I'm not sure I can remember a more dramatic collection of Divisional Series. The Phillies were eliminated on a heartbreaking play in the bottom of the 11th, when they were so close to forcing a Game Five in Philly. The Tigers pushed the Mariners for over five hours, before finally losing 3-2 in the bottom of the 15th. And, after falling behind two games to nothing, the Cubs fought back with two wins in a row before losing 3-1 in Milwaukee.
So now there are only four teams left: the Dodgers, the Brewers, the Blue Jays, and the Mariners. The Dodgers are a traditional power. But the Brewers haven't reached the World Series since 1982, the Blue Jays haven't been there since 1993, and the Mariners have never been there. Remember these facts when they shut down MLB in 2027 on the grounds that we need more parity.
Toronto and Seattle begin things tonight. They both joined MLB in the same year -- 1977, a great year for sports. Here's how they've done:
Toronto: 3,855-3,856 (.4999), 2 World Championships, 2 Pennants
Top Nine Blue Jays by wins above replacement:
1. Dave Steib: 56.8
2. Roy Halliday: 48.0 (only Blue Jay with a retired number)
3. Jose Bautista: 38.4
4. Tony Fernandez: 37.5
5. Carlos Delgado: 36.8
6. Jimmy Key: 29.6
7. Jesse Barfield: 29.5
8. Vernon Wells: 28.7
9. Pat Hentgen: 26.5
Toronto's record in the ALCS (2-5): 1985, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 2015, 2016
Seattle: 3,689-4,022 (.478), 0 World Championships, 0 Pennants
Top Nine Mariners by wins above replacement:
1. Ken Griffey, Jr.: 70.6
2. Edgar Martinez: 68.4
3. Ichiro Suzuki: 56.4
4. Felix Hernandez: 49.8
5. Randy Johnson: 39.0
6. Alex Rodriguez: 38.1
7. Kyle Seager: 37.0
8. Jamie Moyer: 34.4
9. Robinson Cano: 23.9
Seattle's record in the ALCS (0-3): 1995, 2000, 2001
George Springer, who used to go to the ALCS every year with the Houston Astros, leads off the bottom of the 1st with a home run to right, and the Blue Jays take an early 1-0 lead.
ReplyDeleteToronto leads 1-0 after 1.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time since 2016 that neither the Yankees nor the Astros are in the A.L.C.S.
ReplyDeleteToronto leads 1-0 after 2.
ReplyDeleteBoth teams are wearing colored jerseys -- the Blue Jays have blue jerseys, white numerals, and white pants. The Mariners have green jerseys, white numerals, and gray pants. It looks a lot like a company softball game.
ReplyDeleteToronto leads 1-0 after 4. Just a lot of pitching so far.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 6th, Cal Raleigh gets the pitch he's been waiting for -- a ball that dips but doesn't dip quite enough -- and blasts it into the right field seats. We are tied at 1.
ReplyDeleteA walk, a wild pitch, and a single lead to another run for Seattle. Mariners now lead 2-1 in the top of the 6th.
ReplyDeleteMariners lead 2-1 after 6. Toronto has a 30.2 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteSeattle is sponsored by the Nintendo Switch 2.
ReplyDeleteEugenio Suarez leads off the top of the 7th with a double that bangs off the very top of the center field wall, and advances to third on a groundout. But former Nat Victor Robles strikes out and J.P. Crawford grounds out, and the Mariners do not score.
ReplyDeleteKentucky should hire James Franklin to be its new football coach.
ReplyDeleteMy guy Randy Arozarena makes a diving catch in left to close out the Blue Jays in the 7th. After 7, Mariners lead 2-1. Blue Jays have a 24.9 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteTwo walks and a stolen base put Mariners on first and third with one out. Cleanup hitter Jorge Polano pokes a single to right, and the Mariners lead 3-1 in the top of the 8th.
ReplyDeleteSeattle leads 3-1 after 7 1/2 innings. Blue Jays have a 15.8 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteToronto goes down 1-2-3. Mariners lead 3-1 after 8. Blue Jays have a 7.2 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteSeattle wins Game One!
ReplyDelete3 runs, 7 hits, 1 error for the Mariners.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors for the Blue Jays.
After George Springer led off the game with a home run, Toronto had only one hit the rest of the way. Just a dominant performance by the same Seattle pitching staff that held Detroit to 2 runs in 15 innings on Friday night.
ESPN had ranked the Lions as the Number-One team in the NFL, but they lost 30-17 in Kansas City on Sunday Night Football.
ReplyDeleteSeattle wins Game Two by the score of 10-3. The Mariners are up 2-0. Toronto will have to win at least two of three in Seattle to send the series back to the Rogers Centre.
ReplyDeleteIn Game One of the NLCS, the Dodgers beat Milwaukee 2-1 thanks to a dominant pitching performance by Blake Snell.
ReplyDelete