OK, so we're wrapping up our first week of MLB playoffs. So far, we've eliminated the Brewers, the Marlins, the Rays, and the Blue Jays. And the Divisional Series look like this:
Atlanta 0 - 1 Philadelphia
Los Angeles 0 - 1 Arizona
Baltimore 0 - 2 Texas
Houston 1 - 1 Minnesota
That's right: the higher-seeded teams are 1-5 so far in the Divisional Series, despite all the games so far being played at the home of the higher seed.
Anyway, tonight both the Braves and the Dodgers could be playing their last home game of the year. The Braves and Phillies start at 5:07 PM Central, and the Dodgers and D-Backs will play some time after that, but let's be honest: everyone in the Central Time Zone is going to bed long before the Dodgers' game will finish, unless there are some kids at Vandy who sit up to watch. I believe that the games will be on a Turner network, but I'm not sure which one -- I will be watching on Sling TV, and I'll just click around until I see the Braves and Phillies logos.
Phillies lead 1-0 in the bottom of the second.
ReplyDeleteAfter three innings, Philly leads 3-0, and it looks as though the Braves will waste another 100-win season.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 5th, Philly leads 4-0. The Braves have so far gone 14 innings in a row without scoring.
ReplyDeleteNL Pennants in the 21st Century:
ReplyDeleteSan Francisco: 4
St. Louis: 4
Philadelphia: 3
Los Angeles: 3
Atlanta: 1
Washington: 1
Chicago: 1
New York: 1
Arizona: 1
Florida: 1
Houston: 1
Colorado: 1
Hold the phone, Atlanta scored! Phillies now lead 4-1 in the bottom of the 6th.
ReplyDeleteAL Pennants in the 21st Century:
ReplyDeleteHouston: 4
Boston: 4
New York: 3
Texas: 2
Tampa Bay: 2
Detroit: 2
Kansas City: 2
Cleveland: 1
Chicago: 1
Anaheim: 1
Houston actually has a total of 5 pennants -- 4 in the AL and 1 in the NL -- which puts them ahead of everyone.
ReplyDeleteBut Boston is 4-0 in the World Series, while Houston is 2-3. (The Giants are 3-1. The Cardinals are 2-2).
ReplyDeleteThis is the 23d season of the 21st Century. In this Century, the Braves have made it to the Divisional Series 13 times, including this year. They have only won the NL Pennant once in 12 tries so far.
ReplyDeleteThe Braves were eliminated in the Divisional Series in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2019, and 2022. They won the Divisional Series in 2001, 2020, and 2021. So they are 3-9 in the Divisional Series in this Century.
ReplyDeleteThis is the seventh time that the Phillies have been to the Divisional Series in the 21st Century. They won in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2022. They lost in 2007 and 2011. So their record is 4-2.
DeleteThey aren't the only ones who have struggled here. The Nats lost in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017, before finally winning in 2019.
ReplyDeleteOK, now we've got a game. Atlanta homers in the bottom of the 7th, and they trail Philly 4-3. This is the first interesting moment of the playoffs so far.
ReplyDeleteAnd there we go. With two out in the bottom of the 8th, Austin Riley hammers a two-run homer to put Atlanta up 5-4. The Braves get one run in the 6th, a two-run homer in the 7th, and another two-run homer in the 8th to take the lead.
ReplyDeleteOK, now we have a playoff.
ReplyDeleteIn the 6th inning, the Braves had less than a 10 percent chance of winning. Now they have an 84 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteA.J. Minter, pitching for the Braves, starts off the bottom of the 9th by walking Bryce Harper. The Braves bring in Raisel Iglesias (5-4, 2.75 ERA, 33 saves) to try to close out Philadelphia. But that may not be easy with Harper on first.
ReplyDeleteJ.T. Realmuto pops up to center. One out. Harper still at first.
ReplyDeleteNick Castellanos is up next. He hits a towering drive to deepest center field. Braves center fielder Micahel Harris II runs and runs -- and makes a leaping catch at the wall! He zips the ball back to the infield. Austin Riley catches and throws over to first, where Bryce Harper -- who thought it was certainly a hit -- is trying desperately to get back to the back. Riley's throw beats Harper by a foot. DOUBLE PLAY! Braves win, 5 to 4! What a game!
ReplyDeleteHarris's catch was amazing, but give credit to Riley. The throw was going to the shortstop, but it skipped under his glove. Riley, the third baseman, not only backed up the throw -- he immediately zoomed a perfect throw to first. Very high level baseball from the Braves.
DeletePhenomenal!
DeleteThose last few innings looked like the Braves that we normally see in the NL East.
ReplyDeleteNow out to Dodger Stadium, where the Dodgers immediately give up three runs in the top of the first to fall behind 3-0. And now, like the Braves a few hours ago, the Dodgers are staring down elimination.
ReplyDeleteThis is the 15th Divisional Series that the Dodgers have played in the 21st Century. They won in 2008, 2009, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021. They lost in 2004, 2006, 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2022. So they are 8-6 in these Series in the 21st Century.
ReplyDeleteThis is the 6th Divisional Series for the Diamondbacks in this century. They won in 2001 and 2007, and they lost in 2002, 2011, and 2017.
ReplyDeleteD-Backs lead 3-0 after 1.
ReplyDeleteIn October 2021, the Dodgers went to San Francisco and won a pulsating victory over the Giants to capture the Divisional Series 3 games to 2. At the time, they were the defending World Series Champs, and they were coming off of pennant-winning seasons in 2017, 2018, and 2020. They were going to the NLCS for the fifth time in six seasons. Since then, the Dodgers have gone 3-8 in post-season games. They lost 4-2 to the Braves in the 2021 NLCS. They lost 3-1 to the Padres last year in the Divisional Series. And now they trail the D-Backs 1-0.
ReplyDeleteOK, that's all for tonight.
ReplyDeleteIt's so dissatisfying to root for a baseball team that's losing and leaves runners on base. It's like rooting for a football team that's losing and can't stop the run, or for a basketball team that's losing and can't make free throws--or playing Mille Bornes and not being able to get a Roll card.
ReplyDelete