Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Slightly Smaller Frying Pan

 

Thinking about this trade the Royals and Reds made, which brings Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer to Kansas City in exchange for Brady Singer, I...think it makes sense, but I think that one side thought it through more than the others.

Okay, let's talk about where this trade works. And there is some of it that works on the Kansas City end. Jonathan India is the exact kind of middle infield piece that the Royals needed. Pasquantino and Witt are firmly in place, and Massey and Garcia are...fine. Massey had a decent rebound season, Garcia's was a step down from his 2023. One of those two could be a swing piece, India could fit right into 2nd, and that infield could really be something. I also like India's odds in that lineup; he doesn't need to be THE defining piece, but he's a great piece that can get some contact work done. 

That also works to clear up the now-crowded Cincinnati infield, which will have the return of Matt McLain at 2nd, CES back at 1st and Candelario and Marte at third, in addition to Elly remaining at short. Keeping India in that scenario complicates things too much, and he's got more room in Kansas City I think.

And then you can also say that the Reds had too many outfielders, and the Royals' OF isn't set in stone yet, so Wiemer's better off for KC than Cincinnati. So that works too.

...but it's the Brady Singer part that confuses me a bit.

Okay. So Brady Singer was really good in 2022, right? And he was primed to be one of the premier young starters in the game. Then 2023 he has a down year, and everyone sort of...backs off that. Cole Ragans shows up, the Royals get Lugo and Wacha, the pressure's off. And so in 2024, Singer has a decent enough season, 9-13 with a 3.71 ERA and 170 strikeouts, but he's no longer the most crucial arm in that rotation. So, going into 2025, the Royals have Lugo, Ragans, Wacha, Alec Marsh, and some combination of Kris Bubic and Kyle Wright, assuming neither get cut soon. We're looking at a rotation that no longer has room for Brady Singer.

So let's look at where he's going, the Reds' rotation, who will be using all of the following as starting options in 2025: Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Brandon Williamson, Nick Lodolo, Nick Martinez, Rhett Lowder, Graham Ashcraft and Julian Aguiar. Now, obviously you have to factor in injuries, people starting in the minors, but that's eight guys. And I know they're overestimating this because for the second year in a row the Reds got caught with their pants down again because too many starters got injured. So they're trying to employ a strategy that prevents this. But now this ninth guy enters the equation, and he does so as a major league option, so that means Rhett Lowder likely will have to fight harder for a rotation spot, Nick Martinez will likely be starting the season out of the 'pen, and if multiple people who were injured this year are ready at spring training, it's gonna lead to some awkward decisions.

So yes, the Royals no longer had room for Brady Singer. But the Reds have even LESS room, even as a team creating back molars and wisdom teeth for the rotation essentially. So unless the Reds are interested in swinging Singer for another trade, they're gonna be holding the bag like this. Maybe they have a plan with all of this, but it just seems excessive and misguided.

Who knows, maybe Singer works more than India, but I'm not sold with KC's decision to give Singer a harder time yet. Maybe I'll warm up to it.

MVPs: Balanced At Last

 
I think we knew this was gonna be the drill in, like, August. Throughout the year there were moments of greatness from competitors, like Mookie Betts' start, Elly de la Cruz's May, Jose Ramirez's second half and Francisco Lindor's September, but it was always going to be about Judge and Ohtani. Nobody could do what they did this year [like going 50-50 and hitting 50+ homers on a bigger OPS than 2022] and not be rewarded for it.

I think Aaron Judge's MVP may be overshadowed by his postseason play, though. A lot of people have been poking fun at Judge's weak World Series showing and Game 5 errors, but nobody can deny how powerful he is when he's in his element. And from April til August of this year, Judge was in his element. Yes, he went cold in September, but he's not very used to A.) being healthy all 162 games and B.) making it to the World Series. He's new at this. Not everybody can be Yoshinobu Yamamoto and be playing in a World Series, and well, immediately. Clayton Kershaw won a ring after several years of 'Kershaw sucks in the playoffs' talk. The narrative can turn around, and I believe there's an opportunity for Judge's to. 

I think because Judge is the best, and because he plays for a team it's cool to root against, he opens himself up to more criticism. If Dak Prescott were to lead a team to a Super Bowl, it'd be similar--nothing about a grade A athlete building on great seasons and capitalizing the moment after all this time, there'd just be something new to make fun of the second he makes a mistake. Nobody can deny Judge's ability, but it's much easier to enjoy a Yankee failure for a lot of people. 

And further, you don't see a lot of people that don't like Shohei Ohtani? How could you dislike such a rare talent?? The Dodgers have a lot of guys like that--Betts, Freeman, Kershaw, guys who are so good, and so fun to watch, that you can't really dislike them. Betts played for the Red Sox for 6 years, I couldn't bring myself to hate the guy. And you can't Ohtani, all you can do is hope you never have to face him. That Ohtani hit 50 homers and stole 50 bases, which nobody had ever done, while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery is one of the most incredible achievements of any MLB player in years. How many other people can do something like that? 

Like last year, these two guys won MVPs because they're the most crucial MLB players of the current moment. You cannot tell the stories of these two teams without them. Even if you don't like repeat offenders in awards week, it really couldn't have been anyone else for either league. 

Cy Youngs: Immediate & Delayed

 

I'm gonna be honest, I had a Tiger and a Brave in the finals for the Cy Young at the beginning of the year, but it wasn't these two. I was thinking Spencer Strider was gonna win it for the Braves, and I was fully convinced that this would be the Casey Mize comeback season of the Gods. Seriously.

Which is to say that these two outweighing the odds and winning is a great outcome. Not predictable. Like if I'd have picked these in April, I'd have said like...Corbin Burnes and Tyler Glasnow. Much more exciting, honestly. 

What also makes this a cool Cy Young outcome is that these two were both kind of uneasy rolls of the dice going into the year. Skubal was always gonna be a rotation option, but it was gonna be a matter of how healthy he'd be, or if he'd need more IL time [like Mize and Manning did]. And then he went on an incredible run and kept it going throughout the season, and into the postseason. I think in terms of sheer dominance, Skubal was pretty unrivaled this year, as even his competitors [Burnes, Crochet, Lugo] had more human moments throughout the year. 

Meanwhile, Sale was an absolute flyer for the Braves, dealt by the Sox after several down years and some lost goodwill. The Braves gave up Vaughn Grissom just to see if Sale had anything left, and would play him from a low rotation rung for less damage. Then Strider got hurt, Fried got hurt, Elder struggled, and the savior, ultimately, was Chris frigging Sale. And with this opportunity, Sale did the one thing he never could do with Chicago or Boston...he outlasted the competition and was the best pitcher in the league.

Maybe it was just getting out of the AL, I dunno.

The one thing about the Sale win, at long last, was that it came at the expense of Zack Wheeler, another 'always a bridesmaid never a bride' Cy Young candidate. Once again, he was extremely good, and made it to 2nd in the voting, but...as always, there was just someone better. And to be honest, Chris Sale's peak years have been better than Zack Wheeler's. Sale, with this season, may have punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame, and I don't think Wheeler has the pre-28 numbers for that. So this was more fitting than anything, the one guy who beats Wheeler this time is the guy who got beaten, unceremoniously, too many times in the 2010s. 

Look, my own personal home-team gripes aside, these were the two best pitchers in baseball this year, and they deserve the gold. What's weird is that, as inevitable as these two were, compared to the MVPs they're unexpected wins. 

Rookies of the Year: We've Been Over This Before

 
I'm frankly getting tired of the asterisk ruining the Rookie of the Year award year after year. We just went over this with Randy Arozarena in 2021. For my money, if a player A.) gets rookie cards for playing in a given year, or B.) contributes positively to the league within his first season, that means his rookie service is over. But because team organizations don't sleep at night unless they've screwed over the worker, a rookie year doesn't count unless it's breached a certain bar of games played. It's why Arozarena was still a rookie in 2021 despite playing in many games in 2020, and being a key postseason figure for the Rays that year. Because of the season only being sixty games, he didn't reach that threshold, so his sophomore season outweighed many actual rookie seasons.

And that's how I feel about Luis Gil. Gil already made waves as a rookie in 2021, with his first three starts allowing 0 runs. Though he would only make six starts that season, Gil received rookie cards for the 2022 calendar year. I have several, because card companies made many of them. Gil, however, missed the next two seasons due to injury recovery, and was only a last minute choice to start in 2024 [and we know how well that went]. 

Gil's 2024 season was seen by many as a comeback season. He started strong, got hurt, missed time, came back and was outstanding. That doesn't sound like a rookie season. But in the rules of the MLB, because it broke the service time threshold despite his actual rookie year being three damned years ago, he was still a rookie this year. And as such, he won Rookie of the Year because he had the better season than the other actual rookies he was up against. You're putting a doberman in a dog show and you're confused that the doberman's eating the other dogs.

Now, the other two candidates for the AL Rookie of the Year, Austin Wells and Colton Cowser, did make MLB appearances last year. Neither made much of an impact in 2023. Gil, meanwhile, had a 0.8 WAR in 2021. That's not nothing. That's more than Jackson Holliday mustered in 60 games, it's more than Spencer Arrighetti amassed in 29 starts, and it's more than Spencer Torkelson has gathered in his entire career. IT IS A ROOKIE SEASON. But, of course, the rules remain set in stone, because god forbid they treat a young player like he's worth for spending three years on the 40-man of the richest team in the majors. 

And the thing about the 'comeback' tract now is that, because pitchers get injured more frequently, and sooner into their careers, than ever before, you're seeing 'comeback seasons' for people in their early 20s. What would ordinarily be seen as a breakout is now a comeback because it involves missing two years due to an injury that would come ten years later if everyone wasn't throwing so damned hard. This is what's frustrating me about Andrew Painter, who hasn't even played an MLB game yet. Painter's 2025 season is being billed as a 'comeback campaign'. The man hasn't even been HERE. He's not allowed to COME BACK yet, he's got to GET THERE FIRST. Let Andrew Painter have some MLB seasons for the Phils first, then we can talk about a comeback. 

Gil, meanwhile, is a comeback story. And I judged his 2024 season as such. If billing him as a rookie gets him more accolades, fine, but I don't think it's a wise conflation. Validating that will make it more understandable for organizations to keep futzing with service time and thinking of more ways to undervalue players, and we don't want that.

The inverse of this, of course, is that because Paul Skenes came up in May and won the NL's Rookie of the Year, that means he's automatically passed the rookie threshold. I assumed he did anyway, as his 2024 season is, by many respects, a rookie season. He pitched a very full campaign, an EXCELLENT campaign, and it was his first one in the major leagues. That is a rookie season, and now that it has ended...he is no longer a rookie. I shouldn't have to make it this plain. I was worried he wouldn't make the Topps cutoff and his rookie cards would be pushed to 2025, but thankfully cooler heads prevailed.

Skenes getting the ROY I 100% agree with, though honestly I would have agreed with Jackson Merrill getting it as well, or possibly even Jackson Chourio. You had so many really great rookie competitors in the NL this year, and Skenes was the flashier choice, so naturally he's a great pick for the gold. I'd have been worried if he wasn't considered. Skenes is also up for the Cy Young which...he isn't going to get, though I'm expecting him to edge Wheeler out of 2nd place just to ensure the voting committee can completely waste Wheeler's peak years. 

Anyway, these are two solid picks, but...the whole 'rookie service time' thing is never not gonna piss me off. Luis Gil wasn't a rookie this year. But hey, whatever sells more tickets I guess. 

This Trade Makes No Sense: Well THAT Was Quick Edition

 

The ink is barely even dry on the 2024 season and already the trades are firing. At least let us catch our breaths!

Alright, let's see here, y'know how the theme of the 23-24 offseason was the Braves offloading contracts to save cap space [only to...take on more contracts anyway?]. I think we're here again. Because Jorge Soler still has two more years on his contract he signed with the Giants, and the Braves don't especially feel like paying that for a power hitter past his prime. So, here we are.

Jorge Soler was decent enough in a stretch run with the Braves this past season, he hit 9 homers and 24 RBIs in 49 games, as well as 2 hits in 8 postseason plate appearance, one of which left the park. But...the days of Jorge Soler hitting 40 homers and being valuable to an organization might be over. At this point he's kind of a passable power bat, he's good for you in some situations but useless in others. So I get why the Braves would want to get rid of him, there's really no need for a one-dimensional power bat going forward. 

But...trading him to the Angels...for Griffin Canning. That's not a guarantee of a fair return.

First of all, Soler in Anaheim...*could* work. Maybe he has a comeback season as a hard hitting DH/OF type, maybe he's just what that lineup needs. The Angels are rebuilding, there are some pieces that could go somewhere in 2025, Soler could be a sturdy backbone. But...if this is a rebuilding, young team with several promising young starters, Soler sticks out like a sore thumb. You want a team on the same page if you're establishing yourself, and Soler could clash with what the rest of the Angels want. I'm not saying he will, but he could.

Then Canning in Atlanta. Which means, for the second year running, the Braves have traded for an injury-prone hurler in the hopes that everything finally clicks. And to their credit, it worked with Chris Sale. It repeatedly looked like it wouldn't, but Sale was a risk that truly paid off. Canning, though...I'm not as sure of. Until 2024, Canning had never pitched a full season, thanks to injuries or some other factor. At his breakout, Canning was really strong, and had his most impressive showing...in 2020, a strike-shortened season, even winning a gold glove. Then in 2021 he gets hurt, 2022 he misses all of, 2023 he's hurt for some stretches of and this season it was clear that the injuries were still hanging over him. Despite a fuller season, Canning had a 6-13 record and a 5.19 ERA, a comedown from a relatively impressive 2023.

And the Braves said 'we'd like this'.

I mean, at worst Canning misses more time and makes them regret the deal, but what's the ceiling at this point? They're expecting Canning to be a serviceable 4th or 5th rotation guy who can at least hold offenses down? Can Canning even be that level of innings-eater anymore? And to the Braves' credit, Morton and Fried will likely be gone, they gave away Kyle Wright and Mike Soroka last year, they're down to two rehabbing starters in Strider and Ynoa, two great 2024 stories whose future value is uncertain in Sale and Lopez, and future pieces like Schwellenbach and Waldrep who, I'm guessing, will have to pick up a lot of slack next year. And now you have Canning, who...I guess represents some level of consistency in all that? Like we know he can go 32 games now, but will it cost him the majority of 2025?? This feels like it needlessly complicates things further.

And with the Braves, you also have to think about the possibility that they're only getting Canning as bait for a future trade, as they did with Marco Gonzales last year, or Jackson Kowar or whichever. Which...I guess makes sense for a GM but perhaps not for a layperson? 

I dunno, man. To me it seems like Anthopoulous is trying to long-game this but not seeing what's in front of him. If this works out somehow, I'll give him the credit. But this far out it just seems confusing and misguided. 

Either You Want it or You Don't

 

From a storytelling perspective, the right team won. 

There were so many storylines in play. The Dodgers not getting the full glory, and the full credit, in 2020. The Dodgers failing to actually win with all their big stars. The best teams never taking the glory after the playoff expansion. Ohtani finally playing for a competitor. The pitching revealing a skeleton crew. Freeman recovering from both a personal tragedy and an injury. All of this farming in a five year timeline to lead to an incredible win, and a HUGE win at that, is what baseball can be at its best. You want a full-season storyline with definite heroes? There you go. The best team won, and it wasn't an easy win, because in an alternate universe the Padres keep the leverage. The Dodgers had to become a well-oiled machine in October after breaking down throughout the second half, and they refined themselves and became unstoppable.

Watching this team keep fighting throughout this series, with all the Freddie Freeman highlights, all the incredible pitching energy from Yamamoto, Buehler and Vesia, all the quick contact moments late, was incredible. There was so much fight in this team, and they only got more hungry as the series went on. Any other team couldn't have come back from a 5-0 deficit tonight, and they not only did it, but erased any possibility of a Yankee surge. 

All things considered, this was the outcome that made the most sense. The Dodgers earned this. They fulfilled their promise to the fans from 2020, and undid the punchline of dropping early. They should be very proud.

Now...if I can be honest...the Dodgers shouldn't have won that game. I'm sorry, but there was only so much that the Dodgers themselves did that couldn't be chalked up to mistakes the Yankees made. This game had multiple fielding errors, a catcher's interference, a balk, and a pitching missed tag. And 5 runners left in scoring position. The Yankees were constantly put into position to win this game, and they refused. And it honestly sums up this Series for them. They had so many opportunities, so many moments they could have owned, and they just couldn't. 

And for all of this to happen after 4 innings of beautiful baseball, Aaron Judge shushing the haters, Jazz Chisholm and Giancarlo Stanton going yard, Gerrit Cole working on a beaut and Judge robbing a Freeman homer. It felt like this team was flipping the script, at last. And then everything fell apart, and all of the flaws this team had been working to hide just burst open. And despite conscious efforts to keep at it, it just felt like something broke. 

The Yankees could have won, and chose not to. This game, this series. A more bitter person could make a case that it was less the Dodgers winning this series and more the Yankees losing it. I'm not gonna do that. The Dodgers did a lot right, and earned this win. But they were certainly helped by the Yankees blowing every last opportunity that came their way. 

You also have to think of it this way: Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres, Clay Holmes, Alex Verdugo, Tommy Kahnle and possibly Anthony Rizzo might all be gone next year. This season was the perfect storm, and a tip of a lot of the Boone regime's quest to make the deeper postseason. And while next year the Yankees will still be competitive, I don't know if they'll have a lot of the pieces that made themselves a World Series team, and they may be in danger of falling off. Even if they keep Soto, which'll prevent subsequent moves probably. 

So that's where we're at. The Dodgers won at the right time, and can build off of this World Series win, while the Yankees lost at the wrong time and have a rockier path to staying at this level. What a happy, joyful end to a really entertaining season. 

World Series Game 4: Wide Awake in New York

 

Fifteen years ago tonight, there was a World Series game in New York, and I was there.

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me, I barely stopped to breathe while it was happening. But I saw my team play in a World Series game, and I saw Hideki Matsui and Mark Teixiera hit home runs. And it's wild to me that it was 15 years ago. It's been that long.

So seeing that it was a 15 year line, to the day, from a W.S. win, and the Yanks had a do or die game tonight, I thought it would be heartbreaking if the light went out here. When things rhyme, they don't do so cruelly. There had to be a reason this all lined up. It had to be for something. And with the Freddie homer early, I got worried. I got worried I'd gotten my hopes up again.

And then...somehow...the Yankees arrived. And played their best game in a week. I'm still in awe, kind of. I did not think this team had anything left. But basically every aspect of this team came into vogue tonight, in the best way. 

It did worry me that a chance at tying the game early was foiled by Anthony Volpe's base running. Even then I thought Volpe was trying not to repeat the mistake Stanton made last night, and despite the immediate outcry, he did what he thought was right. But the rest of the game was defined by Volpe's sheer tenacity. A HUGE grand slam to flip the game [and give the Yanks a lead for the first time in 3 games], followed by an incredible home plate slide that helped the rally in the eighth. Around Volpe, everyone else came in line. Gleyber Torres's incredible late homer, Luis Gil's surprisingly strong work after the homer, Holmes and Weaver shutting the Dodgers down, Judge finally awakening and batting Soto home, Wellsy homering because he could. It was the full team effort I'd wanted from the Yankees all series. Usually it had come down to one guy, and here it was everybody. And when everybody pitches in, this team can score 10+ runs against an enemy once thought impenetrable. 

And yes, the Dodgers still tried to claw back, and had some sneaky little hits midgame, but tonight it wasn't enough. And it's relieving to me that a Freddie Freeman homer isn't gonna be enough to keep the Yankees down at this point in the series. 

I know the other shoe could drop at any moment. I know the Dodgers very well could figure out Cole tomorrow night. But right now I'm happy the Yankees won a game and prevent a sweep. I know the odds are against us, and with things as they are it may not go to 7...but at this point, I'm along for the ride. They defied the odds tonight. Maybe they can keep doing that. 

World Series Game 3: Repeat to Fade

 

There's an old adage that an actor's nightmare is being onstage and forgetting all of your lines. So the sports fan's nightmare must be your team getting to the championship and not doing a damned thing. And that's where we're at.

The first two games at least featured an attempt to parry by the Yankees, but tonight, barring Alex Vertigo's late theatrics, had none. The offense felt lifeless. The pitching didn't seem to have learned from the first two games. Judge is still cold. Soto's now falling off. Stanton did some things to get runners in scoring position but they weren't capitalized upon. And numerous Yankees were given the opportunity to do something great and just couldn't. Over and over again. I tell you, it was exhausting to watch. Hope dying repeatedly, and in different ways. It's different from past playoff losses because at least then we actually fought back.

This is similar to the 2012 ALCS against the Tigers. Where the O's series wore us out so much that we had absolutely nothing left, and the lineup was basically dead. That's where we're at. Even if people actually pitch well, we're too worn out to actually offer anything up. 

This isn't to say what the Dodgers are doing isn't impressive. Walker Buehler's finally put it together months after being activated. The lineup is versatile and can keep getting it done. Freddie Freeman's waltzing towards a W.S. MVP. The bullpen might be the reason why they're getting this done, ultimately. I just really thought if the Yankees could properly prepare for Cleveland, we'd adopt a strategy to undercut LA. But that involves the lineup being able to do anything. And we're just not there right now, no matter what rituals the brass has in mind for the next 24 hours.

It'd be nice if the Yankees could somehow win Game 4 and stop this horrific slide. But I feel like if I get my hopes up for that it'll make a 4-game sweep even less palatable. So I'm just gonna go in with the expectation that this could be the end of the road, and hope that we actually have something to offer tomorrow. Gil on the mound, likely against a bullpen barrage. Who knows, right? 

If it's another effort like tonight's, though, I dunno if I'll be able to watch much of it.

World Series Game 2: At What Cost?

 

It's weird that a team going up 2-0 before a day off still might be in a precarious position. But that's what the Dodgers are looking at right now. On one hand, they're absolutely embarrassing the Yankees. On the other, they just lost Shohei Ohtani to a shoulder injury. And nobody knows what that means for the rest of the series, or 2025, or anything. 

And that's the conundrum a lot of managers are facing right now. Do you run the risk of losing somebody next season if they can help you win a title? That was pretty much what Nestor Cortes said when he was announced to join the World Series roster, that if he overexerts himself and needs to miss 2025, but it gets the team a World Series, then it was worth it. Which is the single most unsettling, depressing, near-dystopian thing I've ever heard. He sounded like a guy who just got back surgery from a 96-straight-hour shift at the Amazon plant. 'Well, if the company makes its target then it'll have been for something'. Good gracious, Nestor, you're a human being too!

And that was the risk with Shohei Ohtani. He has the best season of his career on a Tommy John rehab year, but at the same time...if he gets hurt DURING that rehab year, then you just look silly. Got some nice, shiny awards out of it but now he has to miss more time. And the Dodgers already have enough guys doing that, even if they're probably gonna win a World Series despite that. And look, it's not the throwing shoulder, it won't mess up the pitching rehab, but...QB1 could be off the board with the season on the line. Let's be clear, the Dodgers have plenty of people who can be the hero instead. We saw many of them come to form tonight, like Tommy Edman, Tesocar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman. Even Yoshinobu Yamamoto had an incredible night on the mound. It's not unheard of for the Dodgers to still come off like a powerful team without Ohtani, but that's not the optimal route.

Again, we'll find out what Ohtani's full deal is, they're currently saying he dislocated it but you never know if it needs more repair than that. Best case scenario he just needs a day or so off. Worst case, everybody else needs to step up.

AND SPEAKING OF STEPPING UP...dear lord, the Yankees really are testing me. Judge is colder than Maine right now. The bulk of the lineup couldn't get anything done. Once again, Soto and Stanton had to be the heroes, but it all came down to Jose Trevino with the bases loaded and he couldn't capitalize on the moment. That's pretty damning when the Dodgers have people who can make magic happen with the bases loaded and two outs and the Yankees don't. That wins championships. And right now the Yankees really aren't looking like winners. Not at all.

Hopefully a day off and a home crowd can jumpstart something in this team. It'll be Schmidt v. Buehler, and Walker Buehler has found his mojo despite the occasional imperfection. If the Yankees want to take control of the moment, they'll actually do something here. If not, there's really not gonna be much to this World Series at all.

World Series Game 1: Not Like Us

 

One of the things I noticed while watching the game tonight, and let me tell you that I watched every last second of it, was the spontaneity and randomness of the Dodger Stadium organist. They were playing stuff like 'Where It's At' by Beck, and 'Amber' by 311. I'm pretty sure they broke into the theme from Attack on Titan at one point. The big song in LA, or anywhere right now, is Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar. It's an easy hook. Four notes, twice. And it gets people going. 

Very, uh, funny a song about how another musician is pulling a Wander Franco is this lauded stadium song right now but this has been a strange year.

There was a lot of 'Not Like Us' cues during Game 1. And you have to think that the Dodgers were making a statement. Biggest series of the year against a team they have history with. Coming in here with Judge and Soto and Cole. And the Dodgers are saying 'they're not like us'. They wish they were as good as we were. They deliver when it's convenient, we deliver when it counts. 

Until that...fateful moment, it was a pretty tense game, with heroes on both sides. Betts and Ohtani had cute moments, but Lux and Hernandez paved the way. Stanton had his mammoth hit. Flaherty and Cole had excellent starts. Both bullpens did what was necessary. Jazz Chisholm stole his way to a lead. Alex Verdugo was stellar in the outfield after his early snafu. 

I think if Boone had let Cortes pitch to Betts, we wouldn't have had this ending. Genuinely. We have at least three more games of really defining Aaron Boone's judgement, but this comes down to that decision. Going with Cortes, and walking Betts. If he brings in Tim Hill, are we still getting walked off? If he pitches to Betts are we still getting walked off? To both, I'd honestly say 'probably not'.

But loading the bases for Freddie Freeman with Nestor Cortes, who's famously recovering from an elbow surgery, on the mound...is gonna lead to an outcome like the one we got. You have to be aware of that possibility. And you have to prevent it.

Freeman's walk-off grandy is a huge baseball moment. People will remember it for years. I also think it's the last notch in Freeman's checklist to ensure a Hall of Fame enshrinement in about a decade. For a game that went to extras and had so many back-and-forth amazing moments, it's a great ending. And it's the culmination of everything that went on in that game. The Yankees are tough, they keep fighting...but they're not like us. 

Now...if that's GAME 1...I'm thinking the rest of this series is just gonna be like that. Whoever wins this series is going to have to fight for it, and will be absolutely exhausted when it's over. 

For now, let's just see how Rodon handles things tomorrow. Then I'll really start panicking.

Mickey, Jackie, Reggie, Fernando and The Present.

 

Three generations of my family, at least, have witnessed a Yankees-Dodgers World Series. The exciting matches in the 50s, the back-to-back battles in the 70s, the last minute rematch in 1981. Some of the greatest MLB players in history have played in Yanks-Dodgers World Series'. It's just as important as baseball itself. Brooklyn vs. The Bronx. LA vs. New York. East vs. West.

So going my near three decades without witnessing one myself feels a little unfair. Could you imagine a late-2000s version of this battle? A late 2010s version? A late 80s version? It's been a little while, that's for sure. But, after the Dodgers held off the Mets in 6 games, that's what we're getting again. This week, we're getting the ultimate Yankees-Dodgers series. Judge v. Ohtani. Cole vs. Yamamoto. Teoscar vs. Giancarlo. The most expensive Yanks-Dodgers World Series to date.

To be honest, this could go either way. The Dodgers have a killer lineup, where not only the big guns can kill you, but the lower lineup guys like Kiké Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Will Smith can too. Tommy Edman won NLCS MVP solely because he had important hits in nearly every game of the series. Nobody has been a better addition to this team than Edman, and all he cost was Miguel Vargas basically. So if Betts, Ohtani and Freeman fail, they've still got him. What could kill this team is the lack of pitching depth, especially in terms of starters. The bullpen is pretty good, but this team has gotten very lucky.

Whereas the Yankees have the better pitching, the better clutch hitting and the more accurate stars...and with them I'm just worried that they're gonna be too tired to leg it out for 4 more wins. The Guardians series really took a lot of energy out of them, and hopefully they still have some left for, I dunno, the toughest team in baseball. Everyone's underestimated the Dodgers, and they could be the latest and greatest.

I think it could go either way. But whatever happens, it's good for baseball, and it's certainly good for me.

As for the Mets...what a season they had. They could have been dead midyear and they hit a second wind, became incredible late in the season, snuck in very late and outdid some of the giants of this season. Unfortunately, the Dodgers figured out their starting pitching, the lineup trailed off save for Vientos, and in the end they weren't a match for them. I think the Mets have a ton to be proud of this season, and possibly a lot to build off of for next year. It just was going to take more to get over this Dodgers team, ultimately.

Alright, World Series in a couple days, and I've still got a team to root for. This is gonna be fun. 

Championship Series' Day 7: Juan Shining Moment

 

Never a dull moment, right? 

If the Yankees were gonna make their first World Series in 15 years, it wasn't gonna come easily. The 2009 playoffs seem like a cakewalk compared to this. Every game against the Guardians has been an absolute war. The second you're calm, they pull something, and it's something ridiculous you weren't expecting. And it's always people like Brayan Rocchio or Bo Naylor or Pedro Avila. And then we can do something but is it gonna be enough? Is the other shoe gonna drop like it always does? Are we gonna be embarrassed while everyone that wants us to watches laughing?

This time, though, after so many close calls and so many moments the umps took from us, all it took was Juan Soto, two men on, and the right placement. Watching that ball travel further and further back was an incredible moment. You hoped it was enough, even if you weren't sure. And then when it landed, and the realization set in...the incredible exhale.

This was already a great game for the Yanks, thanks to Carlos Rodon, Giancarlo Stanton, Jake Cousins and the defense, but those two runs stopped it from being great. It once again needed late theatrics, and after Game 3 I wasn't sure if that could happen. The Guardians are famously better clutch hitters than us, and you know they were waiting for the right pitch. In another universe something goes wrong, Thomas or Noel does something. But it didn't happen. The Yankees really outlasted, outhit and outthought the Guardians, which is something I was never quite sure we could do.

And now we're in the World Series for the first time since I started the blog. Either we're seeing a rematch of the 1970s World Series', or we're seeing a rematch of the 2000 World Series. Either one would be awesome. We have better pitching than both. But...we actually made it. I kept thinking we'd get in our own way more often than not, but...we made it. 

And now we've gotta win #28. Stranger things have happened, right?

As for the Guardians...look, they didn't make this series easy for us, and I'm thankful for that. The one thing that gave us the win was figuring out their bullpen, and everything else stymied us still. The lineup is impossible. The starters, like Boyd, Bibee on three days rest and somehow kinda Gavin Williams, were still tricky for us, as they were for anyone. Bo Naylor was the big hitter tonight, dangerous pretty much anytime he was on. There is depth to this team that makes me think they'll be at this for a while. 

I think there's a definite path for the Guardians to continue at this pace, and potentially get further in the future. Ramirez is around for a while, this infield might be as well, and the rotation is only gonna get stronger. And if Yanks-Guards is ALREADY tense...it might get even more tense as we go.

Alright, that's one spot down. Today we possibly see who gets the second one. Good luck to both!

Championship Series' Day 6: Back in the New York Groove

 

Yes, I watched it. Yes, I watched all of it.

The thing about this Yanks-Guardians series is that whoever wins is gonna need to lie down for a while afterwards. This is not a quaint series. Yanks-Royals was quaint comparatively. This is a bloodbath. There was only one real score change but the tension and drama made this quite the watch.

And it boils down to the Guardians not being satisfied with just throwing it in. This is a great clutch team, and even when you think the game's been decided they can fight back and make you regret it. I got so worried Jhonkensy Noel was gonna go yard again tonight but thankfully Dugie saved it. I got so worried Mark Leiter was gonna blow the game but he got this team out of quite the pickle late. I got worried every time Fry got up, or even Rocchio, because this team is capable of so much the second you count them out. There were so many points in the ninth where things could have gone wrong, even down to Berti bobbling the ball on the last out, but it all wrapped up cleanly.

It all came down to the fact that the Yankees have completely figured out the Guardians' bullpen. Tonight they got to Cade Smith, thanks to a moonshot from Giancarlo Stanton. And they did more with Clase, all those theatrics in the ninth courtesy of Volpe and Verdugo and Torres. They didn't do badly against Gavin Williams either, with Soto and Wells going yard off of him. The Yankees hitting has figured out the Guardians' pitching, and that's why they're 3-1.

Here's what's damning. Tomorrow, Tanner Bibee will be pitching Game 5 on very short rest. This organization doesn't have great luck with starting their best pitcher on low rest, and people who were around in 2016 can tell you all about that. This thing could turn again at the drop of a hat, but there's a chance we get this done in Cleveland. It's in sight. Not definite of course, but the Yankees can see the next stage.

I'm hesitant about the Yankees getting it done tomorrow because the Dodgers sure couldn't today. Jack Flaherty had such a great start in Game 1, and so they brought him back and the Mets killed him. So many Mets got a handle on Flaherty's stuff, including Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, Francisco Alvarez, Francisco Lindor, and of course Starling Marte, who had a ton of really helpful RBIs throughout. David Peterson was still somewhat roughed up today, but he did way better than Flaherty, and provided the exact kind of stability the Mets needed with Senga resting.

The Mets somehow have enough life still in them that they can chase the Dodgers, a game away from the World Series, for a 12-6 victory. Even as the Mets' rotation begins to struggle a bit, they still have more going on than the Dodgers' rotation, and that could keep them alive for longer than anyone might think.

For Game 6, back in L.A., I assume we'll see Manaea and Landon Knack. Which, again, doesn't bode very well for the Dodgers. But at the same time...with the team the Dodgers have this year, you never know what kind of mound performance will be enough to get it done.

Championship Series' Day 5: You Wanted Excitement!

 

I would be madder about the Yankees losing if both teams didn't fight like the dickens to make sure it wasn't a simple game. I checked the score at like inning 7 and I was already going 'well if this is the one we lose then that's perfectly fair'. Matt Boyd was kicking our asses, and continuing his strong October [OUT OF NOWHERE], Manzardo took Schmidt yard, nobody was doing anything, then fine. Put it to rest, come back tomorrow.

Then the eighth inning happened.

Aaron Judge hitting a game-tying home run off of Emmanuel Clase is why playoff baseball is so good. And it seems like something this entire season was leading up to. Nobody could top Clase, and yet the Yankees had figured him out. Judge sends him yard, Stanton sends him yard. It was incredible. The game seemed lost, and the power couple decided it wasn't. Dugie added some insurance in the ninth, Weaver was up, it was looking good.

And...I will give the Guardians credit. Where most teams power down, they kept going. They stayed hot, all of them. The reason the Guardians won this game was that even in the ninth, with all hope basically lost, they kept chomping at the bit. They kept fighting. Volpe's dirty steal must have set them off goes, now J-Ram's pounding, Thomas is trying to go yard, everybody wants it. I think the second Jhonkensy Noel got up I kinda went...'oh crap'. And sure enough, bam.

The Yankees got so close on so many occasions to getting back to it, but it just wasn't gonna happen. The Yanks were fading as Cleveland was waking up. And so they had enough energy to fight to secure the win, while we just sort of sat dazed. 

It's not the kind of loss that can kill our World Series dreams, but it's one that concludes that getting there isn't going to be as simple as we thought. Tomorrow, Luis Gil goes against Gavin Williams. Two young phenoms with serious drawbacks. Which one will crack first?

The Dodgers were always the better team than the Mets on paper. Now the Dodgers have the momentum, and that might be enough to seal their fate.

Again, tonight had everything the Dodgers had been hoping for. Betts, Ohtani and Muncy had power moments, Edman, Kiké and Smith made contact, Yamamoto found his postseason mojo and stuck with it, and barring Mark Vientos doing his thing, the Mets were silenced. Not only was it a win, it was a big win, and the Dodgers have the Mets exactly where they want them. 

The Dodgers are going with Jack Flaherty tomorrow, and it's not clear currently who the Mets are going with. David Peterson? Senga again? Relievers? Either way, if Flaherty has as good of a game as he did in Game 1, the Mets will be waltzing right out of October.

A lot could happen tomorrow. Certainly a hell of an outcome's being set up. Let's see how it goes.

Championship Series' Day 4: Click.

 

Like the Yankees' win yesterday, the Dodgers' win tonight came down to someone who had taken the entire season to do what he'd made an entire career out of. And as likely as Anthony Rizzo's return to form was last night, Walker Buehler suddenly pitching 4 shutout innings after nearly costing the Dodgers the NLDS last week...was a little less likely. But just as welcome when it happened.

The Dodgers' game 3 victory was the culmination of everything this team had been trying to make work for the last few weeks, all at once. Kiké Hernandez in October, Tommy Edman as a contact machine, Muncy as an underrated power bat, the bullpen, Buehler, and especially Shohei Ohtani leading off. Like Judge, Ohtani has gotten a bit colder this October, but his 3-run homer was a great confirmation of the Dodgers' dominance. Buehler went 4 strong with 6 Ks, with none of the shakiness we'd seen this season. It was a full team effort, and one that felt satisfying to watch.

The Mets, meanwhile, got their ego knocked down a bit, with Luis Severino getting roughed up, the lineup shrugging, and Garrett and Megill didn't exactly keep the fort strong. Even if Francisco Lindor is doing frigging cartwheels in the infield, nothing's gonna get done if people like Francisco Alvarez get a golden sombrero at the plate. This team felt so shockingly volatile in Game 2, and now they're de-energized again. They do have Jose Quintana up for Game 4, which should be a bit more reliable, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who's coming off a commanding start against the Padres, will be on the mound. It won't be a gimme by any means.

Part of me thinks there's a chance the Mets tie it up, but tonight is letting me know this may not be as evenly matched as I previously thought. 

Also, tomorrow the Yanks hit Cleveland. Schmidt v. Boyd. We'll see how that goes for them as well.

Championship Series' Day 3: Rizzo's Redemption

 

Getting Anthony Rizzo back for the Guardians' series, as one of the few members of the team who've had any prior postseason success against Cleveland, was the ultimate blessing for the Yankees. The 1st base question that held the team back against Kansas City was solved, the veteran presence was restored, and after all that missed time Anthony Rizzo was finally good at baseball again.

The Yankees' Game 2 victory was a really promising one for several reasons. It is still worrying that our base running is so dire, and Weaver giving up a homer to Ramirez is a sign we should be cautious with him, but...instead of being another net win like Game 1 we actually took the steps this game. Game 1 was lost due to some wild pitches by Cleveland, and while this game had some terrible defensive plays throughout, it wasn't a gimme. The Yankees' offense not only got to Tanner Bibee, the Guardians' best starter, but to SEVERAL members of the to-date immaculate Cleveland bullpen. Hunter Gaddis gave up a home run to Aaron Judge, one the whole borough must have heard. Erik Sabrowski was responsible for the majority of the midgame rally. Even Cade Smith could only do so much to quell this team.

Gleyber Torres, Alex Verdugo, Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm and ESPECIALLY Anthony Rizzo all had great nights. Rizzo was responsible for the late RBI double that helped the Yankees cement the lead [before Judge ripped the game open]. Already the veteran 1st baseman has had an excellent ALCS, and is on track to become one of the most important Yankees of this postseason. And while Gerrit Cole did get a little dicey around innings 4 and 5, he was strong in the first few, and stifled the Guardians enough to prevent them from tying the game. The only trouble the 'pen got into was Ramirez late, but by that point it was mostly just frosting.

The Yankees, through 2 games of this ALCS, look extremely good. Thursday night in Cleveland it'll likely be Clarke Schmidt against Matt Boyd. On paper that's a game we can win, but nothing is ever simple with these Guardians teams. And if I get too comfortable now I could be into a world of pain if the Guards figure us out soon. So I'm just enjoying the moment, and hoping the Yanks can keep building on it. 

Championship Series' Day 2: In and Out of the City

 

The Dodgers this postseason only look good when they've got an actual accomplished starting pitcher to rally behind. So with Jack Flaherty on his game, they can attack. You take that away and throw in a reliever game...it may not go as well. 

And so, the Mets lineup had no trouble with the Dodgers when it was just Landon Knack standing in the way between them and glory. Flaherty they had to wait around to get him off the mound. Knack? The party commenced. Lindor had a huge hit, Tyrone Taylor had a huge hit, then after Lindor got walked VIENTOS had a huge hit. And all while Sean Manaea continued his incredible postseason run, his sweeper perfected and his credibility restored. Doing all of this in LA, and making the Dodgers look powerless even after what they did yesterday, is a huge serve, and it could be a hint that this series may not be as one-sided as the pundits are giving off. If the Mets can do this, and if the Dodgers' pitching arsenal is limited this year [eventually they're gonna have to go with Buehler again], the Mets may be alright after all.

In his first full, healthy season in New York, Carlos Rodon has flirted with greatness but hasn't completely committed. He went 16-9 with a 3.96 ERA and 195 Ks in 32 starts, his fullest and winningest season to date, but he also gave up more home runs than ever before, and wasn't quite as dominant as his 2021-22 peak. He showed moments of greatness but not the full idea of it. Even in postseason starts to this point, Rodon would strike a lot of people out but get lit up at some point.

Which is why it's such a welcome surprise that Rodon, having been given the ball for Game 1 as Cole rests from the ALDS, absolutely dominated the Guardians tonight. He struck out 9, only gave up 1 run, and looked completely on throughout the start. Comparatively, Alex Cobb struggled, loading the bases for Joey Cantillo, which led to multiple runs scoring on wild pitches. That is not something you want happening in the postseason, and those passed balls were the difference maker for the Guardians. Because both teams gave up the same amount of hits, six of them, and both teams fought back with long balls and RBIs. But after the Yankees took the lead on the passed balls, there really was no catching them.

The Guardians not only lost what could have been a close game, they lost it on rookie mistakes. And now they go into a Game 2 against Gerrit Cole, who's been very good this postseason, handing the ball to Tanner Bibee, who's arguably been better. This could be the kind of competitive, back-and-forth game we were all expecting for Game 1. 

Championship Series' Day 1: On Rushing and Not Rushing

 

The Dodgers were low on starting pitching midyear, so they traded for Jack Flaherty. The Mets were low on starting pitching in October, so they activated Kodai Senga and hoped for the best. And for everything I've said about the Dodgers' snakebitten rotation, and the number of people that have gone down in important moments...they never pushed any of them. Walker Buehler slowly made his way back and he's been doing better. Kershaw wasn't rushed back to the active roster, at least not yet. There was no effort to wake up Gonsolin or May or Glasnow for the playoffs. 

Which may explain why Flaherty went 7 strong for his strongest postseason start ever and Senga got chased while only throwing ten strikes. The Dodgers didn't want to force anyone to pitch before they were healthy. The Mets weren't going to wait for Senga to be sure, they needed a sure bet. And so, Dodgers 1, Mets 0. By 9 runs. 

It's more complex than Flaherty, as excellent as he is. The Dodgers' lineup was lovely tonight, with Ohtani, Muncy, Freeman and Betts having huge moments, and the scoreless streak continuing thanks to Blake Treinen and Ben Casparius, whoever that is. As limp as the Dodgers could seem during some moments in the Padres' series, they seem revitalized, confident and hungry now. And thus, this Dodgers-Mets series is looking...like what someone could have guessed it'd be around May. It can always turn around, and there's still at least 3 more games to see if the Mets are gonna respond, but at this moment it's looking like the Dodgers are going to be very difficult to beat.

Tomorrow, we see if the road to the Payroll Bowl becomes any more likely, or if Cleveland has other ideas.

Division Series' Day 8: The Playoffs Aren't Broken!

 

We're really going into a week of Championship Series' where three of the teams are actual division leaders who overcame first round byes. Which means this playoff season can actually fully complete whatever story was being told in the regular season, rather than suddenly go 'and then Arizona got good and beat everybody' or 'and then all these worthy teams were mowed down by a Houston team that wasn't as good as the last three'.

Even better that both of these teams started the series' landing in win-or-die formation first, and both of them clawed their way back and into the next round. It could have been easy to succumb to the inevitable, but the Dodgers and Guardians refused, and fought off lethal opposition to advance.

The Dodgers' series win happened because of a few unrelated factors. Yes, the Padres went cold for two games, that just can't happened. But the heart of what makes the Dodgers lethal postseason opponents abruptly woke up. The first blow of the night came from Enrique Hernandez, off of former Dodgers postseason disappointment Yu Darvish, who reminded everyone of how incredible he can be in the postseason. Then Teoscar Hernandez cracked another one. And it was the strength of the Dodgers bullpen that carried this team to an NLCS, regardless of how likely a Padres win was at several points. 

On one hand, the Dodgers are now going to an NLCS with a limited rotation strategy, but because of Betts, Freeman and Ohtani's work thus far, they're still the favorite.

The Guardians meanwhile had to truly fight for their win, as the series they had with the Tigers was so evenly matched that it could flip at any moment. Two comparable bullpens, two comparable scrappy lineups. Today seemed difficult for the Guardians, as Tarik Skubal was on the mound, and for a while that was enough. But Skubal got tired, the Guardians' lineup got restless, and pretty soon Lane Thomas was grand slamming everyone home. Thomas was the undisputed hero today, being responsible for 5 of the team's 7 runs, and cementing his status as one of the power pillars of this team. And while Cleveland's rotation prospered, Detroit's further deteriorated, meaning Emmanuel Clase, still bitter over his blow earlier in the week, got to be the hero again.

The Guardians went into a series as the favorite and came out by the skin of their teeth. As they head into New York they're the underdog. At this rate, they may not be for long.

As for who we're bidding adieu to..

I really thought the Padres were going back this year. At their peak they were deadly, and their October energy really made me think they'd have enough to outdo the Dodgers. They just picked the wrong time to go cold. Even Xander Bogaerts, who was having a pretty decent series, couldn't get anything done last night. I get that momentum only lasts so long in the playoffs these days, but I really thought the Padres had figured it out. Fortunately, I do think this team has enough to still compete next year, with a still young core that could keep the rest of the division at bay for a while.

The 2024 Tigers were an incredibly fun baseball story, a team that went from zero to hero, defied the odds and became postseason titans when nobody thought they would. There was always going to be an ending to this story, it was only a matter of when. Let's be real, if this lasted all the way to a World Series win, Rob Manfred would be doing some meddling to make sure it never happened again. The Tigers were powered by momentum and Tarik Skubal, and once an opponent could figure out how to beat both of those factors, they were cooked. Still, there was so much that impressed me about this team, including the young, anonymous stars like Parker Meadows, Tyler Holton, Wenceel Perez, Trey Sweeney and somehow catcher Jake Rogers, who got a lot done this series despite struggling during the regular season. Will they be back in full force in 2025? Who knows. If they can turn this into the competitive run fans have been waiting for from them, that'd be pretty cool, but in this division nothing's guaranteed.

Mets-Dodgers kicks off tomorrow. The Haves vs. The Haves...who until recently Had Not [Been Good]. Should be interesting either way. 

Division Series' Day 6: The Script Flips

 

As it turns out, if you complain enough that people aren't showing up, they eventually do. And that's how we get a Game-5-forcing Guardians win led by David Fry, Jose Ramirez and Emmanuel Clase. You complain enough, and they eventually start hitting.

The Tigers have been more of a match for the Guardians than anybody thought, and with Reese Olson, Trey Sweeney and Riley Greene providing cover for most of the game, it was getting slightly worrying that the Guardians wouldn't be able to offer up a rebuttal, once again. I'm still worried about the power of the first round bye, and the Guardians are the kind of team that I figured was better than the bye slump. And if the Tigers won this game, I'd be drafting a letter to Rob Manfred that he'd no doubt be throwing straight into the shredder. So thankfully, this soon became the David Fry game at the expense of the Guardians' bullpen.

The Guardians are a great team, and they could definitely go deep if they're able to get past Game 5. Now...I used to be more definite that they WOULD be able to hop this hurdle, and with the Tigers starting Tarik Skubal in Game 5 it may be way more difficult for them to do so, but I still favor Cleveland. If they lose, take your pick, you can blame it on the bye or you can blame it on Skubal. 

The last time the Yankees were in the ALCS with a team that was not the Houston Astros was 2012, 12 years ago. It came after a very tight ALDS with Baltimore that, quite frankly, we shouldn't have won. By the end of that we were exhausted, and had no energy left. There is a very big chance that the Yankees' first ALCS in 12 years could be against the very team that swept us then, the Detroit Tigers. This is, however, a very different Tigers team. Much younger, much scrappier, much more unpredictable. And the thing is that even if the Guardians make it instead, that's also a scrappy, young, unpredictable team as well. So either way, it will not be easy to win our first ALCS in 15 years. 

But I think about how tense those first two games were against the Royals in New York. It was neck and neck, biting back and forth. And then I think about these two in Kansas City. Close, but manageable. It took us time, but we figured them out, thanks to great pitching from Clarke Schmidt and Gerrit Cole, and great offensive work from Giancarlo Stanton, Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto. Once Luke Weaver closed the door, the haze lifted, and this team waltzed to homefield advantage in an Astros-less ALCS. I couldn't believe it in a sense, but seeing as the Royals were a tough but still beatable opponent, I'm happy it came that easy to us.

The bye tried to hold the Yankees back, and it couldn't. We'll see how they do against whoever comes out on top in Cleveland this weekend. But I'm excited for the prospect of a Yankee team that *could* go further, for once.

Somebody inevitably had to be the bridesmaid in this AL Central scuffle, and it needed to be someone like the Royals. They had a wonderful season, finally succeeding where other Matt Quatraro teams had failed and running into the playoffs, then taking down Baltimore. They had great moments in this series, courtesy of people like Cole Ragans, Salvador Perez, Michael Massey and Vinnie Pasquantino. Even tonight, Tommy Pham still went 3 for 3, with three solid hits. Even when this team is down, somebody like Pham keeps chasing, which is EXACTLY WHY YOU GET SOMEONE LIKE PHAM. 

The Royals will be back with a vengeance next year, hopefully with a fully healed Pasquatch, a more October-ready bullpen, and possibly even a bigger year from Witt? The sky seems to be the limit. 

Tomorrow, we get to see who'll be hosting the Mets next week. I still think it'll be San Diego but you can never quite count the Dodgers out, can you?

Division Series' Day 5: Who Forgot to Show Up

 

...Is this really gonna be so simple? The Tigers are really cornering the Guardians with Game 4 at home?? This is what it's coming down to?

I didn't really think this series was gonna go like this. Twice now the Guardians have failed to show up in the runs column, and it's to the detriment of more great pitching. Ramirez, Thomas, Kwan, Naylor...aren't really having great series'. The Tigers just ran their bullpen again today and they couldn't get through that. Which means the Tigers are within inches of getting to a Championship Series with literally ONE STARTER to their name. Remember, we criticized the Diamondbacks last year for having two. This is just Tarik Skubal and the rest. Jeez.

The Tigers are winning this series because their scrappy, small-baller lineup just keeps coming through for them. Tonight Spencer Torkelson had the hero moment, lengthening the lead late. Torkelson is in his third season and is now FINALLY beginning to figure out this whole 'hitting at an MLB level' thing, and the Tigers must be thankful it's happening in the postseason. 

The Tigers could close it out tomorrow. How wild is that? I don't think the Guardians are gonna make it that easy for them, but...you never know at this rate.

I think this Mets-Phillies series was just a matter of how well you handle the pressure of success. Neither of these teams performs well as the overachiever. The Mets spent the last few years, thanks to Steve Cohen, as the alpha of the division, overspending in order to achieve something, which left them...nowhere. So after Cohen's most modest offseason, where all he really did was bring on a few small pieces in J.D. Martinez, Harrison Bader, Sean Manaea and Jose Iglesias, the Mets finally achieved their full form. They were never gonna win it all from the top. They had to become the underdog. And they had to do it by beating the alpha, and then the second alpha, of the division. 

The Mets beat the Phillies because for the first time this decade, the Phillies were no longer the underdogs. They had to be the favorite. And they couldn't do that. They always work better from behind. And so, the Mets kicked their asses. All they needed tonight was a grandy from Francisco Lindor and another surprise dominant start, this one coming from Jose Quintana. The bullpen held it down, Diaz signed it and mailed it. And just like that, the Mets are back in the NLCS for the first time since 2015, and we all know how that went. I'm honestly really happy with this team, and I kinda wanna see how far this goes now.

Year 1 of the Phillies taking the first round bye. Didn't go well, did it, Rob?

The issue here is that this team peaked in June. Usually the Phillies peak in, like, October. But this year they wanted to try being good from the start of the season, and that's not really sustainable to win championships anymore. So I think, if the Phillies are gonna suck at any point in the year next year, it probably should be April or May, y'know, just get it out of the way. So you can do what all the young, hip teams are doing and just spontaneously become good midyear and take that to the end.

I'm...a little frustrated. Because with everything this team has accomplished and accumulated, you'd think they'd have figured out how to leg it out by now. The worst version of this team got the furthest. It is all about conserving momentum, and it gets harder and harder for the Phillies to do this every year. It was especially hard for them with the first round bye. By the end, only little hits, Kody Clemens pinch hit shit and Ranger Suarez getting out of tough situations were keeping this team alive. And against a Mets team with this much momentum, that is not enough.

Next year's team needs to learn from this. This could have been the year. And we decided to not let that happen. 

This Royals-Yankees series has been inconsistent, back-and-forth, all over the place and completely nebulous. Luckily, Giancarlo Stanton is inevitable.

The Yankees aren't completely wowing me yet this postseason. They've had good moments, but Judge has gone cold, first base has been inconsistent and the starters have been human. But what I can say about the Yankees that I can't say about the Phillies is that the Yankees have shown up. When they needed to tonight, the bullpen jumped into action and Stanton went yard. This was a Schmidt against Lugo game, one that very easily could have gone Kansas City's way, but we outlasted them, and we somehow took a series lead over a team that's amassed all this momentum.

If the Yankees slay the Royals, they slay the first round bye. Nobody can do that. But maybe we can. Cole up tomorrow. Maybe it'll be our night. 

When it became clear that the Dodgers were putting up a 'pen game against Dylan Cease, I kinda figured the Padres were advancing tonight. Except that didn't happen. The Dodgers' bullpen held the Padres to 7 hits and no runs. 8 guys got up there and none of them gave up a run. Michael Kopech, Anthony Banda, Blake Treinen, Daniel Hudson, Evan Phillips, Ryan Brasier, Landon Knack and Alex Vesia all got up there and did exactly what they were supposed to do. And, as such, since no starter got lit up, the Dodgers just needed to hit, and that's exactly what they did. Mookie Betts had a big night, Max Muncy had a big night, Will Smith and Gavin Lux. This was the kind of full team performance we were waiting for, and against the still-tough Padres bullpen as well.

This series goes to a Game 5 in LA, and that's gonna be a tight matchup. I still think San Diego miiiight have the edge, but you can never count out the Dodgers' lineup. This one could be separated by inches.

Some AL series' could end tomorrow. I think only one will, but I don't know if it'll be the one I'm hoping does.