The MLB Thread

[Bjornebye]

Its completely passed me by the baseball this year. Some fucking year for Fenway, both their teams getting to the biggest final in their sports. 

[Allan]

On 10/21/2018 at 8:34 AM, chrisbonnie said:

Oh, 

 

So the red sox are heavy favourites then I'd imagine, seeing as they come from the tougher league, and pretty much spanked everyone en route. 

 

Ill try give them a watch on BT sport. 

The American League has been a joke this season. The National League is the more competitve of the two.

[Trumo]

Red Sox take game 1, winning 8-4. I was surprised to learn that it was Clayton Kershaw's first ever game against the Red Sox. I know the inter-league match-ups change every few years, but either these teams' divisions haven't been matched up throughout Kershaw's career, or he was out injured at some point when they were matched up.

[Trumo]

Red Sox take game 2, winning 4-2. The show moves on to LA where there are 3 games scheduled over the weekend, and the Red Sox need only 2 more to clinch the World Series. Do what they have been doing, and the series won't need to return to Boston for games 6 and 7.

[Trumo]

Dodgers win 3-2 in game 3 with a walk-off home run after an epic 18 innings. It's the longest World Series match ever and lasted over 7 hours.

[Trumo]

Red Sox recovered from a 4-0 deficit to win game 4 by 9-6, and they lead the World Series 3-1 now. One win away from winning the title. To win this game from such a deficit (Dodgers had won all their previous 54 games this season after leading 4-0), and after the heartbreak of the previous 18-inning marathon, takes guts. The mental pressure is right back on the Dodgers because they have to win all the games now, and only the next one is at home.

[neko]

nice work with the game summaries, Trumo.

 

been a great series to watch...love playoff baseball.

[Trumo]

Red Sox have won the 2018 World Series.

 

The beat the Dodgers 5-1 in game 5, to win 4-1 in the best-of-7 Fall Classic. It's the 4th World Series win under FSG, more than any other team since 2002 when they took over the Red Sox.

 

Fully deserved too because they had by far the best record in the regular season, and they lost only 3 games in the post-season. It wouldn't be wrong to claim it as their best season ever because they won more games than ever before.

 

Under FSG, it's also the 3rd time they've won it with a manager in his first year in the job. Terry Francona went on to win a second in 2007, but John Farrell won it in 2013 in his first year and now Alex Cora has done it. Maybe John Henry should fire him now!

[Trumo]

Red Sox are taking on the Yankees in the first of the 2-game 'London Series' at the London Stadium. It's been an explosive start and both starting pitchers have badly struggled in strange surroundings. Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello has already been subbed after haemorrhaging 6 runs for only 1 out. And now Yankees' SP Masahiro Tanaka has just been hauled off after allowing 6 runs for just the 2 outs.

 

I say explosive start, replace that with 'batshit crazy'. Both teams' line-ups have had at least 1 at-bat in the 1st inning, and it's finished 6-6. The relief pitchers are already in and there are still a minimum 8 innings to go!

 

Boston have been pretty shit this year after being by far the best side last year, having largely stuck with the same players as last year without refreshing the roster. There's a lesson there for FSG not to rest on their laurels because everyone else will undoubtedly strengthen. It's not as though they had the most complete squad last year either, just an awful lot of players in tip-top form.

[Trumo]

Just finished the first 5 innings and the Yankees have a 17-6 lead!

[Trumo]

Mental game, finished 17-13 to the Yankees. But Red Sox had bases loaded in the 8th and were one home run away from tying it up there and then. The game was less about the hitting (and there was a LOT of it from both sides) and more about the pitchers struggling with the fact they were playing in a completely different stadium - one that wasn't designed for baseball. Porcello and Tanaka just never got going. Most of these guys will be playing again tomorrow and they'll be knackered!

[Dougie Do'ins]

Tyler Skaggs: Los Angeles Angels pitcher dies aged 27

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48834693

[Trumo]

The top two sides in the American League (Houston Astros and the Yankees) will face off in the ALCS for a place in the World Series. The top two sides in the National League (LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves) both got knocked out in the NLDS by the Washington Nationals and St Louis Cardinals respectively. St Louis historically have a very good record in the play-offs whereas the Nationals are one of two MLB teams (the other being Seattle Mariners) never to reach a World Series. That could change this year.

 

Both match-ups are very close to call, but on paper this year's World Series ought to be heading for either Houston or New York. Houston have been the most consistent AL side of the past few years whereas the Yankees can run away with games if they get their batters firing and their pitchers staying in control.

 

Red Sox were fucking shit this year. Batting wasn't to much of a problem but they kept haemorrhaging runs thanks to inconsistent and out-of-form pitching. They also lost more games than they won at Fenway, and lost 24 more regular season games than last year. They now have to decide if they can afford to keep some of their star players because their payroll is currently the highest in MLB and they've very few prospects in their farm system.

[Trumo]

Seattle Mariners are now the only current MLB team never to reach a World Series, after the Nationals thrashed the Cardinals 4-0 to win the NLCS. Astros are 2-1 up on the Yankees in the ALCS.

 

The Nationals have done way better than expected this year considering they let one of their star players (Bryce Harper) leave before the start of the season. The other big name (pitcher Max Scherzer) is still there and finally returns to the big stage.

[sir roger]

Any team that names themselves after the dog from the Jetsons gets my vote , so 'Go Houston' - waves foam hand.

 

Mate is fuming about a BBC article stating that Red Sox players well out-earn Liverpool players without mentioning that they play up to 162 games per season.

[Trumo]

Nationals go 2-0 up on Astros in Houston, and now have a (possible) 3-game spell back in Washington in which to clinch a maiden World Series. Scherzer and Strasburg have got the better of Cole and Verlander in the battle of the elite pitchers, and now that National League rules will apply for these next 2-3 games (Washington only need 2 more wins as it's best-of-7), the advantage is very much with the team from the capital.

[Trumo]

Astros have levelled the series 2-2 in Washington. One more game in the capital and the series will now definitely head back to Houston for at least one more game. A win for either side in game 5 will leave the other having to win game 6 to take the series to a decider.

[Trumo]

Astros take a 3-2 lead heading back to Houston. So far, the away team is dominating matches so if that were to continue, then the Nationals will win it.

[Scooby Dudek]

20 minutes ago, Trumo said:

Astros take a 3-2 lead heading back to Houston. So far, the away team is dominating matches so if that were to continue, then the Nationals will win it.

For various reasons I have not followed at all this season. 

Normal home field is an advantage, were the Astros and Nationals good at home during the season and the series an anomaly or was this expected ? 

[Trumo]

Astros had both the best home record and the best overall record out of everybody in the regular season, so going to form you'd think they would dominate at home. Nationals got through as a wild card from the NL. Post-season pressure does funny things to teams though. Astros should be favourites now (if they weren't already) as they have experience of winning it all 2 years ago.

[Scooby Dudek]

Cheers

 

[polymerpunkah]

I don't watch the regular season, as baseball is too damn dull.

 

But the play-offs are pretty good entertainment, year in year out.

 

Martinez doing his best Earle Weaver impression there. Good stuff.

[Allan]

All square in the series.

 

Winner takes all tomorrow!

[Trumo]

Given that it's been all away wins so for, that stacks the odds in favour of the Nationals. They seem to be coping very well with using a DH while the Astros took to using the SP in the batting line-up like a duck to water.

[Jenson]

Has there ever been a world series that has gone 4-3 with all away wins?