2023 LCS Game/Discussion Thread: Battle of Texas, Philly vs NL West WC Redux

twoBshorty

Has friends with cellos
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Oct 15, 2005
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What’s the story? Only see something about his dad being a strength coach.
His wife died of glioblastoma the day after the trade deadline last year. He's somehow doing a full-time GM job and single parenting four boys ages 13-17.
 

Marciano490

Urological Expert
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Nov 4, 2007
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Hazen lost his wife a year ago. He has four boys — they threw out the first pitch before game 3.
Ah yes, misread it to be referring to Alek Thomas. Knew about Hazen from the Sox GM thread. Really happy for him.

Also psyched for Pfaadt for sentimental fantasy reasons. Had a rough start to the season after getting blessed as a top prospect, found something after being sent to AAA and has had a really nice playoff run.
 

soxhop411

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DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Dbacks really went to their strength in games 6 and 7. I think that running game really puts a lot of pressure on the pitchers and defense. It opens holes, puts stress on pitchers, and gets runners in scoring position. 8 stolen bases in the two games.

Heim is a good defensive catcher. That’s a matchup to watch. Savant/statcast has him top 10.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/catcher-throwing
 

jon abbey

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In middle school, in 1982, I bet some kid $20 that Cincy would win the SuperBowl against the 49ers (i.e., the first SB match-up between those teams). I've never bet on sports again since. (Not because I lost.)
I quit as a teenager too also because it was messing up my enjoyment plus I wasn’t very good at it, have never regretted it. I keep my gambling to the stock market…
 

soxhop411

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rodderick

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I just don't find an 84 win team with a negative run differential to be 'really really fun'

There's nothing fun or exciting about glorified mediocrity getting hot for 2 weeks.

Arizona is basically the 2007 Rockies with worse uniforms.
Funny, that's precisely what I find super fun about the baseball postseason in contrast to other sports. It's high variance and over a small sample a couple of guys being scorching hot in your lineup or your bullpen standing on its head or whatever can be enough to beat a power house. The playoff format is specifically built to cause these sort of upsets, otherwise just play 162 games and the team with the best record at the end is crowned champion. Make it like European national football leagues if the aim is fairness and recognizing the best team.
 

jon abbey

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I actually hate rewarding temporarily hot mediocre teams also, but ARI is now 66-40 with wunderkind Gabriel Moreno staring, which is 101-61 pace for a full 162.
 

bosox4283

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I still cannot believe that Rob Thomson kept Ranger in to pitch against Carroll in the 5th — first base was open, so the Phillies could have either put in the guy they wanted to face Carroll or walk Carroll to get the match-up they wanted with Moreno.
 

JimD

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Nov 29, 2001
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I agree that’s it’s a good matchup of two interesting young teams, but it’s definitely not the two markets that the network wanted.
Who gives a crap what networks want? We'd get Yankees-Dodgers every year if they had their way (and the Cowboys and Lakers in their respective finals to boot).
 

Mugsy's Jock

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Is there a good comp for Bryce Harper’s career and potential legacy? MVP, clutch hitter in October, but can’t win it all. Bonds?
Carl Yastrzemski? Ted Williams?

Oh look, those clouds over my head are super dark. Listen to that thunder! Wonder if we’ll get any lightni
 

azsoxpatsfan

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Is there a good comp for Bryce Harper’s career and potential legacy? MVP, clutch hitter in October, but can’t win it all. Bonds?
Mike Trout? Of course his October games aren’t postseason games, but great hitter in October regular season games
 

Max Power

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Jul 20, 2005
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It kind of reminded me of the 2021 ALCS. The Red Sox came out mashing and then the bats fell asleep and it was over. The Phillies just managed to stretch it out one more game.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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I still cannot believe that Rob Thomson kept Ranger in to pitch against Carroll in the 5th — first base was open, so the Phillies could have either put in the guy they wanted to face Carroll or walk Carroll to get the match-up they wanted with Moreno.
Not pinch hitting for Rojas with the bases loaded was bad too.
 

DennyDoyle'sBoil

Found no thrill on Blueberry Hill
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Who gives a crap what networks want? We'd get Yankees-Dodgers every year if they had their way (and the Cowboys and Lakers in their respective finals to boot).
Maybe the networks can soothe their disappointment by asking their broadcasters to follow the ESPN model and randomly mention how much better it is for baseball when the Yankees are good.
 

InsideTheParker

persists in error
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Jul 15, 2005
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If you told me a year ago that Pfaadt and Ginkel would be leading a team to a G7 victory, I would have had no idea what you were talking about.
The thing I am taking away from this post-season so far: AZ won with a bunch of kids I'd never heard of; TX won with a bunch of highly-paid replacements.
Go try to figure out how to build a winning team.
 

jon abbey

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Bumping this because the two game suspension for Bryan Abreu plunking Adolis Garcia in last year's ALCS was postponed to the first two games this year, and those just happened.

In both games Abreu was out, the Yankees took the lead for good in the 7th inning, which would normally be Abreu's inning (Abreu/Pressly/Hader is how they have it lined up), and the Astros lost both after leading early. Feels like the baseball gods were making some kind of point...