2016 Postseason Discussion

[olgrandad]

Yeah, I don't know what's boring about it for baseball fans. Games have been close for the most part. Plenty of drama. Lots of managerial subplots. Maybe a bit pitching-heavy and free of household names for the casual fan, but last night's game trounced the NFL.

Yay! I'm up for anything that torches the NFL!

I'm with you once again, my friend!!

[EastFallowfield]

It's a little boring in that there aren't a lot of lead changes. There's still the drama of will team whatever hold on to their lead, but not a lot of back and forth.

[donaldorc]

People on other sites saying this is a boring series. Since I am sleeping through most of the games (being in Europe) I'm wondering what y'all think.

There are so many storylines at play that it's tough to be bored if you are a baseball fan. You have the Indians playing loose and unafraid after being chastised by their own media for not being a contender. You have the battle of two bullpen alpha dogs in Miller and Chapman and the fact that their managers are extending them across multiple innings spitting in the face of the LaRussafication of modern bullpens. You have Kipnis as a prodigal son returning to drop three run bombs on his childhood team in the stadium he idolized growing up. You have Francona on the cusp of greatness, and Maddon on the doorstep of multiple failures. This is before you even get to the obvious history of these franchises and their championship droughts.

I have been loving every minute I've watched. If the Cubs somehow break out their bats in Game 6 then this could swing the momentum in their favor. But THEN they'd have to face Kluber again and that does not bode well. This is all far from boring!
Thank you for your perspective! Wish I could be watching. Sometimes the game is still on when I get up, which is better than 1980 which I also spent Europe with no internet. I missed the whole Phillies WS championship.

Man, that's where I was in '80 as well! My (then) teenaged son and I got up at 3am to listen to those games on AFRS radio.

I was out of range of the AFRS am stations, and I searched high and low on a shortwave set I bought without much luck. I relied on the International Herald Tribune for news of the playoffs--always a day late till reported.

[olgrandad]

People on other sites saying this is a boring series. Since I am sleeping through most of the games (being in Europe) I'm wondering what y'all think.

There are so many storylines at play that it's tough to be bored if you are a baseball fan. You have the Indians playing loose and unafraid after being chastised by their own media for not being a contender. You have the battle of two bullpen alpha dogs in Miller and Chapman and the fact that their managers are extending them across multiple innings spitting in the face of the LaRussafication of modern bullpens. You have Kipnis as a prodigal son returning to drop three run bombs on his childhood team in the stadium he idolized growing up. You have Francona on the cusp of greatness, and Maddon on the doorstep of multiple failures. This is before you even get to the obvious history of these franchises and their championship droughts.

I have been loving every minute I've watched. If the Cubs somehow break out their bats in Game 6 then this could swing the momentum in their favor. But THEN they'd have to face Kluber again and that does not bode well. This is all far from boring!
Thank you for your perspective! Wish I could be watching. Sometimes the game is still on when I get up, which is better than 1980 which I also spent Europe with no internet. I missed the whole Phillies WS championship.

Man, that's where I was in '80 as well! My (then) teenaged son and I got up at 3am to listen to those games on AFRS radio.
I was out of range of the AFRS am stations, and I searched high and low on a shortwave set I bought without much luck. I relied on the International Herald Tribune for news of the playoffs--always a day late till reported.

Yeah, the good old HT. Sparse coverage, but at least something...

[donaldorc]

Cubs even up the series with a convincing win last night. Seems to me that the momentum is in the Cubs favor, however, they are in Cleveland and have to face Kluber. Hendricks needs to pitch the game of his life for the Cubs to end their championship draught.

[Cakes]

Cubs even up the series with a convincing win last night. Seems to me that the momentum is in the Cubs favor, however, they are in Cleveland and have to face Kluber. Hendricks needs to pitch the game of his life for the Cubs to end their championship draught.

My guess is 2-1 Cleveland with 18 pitching changes after the 6th. An arm falls off of one or both of Miller and Chapman. The curse will live on for Chicago.

...unless the ump is tight and favoring hitters. Who is behind the plate tonight?

[donaldorc]

Cubs even up the series with a convincing win last night. Seems to me that the momentum is in the Cubs favor, however, they are in Cleveland and have to face Kluber. Hendricks needs to pitch the game of his life for the Cubs to end their championship draught.

My guess is 2-1 Cleveland with 18 pitching changes after the 6th. An arm falls off of one or both of Miller and Chapman. The curse will live on for Chicago.

...unless the ump is tight and favoring hitters. Who is behind the plate tonight?

That means it will probably still be on when I get up tomorrow morning here in Switzerland. Hope you are wrong. I have some really good friends who are diehard Cleveland fans, but I lean toward the NL when I have two favorites.

[phillychuck]

Supposed to rain heavily in Cleveland around 11 PM tonight. Hope they're wrong about that--this should finish on a decent field.

[julio]

Supposed to rain heavily in Cleveland around 11 PM tonight. Hope they're wrong about that--this should finish on a decent field.

They really ought to be able to finish a game by 11 pm. What time did they actually start playing? They were on the air at 7 pm...

[LoneStarPhan]

Supposed to rain heavily in Cleveland around 11 PM tonight. Hope they're wrong about that--this should finish on a decent field.

They really ought to be able to finish a game by 11 pm. What time did they actually start playing? They were on the air at 7 pm...

7th inning starting around 10:21 in Cleveland. I don't have any idea what the weather situation looks like at this time, but it doesn't look too sunny for the Indians unless they can score a handful of runs soon.

[phillychuck]

I was hoping for a better game.

Go Indians, make it close.

[julio]

So, Maddon yanks Lester after he retires the first two batters in the 8th, then gives up a single, with a three-run lead. Aroldis Chapman comes on...and two batters later, the game is tied.

Close enough, PC?

[LoneStarPhan]

I was hoping for a better game.

Go Indians, make it close.

Your wish is MLB's command.

The use of pitchers in the post season always leaves me scratching my head.

[LoneStarPhan]

Of course, having tied up the game in the bottom of the 8th, the Indians find that their closer has been pitching since the 7th. So he starts off the top of the 9th with a walk.

[Slinging_Southpaw]

I was hoping for a better game.

Go Indians, make it close.

I don't remember that ever working on Phillies games " title="Confused"/>

[LoneStarPhan]

Well, Chapman did his job, pitching a scoreless bottom of the 9th. Perhaps it would have worked out better for the Cubs if they would have saved him for the 9th.

[Lester got the first two out in the 8th and then gave up a single. Chapman cam in and gave up a double (Guyer) and a home run (Davis) to the first two he faced.]

Game tied 6-6 going to the 10th and in rain delay.

[julio]

And now they're in a rain delay. The radar suggests this is just a passing squall - the front line of heavy stuff that's in the forecast is just east of Toledo and Bowling Green. I'd estimate they have about an hour, maybe a bit more, before that reaches Cleveland. Might have been better to play through this little line of showers, because if they're still tied when the big stuff hits, I think they're done for the night.

Midnight in the east, and they're in a rain delay, on a Wednesday night. I'm thinking MLB and FOX are about to lose a large chunk of their viewing audience.

[julio]

Rain's gone (for now) and they're back under way...

[bkeich]

Is this the first time a WS Game 7 has gone extra innings? I cant think of one unless it happened before 1940.

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[LoneStarPhan]

Is this the first time a WS Game 7 has gone extra innings? I cant think of one unless it happened before 1940.

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I can't off the top of my head, but last year, the Royals won it all in game 5 in 12 innings after winning the first game of the series in 14 innings.