It took 162 games to decide things, but given all of the uncertainty heading into the final day of the regular season, it is perhaps an upset that a 163rd game (or even a 164th) wasn’t required. However, the field for the 2021 postseason has now been decided.
The Giants outpaced the Dodgers in a stunning NL West pennant race. San Francisco shocked the baseball world by winning 107 games, the most victories in the franchise’s 139 seasons. As a reward, the Giants will get a few days to rest and prepare for the NL Division Series opener on Friday, while Los Angeles (with a whopping 106 wins) will now have to sweat out a single-game eliminator against the hottest team in the sport.
The Cardinals roared into the NL wild card game thanks to a 35-16 record over their last 51 games, including a franchise-record 17-game winning streak. The Dodgers will host the Cards on Wednesday, and while the two clubs are postseason regulars, this will be their first meeting in the playoffs since 2014.
After a season of tributes to the late Henry Aaron, perhaps it was destiny that Milwaukee and Atlanta would do battle in the postseason for the very first time. The 95-67 Brewers will host the 88-73 Braves in Game One of their NLDS meeting, which begins on Friday.
The Brewers caught fire in midseason and ran away with the NL Central, topping St. Louis by five games even despite the Cards’ late surge. Despite a few shaky moments along the way, the Braves nonetheless overcame the loss of injured superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. to capture their fourth straight NL East title.
“Champa Bay” has already collected two Stanley Cups and a Super Bowl within the last two years, and the 100-62 Rays will look to add a World Series title to the local trophy case. The Rays will start their journey in the AL Division Series on Thursday, and they’ll be facing off against a familiar AL East opponent, no matter who wins the AL wild card game.
That opponent will be decided on Tuesday, as the Yankees and Red Sox will add another chapter to their rivalry by meeting in the wild card game for the first time. Both New York and Boston won today to clinch their postseason berths, finishing with identical 92-70 records (and holding off the 91-win Blue Jays and the 90-win Mariners). Because the Sox won the season series by a 10-9 margin, Tuesday’s game will take place at Fenway Park.
The Astros and White Sox will square off in the other ALDS matchups, meeting for the first time in the postseason since Chicago defeated Houston in the 2005 World Series. The 95-67 Astros have the homefield advantage over the 93-69 White Sox, and this series will mark the first-ever postseason meeting between veteran managers Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa.
Now that we know which 10 teams will be continuing into October, the question remains….who do you think will be the last team standing at the end of October? (Link to poll for app users)
Orioles vs Marlins!
More people believe in the Cardinals over the Braves, Astros, White Sox and Brewers? The Brewers finished 5 games ahead of the Cardinals in the exact same division. I’m rotting for the Cardinals to knock off the Dodgers and the Giants but they have to be the favorite to get knocked off after one game. I know Waino could do anything in the 1 game playoff but so could Sherzer. Sherzer is better, plays on a better team and has home field advantage. The Cardinals are likely to be knocked off before any of those teams I mentioned behind them even start their playoff runs. The Cardinals, Yankees and Red Sox should all make up the bottom 3 based on the situation they are in and the way their teams have performed this season relative to everyone else they have to face while playing in the road. The Braves, Astros, White Sox and especially Brewers are all clearly better than any of those 3 teams and all have a better chance of winning. What a bunch of homers.
That’s silly… you’re saying being hot at the right time doesn’t make up for what you did in June?! See 2006 and 2011 WS Champions. Not saying it happens in 2021 but I’ve witnessed it happen twice.
I’m saying the odds are against them and some of the teams behind them are even hotter than them while being in better playoff situations. Have you seen what the Braves have done? In August the Braves had never had a winning record all season long. Literally never. They had basically been a losing team all season that never ranked better than 3rd place. The season was more than two-thirds over and they had only experienced being losers. Do you know how hot you have to get to go from that to winning the division outright? You know one of the ways they did it? By beating up on the Cardinals when they faced them. The Cardinals are hot but there are hotter teams around than them who are still ranked behind them even though they earned better playoff spots while beating up the Cards along the way. I guess the Cardinals are the flashy pick in the playoffs like the Mets and Padres were in the regular season. Let’s see how that works out.
Not sure what you’re referring to… Braves were pretty trash last year and were in the worst division this year. Cards won 17 in a row and somehow win when no one expects them to. I’d take the Cards over Braves. Good management, some nasty good starters, offense is good too.
Why do you continue to look months back?! The Cards throttled the Brewers/Padres/Dodgers/Mets all in September! They have superior defense, strong bullpen and just set a franchise record for consecutive wins. They are better than most.
Also, Yanks/both Sox/stros all won about same amount of games as the Cards.
How did the Cards throttle the Dodgers last month?
“Braves we’re pretty trash last year?” They won the division for the 3rd time in a row and earned a 3 games to 1 lead over the Dodgers in the NLCS. They were literally less than an inning away from knocking of the Dodgers 4 games to 1 and making it to the world series. You call that “pretty trash?” There is no honor in the Cardinals beating the Mets and Padres period. Those teams are definitely trash if you think a team 1 inning away from a world series is trash. By the time the Cardinals started beating the Brewers it was because the Brewers had the division already locked up with a 13 game lead. They didn’t care about losing in the regular season. They were just trying to keep their players healthy for the playoffs. Wins in September against teams who are clearly already winning the division are called garbage time wins. They don’t mean anything when it comes to facing good teams when they actually try. The only impressive victories you pointed out were against the Dodgers but even they knew for a fact they would be in the playoffs at that time. Anything can happen but you have to look at the math alone. There is less than a 50% chance the Cardinals even have a playoff game by the time the other teams start theirs. If you think the Cardinals have a better chance than those other teams you are literally saying you believe the Dodgers will be the dead worst playoff team in the National League and that the Cardinals are not only going to knock them off but continue to dominate better teams even though they won’t have Waino. They are going to have to burn him up in the wild card game. The idea that the Dodgers are one of the worst teams in the playoffs AND the Cardinals are so good that even playing on the road without their best pitcher they are better than the fully healthy Braves, Brewers, White Sox and Astros? That is absolutely delusional. If they were that good they wouldn’t even have to play in the wild card game much less do it on the road. I am rooting for the Cardinals against the Dodgers and the Giants but not because I actually like them. It’s because if my team advances I would rather face the Cardinals than the other 2 teams. Everyone in baseball would. The other 2 teams are actually scary. When Waino isn’t on the mound no one is scared of the Cardinals. The Cardinals are the team everyone wants to face. You have to look at the math. The question wasn’t which team do you like best or which team do you think is better. It’s, “Which team will win the World Series?” If you voted for the Cardinals chances are you are going to be proven wrong immediately. Not after some tough stretch through the playoffs. Immediately. The odds are they are one and done. Even if they do pull out a miracle they then have to go through a tough stretch like all the other teams but they have to do it on the road without their best pitcher. The math is where it becomes extremely improbable. If you are saying the Cardinals are more likely to win than the Brewers or the Braves you are saying that you believe the 107 Dodgers are the dead worst playoff team in the entire national league. There is no other choice. Anyone who thinks the Dodgers are most likely to have the worst playoff run of any team in the National League just has very poor judgement. The Giants fans are rooting for the Cards because they would rather face them than the better Dodgers. The Braves and Brewers fans are rooting for the Cardinals because they would rather face them than the Giants or Dodgers. AL fans are rooting for the Cardinals because they are easily the least scary team in the National League. Also, those fans know if they get to face a weak team like St. Louis they will get home field advantage. The Cardinals are not only nowhere near as likely to win it all as the Astros, White Sox, Brewers and Braves but they have more than a 50% chance of being the dead worst team in the playoffs period. Sherzer and the Dodgers at home are statistically very likely to turn the Cardinals on the road into the worst team in the playoffs with 1 game exit. All the other teams at home are even more statistically likely to knock off the Cards on the road without Waino since he will have to be burned just to make it to where they are. Everyone that voted for the Cards is either terrible at math or if they truly believe that are stupid for not betting their entire life savings on the Cardinals in Vegas. The odds are so against them you may never have to work again in your life if you bet on them and you are right. Either way you end up looking dumb. Your either dumb for believing a team with relatively little mathematical chance of winning it actually will if they get knocked off… Or you are dumb for believing it but not betting on it when Vegas is offering you so much money to do so when they win it like you believe. I would personally rather admit they have a very little chance and just be surprised when they win it as opposed to vocally putting myself in a situation where I look dumb for believing it or look even dumber for believing it but not putting my money where my mouth is. Statistically the most likely order is #1 Giants
#2 Rays
#3 Brewers
#4 Astros
#5 White Sox
#6 Braves
#7 Dodgers (because they have to play the wild card round but they are still the highest wildcard since they GET to play the Cardinals)
#8 Red Sox (wild card but at home like Dodgers
#9 Yankees (wild card on the road)
# Dead Last St. Louis Cardinals (Wild Card on the road against Scherzer and the best wild card team in MLB history)
If the Cardinals didn’t have to play the wild card they would still have less than a 12.5% chance of winning. The wild card round cuts that number by more than half to less than 6.25%. Vegas will pay you a TON for those odds. What do I care though. There’s more than a 93% chance your gonna look stupid for believing it and even if it does happen there is a 100% chance you’re gonna look stupid for believing it but not betting everything you own on it with those kind of odds. So… I get to make fun of you either way.
It’s not who you think has the best odds in general, it’s who you think will actually do it.
@pwndroia- “Braves were pretty trash last year”? Lol. I’m sorry, I can’t take your comment seriously after that. They narrowly missed going to the World Series. By your bar, what does that make the Cardinals then? They finished behind them in every way.
So it’s not possible for a team to build confidence w/ all those September wins and play above where they did most of the year? Math is fun but this is why they play the games! You must be incredibly wealthy since the math works out every time, especially in sports! Momentum, timing and emotions don’t mean anything huh?
The Cards are better than the Braves. However, Cards have a wayyyy harder schedule than the Braves
The Cards are better than the Braves. However, Cards have a wayyyy harder schedule than the Braves
The Cards are better than the Braves. However, Cards have a wayyyy harder schedule than the Braves
The Cards are better than the Braves. However, Cards have a wayyyy harder schedule than the Braves
Saying it 4 times doesn’t make it so. If it does…
I’m going to win the lottery.
I’m going to win the lottery.
I’m going to win the lottery.
I’m going to win the lottery.
@Cosmo2: That’s what I’m saying to anyone who thinks the Cardinals will actually win. If you think that Vegas is making it way too easy for you to make a ton of money to turn a deal like that down. If you sell everything you own and throw in the deed to your house, your car, all your jewelry and money or whatever you have at all and can manage to come up with about $60k, Vegas will turn you into a millionaire. Anyone who actually thinks the Cardinals will win should never turn down those odds. If you think the Cardinals will win you obviously think you’re right as well. So you think you could turn $60k into a million dollars. So why aren’t you doing it? That is wayyy to much money to pass up. So if your right and they do win I will be here to make fun of you for not becoming a millionaire when right now your telling me you think you actually can while only risking $60k of it. When reality sets in and the Cardinals get knocked off and you were so obviously wrong, I will be here to make fun of you for that too. So all you guys who believe the Cardinals will win it make sure you come back right here on this page either immediately after the Cardinals get knocked off or immediately after they win it so I can go ahead and make fun of you for being dumb either way. Sounds good? Alright. I guess that’s the plan, guys. See ya then.
That’s funny- the Braves took 3/4 from St. Louis in Atlanta and then still swept them in St. Louis in August. What makes you think they’re better then ATL?
I’m not sure the Cards schedule was tougher than the Braves. First, the Braves have a higher winning percentage (.592) than STL (.552) against the Brewers, Cubs, Reds, and Pirates, so that can’t be what makes it harder. Second, the Cardinals’ AL games came against the Central Division where only one team (the White Sox) was above .500 while the Braves’ AL games were against the East, where four of the teams were 20+ games over .500. Seems like maybe ATL had the tougher road, schedule-wise.
Is this guy serious?! Lol.
Not sure anyone here said it is a 100% certainty the Cards run the table, nor is anyone saying they are gambling their livelihood on it. Grow up dummy.
Cardinals have more pitching than the Braves do. If Cards were in the NL East, their record would be better.
Last year, the only good NL team IMO was the Dodgers and they almost lost it to the Braves.
They all played the same teams. The Braves just happened to play in a wayyyy easier division thank the cards. Brewers and Reds were better competition than the Mets and Phillies.
@fisher: The weakness of the NL East is a myth. The Brewers had a lower winning percentage against the NL East (.548) than the rest of the league (.586). The Cardinals also won less against the NL East (.515) than the rest of the league (.556). The NL East was internally competitive and had AL East teams in their schedule. Just because the records at the top of the Central look better, that doesn’t mean their division is stronger.
@pwndroia: See my comments to fisher40 a little further in the chain. The Brewers are 17-14 against the East. The Cardinals are 17-16 against the East. The Braves are 22-12 against the Central. The argument that the Central is a better division doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Milwaukee and St. Louis are really good baseball teams, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of them win it all, but their division isn’t any tougher than the East.
@Would is right. The Nationals and Marlins are probably the 2 best last place teams in the league. The Braves didn’t have the Cubs and Pirates to beat up on. I think the Marlins are going to be competitive very soon. They don’t have the star power yet but they have done a great job of building a pitching core. When the Marlins sold off at the deadline they actually had a positive run differential. The Nationals have Juan Soto. They also had Scherzer, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber for most of the year. The Cardinals got to face the Cubs 19 times and more importantly the Pirates 19 times. The Phillies and Mets were competitive up to the end. There are no cake walks in the NL East like the Cubs, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Orioles, Twins, Royals and Rangers are. Every other division has teams they know they will just crush all season and frequently two. I never realized people were so over hyping the Cardinals like this. They sound like the Mets fans who were so certain they were going to win everything. Don’t worry. I’ll be here to rub it in all their faces when their season is over about 24 hours from now and all the teams they are bashing haven’t even started their playoff runs yet. I can’t wait to hear the excuses: “1 game playoffs are so stupid. Waah, Waah, Waah! It’s not fair! You can’t tell who is the best in just 1 game. Waah, Waah, Waah!” You know what’s really stupid? Letting a team who plays in a division with the Reds, Cubs and PIRATES into the playoffs even though they couldn’t win their division or even the top wildcard. It is unfair that the 107 win Dodgers even have to face the Cardinals and burn up Scherzer in the process. They should be headed straight to San Francisco with their entire team and Scherzer on the mound and the Cardinals should just be headed home. A few years ago they didn’t even allow #2 wild cards like the Cardinals. They knew they were a joke. The St. Louis Cardinals are the dead worst team in the playoffs and literally just surpassed the Mets and Padres as the most overrated and over hyped team of 2021. I expected more logic than this from Cardinals fans. Now they are proving they are even dumber than Mets fans. I thought they would handle it with class and say something like, “Yeah. I know the odds are stacked against us going into a 1 game playoff on the road against a 107 win team who are the defending world champs with Max Scherzer on the mound. I still really hope we win and anything could happen.” I would have been like, “Yeah. It’s a tough spot to be in but I’m rooting for you guys too because I don’t want to face those 107 win Dodgers either.” This crap they are saying is ridiculous. I have never seen people so over confident and arrogant about how the dead worst playoff team in baseball is going to perform. The Cardinals can’t hit like the Dodgers. Waino can’t pitch like Scherzer. How exactly are these overconfident losers expecting to win? Let me guess…”Waino and Yadi! Waino and Yadi! Waino and Yadi!” Waino is no Scherzer and no Hall of famer. Yadi has about the same career WAR as Jason Kendall and less than Brian McCann. He also had to play a lot longer to get there and Yadi can’t hit. He never really could. Cardinals fans are like a broken record with that nonsense and they sound like the Saints fans with wet-brain who think the answer to every single question is, “Dwooooo Bweeeeeez!” At least the Saints fans realized they were actually talking about a player who belongs in the Hall of Fame though. Yadi doesn’t deserve it and Waino will never make it.
Does this “The Mets “Missed WAR”” guy actually expect anyone to read his 15 page comments? I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anything like it. I mean I just wasted way too much time typing this out, and it’s still like only 1% of the time I would have spent reading his monolgues.
Excuse us Mr. Longwinded, but the Dodgers won 106, not 107. The GIANTS won 107. Hence, they are resting until Friday. And you might look for their return to homerun power after that rest. If that happens, watch out. The Giants are a strong and deep team, and they should be a handful for anyone..
106 win Dodgers, not 107. Excuuuse me. It just a 1 game difference. The Giants are legit though. There are probably 7 legit teams in this playoff race. The Cardinals are not one of them though. They aren’t even in the top 9. The St. Louis Cardinals have literally the worst chance of winning the World Series of any playoff team in MLB history outside of the COVID 16 team playoff season. These voters are acting like they have an above average chance of winning. 1.7% is not an above average chance. It’s the worst statical chance ever for a playoff team that wasn’t during a COVID altered season. The betting thing was really just a joke. What I meant was I will be here to make fun of anyone dumb enough to think it’s the Cardinals who have the BEST chance.
Sorry but the Cardinals are clearly better than the Brewers…the Brewers have better pitching but overall defensively and offensively the cardinals are way better…the Brewers won’t make it past the Braves
The Giants starting staff and relievers have figured it out right when they need to – now – so I am predicting that team will go all the way, but I wouldn’t be at all sure of that if they had to face the Cards in a one-game playoff. No, a wildcard against Waino and crew is a game the Dodgers should be very nervous about – especially without Muncy.
Lol The Brewers have been a better team all year. The cards just happened to catch fire in September. The cardinals were nothing till mid august. Brewers have been way more consistent all year. They were coasting along last 3 weeks but overall they’re the better team
You’re rotting for the Cardinals? Maybe you should spend some time in your refrigerator? LOL
I won’t speak for the Cards or Yankees, but for you to say the Red Sox are among the worst three teams is silly. You simply cannot look at just a team’s record to rate them.
The Red Sox went through a serious Covid outbreak that impacted several of their best players for about a month.
Look at the list of Red Sox players lost for significant amounts of time because of Covid:
Josh Taylor
Garrett Whitlock
Chris Sale
Nick Pivetta
Xander Bogaerts
Hirokazu Sawamura
Matt Barnes
Martin Perez
Enrique Hernandez
Christian Arroyo
Philips Valdez
Daniel Santana
Jonathan Arauz
Jarren Duran
Yairo Munoz
JD Martinez
If any other team took a hit like that while playing a brutal portion of their schedule, they wouldn’t fare very well either.
And plenty of low-seeded teams have cruised through the postseason.
The 2007 Rockies won just 90 games and managed to sweep both the NLDS and NLCS.
Fever you sure?
The Dodgers lost
Kershaw
Seager
Pollock
Bauer (moron he is)
J Turner
Gonsolin
Nelson
May
Muncy
Bellinger
Mookie
Taylor
Urias
Several other relievers
Shockingly no dodger catcher went on the IL!
And add Lux he was out with the hamstring strain
Thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery
Dodger I know you guys lost a bunch of players for various reasons, but I don’t think the impact was as great as Boston’s lost players. And you had a lot more depth, even before acquiring star players at the trade deadline.
So over a 162-game season, yes of course the Dodgers performed better as their record indicates. But in the postseason, with each team relying heavily on just 26 guys, the Sox can hang with anybody (not that I would bet on them).
Jeez a bunch of names. More than half those Red Sock guys are scrubs.
@fpg dodger injury wasn’t as significant? Every dodger starter outside of Will Smith spent at least several weeks on the IL. 4/5 opening day starters spent time on the IL with 3/5 missing 3 months or more. Yes we have depth, but come see me when Devers, Bogarts, and Martinez all spend 2 months on the IL, then you can talk sognificance
dodgerfan, I think you missed my earlier points.
The IL stints happened all at once for Boston, not spread out like the Dodgers.
The Boston IL stints happened after the trade deadline, so they couldn’t trade for replacements like the Dodgers did.
Do you really want to compare the high impact trades the Dodgers made to what the Sox did at the trade deadline?
And finally, the Dodgers had more depth to draw from that the Sox didn’t. Hence my belief that the Sox looked a lot worse during the regular season because they didn’t have the dept the Dodgers had.
Too funny! Dodgers vs Trashro’s!
This take, and the entire thread in fact, is one of the dumbest things I’ve seen in MLBTR comments. The Cards getting more votes doesn’t mean the majority of people think the Cards have a better chance than the Braves, Astros, etc. About half of the voters thought the Giants, Dodgers, or Rays, would win it, and, since this wasn’t ranked voting, each may have had the Braves, Brewers, etc., as their second, or third, or fourth choice, not the Cards.
For example, I voted Rays, but I also think the Dodgers, Giants, Brewers, Braves, and Astros have a better shot than the Cards. If this was ranked voting, I doubt the Cards would be 4th in voting. Arguing the relative value of the Braves and Cards, or White Sox and Cards is irrelevant.
Obviously there is a significant number of voters, 10%+, that believe in the “who’s hot at the moment” as a viable choice. But that doesn’t mean anywhere close to the majority see the Cards as a better choice than the Brewers, Braves, Astros, or W Sox.
Cardinals over Ray’s, or Yankees in 7.
I’m really hoping for Cardinals vs Yankees world series, it’s about time for a classic fall classic matchup, these two teams got the teams I’d like to see go at it for 7 games in late October
Unfortunately—— the Cardinals will be one and DONE!!!
That is Mozeliak’s Memo. He builds teams just to try to make sure the Cardinals are Second Wild Card Contenders!!!
He either won’t, or doesn’t have the foresight to visualize who the players are that are needed to push a team to the World Series.
Mozeliak won’t build a team —- nor improve it at mid season to insure the Cardinals make it to the World Series!!!
Why is this even a question? Everyone knows The Mets already won the Series. Season over.
This is just to see who gets the consolation prize after we spot the Mets the extra 350 wins they had on the IL
Two titles that won’t be talked about ! Aj preller won the hot stove league championship and the Mets won the most war injured title !
Is that what all this “Missed WAR” I’ve been hearing so much about is?
Yep.
We’re actually determining exactly *how many* World Series they won this year. Hardly seems like just one is enough.
You’re wrong. All the Padres fans claimed at the start of the season San Diego had it locked up, did you forget?
Shame on me. You’re right. How bout this. 2 way tie, Padres and Mets. First ever WS with 2 winners, both in the same league. Both with mountains of Missed IL WAR.
Yankee fans insisted they would win the division by double figures. LOL
Oh, gosh.
Those darn Yankee fans. & they “insisted”, uh? & “by double figures” too?
Well, I don’t recall seeing anything like that. You wouldn’t be making stuff up again, would you Bob?
It’s ok we all know Metsfan22 won the world series on his video game Console for them, where they all stayed healthy and Jacob degrom won the triple crown, cy young, and MVP all in one season and Pete Alonso set the single season home run record without steriods, Mr smile actually smiled again, and 1/4 of Gotham that’s not Yankees fans were happy.
Cards, 2006 all over again
They’re scary good, I’ll give you that. The Dodgers don’t want to play them.
I think it’s the other way around
They have a all time productive playoff pitcher going if they where gonna play dodgers they probably rather have it in this setting then a best of 5 or 7
But I think they are more disadvantaged if they win the wild card than the dodgers would be
Yes dodgers are the deepest most talented team so any disadvantage doesn’t hit them the same ! But imagine using wainwright to beat giants then having to go against the dodgers big 3 with uhm flaherty coming off injury , or mikolas or Lester ? At least vs giants they have playoff novices that aren’t overwhelming!
@laswagn, Yes, ordinarily you’re right but Cards have been cruising and have nothing to lose really. If Dodgers lose one game, it’s over.
@Noel1982 Exactly my point
PW. The Cardinals have the same thing to lose as the Dodgers. Exactly. Elimination. Lose one game and it’s over.
This is absolutely true. Once you take Wainwright out of the equation, there are question marks. If the Giants, after some much needed rest, start hitting balls out of the park again (along with their good pitching), you should not bet against them versus Cards or Dodgers. The Giants have handled both Buehler and Scherzer in the past. The Cards took four of six from S.F. during the regular season, but Mike Tauchman was still playing in the outfield, Longo was injured, and Bryant was not yet with the team.
They absolutely do but they have their go to pitcher with a chance to send the dodgers home ! In a series they probably never get dodgers to a elimination game , get by that then they get to face a giants team who’s only starter with any playoff experience is Alex wood
Hmmm . Just bet on the Giants and you will all end up happy. Everyone counted them out. They have led all MLB teams for all but 17 hours since 5.30.21. Began the season with 5.7% chance to reach playoffs. And nobody talked about them for months, even though they broke records all the way to the last day.. It’s fine. Nah. They don’t need your approval. Just watch and enjoy.
Cards 2008 all over again.
Come on everyone knows it’s the Red Sox. They win the World Series every 4 or 5 years. It’s time. 🙂
You got that confused with 2011, 2006 was kinda the same, but in 2006 they won the division with less wins then 2011, and won the series in 5 over the Tigers, the series in 2006 was won in the NLCS against the Mets in a close 7 game series. The series in 2011 was won against the Phillies in the NLDS in a close 5 game series, then in the world series with a close 7 game series win that was almost lost in game 6 down 3-2 with two outs and two strikes twice.
I picked Astros. I think they have an easier path to get to the WS than any NL team
are they bringing the trash can again?
Not if we get our YES network cams working again!
If youve ever been to a playoff game, its kind of impossible to hear a trash can bang. But if its an August afternoon in a half-empty stadium and youre trying to get Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez going… totally different story.
No, the trash can was dropped and replaced with a buzzer that would vibrate a certain amount of times for what ever pitch. They had a WW2 CODEBREAKER out there decoding the signs all game, he knew all the dead native American Indian languages to, so Japan didn’t know what he was saying in 2019 thanks in part to a spider tack endorsement as well
This use of codes would seem to advantage Atlanta and Cleveland
Good luck with Turn to dust Baker
Not a bad choice since they don’t strike out much. Putting the ball in play is important in October. Looking at pre-Game 163 stats, I’m surprised to see that a team struck out fewer times than the Astros. That would be the Blue Jays, who have struck out four fewer times (1,218 to 1,222). Next among playoff teams is the Cardinals, who are seventh at 1`341. Those are the only three post-season teams in the top 10 (though the Jays are technically not a playoff team yet). Oddly, the Cardinals struck out the fifth-most times n September when they were red-hot.
A mistake on my part. Toronto, of course, has been eliminated.
I think striking people out and catching the ball is more important then contact in October…. having an offense that doesn’t suck also helps… Chicago or Houston in the AL and Los Angeles or Milwaukee in NL
Did you write that before or after Muncy went down? Dodger pitching is not as good as you may want to believe. Yes, Urias didn’t win 20 games for nothing, so he’s solid, but Buehler has been shaky of late.
Scherzer got rocked in his last start, and the Giants vets have beaten him in the past. You should be happy that Kershaw exited before the playoffs. One less worry.
Shaky? So striking out 11 in his last game was shaky? Ok, Pal.
They got that timely hit everytime when they needed it and the pitching and defense to make it stick almost every game during that 17 game stretch, most of of games the Cardinals won during wins 10-17 of the streak they trailed at second point and put up runs in the 7th,8th, or 9th inning of the game to come from behind and extend the win streak. I didn’t have alot of confidence in the Cardinals in June or July, they were a rebuilt, re-energized team in September
Dodgers VS Astros
Wait…so you are *not* picking the Yanks, @Mickey? I have Yankees/Braves.
Yanks in 5.
Hope you’re right again. Seems like my predictions of doom and gloom have the reverse effect. Having said that it’s hard to imagine them getting by the Rays.
I did predict that both wild card teams would come out of the East during spring training. However: I had Ray’s & Jay’s. Had the Yanks winning the East. So.
But I’ve had Yanks/Braves all year too, so I pretty much have to stick with that, uh? & we will certainly be the underdog against Tampa. But we have some guys capable of carrying a team.
Either way, I’d like to have the chance.
Also: 4 teams that won 90+ games in the AL East this year. Best division in MLB.
Woahhhhhhhhh ALE might be the best division due to balanced winning instead of NLE top heavy…
Ducky, I’ve got Yankees/LAD. I just think Dodgers are too deep for any NL team to get by, UNLESS, they look past the WC game and implode while playing it. If that happens, I don’t think the Giants can be overcome by any NL team… with the obvious exception of the Mets, I mean, clearly the best team in the world.
Tough to not pick the Dodgers out of the NL isn’t it?
Yankees gotta get past the Rays first. Good luck.
No.
I’ve gotta say it’s hard not to pick a repeat of Rays and Dodgers World Series. But I’m hoping for an October hot streak by the streaky Yankees this year.
Houston now, but if LAD wins the WC i think it’s theirs.
The Dodger lineup just got one 34HR player shorter. You don’t think that will have any effect?
Not if T. Turner, Seager and Pollock stay red hot, plus if Mad Max does his thing, Muncy wasn’t doing much lately
I went with the Rays. I think it’s time. And it also seems when a city wins a championship in one sport other sports follow. So Lightning, Bucs, now it’s the Rays turn.
Do they have the tarps set up in Tampa for the upper deck again this year? What a disgrace. Those other Tampa teams you mention have fan support.
2022 will be the year of the Bucs. Milwaukee. Tampa. dOSU. Pittsburgh.
Repeat of 1977 World Series…..too bad we won’t have Cosell, Seaver, and Keith “Whoa Nellie” Jackson calling the games on tv.
I’m good with that, @hd-electraglide.
{Fyi: mallards are down (again) up here this year. Woodies seem strong though}
@Ducky, Mallards are down in a lot of places. The woodies, are elusive little devils, good radar darting in between trees. Seems like they are on me and gone before I know it lately. Must be my age. Doves good down here. Happy hunting. Looking forward to interesting postseason games. Good luck to the bombers.
Been going on for a few years in a row up here. I’m more divers & geese, but I can see already it will be another lean year for the greenhead guys. Yeah, they’re fast.
Pretty exciting finish out in the AL East. & those are a couple of really good wild card matchups. Yanks will certainly need some luck.
7 Top 10 markets.
1 Top 10 w/ asterisk…St. Louis itself is small, but the Cards own so much of the Midwest.
2 small market teams.
The teams MLB really wants at the table with just enough Horatio Alger window dressing to sell it.
want White Sox over Brewers.
believe Rays over Cards
I like Brewers over White Sox. Brewers get the Braves, worst teams in playoffs imo, first round. If they can finish them quickly and rest while the other teams beat each other up…
White Sox have the best playoff built team in the AL imo, legit startes, legit offense, legit bullpen. Rays are the best over a full season. I could see any team making it out of the AL
It’s either White Sox or Astros…. Rays are fugazi
I would love to see White Sox and Brewers
I have a feeling about the Brewers. They’ve been really good all year and really quiet too.
I wonder if the poll was “Who do you want to win the World Series?” If the results would be identical.
The Astros being in next to last place should tell you something.
Yes, the Mets would still be the winners. There are no rules against one person voting multiple times.
Nothing against the Dodgers or Cardinals, but how can two wild card teams be that high?
Late-season records. These aren’t normal WC teams. The Dodgers just tied their franchise record for wins and got better as the season wore on. With the Cardinals, a lot of people would obviously want them to beat the defending champions in the WC game.
Are you kidding Halo?
Kidding about what. The Astros are hated. That’s why they rank so low. I picked the White Sox in August, but I also want them to win. So it’s no surprise they are my pick.
Fans are biased and seldom see things clearly.
All those American League teams can score runs in bunches. Looking at each of those team’s paths should they survive the wildcard round, I would take Tampa Bay. I believe in Wander and getting him back in time for the playoffs is huge. The post-season is obviously a different ballgame, but even at his age, I think he can handle it. The Ray can also slug homers, which is important in the post-season where every run matters.
I refuse to make a prediction in the NL on grounds it might incriminate me. But I can see any of the five winning it all. It’s a great time for the sport. I can’t remember the last time there were so many compelling matchups. For instance, the Braves playing the Brewers in the year Henry Aaron died. He has a statue at both ballparks.
It has been a great year for baseball and it hopefully will only get even better in the postseason. I don’t really see a clear cut favorite and it’s been awhile since I could say that.
Somebody gotta catch the Giants cheating before they win. If not, they will get away with it like the Astros.
Who knows. Maybe last season’s miracle NLCS appearance means the Braves are finally due for some success in the postseason.
Nah, we are talking about the Braves. Postseason failures is part of the team.
Keep crying kid
How do you suspect SF has cheated?
Dodger fan here. The Giants did not cheat. Great season for those guys.
If Rodon is healthy, the White Sox are the best combination of lineup and pitching in the AL. Brewers have best pitching in NL, but Cardinals are so damn hot. Hard to say where this ends. If Yankees/Red Sox beat rays, I think White Sox win AL and Brewers pitching carries them. White Sox / Brewers/Cardinals WS.
Even without Kershaw, the Dodgers have the best pitching in the NL. Gonsolin is pitching well and the bullpen has been great. The team is also hot with 18 wins in their last 21 and 15 straight home wins. They are 43-13 since the trade deadline. It’s weird that people act as if the Cardinals will roll over them.
All that doesn’t mean anything if they get sent home in one game by St Louis, Go Cardinals!
Dodgers have the edge but I swear they’re easier to beat in a one game playoff than they are in a 5 or 7 game series.
This guy really saying Gosslin is pitching well.. like the playoffs isn’t different. Go ahead pitch him in the playoffs for a game. I want y’all to lose anyways
Because they might, Cey Hey. Dodgers pitching is not as good as you think – not lately anyway. Tell me how good the last starts were for Sherzer and Buelher. Go right ahead.
All of these teams would be so scared of the Mets. Yeah good luck Facing Degrom stro syndergard
Literally the saddest post on this story.
I can’t tell if you’re serious or joking
This met 22 clown is seriously intellectually challenged. What are you 12?
It’s the beauty of baseball. In real life, I am unrelentingly logical. Even in FB, I know exactly who the Raiders are.
But in BB, with so much variance, I can talk myself into anything. Mets 22 is a Mets fanatic. He’s not giving it up. And when my RS play the NYY, I am not giving it up until the TV screen fades to black.
I get it, Brady. For example:
With the CBA expiring there has been a lot of talk about the possibility/probability of a strike. I have seen many “if they strike, I will not be a baseball fan anymore” type takes.
That won’t be me.
I’ve been a fan of the Yanks & Jints basically since before I can remember. & I always will be, ya know? So I understand unflagging loyalty. Hell…I * still* think Phat Sancho is a good catcher.
God Sanchez sucks but man I respect the loyalty. As a dodger fan that is a doomer a lot do the time (I wanted to DFA Vesia early on, thank God we didn’t) it’s hard for me to relate to that feeling of u dying commitment. Props to you Ducky
“if they strike, I will not be a baseball fan anymore”
==================================
Meh. I think a lot of people can’t think for themselves, same as elections.
1-I don’t think there will be a strike. I think Clark is completely unqualified for this position, but this time, he has the expanded playoff hammer. It’s not difficult, imvho. Sign an identical contract, only asking for a 4% increase, settling for a 4% increase, adding the DH in the NL, and just before it is signed, ask the owners if they’d like expanded playoffs. The owners pee in their pants, and say ‘maybe’. Change the 6.5 year service time to something smaller, add some age-out features where everyone is a FA by age 28, and half the playoff revenue, and then break out the Chivas.
2-That said, I don’t understand the fans animosity to one side or the other. When I pay $13 for a movie ticket, I couldn’t care less how much the theater, the actors, or the studio gets out of the $13. When I pay $13 for a Becks at YS, I couldn’t care less how they chop up my $13 (as long as the Yankees lose).
He hardly “sucks”, bro.
His glove is much maligned but a lot of that is just narrative by this point. & an OPS of .750 is pretty good out of your catcher.
I look around MLB & see a lot of teams running out significantly worse catching duos than Gary & Higgy.
Your second point is an example of why I always go out of my way to read your posts, Brady.
Ducky, out of all the stats for catchers, Sanchez is really in the middle. I realized the reason so many believe he is bad, or in my case why I gave up on him – I believe it’s because he’s so inconsistent. At times, he is a monster at the plate, has decent defense, and looks to be, overall, like one of the better catchers in the league.
Then, he seems to get lost, both at the plate and behind it. He will miss very catchable balls and have lazy backhand attempts. Then, he will swing at balls that start out of the strike zone and continue moving out.
Other times, like last night, he had a really solid at-bat, then crushed the ball foul. He also made some nice scoops and blocks behind the dish. He’s not the worst catcher we could have. Just wish he could stay consistent.
Fangraphs has Sanchez defensively 23rd out of 28 catchers (min 600 IC).
Higgy is rated twice as good defensively as Sanchez,
I guess it all depends on how much you value the hitting over the catching.
FPG: First, I appreciate your posts. As an opposing team fan, I find your posts are genuine and often objective.
Second, you’re correct. By essentially all defensive metrics, whether Fangraphs Defense/Position rating, Fielding Bible statical categories, or Baseball Ref, he’s almost last. His offensive prowess is what I was referencing, even though this year he was a WRC+ of 99. Sometimes, he does look competent behind the dish though.
I’d love a Willson Contreras trade to happen, and honestly, I could see value for Gary Sanchez IF the NL adopts the DH. There aren’t many Grandal/Realmuto/Contreras types. Seems to be Off or Def, rarely both.
Thanks Clipper, I appreciate the kind words and equally enjoy your posts.
I should have made clear I was responding to Ducky’s post about the defensive criticism coming from just people following the narrative. Even though I’m not a huge fan of defensive statistics, there are numbers that support the criticism of Gary’s defense..
Agreed that Sanchez would probably be more suited at DH or 1B, and his hitting would probably improve with the position change.
Prediction based on logic: Astros v. Dodgers
Based on sentiment: Yanks v. Cards
Dark horse prediction: Rays v. Brewers
Rays brewers would be a Helluva pitching series
Astros in 6 over the Dodgers …
It’s the Rays year! And I’m not a TB fan.
I’m a Giants fan and I’m thrilled with the Division title. But there is no denying the Dodgers are the best team in baseball and have to be the favorite. While there pitching is dominant, they are powerful offensively. Look what they have done this past week.
We played some good ball this against each other this season. GL to you in the playoffs, sir
jints1, Unreal race between the two teams, Congratulations to the Giants for holding off a 106-win team that has been lights-out since the trade line. Whatever happens, both teams have had great seasons. Proving the naysayers wrong is always cool in my book. I live in the Philly area where everyone was convinced Kapler was what was wrong with the Phillies, and that they needed to hire a proven winner like Girardi. Funny how things sometimes turn out.
Regarding the Dodgers-Giants rivalry, there seems to be a new sense of mutual respect from fans. Following both teams’ chat boards these past couple of months, both fan bases were complaining that the other team never loses. But in the end, all they could do was tip their cap to the other team’s excellence. These two teams kept the other on their toes. It was fantastic to follow. For the record, I was one of the earliest non-Giants fans on here who claimed they were for real. A well-drilled squad that adheres to the finer points of the game.
Dodgers are the better team, but Giants get a little rest and a burnt Scherzer potentially. Those are advantages albeit small ones. Should be a great series if it happens
I’ve heard the same script on the Dodgers since 2017 and they’ve only won one time in a year of uncertainty. The Braves weren’t that great and nearly beat them last year. They can’t be counted out but anything can happen.
The Giants and Dodgers were tied on September 4. The Dodgers went 20-6 to finish the season, the Giants 21-5.
In head-to-head matchups, the Giants went 10-9.
The Dodgers underperformed their pythagorean record by 3 games, the Giants outperformed theirs by 4 games.
If you go position by position, you can certainly make the argument that the Dodgers have more talent, but I think the evidence shows the Giants have been a better team, if only slightly.
We will likely found out for sure soon enough.
I’m hoping for Red Sox and Giants.
I voted Giants. They stunned everyone (much like in past postseasons) by finishing with the best record in baseball. Savvy and gritty vets, hitting and pitching firing on all cylinders, and a fire in their belly after being under-appreciated all season long.
Under-appreciated? By who? People have been marveling at them.
If this place is representative, I’d say there’s been many more claiming the law of averages will even out, as there has been marveling at the work being done.
I’d go with under appreciated. I have been watching it every day though, so I am in full appreciation mode.
You know what I mean, guy. Pecota pegged them at what, 70 wins, and everyone kept waiting for the bottom to fall out so they could say “told ya so!”
There’s even one clown here who keeps posting that they must be cheaters since they had so many vets have career years.
But didn’t the giants tweak their OF before the 2020 season? The same, abbreviated 2020 season that didn’t show how it would play through the year?
I thought they altered triples alley, which, in theory would lead to more home runs too.
Giants
Why aren’t the Mets listed there?
The poll is for which team will finish second. The Mets already won.
Dodgers VS Tampa II
Tampa had a tough run at it in the AL East with 4 teams winning 90+ games. I think they make it back to the series and have a good shot at winning it all.
How did Farhan Zaidi get 107 wins out of that roster? What ever ownership is paying him, they need to double his salary.
Unbelievable, I can’t wait for the playoffs to start.
There are some great stories out there on their roster construction. For example, getting pitchers with all kinds of weird release angles. Zaidi deserves all the credit in the world
Wow, did I ever screw up. Watching all those games at once, I forgot that the Yankees’winning eliminates the Blue Jays. In my mind, I was assuming the Rays would somehow beat the Yankees. Dumb mistake. Great day of baseball.
Yankees-Giants ticket.
Head says Giants, but my heart says Astros. Dodgers are a good logical choice too.
I went with the RS. I’d have been glad to go with another team, but no one jumped out. LAD is probably the best overall talent, but Wainwright is difficult, the Cards are red-hot, and Scherzer has been off his last two starts.
Braves over Rays in six. If my fantasy team can lose Acuna Jr and still win it all, so can Atlanta.
I lost trout and Flaherty. I didn’t win
I lost Acuna Jr and Trout and still won easily.
What kind of league were you in where not only were Acuna and Trout both available but you also were able to survive without them?
ESPN fantasy baseball. Roto salary cap draft. If you know how to play it right, it’s easy.
I wasn’t criticizing I was just genuinely curious. I’ve only ever played traditional snake draft leagues. In my league, and most, Trout and Acuna were both gone in the top 5 so that seemed weird to me
I didn’t take it as criticism. I played to bid for players. Bid for the top players and then stream the rest of them and you’re golden. Bidding high for SP is a waste of time, especially now that they can’t use sticky stuff.
That’s kind of my strategy in Yahoo H2H leagues. I try to load up on offense, get one good SP to anchor the rotation, add in some saves, and then stream some SPs. And if you pay attention, sometimes you pick up some guys that you can hold onto. I picked up Framber Valdez, Skubal, Gonsolin, Pineda, Montgomery, Suarez, Mostly #3 types, but I also didn’t devote a lot of good draft picks to them.
I lost Trout in both leagues. Just snuck into first in one, fourth on the other.
End of year awards…
AL
Batting Average: Guriel Hou
Home Runs Perez KC
RBI Perez KC
Wins Cole NYY
ERA Ray Tor
K’s Ray Tor
Saves Hendricks CHW
NL
Batting Average: Turner Wash/LA
Home Runs Tatis SD
RBI Duval Mia/ Atl
Wins Urias LA
ERA Burnes Mil
K’s Wheeler Phi
Saves Melancon SD
AL CY: Ray
AL ROY: Arozarena (sadly not Franco)
AL MVP: Co Shohei Vladdy
NL CY: Scherzer
NL ROY: India
NL MVP: Harper
Why Harper over Soto? Just curious…
Harper had a better season imho. I saw him produce more all year long and I think he just hit better than Soto. Likewise a lot of sotos numbers were compiled in the second half looking like stat padding as the team was out of the race. It will be close though but my vote would go to Harper
Interesting. I could see it go either way too, honestly. They’re both so close in stats. I’d love either one’s performance on the Yankees.
I wanted chaos and I got this!? *throws hands in air*
At least we’ll see a Yankees v Red Sox WC, which is just views, views, views for MLB. Such a great WC matchup despite me wanting the M’s or Jays to sneak in.
All in all, I think the Brewers have a great shot which their loaded rotation, and then I think the Astros still have a sneaky good club over there in H-Town. Cards could also ride that high into a WC upset as well. Those are my top 3, and yes, I know the Giants and Dodgers exist.
If you want chaos, let the Astros win the world series this year. That’ll cause chaos.
The Rays and Nationals really pooped their pants pretty bad today. Can’t believe the Jays season ended because of those two embarrassing performances.
The Nationals have been a complete dumpster fire since the trade deadline so that should not have been a surprise. For the Rays it’s hard to say they were “embarrassing” when they held the Yankees to just 1 hit going into the 9th inning. As a Yankees fan I was sweating that entire game thinking it was going to be another gut wrenching loss in the late innings
Their offensive performance was brutal, so many wasted opportunities.
There’s no denying that but I think that’s also a testament to how well the Yankees pitched today. I do have to say it was weird seeing the Rays get shut out after jumping out to early leads in the first 2 games
Rays were shut out (barely) because of an aberration of consistently good pitching by the Yankees today, in conjunction with Boone’s somewhat arbitrary methodology *not* backfiring (like it would’ve if it had gone into extra innings).
I would not take this game as context for the Rays’ offensive performance from here on out.
Eh jd can’t fault them.
They jays easily could have got to 93-95 wins, they left their playoff chances on the table with careless losses down the stretch against bad teams.
The rays did great for a while then died
Od never say the rays threw the game because they didn’t. But, I’m sure it’s the happiest loss they’ve taken since they much rather face the NYY/BOS wildcard winner in the DS than a TOR one, and you know that Toronto likely wins the wc game if they got there.
Expos
Cards are the hottest team? Dodgers are something like 44-13 since the trade deadline.
Big difference… Dodgers aren’t a “hot” team, which implies streaks. LAD is arguably the best team in baseball. Same to be said for the Giants
The Dodgers have the best record in baseball over the past ten games. So why isn’t that hot?
Past ten games? Because they’ve been equally good all season. They have a franchise record for wins and have the second-best record in the league. That’s consistent, not hot. That’s also not the context in which hot was used to describe the Cards, which almost didn’t make the playoffs until they got hot and performed much better than they were.
Again, you’ve taken statements out of context. But, feel free to take offense to whatever by whomever and argue with yourself.
It’s not a beliEVEN year so the Giants will fall in the second round.
I’m NOT a White Sox fan but I chose the White Sox but obviously I don’t really think they’ll get out of the first or second round. they will again embarrass the AL Central like they did last year. I’m not going to watch the playoffs because I don’t like most of the AL Team’s in the playoffs anyway and that’s the league I usually cheer for 99% of the time (But I will never cheer for the Cheatros)
I know how my Braves do in the playoffs normally, but I strongly believe in my team. I know there’s a lot of doubt too but that’s okay I’m glad they were playing strong through the end of the season and I think it’s going to help them against the Brewers.
The Dodgers are the best team in MLB and the Bombers are always a favorite. MLB needs revenue so They may just fix the calls to go their way.
Even though the Giants and Rays are the number one seeds in their leagues and just keep on keepin’ on. I think they are underdogs every series.
I’m still going with the Tays if it’s a fair game throughout.
I’m going with the Astros. We could see a possible rematch of 2017. Just imagine the TV ratings and the Dodgers getting a chance to get a little payback.
The Giants have proved everyone wrong this season. By putting their best foot forward in every matchup, they managed to have the best record in the MLB. If the Giants continue to do this and they can somehow manage to make it past the Dodgers/Cardinals with only 2 starters that were good this season, they deserve the ring
Check the last several weeks games again, brother. There are now four guys throwing well. And Jonny might be another weapon out of the bullpen. After all that’s gone down this year, don’t bet against that team.
Hate them with every cell in my body but anyone who says anything other than the Giants is fooling themselves.
This poll was so unnecessary….it’s obviously the Yankees.
Brewers all the way. It’s their year.
Go Giants!!!
I hope the Brewers win
Seems like more often than not, a team you don’t expect to win it, wins it. (I have zero stats to back that statement up)… that said, as an unbiased Braves fan lol….. I fully expect the Braves to win it all!
On paper, the Braves are better than they have performed this year and better than majority of the teams in the playoffs. But that’s on paper… they have horribly underperformed this year. So who knows. Maybe they rekindle that magic that makes them a better club. It would be fitting for them to win it all with their best player out (Acuna). #purelogic smh
I be like your thinking
Who cares about a World Series any more? Teams already play more than 12% of their schedule against the opposite league.
Toronto, with a little luck yesterday (the Yankees pulling out a win after going into the bottom of the 9th with only one hit) could possibly be facing Atlanta in the World Series, a team against which they had already beaten six times without losing during the regular season.
All season the Cardinals were swirling around the .500 mark. Them making the postseason is less about their winning streak and more about the collapse of the Padres, Mets, Phillies, and the Reds. A terrible August/September came at the right time for the Cardinals and the wrong time for those four. I just dont see where the Cardinals have the pitching to win the world series. I could be wrong though.
No one talking about the Rays, who are surely better than your favorite teams.
Padres in 7 over the Blue Jays. Wait. Thats next years Series. Brewers over Rays in 6.
Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa managed against each other in the 2002 NLCS
Truth: You can steal 12 bags in a series against the White Sox and still get swept.
2014 NL West Giants
2015 AL Central Royals
2016 NL Central Cubs
2017 AL West Astros
2018 AL East Red Sox
2019 NL East Nationals.
A clean cycle then we started over
2020 NL West Dodgers
Therefore
2021 AL Central White Sox confirmed.
Phantom, that’s very cool, I love this kind of stuff!!
If anything it proves even further that MLB has the most parity of all the 4 professional sports.
So 2022 NL Central Pirates?
I find it ridiculous that we have two teams with 100+ wins and one is going to a wild card game. If division games are so important, stop playing so many games against the other league and the other divisions. Make most of the games against the same teams in in your division. Then based on their record, they get assigned a number.
The Dodgers should be hosting an NLDS not a wild card game that will result in the two teams with the most wins playing each other.
That would make baseball incredibly boring.
If anything they should remove divisions and top 5 make it in, with an even schedule across the leagues.
I’m with you on that. The problem is that baseball seems more concerned about divisions than it does in having the top teams playing in the playoffs.
They should go back to a balanced schedule, where every team plays the same number of games against every other team in the league.
Not fair that teams in the AL East get penalized for playing in the toughest division in MLB, with 19 games each against the Yanks/Sox/Jays/Rays. And of course that means their win totals will be less because they are playing a harder schedule.
This is what they need to do:
Go back to two divisions in each league, this will help prevent weak teams from winning a division.
.
Each division winner gets a first round bye.
In each league the 4 best non-division-winning teams play each other in a best-of-three Wild Card Series.
In each league the two winners of the Wild Card Series play the two division winners in a best-of-five LDS.
The rest of the postseason remains as is.
This way the division titles have more meaning and are more challenging, and MLB gets two extra teams in the postseason.
LOL More votes for St Louis than White Sox? You people are drunk
It’s simple… the Braves
The Rays.
“this series will mark the first-ever postseason meeting between veteran managers Dusty Baker and Tony La Russa”
They met in the 2002 NLCS, Giants vs Cards.
Why in the HELL do MLB fans have to be subjected to A-WAD’s ignorant commentary? He should stick to what he sort of knows……shooting steroids
Odd year, odd team, same Giants playoff magic, baby!
Webb and Gausman are as good as anyone and when you averaged nearly 1.5 HR’s a GAME, I don’t think run support is an issue. Crawford, Posey, Wade, Flores, Bryant, Yaz, Longo, can all go yard. That’s without even mentioning two of their best hitters all year, in Belt and Ruf. Or solid contributors like Donny Barrells, or guys like Thairo Estrada or Steven Duggar who can make plays too.
Even La Stella isn’t an awful ball player. Not to mention that bullpen. Tough team.