2021 Postseason Discussion and Game Thread

[Nine of twelve]

Flukey plays happen from time to time. And flukey plays can demonstrate situations in which the rules could be improved. This is one of those situations, IMHO. If I were writing the rules I would advocate for a rule that every ball in play on which runners could advance that goes out of play after touching a fielder should be treated the same. (Except for a fair ball that never touches the ground and goes over the fence in fair territory would still be a home run.) That means the runner(s) and the batter-runner get one base beyond the base to which they were advancing. Under this proposal it wouldn't matter how the ball went out of play. Nor would it matter whether a fielder, in the judgement of the umpire, ever had control of the ball. This would eliminate the need for a judgement call by the umpire, and the fewer judgement calls the better.

[cHawk]

This might be the end of the 2021 Rays…

[Longdistancetwins]

7 hours ago, cHawk said:

Also, UPDATE: Astros vs. White Sox has been postponed due to severe weather.

Worked out for me:  Got to play tennis this afternoon with my White Sox-fan tennis partner.  

[Otto von Ballpark]

Danny Santana scored the ALDS winning run for Boston.

[cHawk]

Red Sox moving on

[cHawk]

Today’s games:

ALDS Game 4 (Astros Lead 2-1)
Houston Astros vs. Chicago White Sox
SP: Lance McCullers (Astros) vs. Carlos Rodon (White Sox)
Venue: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago
Broadcast: FS1
Odds: Astros +275, White Sox +1400

NLDS Game 4 (Braves Lead 2-1)
Milwaukee Brewers vs. Atlanta Braves
SP: TBA (Brewers) vs. TBA (Braves)
Time: 4:15 PM Central Standard Time
Venue: Truist Park, Atlanta
Broadcast: TBS
Odds: Braves -135, Brewers +115

NLDS Game 4 (Giants Lead 2-1)
San Francisco Giants vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
SP: Anthony DeSclafani (Giants) vs. TBA (Dodgers)
Time: 8:07 PM Central Standard Time
Venue: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles
Broadcast: TBS
Odds: Dodgers -155, Giants +135

[LVTwinsfan]

Another run for Houston making it 6 to 1. Bummer

[ashbury]

48 minutes ago, LVTwinsfan said:

Another run for Houston making it 6 to 1. Bummer

[LVTwinsfan]

35 minutes ago, ashbury said:

Thanks for getting that

[Longdistancetwins]

White Sox looking like the Twins against Houston.  Not getting any satisfaction out of that for some reason…

[mickeymental]

eddie rosario gettin it done.

[LVTwinsfan]

57 minutes ago, Longdistancetwins said:

White Sox looking like the Twins against Houston.  Not getting any satisfaction out of that for some reason…

No me either, I actually wanted the Sox, was that wrong?

[Nine of twelve]

41 minutes ago, LVTwinsfan said:

No me either, I actually wanted the Sox, was that wrong?

I dislike the Astros more than I dislike the White Sox. Now I have to decide which of the Red Sox and the Astros I dislike more. UGH!!!

[Longdistancetwins]

10 minutes ago, Nine of twelve said:

I dislike the Astros more than I dislike the White Sox. Now I have to decide which of the Red Sox and the Astros I dislike more. UGH!!!

Just curious:  Why is there so much dislike of the Red Sox on this site?

[cHawk]

1 hour ago, LVTwinsfan said:

No me either, I actually wanted the Sox, was that wrong?

I hate both teams but I was rooting for the Astros. Hope they lose to the Red Sox.

[cHawk]

Astros and Braves advance.

[cHawk]

53 minutes ago, Longdistancetwins said:

Just curious:  Why is there so much dislike of the Red Sox on this site?

The Red Sox stole signs in 2018.

[tony&rodney]

We are seeing some really good baseball thus far in the postseason. The Red Sox won against a very good Tampa Bay team. Houston looks tough and Tucker has a mean stick. Freeman and the Braves had solid at bats. While i wanted the Rays to win it all and then Milwaukee or Chicago, the games are fun to watch. The Giants and Dodgers look like the two best teams in baseball and Posey and the Giant vets are trying to beat a talented Los Angeles roster. I hope the next two rounds all go to seven games and the excellent baseball continues through the last out. The Twins are out so I'm just cheering for good ball games without really favoring any team.

[Mike Sixel]

Well, this hasn't gone like I'd hoped.......

[cHawk]

Tonight’s game:

NLDS Game 5 (Series Tied 2-2)
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. San Francisco Giants
SP: Julio Urias (Dodgers) vs. Logan Webb (Giants)
Time: 8:07 PM Central Standard Time
Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco
Broadcast: TBS
Odds: Dodgers -112, Giants -108

[Otto von Ballpark]

Only one game today but it should be fun!

Logan Webb really emerged as a nice starter for San Fran this year. For the 2nd half, he was tied for 2nd among MLB pitchers in fWAR, and tied for 7th in RA9-WAR.

Was a big reason the Giants didn't fade after their hot start.

[Squirrel]

Go Giants! (I guess)

[Mike Sixel]

Dodgers going with an opener.....the Giants used splits and variable lineups more than most teams this year....

[Danchat]

With the Dodgers winning, I am thinking we'll get a rematch of the 2017 World Series, Dodgers vs Astros.

[Linus]

What a brutal check swing call. Gut punch if you are a Giants fan. 

[tony&rodney]

What a great game. The umpires have been really good this postseason until ...... what was he thinking at that moment/tough mistake. The Dodgers are really good. The four teams i wanted to win are OUT. and, our Twins were done in May. Oh well, a ton of great baseball ahead of us.

Scherzer - wow. He throws 96-100 and closes out the giants on breaking balls.

[tony&rodney]

The strike three pitch to Wade was crazy. For a split second i thought the umpire might have missed the pitch because he was set up on the inside corner. 

Poor Flores gets rung up on a crap call after starting the at bat 0-17 versus Scherzer.

Great game by both teams.

[Nine of twelve]

Three of the teams left are three of my four least favorite teams. The fourth team is one whose management I disagree with regarding the team mascot/nickname. I hope my attitude regarding the rest of the postseason can improve to the level of mere indifference.

[Otto von Ballpark]

EXPLAINER: What exactly is a check-swing?

Quote

So how far does a big league hitter have to go with his swing in order for a pitch to be called a strike? Is it when he “breaks his wrists” trying to hold up? Or when his bat crosses the plate? Or when he appears to be trying to hit the ball?

Don't bother looking for it in the Official Baseball Rules: Amazingly, in the nearly 200 pages that govern Major League Baseball, there's no mention of how to decide.

Officially, it’s purely an umpire’s judgment.

[nicksaviking]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:15 PM, cHawk said:

The Red Sox stole signs in 2018.

I've disliked them since long before then. 

I really hated how back in the day ESPN made it seem like everyone had to pick a side in the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry. They made a lot of people think that if you didn't like the Yankees (duh, who would) naturally you had to cheer for the "underdog" Red Sox, who didn't have as high of a payroll.

It was higher than every single other team OTHER than the Yankees, but still.....

I always resented that manipulation; maybe because it seemed like most people I knew fell for it.