Baseball

NYY - CLE at 22.00 UK time tonight, and LAD - NYM at same time tomorrow, I think these are the final playoff game to be scheduled at a vaguely reasonable time for watchers this side of the pond

It's almost as if they don't want the ballparks to be two-thirds empty for the hot phase of the playoffs. :)

So did anyone watch the Yankees-Guardians game last night? It seems to have been pretty entertaining.

This is odd, though--in the eighth, Gaddis (Cleveland) walked Soto (NY) like this.

That looks intentional, no? I mean, they don't have to do that kind of charade any more, so it's odd. Gaddis had good command before that. It seems unlikely that Soto frightened him that much. Then Clase comes in and New York hit two home runs off him. Fairytale ending for Cleveland, but this seems like a turning point in the game.

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This is also pretty good. To get the throw off there, even if it's not very accurate, and Naylor just keeps his foot on the base.

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/775310/play/83

Cleveland walked Soto in a previous game and paid the price when Judge followed him in.

Great atmosphere at Citi Field tonight and a good start, fingers crossed.

Game 6 of the ALCS should we get that far will be 10pm Monday by the looks of it?

Missed Friday's game but what is going on with this series ! Mental id written off the mets but then they do that on Friday night. Mad.

What's new? Look at most regular season series and it'll be something like 5-0 one night and 2-11 the next. LA made more headlines during the season because of Ohtani, but the Mets have been the best team in baseball for months. Whatever happens, it'll be close. I've always liked that about baseball, that even a lower-rated team will usually win at least 60 games (well, OK, not this season's White Sox). In a playoff series, a lot of it is just luck.

It's the massive swing nature of the games as well.
The Mets have had a great run of form towards the end of the season. But really thought after the last loss to LA was the start of the down turn but Fridays game gave hope

It's the hope that kills ya

Well the Mighty Mets fell at the last but they put in a great showing and fought all the way. The Dodgers were just stronger.
Esp in offence

Looking at the box (https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mets-vs-dodgers/2024/10/20/775302/final/box), that the Dodgers roughed up Manaea was the main factor, with Roberts' strategy of a bullpen game paying off. Casparius won the game, and he pitched in the second and one third of the third. Other than that, the teams had equal numbers of hits, the Dodgers one home run more and two doubles compared to the Mets eleven singles—and that resulted in a five-run difference. Even walks were even at six each. Obviously, this is all in eight innings for the Dodgers. Only one error all game, by a Dodger.

It will be interesting to see if the Mets make a play for Soto, and whether they keep Alonso.

Some start to the World Series.

Yes, quite the dénouement.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/25/dodgers-yankees-world-series-freddie-freeman-home-run

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/775300/play/82

Need to catch up with the game l. Can see LA getting the series win.

Watched this last night!
https://youtu.be/mMLg5tjlj-w?si=_fXvUG-wpUKDJivz

Forgot how exhilarating that Red Sox run was. I remember being up late to watch those games in 2003/2004, and got goosebumps all over again rewatching it now.
I’d forgotten, or not noticed at the time the Red Sox trading for a-rod, I do remember nomar being traded to the cubs, but so much happened between those two clubs over that span, and the fact that the yankees have fallen into a barren World Series spell after it, made it even sweeter.
Great watch, but I’m probably biased as I wanted the Red Sox to win so badly.

So will the LADs make short work of the Yankees? Surely New York must win at least one or two games. But four in a row?

It turns out there have been quite a lot of World Series sweeps, more than one would perhaps expect.

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/ws/wssweeps.shtml

Hard agree.
The MLB Baseball was just about the only thing I ever watched on Channel 5,
typically recorded on 'Long Play' on vhs tapes to catch up with later.

Always great to see the Yankees lose,
but is baseball enriched by the Dodgers buying all the best players?

Even if you put every remaining game at 50/50, Yankees chance of winning is around 6% - I doubt the series makes it back to LA.

But... What if? Aaron judge goes crazy tonight and suddenly all the unmeasurable sport things start turning the way of the Yankees? Probably not

probably not, but there's always going to be a big market team willing to carry a huge payroll trying to compete for the division/win the world series.
Currently I'd take the dodgers over the yankees.

From last night—this looks like an odd review decision. Surely the catcher blocks the plate completely? Enlighten me.

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/775298/play/28

Yes, the chances of a sweep seem very high if you take history as a guide:

After their 4-2 win in Game 3, the Dodgers will be going for the sweep on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium. Los Angeles became the 41st team to go up three games to none in a best-of-seven postseason series. Of the previous 40 clubs to do it, 31 swept the series and five won in five games. Only four teams have pushed the series to a sixth game after falling behind 3-0 in a best-of-seven series, and two of those teams -- the 2004 Red Sox and the 2020 Astros -- forced a Game 7.

In World Series history, 24 teams prior to 2024 went up three games to none, and 21 of them completed the sweep with a win in Game 4. The last team to force a Game 5 when down 3-0 in the World Series was the Reds in 1970 against the Orioles.

https://www.mlb.com/news/dave-roberts-on-world-series-3-0-lead

Such a high percentage of sweeps if up 3-0.

Here's more on the 2004 Red Sox win, to delight @cornelius_blackfoot:

https://www.mlb.com/news/best-3-0-comeback-attempts-in-postseason

I thought the hand of Lux slid under the leg of Trevino without obstruction.

To me it looked like Lux made it home, but that’s a different issue!