This is October: 2014 MLB Postseason Thread

[infrared41]

Also, how the hell is this game only in the 6th? Three hours in and it's only the 6th?

This is baseball's biggest problem.

at least they're trying to fix it. I'd love to see umpires stop letting these guys fiddle with their gloves after every pitch. The bat didn't even come off your shoulders. You stood entirely still. What the f-ck do you need to adjust your gloves for?

It's the batter's way of buying time to contemplate his approach for the next pitch. When you're facing a pitcher who's got not only a fastball in the high-90s but a ridiculous change-up and wicked curveball (or off-speed of some sort) as well, it's important for the hitter to have a really good idea of his approach on a pitcher-by-pitcher, pitch-by-pitch basis.

Bull- . I played baseball for damn near 20 years. You don't need to step out on every pitch to get "a really good idea of the pitcher's approach." If you can't figure that out by watching from the dugout and on-deck circle, you suck and all the time in the world between pitches isn't going to help.

It's a lot different when the pitch is being thrown at a speed such that you have to start the swinging process before the pitch is actually thrown.

That's so ridiculous that I don't even know where to begin. Let's start with this - and you know this how exactly? Have you faced a lot of 85-95 mph pitches?

I'll admit that I never saw anything much faster than 90-91* but I still know that starting a swing before the pitch is thrown will get you a batting average of about .050 - if you're lucky.

Are current pitch speeds new to baseball? Is the 95mph fastball a recent phenomenon? (I guess the breaking ball is some new fangled thing the kids are all into.) I ask because not stepping out on every pitch didn't seem to bother the great hitters back when games weren't 3+ hours long. Guess Nolan Ryan just looked like he was throwing 98mph back in the day.

*which is a real treat when you're hitting against pitchers who can throw hard but basically have no idea where the ball is going when they throw it.

[DarkJourney]

Congrats to the Royals and thanks for knocking the Angels out.

Here, here, for the Royals advancing.

(unless the Nationals can pull the comeback) It's too bad for all the love the ALCS will get, the NLCS will feature a matchup casual fans will find to hate.

Not Me. Go Giants. Forget the casual fans and ratings grubbing networks.

[The_Admiral]

It might be possible that there are guys throwing breaking stuff more effectively than they used to, but a fastball is a fastball and will always be a fastball. For all the talk about how NFL players are bigger and stronger human beings than their counterparts from 30 years ago (this is one of the things they argue about at a cocktail party in hell, and the party never ends), applying that sort of evolution to baseball would result in something like 250-mph heat, and that's just not ever going to happen. I like that.

[DarkJourney]

No Nationals & No Dodgers would be fine. Two of the biggest arrogant pricks (Harper & Puig) out of the playoffs would be excellent. Of course some people confuse their arrogance as passion for the game. Those people would be wrong of course.

[Sport]

The World Series will begin in either Kauffman Stadium or Camden Yards.

That's the coolest thing that's happened in baseball since 2010 before we were all sick of the Giants.

[STL FANATIC]

I would like to see North American sports leagues put a bigger emphasis on the regular season championship. I don't really know how you do it, though. The NHL already recognizes the leagues best record with a title and a trophy, and all it really serves to do is put a "Stanley Cup or bust" standard on the post-season.

As was mentioned, almost every sport suffers (depending on your feelings I guess), from the randomness of the post-season. Baseball is an extremely random game, and short-series just ask for that randomness to play a big role, so it suffers the most. Football isn't quite as random, but any time you're playing one and done games, anything could happen. Hockey isn't so much random (though it can be), but it is prone to hot and cold streaks, and the playoffs are almost like starting a brand new season, just in tournament form with about 47% of the teams eliminated. Basketball is the one game where the most skilled team typically wins, and 7-game series tend to be enough to overcome any randomness.

Anyways, there are so many instances where the best team doesn't win the championship. The Cardinals are often cited as teams that weren't the best winning because they got hot and lucky and won in the post-season. And rightfully so. 2006 and 2011 are perfect examples of that.

But the 2001, 2002, 2004, and 2005 Cardinals have been probably the best Cardinals teams I've ever seen, with the latter two (especially 2004), sticking out as being the best team in the league that year. But none of those teams won the World Series. Only one of them even got there, and they lost to one of the other great examples of getting hot at the right time in the Red Sox (although they did also win 98 games despite being the WC).

The WS wins certainly let me appreciate the whole era without regret, but that said, I still can relate to having "the best" teams but not winning, and it's sucky.

I wouldn't change the playoffs, I just wish there was a way to make sure those teams were appreciated in history for their accomplishments. Instead we all too often view those teams as choke artists, which really isn't fair.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I wonder how much it helps the Royals that they've effectively been playing playoff baseball since the start of August. They cycled in and out of the wild card spot with the Mariners, Tigers and A's, while the Angels showed up, won mostly big, and coasted toward the end of the season.

EDIT: One of the reasons EPL is able to do single-table championships is that there are so many other cups to play for. So from a fan's perspective, you can be the league champion and still have other titles to look forward to.

Unfortunately, the only other baseball league of note is in Japan, but couldn't there be some sort of world series (heh) between the regular season champ of Japan and US? I imagine the American players might not necessarily love it, but there'd at least be some cachet to being the best team in the regular season.

[STL FANATIC]

It might be possible that there are guys throwing breaking stuff more effectively than they used to, but a fastball is a fastball and will always be a fastball. For all the talk about how NFL players are bigger and stronger human beings than their counterparts from 30 years ago (this is one of the things they argue about at a cocktail party in hell, and the party never ends), applying that sort of evolution to baseball would result in something like 250-mph heat, and that's just not ever going to happen. I like that.

Correct, though I do believe the average fastball has probably increased by about 5-10 MPH in the last 20-30 years. But you're right about it not being that dramatic of an increase, relatively speaking.

[DarkJourney]

The World Series will begin in either Kauffman Stadium or Camden Yards.

That's the coolest thing that's happened in baseball since 2010 before I was sick of the Giants for ruining my Reds 2012 season.

Better

[Seadragon76]

As much as I want to praise Kansas City for playing like their asses are on fire, blame has to go to Anaheim for not stepping up when it matters.

Going 2 for 25 with runners in scoring position for the series isn't going to get anything done. If this was early in the season, this could be something that can be chalked up to 'that's a fixable problem with practice and time'

In a playoff series, that spells doom.. and this was the best team in the majors this season. It's almost like they couldn't handle the pressure of being the big dog.

Now we have Kansas City and Baltimore in the ALCS and, let's face it, it makes me feel good to see new blood in the postseason do well.

[crashcarson15]

Also, how the hell is this game only in the 6th? Three hours in and it's only the 6th?

This is baseball's biggest problem.

at least they're trying to fix it. I'd love to see umpires stop letting these guys fiddle with their gloves after every pitch. The bat didn't even come off your shoulders. You stood entirely still. What the f-ck do you need to adjust your gloves for?

It's the batter's way of buying time to contemplate his approach for the next pitch. When you're facing a pitcher who's got not only a fastball in the high-90s but a ridiculous change-up and wicked curveball (or off-speed of some sort) as well, it's important for the hitter to have a really good idea of his approach on a pitcher-by-pitcher, pitch-by-pitch basis.

Bull- . I played baseball for damn near 20 years. You don't need to step out on every pitch to get "a really good idea of the pitcher's approach." If you can't figure that out by watching from the dugout and on-deck circle, you suck and all the time in the world between pitches isn't going to help.

It's a lot different when the pitch is being thrown at a speed such that you have to start the swinging process before the pitch is actually thrown.

That's so ridiculous that I don't even know where to begin. Let's start with this - and you know this how exactly? Have you faced a lot of 85-95 mph pitches?

I'll admit that I never saw anything much faster than 90-91* but I still know that starting a swing before the pitch is thrown will get you a batting average of about .050 - if you're lucky.

Are current pitch speeds new to baseball? Is the 95mph fastball a recent phenomenon? (I guess the breaking ball is some new fangled thing the kids are all into.) I ask because not stepping out on every pitch didn't seem to bother the great hitters back when games weren't 3+ hours long. Guess Nolan Ryan just looked like he was throwing 98mph back in the day.

*which is a real treat when you're hitting against pitchers who can throw hard but basically have no idea where the ball is going when they throw it.

If you're swinging before the ball's released, well, yeah you've got problems. Fastest I faced was in the upper 80s. Sure, you've gotta make a quick decision on whether or not you're swinging, but it's sure as hell not before the ball is released.

And I'll admit it — I stepped out after every pitch. But it wasn't to think through my approach, it was specifically to slow the pitcher down.

[Sport]

The World Series will begin in either Kauffman Stadium or Camden Yards.

That's the coolest thing that's happened in baseball since 2010 before I was sick of the Giants for ruining my Reds 2012 season.

Better

Yeah I'm the only one bored with the Giants. Just me and me alone.

[DaRadniz29]

Potential WS Match Ups

The "Who's Who" Series

The Halloween Series

Yeah from a aesthetic standpoint please no Royals vs Dodgers World Series. If the Cardinals aren't in the World Series, I wouldn't mind a Royals-Giants World Series.

[CubsFanBudMan]

Can someone please explain to me how the Angels got jobbed by a short series here? It was 3-0. Let it go seven games then. You're saying the Angels, because they had the best record in baseball, would have won the next four? C'mon, people. The short series had no effect whatsoever.

If a team is truly better, they should win ANY series. It's only a one-and-done that I'd believe is unfair to the "best teams in baseball." And that's why it's left to the wild cards only.

[The_Admiral]

It might be possible that there are guys throwing breaking stuff more effectively than they used to, but a fastball is a fastball and will always be a fastball. For all the talk about how NFL players are bigger and stronger human beings than their counterparts from 30 years ago (this is one of the things they argue about at a cocktail party in hell, and the party never ends), applying that sort of evolution to baseball would result in something like 250-mph heat, and that's just not ever going to happen. I like that.

Correct, though I do believe the average fastball has probably increased by about 5-10 MPH in the last 20-30 years. But you're right about it not being that dramatic of an increase, relatively speaking.

Ten? The only way that's possible is the advent of hard-throwing relievers who hit 100 on the gun for an inning and that's it. 100-mph fastballs existed thirty years ago, it's just that the specialists didn't.

[hbgoo1975]

I don't need to bang my desk in anger over the Angels loss, I can only do two things in silence right now. Unbelievable. (Facepalm SMH.)

[dbadefense1990]

No Nationals & No Dodgers would be fine. Two of the biggest arrogant pricks (Harper & Puig) out of the playoffs would be excellent. Of course some people confuse their arrogance as passion for the game. Those people would be wrong of course.

Of course Giants fans would dismiss the Dodgers and Nationals as "vile, classless scumbags," while defending the Cardinals and their fans for playing and cheering "purist" baseball. Wouldn't surprise me if Giants fans also had disgust for what the Royals are doing right now.

The World Series will begin in either Kauffman Stadium or Camden Yards.

That's the coolest thing that's happened in baseball since 2010 before I was sick of the Giants for ruining my Reds 2012 season.

Better

Yeah I'm the only one bored with the Giants. Just me and me alone.

Let it go, man. He and other Giants fans think others love their team, when they're simply "Cardinals-Lite," in that general, baseball fans would be bored with yet another World Series run with them.

[STL FANATIC]

Can someone please explain to me how the Angels got jobbed by a short series here? It was 3-0. Let it go seven games then. You're saying the Angels, because they had the best record in baseball, would have won the next four? C'mon, people. The short series had no effect whatsoever.

If a team is truly better, they should win ANY series. It's only a one-and-done that I'd believe is unfair to the "best teams in baseball." And that's why it's left to the wild cards only.

I don't know if this is in response to my use of the term "short series," but to clarify, in my opinion, a best of 7 series is still a short series. I think of it in the way you would a small sample size. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 games. None of it is statistically meaningful. They play 162 for a reason.

That said, I'm not upset with the playoff format (even if an unrealistic a part of me longs for a traditional regular season NL champs vs regular season AL champs World Series) whatsoever. I just think it's a shame that some of the best teams in baseball history are forgotten at best and considered to have choked at worst if they don't happen to be hot and lucky at the right time and win it all.

The playoffs are fine. And it's FUN that anyone that makes it has a shot to win it. Just wish there was a way to better recognize the teams that do it all year.

[STL FANATIC]

It might be possible that there are guys throwing breaking stuff more effectively than they used to, but a fastball is a fastball and will always be a fastball. For all the talk about how NFL players are bigger and stronger human beings than their counterparts from 30 years ago (this is one of the things they argue about at a cocktail party in hell, and the party never ends), applying that sort of evolution to baseball would result in something like 250-mph heat, and that's just not ever going to happen. I like that.

Correct, though I do believe the average fastball has probably increased by about 5-10 MPH in the last 20-30 years. But you're right about it not being that dramatic of an increase, relatively speaking.

Ten? The only way that's possible is the advent of hard-throwing relievers who hit 100 on the gun for an inning and that's it. 100-mph fastballs existed thirty years ago, it's just that the specialists didn't.

I agree with you, but I'm not sure the "how" of it matters. Batters face harder throwers more often than they used to, period.

But maybe that's irrelevant for what you were discussing originally. I guess I sort of missed the context.

[Kramerica Industries]

All about those #narratives.

Thanks for explaining (roughly) the same position I have, in somewhat less abrasive terms, STL_F.