2019 MLB Thread

[KevShmev]

They did just score a PP goal...

[pg1067]

Can't you do that for every decade??

Pretty much.

2000s:

NBA:  Heat
MLB:  Diamondbacks and Angels (plus the Red Sox and White Sox each won for the first time in forever)
NHL:  Lightning, Hurricanes (Whalers) and Sucks
NFL:  Rams (based on when the game was played; otherwise, this counts for the 90s; first Super Bowl, but won pre-Super Bowl NFL championships), Ravens (original Browns, although they had won pre-Super Bowl NFL championships), Patriots and Buccaneers (4 years in a row)


1990s:

NBA:  Bulls, Rockets and Spurs
MLB:  Blue Jays and Marlins
NHL:  Penguins, Devils, Avalanche (Nordiques) and Stars (North Stars)
NFL:  Broncos


1980s:

NBA:  Pistons
MLB:  Phillies, Royals and Twins
NHL:  Islsanders, Oilers and Flames
NFL:  49ers, Redskins, Bears and Giants (these teams all won their first Super Bowl in the 80s, but all except the 49ers had won pre-Super Bowl NFL championships)

Sems like just another reason to post about the Blues...

Can you blame him?  Had I been posting here in 2012, you can be damn sure I'd have talked about the Kings at every opportunity.   

[KevShmev]

Damn right.

In the meantime, the Nats look to have that team of destiny (if you buy that bull shit ) look about them, especially when you think about how they won the wild card game and then Game 5 against LA.  Houston better win tonight or they can start the bus.

[pg1067]

In the meantime, the Nats look to have that team of destiny (if you buy that bull shit ) look about them, especially when you think about how they won the wild card game and then Game 5 against LA.  Houston better win tonight or they can start the bus.

Yup.  After the Nats won the first two in STL, I said the series was over.  Not prepared to do that for the WS, but I agree that it is over if Washington wins tonight.

It's really not too surprising when you consider that the Nats were the best team in baseball most of the season.  They rebounded from what I think was a 19-31 start with a helluva vengeance.

[KevShmev]

Another 4-hour plus 9-inning game.

The Astros have life, though!

[TAC]

Another 4-hour plus 9-inning game.

That's the best kind!

[DragonAttack]

Baseball is still being played?

Those with basic cable, or no cable, would not know it due to the networks the playoffs have been telecasted on.

And Mister Commissioner wonders why ratings and interest and attendance is down.

The games are mostly on TBS/TNT and Fox Sports 1.  I don't know about FS1, but TBS and TNT are about as "basic" as cable gets.  My wife handles our cable package (Spectrum), so I don't know all the details, but I know for sure it's nothing special, and I get all of these channels (as well as MLB Network).  And folks who don't have cable are either in the stone age or watching nothing but streaming services and don't care.

We 'downsized' our cable three years ago.  We had no ESPNs, no TBS/TNT, or FS1.  Saved us over $100 a month.  For years, my stepdaughter had basic, due to the little time spent at her apartment.  It was the same crappy basic package from another cable 'provider' (she has a Master's and works at the Naval Academy, so I don't think she lives in the stone age )  Last year, we 'upped' our package, but at the same rates as when we downsized.  No idea what changes are in store next summer.

Travelling:  not all hotels have FS1.

For the past two years, there's been no 'free' baseball in Maryland.  No O's games (which might be a blessing...), not even for road games.  They could offer this on the digital antenna channels, but don't.  They could show a Sunday game, but don't.  The same goes for the LCS's.  And, sadly,  there's too many people who simply cannot afford 'quality' cable.  And these are some who are still interested in the game, may go to one or two, and who may have sat down with youngsters to share in the experience to build up their interest.  That's being lost.

[jammindude]

4 games into the World Series and the home team has never won yet?   How often does that happen?

[Dream Team]

Not often. This is turning into a heck of a series.

Road teams won the first five in '96.

[jammindude]

Wait....since when do they not pitch to the intentional walk?

[DragonAttack]

All year.  That's to shorten games.  It's worked.  The WS games are averaging FOUR freakin' hours!!!

[T-ski]

not shocked the Astros have taken back the series, they've been the best team all year for a reason.

[pg1067]

Series where the road team won the first 5 games:  1906 (Cubs v. White Sox), 1996 (Braves v. Yankees) and 2019.

The current IBB rule went into effect in 2017.

What a massive choke job by the Nats (although yesterday can be somewhat forgiven because of the injury to Scherzer).  I may not even watch tomorrow.

[MinistroRaven]

GAME 7 TODAY BABY!!!

[pg1067]

GAME 7 TODAY BABY!!!

Oh yeah!

Hopefully the trend of the road team winning continues.

Justin Verlander is now 0-6 in World Series appearances.  Clayton Kershaw says ouch.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

GAME 7 TODAY BABY!!!

Justin Verlander is now 0-6 in World Series appearances.  Clayton Kershaw says ouch.

[pg1067]

This game is tense!!!

[Dream Team]

Greinke could have been the hero of this series, instead his asshole manager pulls him after making literally only 1 bad pitch the entire game. To top it off, he doesn't bring in Cole who is the best pitcher available. Nats will be a great story, happy for Scherzer among others if this score holds up.

[pg1067]

And I think that hit by Eaton might have sealed the deal.

[jammindude]

Wow! First time in WS history that the home loses every game for all 7 games.

That's just mind blowing.

Has that happened in ANY sport?

[DragonAttack]

Bob Costas did a segment on PTI Wednesday. 

1400 series in all sports that went seven games.  Not one where the home teams lost the first six games until this series.

And the Astros were 60-21 in the regular season at home.......

[pg1067]

The home versus road dichotomy in this series was unbelievable.

In the four games in Houston (all won by Washington):

Washington - 30 runs (7.5 per game), 40 hits (10 per game) and 25 LOB (6.25 per game)
Houston - 11 runs (2.75 per game), 34 hits (8.5 per game) and 36 (9 per game)

In the three games in Washington (all won by Houston):

Houston - 19 runs (6.33 per game), 34 hits (8.67 per game) and 24 (8 per game)
Washington - 3 runs (1 per game), 17 hits (5.67 per game) and 25 (8.33 per game)

Houston killed itself with a lack of timely hitting.

It was a REALLY well-played World Series, with only 7 errors between the two teams.

3 of the last 4, 4 of the last 6, and 5 of the last 9 World Series (2011-19) have gone 7 games (compare that to only 4 Series that went 7 games between 1988-2010).

[Dream Team]

Lot of crazy facts from this series. Washington played FIVE elimination games and were behind at some point in ALL FIVE, which is crazy.

Scherzer and Strasburg started 10 games this postseason, and the Nats won ALL 10.

Kendrick is the first player ever to have more than 1 go-ahead homer in winner-take-all games in the same postseason.

The randomness of sports sometimes is fascinating. In the early innings when the Astros had a lot of men on base, they were hitting rockets but always right at somebody.

[pg1067]

Lot of crazy facts from this series. Washington played FIVE elimination games and were behind at some point in ALL FIVE, which is crazy.

Scherzer and Strasburg started 10 games this postseason, and the Nats won ALL 10.

Kendrick is the first player ever to have more than 1 go-ahead homer in winner-take-all games in the same postseason.

The randomness of sports sometimes is fascinating. In the early innings when the Astros had a lot of men on base, they were hitting rockets but always right at somebody.

AND Justin Verlander -- a no doubt HOF'er -- is now 0-6 in the World Series (7 starts and 38 IP in 2006, 12, 17 and 19) with a 5.68 ERA and a 1.289 WHIP.  That's just nuts.

[KevShmev]

What's really crazy is that four of the past six World Series champs won it by winning Game 7 on the road.

Anyway, congrats to the Nats!

[pg1067]

What's really crazy is that four of the past six World Series champs won it by winning Game 7 on the road.

A distinct trend reversal.  SF winning game 7 in KC was the first time a road team had won game 7 since the Pirates did it in 1979.