Division Series' Conclusion: Two Different Types of Close Games

 

I watched...fourteen of fifteen innings of last night's Mariners-Tigers playoff game. That was honestly all I could take. Honestly, one of the best pitched games I'd ever seen. Literally every pitcher each team brought in was dominant. Both Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo were unbeatable in relief. Jack Flaherty got out of a ton of scrapes in extras. Both bullpens were tight; Bazardo, Melton, Munoz, Vest, all brilliant. 

But what infuriated me to the point of turning it off before the walk-off was the fact that literally any time there were runners in scoring position, someone capable of batting them in would get up and do absolutely nothing. The Tigers' guys were understandable because they're not known for power. But the Mariners' core could have ended the game at any time, and Raleigh, Arozarena, Rodriguez, Polanco, Suarez and Naylor were inconsolable, and had so many missed opportunities in extras. Yes, the bullpen was difficult, but...say, for instance, that Polanco DOESN'T end the game with a walk-off single. Then every missed chance those power guys had would look even worse. And everything the fans are saying about what should be done about the Yankees and Phillies who didn't hit would be repeated with some of those guys. 

But yes, the M's waited for a reliever they COULD hit off of, and Jorge Polanco cracked one off of Tommy Kahnle to end it...in the fifteenth. Now, the bad news is the M's have next to no pitching left, and have to start Bryce Miller tomorrow which, uh...didn't go too well in Game 4 to be honest. And its short rest. But the good news is that if the heart of the lineup shows up, the Mariners very well could get past this Jays team, and are in sight of their first-ever World Series berth. It may seem difficult, but it can happen. They just need to tap into what made them winners here. The ability to outlast the inevitable.

The Tigers will be back with a team that can hold onto momentum better next year. The fact that they managed to persist long enough to regain momentum in October is admirable. They need to learn from September, though, or else it'll stop them from the big prize.

As for the Brewers...well, they managed to not crater after starting the series 2-0 and seeing the Cubs tie it. Teams have fallen victim to that before. The Brewers, even in a bullpen game, stayed strong and shut down a fairly unpredictable Cubs lineup. You can boil it down to Jacob Misiorowski if you want but it's really not that simple- Megill, Uribe and especially Chad Patrick were just as integral.

And again, one of the heroes of this team was Andrew Vaughn, a guy who was too mediocre even for the White Sox, got pawned off for Aaron Civale, then suddenly found his swing in Milwaukee and usurped Rhys Hoskins for the starting 1B spot. Tonight his homer broke the tie and sealed the game [though Turang's later homer also helped]. That someone like Vaughn can be a success for a team like the Brewers is pretty exceptional, and proof that this system really has something going. 

The Brewers have again triumphed over Craig Counsell, which is pretty wild to think about. In an NLCS against the Dodgers, they may be a sneaky favorite to win regardless of the momentum the Dodgers have built over this playoff season [predictably]. The Dodgers have Ohtani, but the Brewers are even, amazing on defense, practically unhittable and have answers for everything. It may go all 7. 

The Cubs were a long shot to outlast the Brewers, but I admire that they got close. Michael Busch, Seiya Suzuki, Matthew Boyd and Kyle Tucker have proven themselves admirable October pieces, and I know the majority of them could help this team get back to October next year. I also think the bullpen was a big part of why they persisted, though it consisting mainly of 30somethings like Colin Rea, Drew Pomeranz and Brad Keller does put its sustainability into question. I think the Cubs have enough to keep competing, and hopefully PCA figures out how to avoid that 2nd half crash out going forward.

Jays-M's tomorrow. Rooting for Seattle but honestly I could live with Toronto winning.