I feel like the term “pennant chase” is used kind of to describe the race to the postseason during the regular season, but you don’t actually get to win a pennant until you are the last team standing in the league championship series. I guess you also don’t get a pennant once you win the World Series because the prize …
About the MLB Postseason…
So we were talking about the way the MLB playoff system is set up in the previous post, and given how three of the road teams just advanced this past week, two of them relatively easily, I guess part of the calculus is trying to figure out a way to ensure the home team has a greater advantage. Then, once …
The 2024 MLB Postseason
The field and seedings are finalized now that the last teams standing did the split thing and bounced the Diamondbacks in an indirect act of revenge for the Cubs. Make your picks. Or don’t. I can’t tell you what to do.
Don’t give up. Or do, I can’t tell you what to do.
The Cubs are as on the brink of elimination as they can be. That the E hasn’t been posted next to their name in the Wild Card standings entering the penultimate game of the season is bittersweet. This officially official do-or-die moment comes at an earlier point than I could have imagined three weeks ago yet much later than I …
Is MLB’s Postseason Broke? Let’s Fix it Anyway.
Whatever your reason might be for wanting to reformat the postseason or MLB in general, here are a few alternatives to the current system. We’ll start with some that could be incorporated into the league without dramatically altering the way the league is constructed. We’ll propose a few ideas for really blowing everything up later.
NLCS Game 5: Dodgers 11, Cubs 1
OSS: Well, it wasn't a sweep. Two up: At least this one was over quickly. Um…the pitching staff only issued two walks? Time to deal with my DVR/streaming backlog! Hannibal and Halt and Catch Fire, I'm looking at you. Three down: Quintana just didn't have it tonight, and the Dodgers made him pay. I look forward to his next few …
NLCS Game 4: Cubs 3, Dodgers 2
OSS: Three up: Javy Baez homered twice, and Willson Contreras hit the longest HR of the entire season across all MLB (assuming I heard the announcers right) to account for all of the Cubs runs, which was just enough to hold on. The Cubs even managed to put some balls in play! We were hoping for Vintage Jake, but we …
NLCS Game Three: Dodgers 6, Cubs 1
OSS: Cubs lose in all aspects of the game. Three up: Kyle Schwarber got the scoring started with an opposite field solo HR against Darvish in the first inning. Unfortunately, that is also when the scoring stopped. Kris Bryant had two hits and didn't strike out for what seems like the first time in the last month. We didn't have …
NLCS Game 2: Dodgers 4, Cubs 1
OSS: Showalter'd. Three up: Addison Russell struck the only major Cubs blow in this one with a line drive homer to left that briefly gave the Cubs the lead. The bullpen proper performed much better in this one, especially Carl Edwards Jr. Foolish bottom of the ninth decisions aside, Edwards, Strop, and Duensing combined for four innings, allowing just one …
NLCS Game One: Dodgers 5, Cubs 2
OSS: Well, at least it's a slightly longer series. Three up: Albert Almora was the only Cubs player with a positive WPA on the day, thanks to a two run homer off of Kershaw in the fourth inning to give the Cubs a lead. They didn't end up with much to show for it, but Bryzzo were squaring up Kershaw …