The MLB Thread

[TheHowieLama]

Red Sox -- Pumpkin Eaters.

 

 

[Trumo]

2017 World Series champions the Houston Astros have fired their general manager Jeff Luhnow and team manager AJ Hinch in the aftermath of the sign-stealing scandal. Both had been handed a one-year suspension by MLB prior to being fired by the Astros' owner Jim Crane. Sign stealing (not literally stealing signs!) is when opposition try to interpret the hand signals given by coaching staff during play. It has always gone on in some form, but not to the systematic extent it's been alleged to have happened at the Astros, where they'd apparently (and stealthily) placed cameras around the field to record the signs as they were being given by the opposition and relay the info to the coaching staff during play using small flashing lights, hitting trash cans etc. The Astros' batters had a better idea of the type of pitch they were likely to face, so stood a better chance of hitting it.

 

Red Sox team manager Alex Cora is in deep shit over this too, as he was reportedly a key protagonist of the sign stealing thing when on the Astros coaching staff in 2017. Cora is likely to be suspended and then fired too.

[Trumo]

Cora and the Red Sox have 'mutually agreed' to part ways.

[Trumo]

It will be Tampa Bay Rays vs LA Dodgers in the World Series.

 

It's been a truncated season and the play-offs have been organised in a similar way to last season's Champions League knockouts, using a few stadiums to minimise travel. All the World Series games will take place at Texas Rangers' stadium in Arlington. Rays have been a surprise package this season. They put out the Houston Astros in the ALCS which went all the way in a best-of-7. The Astros have been the AL's most consistent team over the past few years but the Rays had the best record in the AL this season. The Dodgers also came through a best-of-7 against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. The Dodgers have been the most consistent team in the NL over the past few seasons and have lost the World Series twice in that time. They've had the best record in MLB this season and need to finally make it count by winning the big one.

[Allan]

8 hours ago, Trumo said:

It will be Tampa Bay Rays vs LA Dodgers in the World Series.

 

It's been a truncated season and the play-offs have been organised in a similar way to last season's Champions League knockouts, using a few stadiums to minimise travel. All the World Series games will take place at Texas Rangers' stadium in Arlington. Rays have been a surprise package this season. They put out the Houston Astros in the ALCS which went all the way in a best-of-7. The Astros have been the AL's most consistent team over the past few years but the Rays had the best record in the AL this season. The Dodgers also came through a best-of-7 against the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. The Dodgers have been the most consistent team in the NL over the past few seasons and have lost the World Series twice in that time. They've had the best record in MLB this season and need to finally make it count by winning the big one.

The Astros progressed to the playoffs after playing less than 500 ball during the truncated regular season (29-31 record). Their previous winning seasons in 2018 & 2017 are tainted as they were cheating throughout those seasons and were found guilty of doing so. (MLB found no evidence of foul play in the 2019 season).

 

The Rays on the other hand dominated the AL this year (40-20 record - Only the Dodgers had a better record in all of baseball), and won 96 & 90 games in the previous seasons (2019 & 2018 respectively), so calling them a surprise package is clearly doing them a disservice.

The Rays are an excellent team, but as they are such a small market team, especially when compared against their AL East rivals, folk seem to automatically think that they are a plucky underdog, when in fact they have exceptional pitching and have a number of dangerous hitters in their ranks.

 

The other thing to consider with regard to this season, is that the Eastern Divisions have better teams this year than the Western Divisions. Both the AL & NL East have been far more competitive than the AL & NL West.

 

As good as the Dodgers are and have been this season, they've only had the Padres & A's to a lesser extent to give them any competition during the regular season.

 

The Rays on the other hand had the Blue Jays & Yankees in the AL, as well as the Braves & Marlins to a lesser extent in the NL to contend with.

 

As for the World Series itself, it's really tight to call in my opinion, as both teams are the best in their respective leagues. 

 

For me, the Rays have the better rotation, while both teams have really deep bullpens. The Dodgers do bat deeper and really make teams work for their outs, but the Rays have some really good hitters too that can change a game with one swing of the bat.

[Trumo]

The Dodgers won the World Series, winning 4-2 against the Rays. It's their first World Series since 1988, having already come close twice in the last 3 years. Mookie Betts, with his game-winning runs in that last game, has already begun repaying a hefty chunk of the massive contract the Dodgers gave him.

[Scooby Dudek]

Youtube has a live game on now;

 

Tampa Bay at Boston. 

 

 

I think youtube may have a "game of the week" on live every week

 

 

 

 

EDIT:

 

https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/youtube-mlb-games-free-streaming-worldwide-1234931434/

 

Major League Baseball and YouTube announced a renewal of their global pact for live baseball broadcasts, with the internet video giant set to stream 21 games — for free — over the course of the 2021 regular season.

 

This year, the “MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube” will premiere April 7 at 1 p.m. ET, with the defending American League champion Tampa Bay Rays facing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Additional upcoming games include the L.A. Angels vs. Houston Astros (April 22 at 8 p.m. ET) and the Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians (April 28 at 1 p.m. ET). Future matchups will be announced as the schedules are set throughout the season.