September MLB Game Thread
- Thread starter Heating up in the bullpen
- Start date
I guess it was Clemente day today, so that’s pretty cool
View: https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1570545063847137280?s=20&t=KT1CwNIvXi658GHUcK3n3w
Cleveland regains the game they lost in the standings yesterday. The Twins blew a 3-run lead after the 7th inning stretch. With their season on the line, they turned to the one really good reliever they have, but Jhoan Duran threw a pitch so wild it scored the runner from second base and ultimately lost the game.
Meanwhile the White Sox lost to the Tigers in extra-innings thanks in part to a throwing error by closer Liam Hendricks.
Meanwhile the White Sox lost to the Tigers in extra-innings thanks in part to a throwing error by closer Liam Hendricks.
Don follows Jerry's footsteps in grasshopper land
View: https://twitter.com/BallySportsSD/status/1570161479399374849
View: https://twitter.com/BallySportsSD/status/1570161479399374849
In a league full of incredible arms, Hunter Greene is really special. 11ks tonight in 6 shutout innings.
View: https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1571303499970842625?t=hhqzekcVshZRRC18QgN7TQ&s=19
View: https://twitter.com/TalkinBaseball_/status/1571303499970842625?t=hhqzekcVshZRRC18QgN7TQ&s=19
Twins and Guardians going to the 15th. Think this is the longest regular season game since 2019. And this is Game 2 of a doubleheader
The Twins seem to think Cleveland changed their name to the Yankees. They've lost their last 8 games against them. The Guardiac Kids have won 4 of those in their last at-bat.
That's some bullshit at the end of the second Cards-Reds game. Cards runner on third pretty deliberately runs outside of the base path so the throw home would hit him and he continues on and scores.
https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/d2093fcf-f12a-4c6e-991c-0389ca02f012.mp4
https://bdata-producedclips.mlb.com/d2093fcf-f12a-4c6e-991c-0389ca02f012.mp4
Ozzie Albies has horrible injury luck. He finally came off the IL after fracturing his foot in June and then fractured his pinky finger last night sliding into second base.
The Mets game wrap today has some interesting details about Terrance Gore, a pinch-runner specialist with some extraordinary stat lines - https://www.mlb.com/mets/news/mets-pitchers-strike-out-20-sweep-4-game-series-vs-pirates
Someone on Reddit noticed this at the beginning of the month and there was a fun post about his career and other similar ones.
Herb Washington had 33 runs and 31 SBs in his career without a single PA.
https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/washihe01.shtml
Ironically he had a pretty low SB% for a guy who only stole bases, 31 SBs while being caught 17 times.
That's because he wasn't a baseball player, he was a world-class sprinter. Charley Finley believed that the A's roster was strong enough that he could afford a roster spot for a baserunning specialist, although a number of the A's players were unsurprisingly not thrilled with the idea. He really didn't have baserunning skills. He was famously picked off by Mike Marshall in the 1974 World Series:
View: https://youtu.be/vWb80Qz75bk
Wouldn’t play out like that with the new pickoff and pitch clock rules.
Paging @cannonball 1729 , Cannonball to the courtesy Mathematical Eliminatory thread.
No, seriously, if you don't have time for the most anticipated thread this year -- unless I've missed it, in which case I'll delete!! -- completely understand (we've gotten to enjoy it for free for years). But I'd still love to see a thread created if members want to try to do a pale imitation of your incredible summaries.
So far I see the following teams eliminated:
- Royals
- Tigers
- Angels
- Rangers
- A's
- Marlins
- Nats
- Cubs
- Reds
- Pirates
- Rockies
I would particularly look forward to thoughts about the 2022 Rockies and whatever the hell is happening as that organization continues to invest heavily in spiritual wins over terrestrial production. The 2022 Angels are a tragic case study in wasted talent. Etc.
No, seriously, if you don't have time for the most anticipated thread this year -- unless I've missed it, in which case I'll delete!! -- completely understand (we've gotten to enjoy it for free for years). But I'd still love to see a thread created if members want to try to do a pale imitation of your incredible summaries.
So far I see the following teams eliminated:
- Royals
- Tigers
- Angels
- Rangers
- A's
- Marlins
- Nats
- Cubs
- Reds
- Pirates
- Rockies
I would particularly look forward to thoughts about the 2022 Rockies and whatever the hell is happening as that organization continues to invest heavily in spiritual wins over terrestrial production. The 2022 Angels are a tragic case study in wasted talent. Etc.
I wonder as well. Still, I think the Twins are the poor man's Red Sox this season -- it's tough to make a playoff run when you lose core members of the team to injury: Royce Lewis looked like he was about to break out and then was broken, they lost Byron Buxton & Jorge Polanco at the worst possible moment a month ago, their big SP addition Tyler Mahle was lost for the season shortly after trading for him, etc.
If you're going to try to build an offense around Byron Buxton, I don't know what to tell you… other than you absolutely deserve to be fired. They should be thrilled to get nearly 100 games out of him this year. It was the 2nd healthiest season of his 8 year career and even when he's healthy he gets regularly scheduled days off because they're so scared of breaking him. Their deadline approach was also called out here by me and others at the time as a really bad idea. They traded away a lot of depth – 9 minor leaguers – only to get Jorge Lopez (who's had a half-season of success in his career), Michael Fulmer, Tyler Mahle and Sandy Leon. Even with two additions, the bullpen was still far from good, and at best they would have had another first round exit from the playoffs. They were propped up most of the season by having Detroit and Kansas City in the division (22-10), but are 33-49 against winning teams this year.
These are all fair points, and I admit a little bias here because I have a friend of a friend connection to the Baldellis, but I'm not sure any of what you say is Baldelli's fault as manager (which was what I was responding to)? He doesn't buy the groceries, he's just making the meal. Although, as always, it's hard to tease apart responsibility and credit and blame.
Buxton is an interesting case. It's possible he'll just never put it together and stay healthy for 130+ games. Still, there's always counter examples -- most obviously Aaron Judge had that 3-year stretch of only playing 112 games in '18, 102 in '19, and only half the Mickey Mouse "season." Either way, the Twins will find out which way Buxton will go -- he's signed for an understandably middling $15M/year through 2028.
Right, I didn't address Baldelli because (1) those things aren't his responsibility – I imagine even the scheduled days off for Buxton come from the front office – and (2) I know he has New England ties and is well liked around here.
The Twins are what I thought they were heading into the season. Not to say I'm Nostradamus – I expected Minnesota and Cleveland to battle for .500 and 2nd place well behind the White Sox. I'm not sure there really are comparisons or counter examples to Buxton. I can't think of anyone who's failed to play 100 games for over 85% of their career and then suddenly become a good every day contributor. I don't know what you do about him as far as team building, but the Twins knew he can't be counted on, so they deserve no sympathy when he can't play.
I recall hearing good things about Baldelli during his playing days, but as an opposing manager I find him to be pretty whiny. I guess the incident with Karinchak might have been defensible, but the next week it was complete amateur hour when he challenged two different parts of a force play in the 14th inning of a 5-hour game after they had already played another game earlier in the day. Everyone could plainly see there wasn't a chance in hell of him getting either part of the play overturned. A couple of anecdotes that annoy me aren't fireable offenses though.
The Twins are what I thought they were heading into the season. Not to say I'm Nostradamus – I expected Minnesota and Cleveland to battle for .500 and 2nd place well behind the White Sox. I'm not sure there really are comparisons or counter examples to Buxton. I can't think of anyone who's failed to play 100 games for over 85% of their career and then suddenly become a good every day contributor. I don't know what you do about him as far as team building, but the Twins knew he can't be counted on, so they deserve no sympathy when he can't play.
I recall hearing good things about Baldelli during his playing days, but as an opposing manager I find him to be pretty whiny. I guess the incident with Karinchak might have been defensible, but the next week it was complete amateur hour when he challenged two different parts of a force play in the 14th inning of a 5-hour game after they had already played another game earlier in the day. Everyone could plainly see there wasn't a chance in hell of him getting either part of the play overturned. A couple of anecdotes that annoy me aren't fireable offenses though.
HA - good timing! I had a bunch of work deadlines that just cleared up yesterday. Now firing up the old word processor.....
That's it! Now I just need to figure out how to get this piece of paper to appear on my computer screen...
Ooh - that might work better than the glue I was trying. That stuff doesn't come off...
Canada to lift vax mandate in time for playoffs
View: https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/1572312168187727873?s=20&t=YjUwjCt_0_lwaO9N81Kt1A
View: https://twitter.com/globeandmail/status/1572312168187727873?s=20&t=YjUwjCt_0_lwaO9N81Kt1A
So at what point do we start seriously discussing how potentially record-breaking this Dodgers season is going to be?
They're at 103 wins with 14* games to go (down 2 in the 7th tonight); so 116 wins would require winning out, but 110 isn't impossible and that would still be among the top few seasons historically (looking quickly, I think 108 by the 1986 Mets is the best NL season in modern baseball, and that would be achievable by even sub-500 play the rest of the year)
They're at 103 wins with 14* games to go (down 2 in the 7th tonight); so 116 wins would require winning out, but 110 isn't impossible and that would still be among the top few seasons historically (looking quickly, I think 108 by the 1986 Mets is the best NL season in modern baseball, and that would be achievable by even sub-500 play the rest of the year)
Nobody will remember it unless they actually win it all like we did in 2018.
I mean especially with the expanded playoffs whats going to be the reaction if they get swept in the NLDS?
It's worse than that, there is a very good chance they will have to be the first team ever to beat three 100 win teams in order to win the WS (ATL/NYM, NYM/ATL, HOU), in which case they would probably top my own list of best teams in my viewing lifetime (minimum requirements for consideration, at least 108 wins and a WS):
1998 Yankees
2018 Red Sox
1986 Mets
I think those NL teams are going to beat the crap out of each other and HOU will coast through the AL I don't bet on sports but I think HOU should be strong favorites to win the WS and would bet them big.
Probably the wrong place, There’s nowhere else to really put this but I have a vivid memory I’m wondering if anyone else remembers?
Maybe around 1999-2000 , I cant remember if it was an all star game, a World Series game…. Im pretty sure it was the all century team at the 99 World Series. I have a vivid memory of after the first Pitch was thrown out ( I think it was Mays , Aaron and others) after whoever caught it gave them the balls back, as they are coming off the field, Willie Mays looked angry, had some words with Aaron and snatched a ball out of his hands and threw it into the netting behind home plate right before they went to commercial. Does anyone else recall this?
Maybe around 1999-2000 , I cant remember if it was an all star game, a World Series game…. Im pretty sure it was the all century team at the 99 World Series. I have a vivid memory of after the first Pitch was thrown out ( I think it was Mays , Aaron and others) after whoever caught it gave them the balls back, as they are coming off the field, Willie Mays looked angry, had some words with Aaron and snatched a ball out of his hands and threw it into the netting behind home plate right before they went to commercial. Does anyone else recall this?
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That's not true. Most people remember the 2001 Mariners for all their regular season wins then crumbling against the Yankees. If the Dodgers win 114 and then get swept in the division series, they may be remembered as the biggest postseason flops of all time.
Kind of depends on who they lose to, right? The Braves and Mets are both really good teams. The Cardinals won’t win as many games, but could anyone be at all surprised if they made it to the World Series? If the Dodgers lose to the Padres, that’d maybe be embarrassing because of the… I don’t know that it even qualifies as a rivalry yet, but that’s why it wouldn’t be great for LA.
At any rate, I think the expanded playoffs make something flukey like a historically-great team getting swept by an inferior opponent more likely to happen. But I’ve always viewed October as chaos and I hate the “YEAH BUT WHERES THE RING” narrative, especially in the Dodgers’ case, specifically.
Same here. Which would mean that the lone WS title they have during this run is the COVID year
The Astros lone World Series during their run was five years ago and at the height of their sign stealing scheme. Both teams, despite all their regular season success, have come up short in October a lot. I don’t think either Houston or LA is deserving of the favorite label.
Someone has to be the favorites, and to me it’s pretty clearly HOU with how easily they should get through the AL. They’ve only won the WS once but they are an ALDS win away from six straight seasons in the ALCS at least, that is very impressive.