Anyway, it is what it is. But I have salved a lot of my pain by largely ignoring the regular season and saving all my energy for the Playoffs. I think MLB fans at this point have to adopt the mentality of NHL fans. There's regular season baseball -- hot dogs, fan gear, sitting in the sun, ghost runners -- and then there's Playoff Baseball, where there are no ghost runners and the games count for real. This year, I truly enjoyed watching a young Nats team with almost no pitching slug its way to 77 wins. And now, I can watch my Beloved Dodgers play games that matter.
Here are Vegas's odds for the 12 Playoff teams to win the World Series:
Dodgers: +210
Brewers: +550
Yankees: +800
Devil Rays: +800
Guardians: +1000
Braves: +1500
Red Sox: +1500
Cubs: +1600
Phillies: +1800
Padres: +2200
Astros: +2200
White Sox: +3500
This week, we start with the four Wild Card Series. Here's how they work. The
Brewers, Dodgers, Devil Rays, and Guardians all get a bye to the Divisional Series. The Braves, Astros, Yankees, and Padres are all hosting best two-out-of-three Wild Card Series at home. Those games will take place today, tomorrow, and Thursday. Each series starts at the same time every day. For example, the Braves and Phillies will start at 1 PM Central during each game of their Wild Card Series, while the Yankees and Red Sox will start at 7 PM Central. NBC owns the rights to all four Wild Card Series, so the games will all be on NBC, Peacock, or NBC Sports (I thought NBC Sports was still shut down, but the Internet tells me that it relaunched on November 17, 2025).
Brewers, Dodgers, Devil Rays, and Guardians all get a bye to the Divisional Series. The Braves, Astros, Yankees, and Padres are all hosting best two-out-of-three Wild Card Series at home. Those games will take place today, tomorrow, and Thursday. Each series starts at the same time every day. For example, the Braves and Phillies will start at 1 PM Central during each game of their Wild Card Series, while the Yankees and Red Sox will start at 7 PM Central. NBC owns the rights to all four Wild Card Series, so the games will all be on NBC, Peacock, or NBC Sports (I thought NBC Sports was still shut down, but the Internet tells me that it relaunched on November 17, 2025).
Starting on Saturday, we will transition to the Divisional Series. The American League Divisional Series, and the American League Championship Series, will be on TBS or HBO Max. The National League Divisional Series, and the National League Championship Series, will be on Fox or Fox Sports One. Finally, the World Series will begin on Friday, October 23. All World Series games will be on Fox.
One final point. ESPN Radio has the exclusive national radio broadcast rights to the entire MLB postseason, including the Wild Card Series, Division Series, League Championship Series, and the World Series.
OK, got it? Here are today's games (all times Central):
1 P.M.: Philadelphia at Atlanta (NBC)
4 P.M.: Chicago White Sox at Houston (NBC Sports)
7 P.M.: Boston at New York Yankees (NBC)
9 P.M.: Chicago Cubs at San Diego (NBC Sports)
Let's go and best of luck to everyone. Last year's Post-Season was a cracker, and next year's will be a mess because of the lockout. So, let's enjoy this one while we can. I have the mini-helmets and the old-school 1969 Pennants set to go. For purposes of MLB, I am a Coastal Elite, having rooted for the Dodgers since I was seven years old and having lived on the East Coast since 1992. So, I will be focused on the Braves/Phillies and Yankees/Red Sox series. We will be rooting for the two Chicago teams to advance, but we probably won't give as much time to their efforts.
I'm listening to the Soundtrack from "Victory at Sea," which lends a nice mid-Century mood to the beginning of MLB Month. It sounds very Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio, as it should.
ReplyDeleteReminder that Oklahoma beat North Carolina to win the College World Series.
ReplyDeleteThis year will feature the 122d World Series, with the AL leading 68 to 53. Here are the results of the last ten:
ReplyDelete2016: Chicago Cubs 4, Cleveland Indians 3
2017: Houston Astros 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 3
2018: Boston Red Sox 4, Los Angeles Dodgers 1
2019: Washington Nationals 4, Houston Astros 3
2020: Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Tampa Bay Rays 2
2021: Atlanta Braves 4, Houston Astros 2
2022: Houston Astros 4, Philadelphia Phillies 2
2023: Texas Rangers 4, Arizona Diamondbacks 1
2024: Los Angeles Dodgers 4, New York Yankees 1
2025: Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3
After two, the Phillies and Braves are tied 1-1.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, on YouTube, Casey Kasem is doing the top 50 hits of 1979. Number 50 is "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," by the Charlie Daniels Band.
ReplyDeleteStill 1-1 after three.
ReplyDeleteNumber 49: Frank Mills, "Music Box Dancer." Casey tells us that this song was only supposed to be released to Easy Listening stations, but a rock station started playing it and it became a big hit.
Number 48: The Village People, "In the Navy"
ReplyDeleteNumber 47: Kenny Rogers, "She Believes in Me"
ReplyDeleteNumber 46: Dr. Hook, "Sharing the Night Together" Casey tells us that this hit took place after the band had gone bankrupt and moved to Nashville. I don't think I ever knew that this song was by Dr. Hook.
ReplyDeleteNumber 45: Sister Sledge, "He's the Greatest Dancer" A big year for Sister Sledge.
ReplyDeleteNumber 44: Toto, "Hold the Line" Casey says that the members of Toto were session players who started their own band.
ReplyDeleteStill 1-1 after five.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like these two teams meet every year in the playoffs, but it's really only happened three times. In 1993, the Phillies stunned the Braves 4-2 in the NLCS. In 2022, the Phillies upset the Braves 3-1 in the Divisional Series. And in 2023, the Phillies again upset the Braves 3-1 in the Divisional Series.
Number 43: Bonnie Pointer, "Heaven Must Have Sent You."
ReplyDeleteNumber 42: Little River Band, "Lady" I really liked this song.
ReplyDeleteUK's final basketball game of the 1970's took place on December 29, 1979 at Freedom Hall in Louisville. The Number-2 Wildcats beat the Number-8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 86 to 80 to run their record to 11-1, with a loss to Duke and wins over Kansas, Indiana, Purdue, and Notre Dame. I'm pretty sure at this point that I thought UK was going to lift the trophy in 1980.
ReplyDeleteNumber 41: Nicolette Larson, "Lotta Love" This song was written by Neil Young.
ReplyDeleteThe Phillies go to their bullpen in the bottom of the sixth, and the Braves have pounced. A single by Michael Harris II and a triple by Ozzie Albies have given Atlanta a 2-1 lead.
ReplyDeleteNumber 40: Kenny Rogers, "The Gambler" A huge year for Kenny Rogers.
ReplyDeleteAtlanta leads 2-1 after 6.
ReplyDeleteNumber 39: Donna Summer, "Heaven Knows" This is a really great song.
ReplyDeleteChris Sale, who is dominating the Phillies, continues pitching for Atlanta in the top of the 7th.
ReplyDeleteNumber 38: Earth, Wind and Fire, "After the Love Is Gone." Casey tells us that Earth, Wind and Fire time the release of their music to coincide with favorable astrological dates.
ReplyDeleteWith one out, Sale hits Bryan De La Cruz, and Bryson Stott laces a single to right. The Phillies have men on first and third, and that's all for Sale. He will be replaced by Didier Fuentes.
ReplyDeleteThe Phillies send up Jason Crawford to pinch hit, but he pops out to short center. Two outs.
ReplyDeleteNumber 37: Leif Garrett, "I Was Made For Dancing." Leif Garrett (born 1961) is the youngest artist on the countdown.
ReplyDeleteWith two out, J.T. Realmuto -- the number nine hitter! -- laces a triple down down the right field line. Two runs score, and Philly suddenly leads 3-2.
ReplyDeleteTrea Turner flies out to end the inning. But now Philly has a 3-2 lead after 6 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteNumber 36: Elton John, "Mama Can't Buy You Love"
ReplyDeleteNumber 35: Barbra Streisand, "Fight" This song, from a movie called The Main Event, is the only movie song in the top 50.
ReplyDeleteNumber 34: Cheap Trick, "I Want You to Want Me." The version by Letters to Cleo is even better.
ReplyDeleteStill 3-2 after 7.
ReplyDeleteNumber 33: The Bee Gees, "Love You Inside Out" Casey tells us that one of the Bee Gees was recently quoted as saying that he hates disco, which is of course a sign that the culture is changing rapidly.
ReplyDeleteNumber 32: Dionne Warwick, "I'll Never Love this Way Again"
ReplyDeleteWith two out in the bottom of the 8th, Michael Harris II singles to short and Albies is hit by a pitch.
ReplyDeleteNumber 31: Peaches and Herb, "Shake Your Groove Thing"
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Austin Riley blasts a two-out, three-run HOMER to right field, and the Braves now lead 5-3. What a game!
ReplyDeleteThe Phillies were asking Jhoan Duran to pitch two innings. He did it, but not until he gave up a devastating three-run homer. The Braves lead 5-3 after 8, and the Phils are suddenly down to their last three outs.
ReplyDeleteNumber 30: Raydio, "You Can't Change That"
ReplyDeleteRaisel Iglesias comes in to pitch the ninth for Atlanta. Brandon Marsh greets him with a single. But Bryan De La Cruz grounds into a 6-4-3 double play, and the Phils are down to their last out.
ReplyDeleteNumber 29: Randy VanWarmer, "Just When I Needed You Most"
ReplyDeleteAtlanta closes out the Phillies. Atlanta wins 5-3, and the Braves lead the series 1-0.
ReplyDeleteThat was an excellent game.
ReplyDeleteNumber 28: Billy Joel, "My Life"
ReplyDeleteNumber 27: Supertramp, "The Logical Song" What a wide variety of genres are represented on this countdown.
ReplyDeleteOK, I'm taking a break from Casey and MLB.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 7th, the ChiSox lead the Astros 6-2 in a rematch of the 2005 World Series.
ReplyDeleteOK, now it's time for the Red Sox and the Yankees. Here is their post-season history:
ReplyDelete1978: Yankees beat Boston 5-4 in a one-game AL East Playoff.
1999: Yankees beat Boston 4-1 in the ALCS
2003: Yankees beat Boston 4-3 in the ALCS
2004: Boston beat the Yankees 4-3 in the ALCS
2018: Boston beat the Yankees 3-1 in the AL Divisional Series
2021: Boston beat the Yankees 6-2 in a one-game Wild Card Playoff
2025: Yankees beat Boston 2-1 in the AL Wild Card Series
The battles between Boston and New York for the pennants in 1978, 2003, and 2004 are just about the best baseball I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteIn 2003 and 2004, the Yankees and Red Sox played 52 games against each other. In both years, they met in the ALCS. And in both years, the ALCS was not decided until Game Seven. Just amazing stuff.
ReplyDeleteThe ChiSox lead 6-3 in the top of the 9th.
ReplyDeleteIn the 21st century, the Red Sox have won the AL four times: 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018. They have won the World Series on all four occasions.
ReplyDeleteIn the 21st century, the Yankees have won the AL four times: 2001, 2003, 2009, and 2024. They won the World Series in 2009.
ReplyDeleteThe ChiSox win 6-3, and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 2d, the Yankees take a 1-0 lead on singles by Lombard, Volpe and Wells.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees have no players who wear single-digit numbers, because all such numbers have been retired.
ReplyDeleteYankees lead 1-0 after 3.
ReplyDeleteI'm listening to this game on ESPN Radio. We have Michael Kay doing the play-by-play, with Eduardo Perez and Tim Kurkjian doing color commentary. That's a very solid booth.
ReplyDeleteThe key issue here is whether Yankee pitcher Cam Schlittler can hurl the Yankees to a win. Schlittler, who is only 25 years old, was the most valuable player on the whole team this year. He went 14-6 with an ERA of 1.95 in 33 starts. That was good for a Wins Above Replacement score of 7.0, which is excellent for a pitcher.
ReplyDeleteSo far, he has dominated the Red Sox -- allowing only 1 hit and zero runs through 4 innings.
ReplyDeleteAaron Judge only played 66 games for the Yankees this year, and he will not play in the Wild Card Series due to injury. Giancarlo Stanton played only 24 games this year, and I don't think we'll see him either.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 5th, Yankee first baseman Ben Rice slams a homer. The Yankees lead 2-0 after 5.
ReplyDeleteSchlittler mows down the Red Sox in the 6th. But he has now thrown 107 pitches, and that's probably it for him.
ReplyDeleteI was wrong. Schlittler comes out to pitch the 7th.
ReplyDeleteWith one out, Wilyer Abreu whacks Schlittler's 117th pitch of the evening over Volpe's head into right field for a single. Now Manager Aaron Boone comes out of the dugout and Schlittler's evening is over. He was great:
ReplyDelete6 1/3 innings
2 hits allowed
0 runs allowed
1 walk
10 strikeouts
Schlittler is responsible for the runner on first.
The new Yankee pitcher is Paul Blackburn.
Blackburn induces Rafaela to hit into a 6-4-3 double play, and we head to the bottom of the 7th.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado hit home runs for the Padres, and San Diego leads the Cubs 2-0 in the top of the 2d.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 7th, the Yankees load the bases with singles from Spencer Jones and Austin Wells, and a walk to Paul Goldschmidt. Ben Rice then laces another single to right, making the score 3-0 and leaving the bases loaded with no outs.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees' inning ends with a double play and a fly out, but New York leads 4-0 after seven.
ReplyDeleteThe Yankees put together another rally in the bottom of the 8th, and this rally ends with a GRAND SLAM by Ben Rice to put the Yankees up 9 to 0.
ReplyDeleteBen Rice tonight:
ReplyDelete5 at-bats
2 runs
4 hits (including 2 home runs)
6 RBI's
The Yankees cruise to a 9-0 victory, and they lead the Series 1-0.
ReplyDeleteThe Cubs and the Padres have met only twice in post-season history. In 1984, the Padres famously beat the Cubs 3-2 in the NLCS. Last year, the Cubs beat San Diego 2-1 in the Wild Card Series. But that series was played in Wrigley Field.
ReplyDeleteThis year's series is in San Diego, and the Padres lead 4-0 after 4 1/2 innings.
ReplyDelete