2017 World Series: Astros v Dodgers

I'm fine with either team winning really, but bcz their haters are particularly annoying I'm behind Kershaw and Puig especially. Expect 6 or 7 games, I'd put the Dodgers at 53-54% to take it.

Except for Justin Turner's hair, there's nothing about the Dodgers I don't like--Kershaw and Jensen are the best, Puig is fascinating, and they were a great (and weird) story this year. But I'll be rooting for the Astros; their blow-it-up plan actually worked, and right on--even ahead of--schedule. (On the Toronto call-in station, the same idea was tossed around all year for the Blue Jays. Which is funny, because no one in Toronto would have the patience to endure two or three 100-loss seasons.) And I literally love that Jose Altuve literally loves Justin Verlander.

Jansen...

Meant to link to this: why the Astros winning would make it a "Happy Year."

https://www.billjamesonline.com/the_happy_years/

this piece is interesting:

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21121265/dodgers-dream-season-turn-nightmare-astros

What we can say is that great hitting teams beat great pitching teams, unless they don't. We also can say that so far in this postseason, the Astros' offense has looked beatable at times, while the Dodgers' pitching and defense has more than held up to its regular-season form.

some real bold claims in there

I like Justin Turner's hair and the Houston Astros, I don't really care who wins, I'm just rooting for a Game 7, good luck everyone

voted Dodgers in 5. they're just such a good team front to back. 'Stros lack of middle relief may wind up hurting them.

i like both teams. utley might be the only individual player i actively dislike. probably rooting for the dodgers because fuck texas

i know some good Texans though

otoh fuck Nolan Ryan

dodgers in 5 because i can see Kersh and Hill pitching two amazing games and putting houston in a hole

dodgers in 5 because i can see Kersh and Hill pitching two amazing games and putting houston in a hole

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

1) I abhor minute made's outfield

2) Altuve owns

That's about the extent of my opinions

Oh Puig obv owns as well

Can't recall liking both teams this much. Bonus that either Granderson or Verlander will get a ring.

Astros in 6.

Bonus that either Granderson or Verlander will get a ring.

and beltran

I had forgotten Granderson didn't join the Yankees til 2010.

Top Win-Loss records, regular season, 2010 through 2017:
Dodgers 721-574
Cardinals 720-576
Yankees 718-578

Worst Win-Loss records, regular season, 2010 through 2017:
Marlins 587-708
Twins 586-710
Astros 579-717

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21130807/why-dominant-dodgers-actually-world-series-underdogs

sam miller strikes again

Lindbergh: bad Game 1 matchup?

https://www.theringer.com/mlb/2017/10/24/16533310/houston-astros-los-angeles-dodgers-dallas-keuchel-kryptonite

grandy is not on the dodgers roster ;_;

I went to the great satan and got an HD antenna for the series and will take it back after.

congratulations on not living in a megalopolitan backwater where such an antenna does nothing

Thank you very much.

With Granderson off LA's roster, only 3 active players in this WS will have appeared in one before (JV, Beltran, Utley). Least since 1906!

— Cliff Corcoran (@CliffCorcoran) October 24, 2017

104 toasty degrees in LA

Going Dodgers in 6 mostly as a function of them having HFA. Im slightly worried these games will be 20+ k snooze fests but its 4000 degrees in LA so the ball will be jumping.

I think Houston in 6

voted astros in 7, just because that's what i want. i'd prefer the astros but i like several individual players on each team and hope that they all get their chance to shine

yeah I'm a savage dodgers homer and I would be ok if houston won.. its just nice to finally have the two best teams actually play each other where HFA was earned and not handed out in a fucking exhibition.

I noticed tickets for game 3 in houston are like $300 cheaper than the games in LA..

well, Friday night lights

Clayton Kershaw, when asked if the depth of his slider has been changing: "I don't know what analytics group you work for, but, no."

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) October 23, 2017

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

a comfortable 103 degrees in LA tonight.

kershaw is celebrating this event by wearing his special hat that has literal shit smeared all over the back of it

Puig at clean-up, nice.

Whoa...

this is a seemingly comfortable 1-0 lead...

seemingly as i said

I should never say this--I stopped three or four Jays games cold this year when I did--but god, this is moving fast.

Larry King's visibility behind home sends ratings plunging

If dust doesn't fly, it's a strike tonight

My big beard is gnarlier than your big beard.

Turner certainly overcame that shitty strike 2 call

what is this TAKE17 crap btw? am i missing some secret pun?

And again!

5-second commercials between batters, fuuuuuuuu

Anyone know where you can watch this online, for free?

pulling kershaw might be controversial. i think either decision was fine probably

I can't imagine anyone being happy to see Kenley Jansen.

he looks so bored on the mound

shortest WS game in a quarter-century

2 hours and 28 minutes!

That’s the first game I’ve ever listened to on the radio. It was good!

Consider yourself lucky not to have to listen to Gregg Zaun. Game's over, and he's still going on and on second-guessing Kershaw on the HR he gave up to Bregman.

Hey cool the game was fast.

Meant to link to this: why the Astros winning would make it a "Happy Year."

https://www.billjamesonline.com/the_happy_years/

― clemenza, Monday, October 23, 2017 1:50 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm trying to figure this out... i think bill did his own calculation wrong for the astros? i'm getting 169.

a. 55 years, no WS = 110
b. 12 years since 2005 = 12
c. 19 + 9 + 8 + 5 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 47

this leaves 43 extra points he's throwing in. looks like he's forgetting they made it to the WS in 2005, which would account for it exactly (weird, because he specifically mentions it).

I think you're right. Cleveland and LA probably should score higher then the Astros.

Voted Dodgers in six.

(mostly lurking here cause I'm only renewing my interest in the game)

(xposts) I didn't look at the numbers, but I'm sure you're right, he probably miscalculated. I think he said something about incorporating an adjustment for things like the flood Houston just went through--not sure if that figured in.

I'm sure it's a regular thing if you follow the Dodgers throughout the year, but thought it was pretty great watching Kershaw with Koufax in the stands. The cutaways to Lady Gaga, they didn't resonate the same way.

Astros last night didn't look like a team that had a chance to win a single game in this series, but that might just be Kershaw being Kershaw. The movement on those pitches!

yea kersh was nasty, so in control & working quickly

turner is also just a marvel rn

too bad Kershaw didn't get extra rest tho, given his postseason history

Such a ridiculous (as Bouton once called them) second-guess first-guess. Kershaw could've had six more lousy-to-mediocre post-season starts, and if he'd pitched well the next time out, you would have been there with your line all ready. Starting him in game #2 would have worked out fine; if the Dodgers are going to win, they're going to win. But again, this is a team that won 104 games with Kershaw out for many weeks; they do not live and die with Kershaw.

funniest trivial fillip of the night: Turner's bald spot

Haaa, I noticed that. Overcompensating much...

Norman Lloyd, the Hitchcock/Welles/Chaplin/St Elsewhere actor and Dodger fan since the '20s, will be at tonight's game. He's almost 103. Please hydrate, Norman!

On Saturday, Oct. 2, 1926, Babe Ruth slid into second base in the third inning of the first game of the World Series -- and ripped the seat of his pants.

In the Yankee Stadium bleachers, an 11-year-old boy attending his first major league game, burst into laughter. "We roared! The little trainer, Doc Woods, raced out with a needle and thread, and the Babe just stood there grinning while they stitched up his trousers right on the field!"

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21145911/a-boy-return-world-series-91-years-later

It took Los Angeles just 107 pitches to face 30 batters. Usually, when you see low pitch counts and quick innings, it’s because a team was overly aggressive, swinging at pitches early in counts and making quick outs. In Game 1, though, the Astros seemingly made it easy on the Dodgers by just not swinging at strikes.

Obviously, there’s no great gameplan for Kershaw, Morrow, and Jansen. You’re going to lose most nights you face those guys. Kershaw’s the best pitcher alive. Jansen might be the best reliever alive now. Morrow has turned into a dominant reliever pumping 100 mph gas. I don’t want to suggest that the Astros’ failure was simply because they had a poor approach: those guys dominate regardless of what their opponents try.

But, with all due respect to the Dodgers for executing, I have to say that I don’t really know why the Astros hitters decided to take so many pitches down the middle.

On the night, Houston took 27 called strikes. One out of every four pitches prompted umpire Phil Cuzzi to his right arm. And most of them weren’t exactly controversial calls....

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-astros-bewildering-offensive-approach/

Good old Vin.

Don't know that I've ever seen a ball bounce off an outfielder's hat like that...Verlander looked shocked when he realized he got that bunt down.

Altuve looked lost to Hill.

taylor's hat might have saved a run there, because if it gets by it probably goes all the way to the wall?

Certainly saved his vision.

hell of a try on that bunt from hill

They must be using the real detailed cameras as the slow motion replays have been really, really good.

i assume Vin did the ceremonial pitch

i fear that's it for Hill the Conqueror

hill is hell on righties when he looks like this i get it

why the hell is Utley starting at second

They did a routine. Vin came out (with a mic) to throw the pitch, called for a catcher and Yeager came out. Then he started a windup and pretended his shoulder hurt, so he called for a lefty to help him out, and Valenzuela came out and threw it.

great, esp if Lasorda wasn't involved

I think Hank Aaron is 83, and hence appears to be shrinking

Yasiel is
a batlicker
now-ow-ow

man, that pitch stayed up

yung joc

JV was cruising maybe moreso than Kershaw last night before the solo HR

Loving these action-blocking digital ads.

niiiice

well that makes whether to hit for Verlander now less debatable

if the Dodgers win with 2 homers their only hits, Ford Frick nominee Joe Morgan will be left muttering "Manufacture runs... manufacture... postseason..."

well that was a second-guessable relief choice

Pete Reiser only Dodger younger than Seager to hit a WS HR

i predict bellinger gets there at some point

i bet Norman Lloyd, sitting in the LF stands tonight, saw Reiser

I'm watching the Buck Martinez feed. When his partner (can't remember his name) said that 82% of teams that win Game 2 go on to win the Series, made me think of this funny Posnanski piece from a couple of weeks ago:

http://joeposnanski.com/marvelous-sounding-stats/

when did they switch Gurriel off third this year? he was my reverse-fantasy 3b

always thought it was weird that they signed him when they already has altuve and correa and bregman (who was drafted as a shortstop)

damn, Puig almost like a mirror image of Sandy Amoros '55 there

http://goldenrankings.com/Baseball%20Pictures%202/Ultimate%20Games/1955%20World%20Series/AmorosCatch.jpg

nice

Holy cow!

Wow...they cracked Jansen. Is it me or his fastball a tick or so slower?

that was like 3 inches away from being foul too

besides, who doesn't love a walk off

you can't predict baseball

the dreaded 6-out save

i never got that. i mean, i get using your best bullpen arm and trying to get the most out of them... but ffs, if the guy almost never does this - why would you expect everything to go well? it worked out with Miller last year iirc, but feels like something that's bound to blow up in your face.

Geez, I thought that was gone.

it's done a lot in the PS. it often works. xp

well here we go, gonna keep Norman Lloyd and caek up til midnight PT

I guess you could make the point that Miller being a setup guy most of his career, really it wasn't that big a change. Jansen is like Chapman in that he has pretty much only been a ninth inning or bust guy.

It seemed though that he was throwing 93-95 on the old radar guns which seem to measure a couple miles slower than the ones now.

Then again, the Astros got some good hitters and they got a single up the middle and connected on a fastball. It happens.

and don't get Goose Gossage started on when relief aces THREW 3 INNINGS LIKE MEN

ALTUVE

TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVES

YES YES YES

wow...

WWHAAAAATTTT

oh my god

also correa

Man, that was great.

I love these Astros so freaking much.

wow (the sequel)...

VHS: Do you literally love them, Altuve-style, or just regular love them?

what just happened (after the HRs)?

I think a dude ran on the field.

well i hope Norman Lloyd has tix for Game 6

radio team doesn't know what cops/fracas in Houston bullpen is all about

wow, crazy ~momentum~ shifter, this game

It's probably a White Sox fan.

PUUUUIG

Giles sat too long, say the living-room managers

3 LA hits, all HRs

i kind of wanted the dodgers to win this game just so yasi wouldn't feel bad about the missed catch

he should get angry more often, holy hell

Not going to be surprised if Puig ends up putting up a really huge year sometime soon (he's quite good now). He has shown some really great strike zone command in the playoffs.

Bregman is the guy I could see having a big breakout for the Astros down the line, he's a good player.

not the best day to stop nail bitting habit.

ken giles has a terrifying mouth

Giles went "I WANT YOUR SOUL" there for a couple seconds.

WWWWWOWOWOWOWOOWW

ahhhhhhhh awesome

You may not be seeing a lot of Mr. Giles for the rest of this Series.

Such a boring sport.

yowza...

oh dear.

Wow Giles is trash

Giles is looking a bit Astros Brad Lidge with the dirty beard and all.

so crazy

esp leaving Giles in after the walk, even w/ Kike's lousy splits vs righties

lol Puig's reaction

You may not be seeing Mr. Giles throwing 30something pitches in a game again

who the fuck else you got?

Starters!

Clip of the year.

ref saves the day

“First, I’m gonna drill Laz.”

since when is cam maybin an astro

Hinch should've had guys ready at the start of the inning

Laz Diaz with the save

devenski isn't really hitting his targets huh

lmao

well the Dodgers have ruined their H/HR ratio

this game is an instant classic imo

both teams are so good and so stacked with fun players to watch

puig celebrates like a soccer player. i love him.

Verlander with the skip bayless approved leadership.

What the heck was that thing with Verlander, I'm listening to tunes with the sound muted?

McCarthy’s wind-up wasn’t always like...that, was it?

Verlander was telling everybody to stop puking in his front yard, it's been twice this week now and he's sick of connecting the nose in the mornings to wash it off

fuck yeah Springer

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

This has been a crazy game.

this is the most exciting Astros game in like 31 years

who is in astros bullpen i think i missed it

or they are bringing Devenski back?

I think they got Joe Sambito and Charlie Kerfeld left.

I was thinking this series was going to be all pitching midway, suddenly 2017 has taken over.

i feel a little sorry for McCarthy

still must be around 88 F in Chavez ravine, hence da ball flies

This game ...

I remember reading that the Cardinals were the only team in WS history to score in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th innings in that crazy G6 in 2011. The Astros have done the same in this game.

this is the most exciting Astros game in like 31 years

well given that they got swept in their last WS, yeah

that springer hit would not have been a HR in 2014 lol

btw

Some fan helping the @astros warm up. @Dodgers #WorldSeries2017 pic.twitter.com/pwsT5o3YI3

— Hershel (@Hershel) October 26, 2017

Astros will probably score in the 12th too

To be fair, you get to the 9th pitcher in game, you are not coming up with something great which is where the Dodgers are at this point. Houston is only going to be going to pitcher #6...so we will see how deep their bullpen REALLY is.

LADs

some nights, legends are born
and on this night, a legend is born
tonight, a legend is born
and so a new legend is born
you gotta stay hydrated and drink gatorade
a legend was born tonight
cameron maybin stole a taco for America
#stealataco

#astros

Travis Wood theoretically available for the 12th if they tie it again!

lol estela

LADs!

7 HRs in the game too. That's gotta be approaching a WS record.

obv we're all rooting for the astros obv obv but would anyone really be mad if yasi hit a grand slam here no

very inspiring Karl, on a par with

Now, our pitching staff's composed of guys who think they're 'pretty cool,'
With a case of Scotch, a greenie and an old beat-up whirlpool,
We'll make the other hitters laugh,
Then calmly break their bats in half,
It makes a fellow proud to be an Astro.

i'm not really rooting Astros, i just wanna see 5 more innings from Mr Giles

a walk is worse than a double

bring back joe morgan please

ouf that 1-1 was borderline

tonight we are ALL proud to be an Astro!

lmao

This is insane.

let's go puig again

what the fuck

please do it Puig

http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/73229/73229-10Fr.jpg
http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/8576/8576-12Fr.jpg

year of the dinger

oh shite...home run derby

this is on par with game 7 of the last season's world series.

It reminding me of that crazy game the Rangers/Cardinals played a few years back.

"Please swing at my dumb junk or call a border line called strike three, I don't want to be a goat."

Puig had a good one there.

Uhhh ok Puig was out there

As 8-HR games go, a low-scoring affair.

ASTROS! YES!

what a game

wow... swung at ball four.

Cray crazy game.

that was amazing

as i'm sure most of you saw, 8 HR is the new WS record

and i hope Norman Lloyd still lives

good night!

8 HRs is in fact the new WS record.

I think even Tony LaRussa is sitting somewhere saying "I think they overmanaged their bullpens just a bit tonight".

Such a great game, such a great at bat to end it

17 extra inning HRs in all of WS history before tonight.

There were five in this game alone.

Whoa...

re the extreme heat affecting the balls' flight (was it under 88 F by game's end?), according to someone on the Effectively Wild FB page, the Statcast probability % of the home runs were 52, 69, 81, 81, 82, 79, 66, and 22.

(where does one look that shit up, anyway?)

if not for Game 7 last year I'd say without a doubt that was the best WS game I've ever seen, but...man IDK anymore

baseball has had some great playoff drama the last five years

so i guess it was a mistake to go to bed after the back-to-back homers

ooof

In fairness, a lot of the rollercoaster excitement in recent WS = crap relief pitching

World Series with the most individual players homering:
1. 1953 (13)
2. 1955 (12)
2. 2001
2. 1989
5. 2017 (11)

— Sam Miller (@SamMillerBB) October 26, 2017

i like both teams. utley might be the only individual player i actively dislike. probably rooting for the dodgers because fuck texas

― mookieproof, Monday, October 23, 2017 2:31 PM (three days ago)

why do you dislike utley? the slide?

http://www.wetookthebait.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/slickrick.jpg

wait so why do you dislike utley?

Pasadena is always trouble

http://www.tmz.com/2017/10/26/astros-a-j-hinch-hotel-bar-fight-police/

yeah best to stay away from there imo

some combination of the slide, the hair, the soul patch, seems like a red-ass, and Philadelphia. don't like hamels either.

utley was funny when he got booed at the yankee stadium asg tho

AJ denial

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21173213/2017-world-series-aj-hinch-houston-astros-refutes-report-hotel-altercation

3rd straight fri night home game in Houston, this must be wreaking havoc on hs football

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dodgers-darvish-20171026-story.html

some great quotes from Yu Darvish here

“You can leave your mark in history, but once you’re dead it doesn’t matter, so I don’t really think about that,” he said.

^Kubrickian

got a haircut today but didn't have the guts to ask for a "Gurriel"

yogiesque!

What is a red-ass? Hate Chase; perturbed about Granderson not being included. Slight edge to the Dodgers but happy with either team winning at this point.

I wonder if anybody still sings "It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be an Astro" on the team bus anymore. (There's no team bus? Okay, never mind.)

Virginia:

https://books.google.com/books?id=ceeU7xSLw5kC&pg=PA694&lpg=PA694&dq=red-ass+baseball+dictionary&source=bl&ots=7UIrzITrM2&sig=X_8wfziLg-t9GA4SZ_IEOkMoW0A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjntuCshZLXAhVE4YMKHQaEBdIQ6AEIOjAD#v=onepage&q=red-ass%20baseball%20dictionary&f=false

I think of Paul O'Neill as a typical red-ass, not Utley

eff football btw

how many of those 12 McCullers pitchers were curveballs?

Springer catch very Tommie Agee 1969 style

Think he threw more fastballs that inning

could the Altuve fly have gone out Wednesday?

prepare the hook for Yu

calvin coolodge quote goes here

home cookin'

i don't give a damn about '3 games in a row bullpen strategy,' John Schmutz, you can't surrender a WS game, and it'll probably be 4-0 in a minute or two.

"The business of America is business," mook?

home cookin' is mostly for other sports, don't listen to Joe Suck

Astros will win 17-1 and at least one writer will point to the second inning, when Puig refused to hit the cutoff, as the turning point.

Bye bye Yu

about 3 batters too late, Mr Roberts

I'm rooting for the commercial breaks

Here is how hard the Astros hit Yu Darvish in the second, in mph: 104, 86, 99, 75, 105, 103, 108. Five 99-mph-plus in one inning is obscene.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 28, 2017

McCullers not replicating that ALCSG7 magic

He can't define it, but he knows it when he sees it. xp

oh man, slam upcoming

man, worst possible outcome for LA there

when did mitch mcconnell become the astros pitching coach

ok,a TP wd've been worse, but Bill Wambsganss is dead

http://www.tradingcarddb.com/Images/Cards/Baseball/62139/62139-384Fr.jpg

why isn't MLB in charge of the Houston roof decision?

why wasn't mlb in charge of the metrodome's air conditioning

good question

1:25 to play the first three

The kids at the bar say Shohei Otani is the future of the MLB.

i hereby grant mlb control over my dishwasher, i am sick of loading and unloading it.

wow puig fucked that up

are these kids baseball bloggers?

Astros will win 17-1 and at least one writer will point to the second fourth inning, when Puig refused to hit the cutoff TOOTBLAN'd, as the turning point.

hey look, joc pederson can slide and stay on the bag

it's against the laws of physics

this is not okay https://t.co/jdc0dVE2g9

— keithlaw (@keithlaw) October 28, 2017

yeah that sucks

i find it unsurprising tho

Cue Andy K.

i'm having the time of my life

bottom line: FUCK the Dodgers!

they need to cash in a leadoff walk

NITTOTIRE.COM

yessss

:rolleyes:

all at Dr Morbius

with some love, but really the Dodgers?

well i can't root for that racist Gurriel

or the Bushes' favorite team

"they do all 16 dances"

Churtis Graberson

Chris Taylor is very gritty. Wow.

Man

I haven't seen anyone do that slant-eye thing in 20 years holy shit

PEACOCK

In 2014, Gurriel was playing ball in the Japan League while Darvish was in his 3rd season in the MLB:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=3f6257b5

Utley is as valuable as a stiff, mildewed towel in the corner of an abandoned garage.

pad breacock

xpost

but there will be a time when you might need that towel. a real tough time that will be difficult to talk about afterward.

A stiffer towel

the towel that required a towel after using it

the towel that led to the shower, a shocking role reversal in the bathroom world

but you might still need that towel, any towel (utley)

sorry i got wrapped up in that dirty towel story

Crashed after work and missed tonight's game, seems like I missed something with a towel. Somehow I picture Jerry Tarkanian chewing on a towel on the sideline.

https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://img.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_908w/2010-2019/Wires/Images/2015-02-11/AP/Obit_Tarkanian_Basketball-08ee8.jpg&w=480

eww

Yeah it is kinda weird and the guy did it for a couple decades.

do not speak of other sports' we're in the baseball business

"potential discipline"

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21189685/houston-astros-yuli-gurriel-apparently-mocks-los-angeles-dodgers-yu-darvish

As you may have seen, Game 2 was the 15th most exciting WS game by this measure:

http://www.thebaseballgauge.com/post.php?tab=all_games&first=min&last=max&round=WS&gm=All&BestOf=All&invTm=All&awTm=All&hmTm=All&park=All&inning=All&WPA=game&results=100&page=1&sort=tWPA_a#metric

who could ever forget the all time classic game 3 of the 2005 world series, featuring 14th inning heroes Geoff Blum and Chris Widger

pretty sure white sox fans have no idea who those guys are

full Yankeedom

dear god they released an eagle on the field

— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) October 28, 2017

pretty sure Manfred has to suspend Gurriel for tonight or the next two WS games, but i could be wrong

delaying til next year would practically be condoning this

no way does he get more than one game

terrible copout, jeez

wow fuck this

How does that even make sense?! It was offense and worthy of a suspension - just now now, cuz these games are too important? Fuck

How does that even make sense?! It was offensive and worthy of a suspension - just not now, cuz these games are too important? Fuck

i don't know what the ramifications are with the union-- manfred may not have been able to instantly suspend gurriel without an appeal process. i suspect that the five games next year was a compromise to get the appeal waived.

it's still, of course, bullshit. and "He also didn't want to punish the rest of the Astros players for the behavior of one individual" is a terrible rationale. had gurriel instead punched an umpire, no one would be worried about 'punishing the other astros'. anyway it's not like they would have had to play without a first baseman; having someone else in the lineup is hardly an unbearable burden

Didn't Charlie Morton used to be kinda rolly polly when he played for the Pirates? He looks really skinny now, but I thought he used to be kinda paunchy.

he does those strds that make your arms lanky so you throw harder

Saw him pitch against the Reds a bunch, but I seem to remember him being a bigger dude.

Searching google Charlie Morton Pirates...kinda looks like he used to favor a baggy uniform and might have been a bit thicker.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=921&bih=1032&ei=5y_1WdGnDYzemwGY_qaYCQ&q=charlie+morton+pirates&oq=charlie+morton+pirates&gs_l=img.3..0i24k1.2232.4906.0.5030.22.17.0.0.0.0.262.2035.2j9j2.13.0....0...1.1.64.img..9.13.2032...0j0i30k1.0.5O8WZL2AESY

Dude has had some nasty movement his last couple of starts. Got to go later in this game since Lance M. got moved to the rotation.

he always looked like this i think

bellinger may never make contact again

Wood is tossing some nasty stuff to the right handed hitters. Even if they make contact, it's not going anywhere.

Alex Wood, who has pitched just once in 32 days, has not given up a hit, and just three balls have been hit to the outfield

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 29, 2017

every commercial now has to have a weird anonymous cover of a somewhat well known song

That probably hurt, it seemed to hit right on the bone. Got to love an ex-Pirate they love to pitch inside and not afraid to hit someone.

Need a double play ball pretty bad here.

Nice grab

Wow Bregman, hell of a play.

Bregman is probably one of the most impressive players I didn't know going into the post season.

Alex Wood hella impressive as well.

GEORGE!

He hung a fat one for Springer there.

notice the timing of my posts and the actual results.

Looked like it just didn't cut in and held up in the middle but down. Springer kinda golfed it out.

It wasn't a terrible pitch as much as he just struck it perfect. Some dudes can just hit that low one really well. Brandon Phillips is really good at the golf power stroke. Some guys can hit that high pitch.

i have the sound off but feel confident that someone mentioned 'dropping the bat head'

Actually didn't hear it this one, but I have heard that said on that swing before many a time.

That's the thing in baseball, you can make a pretty good pitch, but if the guy guesses right and makes good connection - you are still screwed.

lol Bregman again

It's not quite Brooks Robinson or Craig Nettles, but it's up there in playoff performances.

Houston's infield is pretty impressive with Bregman, Correa and Altuve. I keep thinking a team like them or maybe Boston is going to drop something to the Reds and take Votto.

the Astros' bullpen i swear to the heavens...

keep swearing

Got to wonder why they quit pitching Bellinger inside, he laced those two outside pitches in the last two at bats.

aaaaaaaaaaalmost

Looks like it is going to be 2-2 going to game 5 unless Jansen melts down.

welp

Clubbed it.

we wanted to make wallpaper cool again

Giles has a 27.00 ERA

The Astros' bullpen is a hot dumpster fire of suck. McCullers and Verlander will have to be Johnson/Schilling in 2001 for them to win the series.

Giles is making Aroldis from last season's WS look like Mariano

Devenski had a decent inning and Peacock will have more availability. Morton will not be starting again and will, at some point, have some availability. I don't know who else they might rely on - maybe Harris and Musgrove can eat up some outs when necessary.

At a poker game, so was only able to half-watch tonight. Looks like we'll get a seventh game. Hoping that Altuve and Correa come up big the rest of the way.

I'm surprised more people aren't criticizing Hinch for pulling Morton when he did, after only 70 something pitches. The new playoff norm (or so it seems) of the last few years only works if you've got a parade of lights out guys in the bullpen you can bring in. Hinch didn't have a single reliever who could have pitched better than Morton in that moment, unless he was already thinking ahead and wanted to save Morton's arm for relief duty later in the series.

bellinger may never make contact again

Nice one, mook! He did say "It's a miracle" after his first hit.

Managed to see all the scoring after a house flood (not mine) last night.

Has anyone written a good "bullshit" piece on Manfred's suspension decision?

https://deadspin.com/report-world-series-baseballs-are-too-slick-to-throw-a-1819951846

wtf

jeez

https://imagesvc.timeincapp.com/v3/mm/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn-s3.si.com%2Fs3fs-public%2F2017%2F10%2F29%2Fbaseballs2-world-series.jpg

thaaaaaat...ain't right

No lie: Gregg Zaun is still going on about Kershaw's pitch selection on the HR he gave up to Bregman. Beyond bizarre.

Yikes.

Meet bad karma, Guriel. Between Kershaw and 30+ pitches for Keuchel, feels like a 6-0 lead.

No! Daylight Savings Time! Missed the first.

Kershaw doesn’t seem to have any problem throwing sliders with the slick ball.

my feed sucks tonight

with HD i get buffering/lagging, SD a series of freeze frames

Well at least the strike zone is bullshit for both sides.

that strike 2 call on puig, wow

Not the guy I wanted to see hit that.

ok, yuli ~~

:/

congrats manfried

Congrats to the mlb for not unfairly disadvantaging for the astros

cool, now gurriel's a hero

"Good pitching always stops good hitting" is taking a bit of a beating this month.

i guess i have to root for the dodgers now?

mchughs gonna give this all back prob

robot umps now, plz

bill miller not great tonight

WELP

lmaoooo

there's your youngest dodger homer

mchugh was hanging every breaking ball that AB

johnny crunch OTM

Mediocre relievers don't stop good hitting, either.

why do we have to listen to Beautiful Day?

good pitching beats good hitting and vice versa

Witt the celebration ultra slo mo and the u2 soundtrack this world series is clearly inspired by British tv football coverage circa 2006

for some reason during that bellinger AB i was thinking intensely about how exciting it must be for mchugh to be pitching in the world series, childhood dreams and all that bullshit. but really roleplaying it hard from the perspective of his old high school pals who he had lost touch with watching the game together in their hometown bar, rooting for him, telling people "hey, that's collin mchugh! hometown hero collin mchugh!", etc. anyway, deep in the middle of that bellinger hit the HR and i saw mchugh's body instantly shudder and the fake hometown bar of my dreams went deadly silent.

i think all of this is happening because i didn't really choose a team to root for. you have to choose, but i tried to "choose" a bullshit desire of general entertainment

marwin

he was a friend of mine

not by much btw

Cody Bellinger (22y 108d)
Pete Reiser (22y 202d)

Reiser (1941 WS) was an excellent player, but his career was curtailed by being a CF who kept running full speed into outfield walls (before they had padding).

I've looked into my heart and realized I'm rooting for the Dodgers now

CK KO

will be well rested for the 6th inning of Game 7 now

wow

Just the guy I wanted to see hit that.

the juiced ball is good

We’re in the bottom of the fifth.

wonder why he didn't trust the slider

"not being able to trust the slider"

lol yeah

yeah Maeda can't go 100% with his slider, the year of the piles on.

what a game!

i am entertained

tee-ball WS

someone explain to caek that it's never like this

Kershaw looks like he’s about to pull a fish fillet out of his jersey and start gnawing on it, Trading Places style.

Ha no I know this is unusually exciting! I mean the tv direction is very euro imo

the year of the dinger* xxxpost

2:35 to play five; we can def break five hours

no, unusually too much power

give me oone fucking 1-0 game

Altuve on pace to match his HR totals from the 2014 season.

i am generally not a huge fan of the reduction of balls in play but at least lots of these home runs have been with guys on base and 2 outs

It's really been the world series of the Three Outcomes.

i

miss

selig

kill

me

now

still think the Dodgers are gonna score 5 more runs before the game is through

We're at 18 HRs? how many individuals?

impressive work walking all these guys with such an enormous strike zone

imo game 6 should be played with hackey sacks or perhaps beach balls

yet another crisis for commissioner Manfred. first pitch of Game 6 is scheduled for twenty minutes from now

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) October 30, 2017

Kinda hilarious that in the age of 12 man pitching staffs, both teams are stretching out their 4th starters in relief (both of whom have been rocked in this game), presumably because they don't have anyone better who can pitch right now.

The walks more than the HRs are pointing me in the direction of "bad pitching"

they're not pitching badly they're just suddenly being forced to throw balls that have been cut off of cup-and-ball games and those are impossible to control

you can still see the string!

I have tom'w off and was thinking I'd go out to a bar after the game. Now I know they'll all be closed.

the football game has ended; we've played six innings

brad peacock is going to be a punchline for eternity

inflated ball joke

Turner might have the sweetest right handed swing I've ever seen.

what the fuck are they bunting for

Lololololololol at bunting in the most homer happy WS ever.

Baldspot Caveman break cardinal rule

well obv runs are hard to come by xxp

what the fuck is george springer doing

you just got peacocked

Springer done bad there

Bellinger's speed is wow. Springer can't catch everything.

lord he wasn't even close to that

They're trading brainfarts now -- Springer never should have dove for that ball.

Especially since the Dodgers still have an actual bullpen they can turn to with a lead.

no way this is over before 1 a.m. ET

I've been rescued from Fox audio bcz the fucking hockey game that was on ESPN Radio-NY is long over.

lol

some incredibly loud homers tonight

man alive

This is ridiculous.

the ball blew up

Is it 103 degrees in Minute Maid? no, every pitcher is gassed

did they double juice the balls for the WS?

morrow never should have faced a third batter

let alone a fourth

lol what is this trash

No way Morrow should have been in there

gross

Other than Houston still having to put pitchers out there, everything going well.

lmao that was like a pop out to the short stop

I know this turned into a softball game two hours ago, but I don't know how they let Morrow face Correa. It was obvious he had less than nothing.

Morrow gave up no homers in the regular season

yeah that last one was almost as cheap as that shit at Yankee Stadium

luv too hit home runs

I'm thinking of starting a poll to predict the final score of this game.

starting to remind me of that 15-14 (?) Toronto-Philly WS game

up to 20 HR for the Series, one behind the record

hard to believe it's only been 20 minutes since dave roberts was playing for one run

morrow shouldn't have pitched to correa but that's also a homer in zero other parks

this game reminds me of college baseball circa the early 2000s before the ncaa made manufacturers change aluminum bats, so many games were 13-10 with like 7 combined homers

tbf it's a homer in boston

boston isn't a real place

fair

the launch angle on correa's homer was 48 degrees!!

love puig but maybe now is a poor time to style yr catches

Reminds me of the Jays-Phillies, also that crazy David Freese Cards-Rangers game.

I think it grazed a cap or two on the way out. xxp

the great thing is that with the travel day tom'w, we'll be seeing all of these meatballers again on Tuesday.

that ball would have hit the wall in boston

waht is nittotire.com and why is it in extreme soda logo from the 90s font

I'm already looking forward to the most exciting and ridiculous Game 7 ever between these two teams, surely it'll come down to Kershaw throwing underhand in the 12th inning of a 10-10 game.

peacock threw 53 pitches two days ago, this is some joe torre/scott proctor shit

Pederson needs to bust it and get to third there

Here's every time that Statcast has tracked a 106 mph / 48 deg ball in 2015-17 (as that HR just was). You've got to be kidding me. pic.twitter.com/EbXqNLSjg6

— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) October 30, 2017

Brent Strom has been on camera more than Reggie Jackson was in '77

good choice

shoulda sent him, Altuve-style

Every Jays fan anxiously awaiting Liriano's moment.

pirates fans even moreso

I know that small ball died with that Dodgers bunt a few innings ago, but don't you have to try to score on the SF there?

i think he’s out by a mile on that SF

that throw was really far up the line

Especially when your next move to help save the season is pinch hitting Andre Ethier.

Xpost

joebuck told a story about the 3B coach yelling 'go' and the runner thinking he said 'no'

got to, Reddick did not get in position to put his full weight behind the throw

McCann off a lefty gotta love it

McCann's very big on the hugs.

so who's pitching the 9th?

nobody warming, so Devenski

no pitchers or hitters, rosie o'donnell's gonna fling koosh balls into the crowd! we all love catching projectiles, which is what baseball is all about

joe buck is reciting this "this is already the longest 9 inning game in WS history" flash card like he's giving a hospital update on a pitcher who got beaned by a comebacker

Just out of curiosity, checked back on the pitch counts for the two games mentioned above. Jays-Phillies in '93, 367 pitches; Cards-Rangers in '11, 383 pitches. They're up to around 350 tonight.

let's just see if this is a 9-inning game

PUUUUIg

What is there left to say?

PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

one handed dingers

how did that get out of the park?

holy shit

one hand, falling over

bleacher drama that was amazing

Liriano is coming in to save a WAS have, I just know it.

WS game

Brilliantly nervy baserunning.

Omg, the most savage thing I’ve ever seen from a #WorldSeries 😳😂 pic.twitter.com/91W9yimWC4

— Spencer Chen (@spencerchen) October 30, 2017

Bregman to shine on last out.

mother of god

lmao

jfc

AHHHHH

that pitch. it was so just so bad. so bad.

I figured if anything, he was going to wild-pitch Taylor home.

cancel breakfast plans

I have no problem imagining Devenski at a Jugaloo festival.

lol

devenski looks like someone

Altuve is going walk it off by homering with the bat between his teeth, I'm sure of it.

Whoooooaaaa

broken bat hr to dead center

Maybe both teams are conspiring to put Bush 41 out of his misery.

what this game needs is a SHUTDOWN INNING

i really hope no one ignored bleacherdrama.mp4 the greatest movie ever

this is gonna start a whole debate about throwing the ball back isn't it

is Keuchel fully rested to pitch in the extra innings?

I seriously recorded the bleacher drama.mp4, although I guess by now someone has giffed it and looped it

not a 9 inning game, manfred breathes a sigh of relief

4:52 to get through nine

jesus, Ethier's in the outfield

all those 9-inning records are safe

JOE BUCK: Welcome to the top of the 47th
[Sun rises]
[Sun keeps getting bigger]
BUCK: yes
[World engulfed by flames]
BUCK: oh god yes

— Justin Klugh (@justin_klugh) October 28, 2015

now more than ever

The balls in my pants have less juice in them then the balls in this game

— Jose Canseco (@JoseCanseco) October 30, 2017

2:35 to play five; we can def break five hours

― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Sunday, October 29, 2017 10:58 PM

irl lols at the two tweets.

it's been over 30 minutes since the last HR

LOL

— MLB (@MLB) October 30, 2017

this is not a game to show to people who aren't baseball fans. this is not normal. this is an unbelievable treat that is only for us fuckers

— Jeff Sullivan (@based_ball) October 30, 2017

kenley jansen looks sorta like waka flocka flame, it's only the eyes and mouth but the eyes and mouth are exact

https://media.giphy.com/media/G4ZNYMQVMH6us/giphy.gif

err not eyes and mouth, eyes and nose lol

BREGMAN!

Jansen had nothing left at the end but it's not like the Dodgers had any better options.

madness

lol that correa reaction

Think I was ready to bail if it had gone to another inning.

Last game in Houston this year, the fans are too exhausted to stay and cheer, they're just meekly filing out.

Verlander to start game 6.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JvQ4urtMnM

remember when they put up the graphic showing kershaw's record with four runs of support?

Clayton Kershaw now has given up more homers than any pitcher in postseason, with 11 of the 12 runs scored off him this postseason is via HR https://t.co/ErFEQBSCh0

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 30, 2017

#6 alltime by win probability variation

The 1924 World Series is the only one other than this year's with 2 games in the top 20. (2017's Game 2 ranks 16th.)https://t.co/ZEI1B3so63

— Ben Lindbergh (@BenLindbergh) October 30, 2017

statcast says taylor should not have tested reddick on that potential sac fly: http://m.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article/260068340/statcast-on-chris-taylor-staying-at-3b-in-8th/

ok, fair nuff

(right now I don't remember many details of any of those 3 high-ranking Mets WS games)

One of the weirder things last night (having nothing to do with last night) was learning that Joey Votto had the second most one-pitch AB in the majors this year.

the articles about the baseballs being slick and hard to pitch and juiced is making these games less fun for me

well, it's obvious that something's not "normal."

nice graph:

https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/so-that-happened/

great job dave

https://deadspin.com/poor-brandon-morrow-never-should-have-been-out-there-1819969612

has anyone ever thrown six worse pitches in a row like that

I mean, during the World Series

WS balls have cores of mood slime that react to stadium emotions, in game 6 dodger stadium is going to come to life and eat san diego

it's good to know that apparently if you hit fireworks with a baseball they just ... explode

has anyone ever thrown six worse pitches in a row like that

I'm biased, but Jiminez vs the Jays in the WC game last year: ball, strike, line drive single, line drive single, walk off three run HR. Five pitches, three runs, L.

SS lead all positions with 15 HR this postseason, smashing the SS record of 10 (2002).

In the entire 1980s, SS hit 13 total postseason HR.

— Andrew Simon (@AndrewSimonMLB) October 30, 2017

that game was stupid glad i knocked off at midnight

Turns out the guy who took the ball from her was her brother-in-law, Kirk Head. Sarah said she knew he was going to take it and throw it back.

Kirk was informed by Yahoo Sports that he’d been turned into a villain on the internet and then asked to defend himself. His defense? “Fuck the Dodgers.”

Before Kershaw gave up the HR last night, I was just coming on to post how unusual it was that someone managed to score a run off him without a HR. As I was typing that up, the gave up the HR and the point seemed moot.

Four of the seven home runs last night (Gurriel's, Springer's, Altuve's, and McCann's) would have been homers in 25 or more of the major league stadiums. Belliner's, Puig's, and Correa's were more Minute Maid home runs.

Bottom of the fifth was so great last night - Dodgers had just responded to the Astros tying it with three runs and the Astros had two outs nobody on and still managed to tie the game again.

Astros' tenth was two out nobody on also.

last 10 WS when team went home down 3-2. 9 Teams forced a Game 7 & 8 Won WS
11STL
02Angel
01Arz
91Twin
87Twin
86 Met
85 Royal
1982 Cards

— Orel Hershiser (@OrelHershiser) October 30, 2017

so who was the team that lost in 6?

Dave Roberts said Halloween does not add to the magnitude of this game.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) October 31, 2017

Rich Hill was very unhappy with Yuli Gurriel's gesture to Yu Darvish in Game 3. Hill stepped off the mound so the fans could boo more.

— Andy McCullough (@McCulloughTimes) November 1, 2017

Garbo talks, Jensen smiles.

I know that anything can happen and predictions are foolish, but I feel like the Astros have to do it tonight. If it goes seven, I just can't see their bullpen protecting a lead of any magnitude tomorrow.

(I know L.A.'s a mess too, but they'd still have Jensen and Kershaw in reserve.)

Whoever's paired with Buck Martinez is under the impression Thurman Munson is in the Hall of Fame.

Morton could finish a game

And Peacock. Maybe not today, maybe tomorrow?

if necessary

Verlander is looking untouchable.

give me oone fucking 1-0 game

― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Sunday, October 29, 2017 10:58 PM (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Could it be?!

Your guess is as good as mine.

Maybe morrow should just pitch every inning

One hell of a ballsy pitching change here. Hill pitched well again like in game 2, but gets lifted early. Morrow is overworked and had nothing his last time out.

Got away with it--the potential mother of all second-guesses.

Rich Hill’s self-control this month has been worthy of a monk.

— Lynn G. Henning (@Lynn_Henning) November 1, 2017

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DNgt4l8VQAAE-e7.jpg

https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0000/103/MI0000103976.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feMvRfOQC50

so wait a starting pitcher is going to be left on the mound after being in trouble? what?

#fisted

thread's getting a lot less action for a potentially deciding game, is everyone still worn out from game 5

i intentionally napped through the first hour

Kershaw is warming in the bullpen according to chatters over at fangraphs.

Hoping Hinch keeps JV on the mound.

Still game five, guys.

Six

lol Andy K

Should’ve let Verlander hit.

Springer could clinch the WS MVP award with a homer.

“Oh, maybe we should have a pinch runner for Gattis.”

Bregman could now clinch the WS MVP with a homer.

Barnes with two catches that quite interested the LA Kings.

Altuve could ... never mind.

That ball got to Turner pretty fast, I'm impressed Altuve made the play as close as it was.

He didn't throw it very well, great play by Bellinger.

Also, enough with U2 please Fox I beg you.

So why did Hinch wait to pinch-run for Gattis? Fisher probably could have made it to third on that #PastADivingSeager.

Did you guys know John Smoltz is a hall of famer?

wtf

He actually thumped his chest rounding the bases.

wtf is that strike 3 call

sounded like a small dog

anyone here

a/s/l

yo

things are bad when you see a routine popup swing and think "is that going out"

There's a distinct possibility that tomorrow will be the craziest game 7 ever.

GAME SEVEN YES

Karma is aligned for Darvish to be the hero tomorrow.

Morrow is overworked and had nothing his last time out.

recency bias :)

this game is going to be 9 hours long y/n?

Kershaw said he can go 27 innings so here's hoping

puig said he's good to throw a few innings too

j0rdan and I were in a midtown sports bar w/ cowboy-hatted Houstonians

sounds like a treat

Team that rode their old school ace lost to team that pulled their starter at 60 pitches, in case a certain broadcaster forgot to tell you.

— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) November 1, 2017

guesswork for tonight's pitching

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/21244843/managing-game-7-most-difficult-coaching-job-sports

I'm staying out of this thread mostly because a) I'm a novice and don't want to say dumb things, and b) due to my timezone I can only watch the games the next morning, but:

Where are you all getting your reading kicks? Morbius' linked ESPN piece is good, and it's been my go to source for the WS, they write good stuff imo. Any vital site I'm missing?

https://www.baseballprospectus.com

Thank you!

and http://www.fangraphs.com/, the other must read imo

it's the one i always go to first, tbh, besides the team-specific blog for my beloved cardinals

Thanks man <3

Don't want to be the annoying new guy (I'll start a thread for that one day that can be easily ignored or something) but this is helpful, I've enjoyed this season in silence so much.

yay new baseball fan :)

srsly :)

I've watched the Dutch team, live, when I was yougn w/ my dad. They're still world top ten imo, but back then MLB was just impossible to watch over here. I'm totally on board now, gobbling up all yr good posts about it :)

honkbal ftw

there's a thread on ILB specifically for asking dumb questions, i have used it several times

the dutch were one of my fav teams in the world baseball classic - didn't realize how many great players they have (and have had) - andrelton simmons, xander, jansen! fuck yeah! also andruw jones and blyleven

This is the thread where we ask stupid questions we should probably know the answer to about baseball, and people answer those questions

just fyi

Honkbal <3

Omg NA thanks for that thread!

And omg KM! That's so cool to read. They've a great team, yeah (though it's mostly Curacao, and I hate Dutch press celebrates them as Dutch when they win, and denounces them not as Dutch but as 'Curacaoans' when we lose... fucking colonialism man). Great bunch of lads though. My faves when I was young were Robert Eenhoorn (Yankees/Angels/Mets), Rikkert Faneyte (Giants, Rangers, Reds) and of course Andruw Jones, who did a lot for the sport o'er here. Jansen doing baseball a huge favor over here right now, too tbh.

LBI, this may be of interest

http://sabr.org/chapters/bert-blyleven-chapter

Thank you, that's very interesting!

welcome LBI! we could use more baseball posters imo

Another baseball and Blue Nile/Buchanan aficionado, awes :)

Both clubhouses very loud, loose before Game 7. Bob Marley's greatest hits in LAD clubhouse; George Springer's 80s mix tape in HOU clubhouse

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 1, 2017

Did Springer's tape include "Tinseltown in the Rain"?

Haha