning would solve the problem, but not in fan-friendly ways. Make the walls higher...put a six foot space between the front row and the wall...whatever. There are ways to take the fan interference piece out. Baseball is the only sport where it’s even possible really, and it’s because it is the only sport where fans literally demarc the end of the “in play”. It seems crazy that the balance of a game can lie in random chance (since the ball was catchable, anyways).

Higher walls would do it but they would need to lose a few rows of paying customers so it won't happen. Fenway is probably the worst for this in RF. The "wall" is about waist high in some areas. Maybe put up some plexi-glass like at a hockey game? Or some type of fencing? Just to the height that a very athletic person could conceivably jump to.

The Killer B's have been amazing in the outfield all year but never more so than last night's game. Meant to add to the above that the Sox plate discipline has been unreal.

We had a great day ... nothing better than an afternoon game ... well, maybe an afternoon doubleheader. Perfect weather, 80F, dry, slight breeze cooling of to 70F by the end of the game. The fans were really into the game, loud with no letup. Kershaw was awesome, he kept getting better as the game progressed. The Dodgers came out on fire putting men on base ... but the Brewers quickly smother that early fire. In the middle of the game, somewhat initiated by Puig, the Dodgers started going for hits instead of homeruns ... all those hits did in the Brewers. Jansen is starting to look like his old self.

Bellinger made one helluva catch in center, which originally was called a trap/bounce. The replay showed the glove under the ball and the call overturned. The home plate ump was all over the place with his calls and JC's point to automate balls and strikes is well taken. But the replays really slow down the game, combined with Tv commercials and Brewer's changing pitchers every two batters ... it was a field day for the concession stands. Either the umps, right or wrong, are part of the game or they're not. This New York determination when a coach is offended ... is ... is ... unAmerican. Let the game umpires review and determine all reviews.

I like that someone else does the review so they are presumably less biased than the ump who made the original call. I like instant replay as a whole but there are challenges and it needs to be a work in progress as technology and issues/rules evolve.

I thought the past couple of Sox games the plate umpires have been spot on (based on the very hard to see brackets that TBS uses to illustrate the strike zone), whereas some of the Yankees series and that first game of this series, there were some really terrible ball/strike calls. I didn't get to watch much of the LAD game but seems like offense on both teams was minimal throughout most of the game. Pitching must have been awesome.

Have an "Out" and "Safe" button on the seats ... let the fans decide all Reviews.

 

[SquarePeg]

I love Papi but start the damn game already!

 

[jcdeboever]

Wow, what a first inning.

 

[Gary A.]

Yes ... what a first inning.

 

[SquarePeg]

It’s only a 3 run game. Joe Buck has been talking like it’s the 9th inning since the end of the first. Counting down outs and acting all dramatic. He’s annoying. I loved that he had to eat crow in 2004 and hopefully he will again.

 

[SquarePeg]

Game 7 stress. I don’t envy you that Gary. Hope to see the Dodgers in Boston on Tuesday. They need to tune out that crowd and take care of business tonight. Brewers were obnoxious with all that celebrating after every hit.

I read today that the exact dates of this year’s WS games are the same as in 2004 and 2013. Both Red Sox championship years.

 

[jcdeboever]

What a home field advantage, is what I am seeing. The Brewers seem like a team of destiny. However, were talking the Dodgers here, a deep team that should pull their home run hitting heads out of their keister. Swinging for the fences all night. You can't beat the Brewers nor the Red Sox in this manner. You have to get on base, work the counts, slow the game down. Ryu picked a fine time to flatten his off speed stuff off. He was hanging everything. Granted, he was due but bad timing. Justin Verlander clone going tonight, should be interesting. This kid has no hit stuff and watch him shine tonight, he is really that good.

 

[Gary A.]

Dodgers suck. Okay ... they don't suck, but they're inconsistent ... which sucks. There was some home field advantage ... but earlier Ryu mowed the Brewers down ... yesterday he was pitching batting practice.

 

[Gary A.]