JohnS Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 Firstly, a confession...my previous topic on the 2018 MLB Season has gone missing, or was merged somewhere. We tried to get it back (you know, the serious admin guys @refresh and @MoeFOH were called in) we did get it back, that was about a month ago and tonight I can't find it. Perhaps it's meant to be as guaranteed one cannot get Steve (or MoeFOH) to post into this topic while the Boston Red Sox are having the season they're having and while they are still alive in the postseason. Oh, and don't post message him either, he's probably in the corner somewhere most mornings (Brisbane time) watching the Red Sox take on their good friends the Yankees from the corner of his eye while working with his other eye. Anyway...seriously folks, how good has this season been? How did your team go? Who will make the World Series? I've been following the postseason this last week and it's been great, we've had some compelling games. Will Milwaukee actually keep winning (they've won their last 11 games)? Will Houston sweep tomorrow or will Cleveland comeback from 0-2 down? (It's happened 10 times before). Will Atlanta beat Los Angeles in Game 4 to force a decider? What the heck will happen in Game 3 at Yankee Stadium between the Red Sox and Yankees? So many questions!!! How did my team go? Well...the Mets were 11-1 to start the season, then everyone who could play decided to get injured. Okay, so some of these guys came back (like Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier) and others took the rest of the year off (I'm thinking of you Juan Lagares, Travis d'Arnaud et al.) Were did the Mets find a guy like Jeff McNeil so late in the season. why did he not play sooner? David Wright came back and I saw it live (ok...on TV), I couldn't care about the result for once, but we waited over 2 years for him to finish off his career in style. What a send-off! I hope Jacob de Grom wins the National League Cy Young award. I wonder if Blake Snell will win the American League Cy Young award. Will Mookie Betts be the American League MVP? Will Christian Yelich be the National League MVP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 8, 2018 Author Share Posted October 8, 2018 No, the link to it is showing as deleted in my pm inbox. I can't locate it in my post history. The topic was MLB Season 2018, if I recall correctly. P.S. I remember 'unhiding' it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 8, 2018 Author Share Posted October 8, 2018 Oh...while we are at it, make sure to head over to the Video section of Cigar Aficionado as the latest issue of Cigar Aficionado has an exclusive interview with Alex Rodriguez. He discusses, among other things, his relationship with Derek Jeter, his business investments, the significance of Father's Day to himself and the Baseball Hall of Fame. He also discusses his love of cigars. There's 5 short videos on the link above and the September/October issue of CA has the interview in print. It's a very good read! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoeFOH Posted October 8, 2018 Share Posted October 8, 2018 10 hours ago, JohnS said: Perhaps it's meant to be as guaranteed one cannot get Steve (or MoeFOH) to post into this topic while the Boston Red Sox are having the season they're having and while they are still alive in the postseason. John, I'll run the gauntlet with posting and risk putting the kibosh on what has been an amazing regular season for the Red Sox. You owe me if this tanks our season! ; ) 1-1 in the ALDS. I really thought we needed to bag the first two in Boston to survive this series, as putting it all on the line for two games at Yankee Stadium is a daunting task for any team. That said, we've had some success there this year, and these two teams have been able to blow out results on each other at times. We just need the split, any way we can get it, an ugly 1-run scrap, whatever, and then head back to Boston with a rested Chris Sale on the mound for G5. No doubt, though, the Yankees have shifted the pressure squarely onto our shoulders. If Boston is the team their 108-win season points to, then this series will bear it out. Beyond that, World Series-wise, I don't see an NL team seriously threatening any of the AL candidates. Do you? The Red Sox, Astros (who have routed and eliminated the Indians this morning!), and Yankees will be too strong for the Dodgers, Braves, or Brewers. The latter I see as potentially the best of those three. Though the Dodgers star-studded cast may yet play a role, I just don't think they're a "team" like the Brewers are. Anyhow, I nervously await G3, less than two hours away (it'll be on in the background while I work). If it all goes pear-shaped in these two games, can you please make enquiries about off-loading David Price while you're over there in the States? Seriously, for $20m a year (or whatever it is), I could find a way to cough up fewer runs to the Yanks. Also, I didn't get the chance to catch up with Joe @gcman68 while I was in NY this year, but I know he's a Yankee fan and seriously licking his lips at the prospect of bundling the Sox out at Yankee Stadium. If you catch this, let me know if you're at the game, mate! I'm backing MVP Mookie and Nate Eovaldi to carry us through today. And look out for a Raffy Devers' bomb at some stage. Keep the Yankees in the park! Go Sox! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 George Springer hit 2 home runs to seal a 3-0 Divisional series win over the Indians. In the National League, Manny Machado came out of a slump to hit a 3-run home run, but it was David Freese, that man in October, who hit a clutch-hit 2-run single to give Los Angeles the lead, which overcame Kurt Suzuki's pinch-hit 2-run single, to seal a 3-1 divisional series win over the Braves. In the American League, Boston, with the aid of a 7-run 4th innings, led a 16-1 rout over the Yankees and will take a 2-1 Divisional series lead into tonight's Game 4. CC Sabathia will take the mound opposing Rick Porcello. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 In case you missed it, history was made in Game 3 of the ALDS between Boston and New York when Boston super-utility player Brock Holt hit for the cycle for the first time in MLB postseason history. I watched the game live and even the commentator wasn't aware of what happened when Holt hit a home run in the 9th inning to complete the cycle. https://www.mlb.com/news/brock-holt-completes-the-first-playoff-cycle/c-297456294 Brock Holt was only the 26th player in MLB history to have multiple game cycles. Incidentally, Austin Romine, the New York Yankees backup catcher, was the first positional player to pitch in the postseason, ever. With CC Sabathia taking the mound in Game 4, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora benched Holt, despite his .292 batting average against left-handed pitchers during the regular season. A poll conducted on MLB.com today indicated only 30% supported the decision to bench Holt. https://www.mlb.com/cut4/poll-should-brock-holt-have-started-alds-game-4/c-297511046 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinBin Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Go Red Sox...... yankees suck! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sfrishman Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Unfortunately I'm a Met fan as well. 1986 was a long time ago. Par for the course as I'm also a Jet, Knick and Islander fan... ugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kuma Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 boring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesKPolkEsq Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Wild finish tonight! Astros vs Red Sox could potentially be an all time classic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 10, 2018 Author Share Posted October 10, 2018 Wow, what a Game 4 it was between Boston and New York tonight! You have to hand it to Alex Cora, The Red Sox' manager, for making pitching changes which were uniquely his own. Rick Porcello pitched 5 innings, allowed one run and his pitch count was only at 65 pitches. Normally, this would guarantee a starter a minimum trip to the 6th inning and potentially the 7th, but Cora wanted to turn to Rick Barnes to quieten the heart of the New York Yankees batting order in the 6th. Still, I did not anticipate that gun starter Chris Sale would come out in the 8th, nor the fact that there was no-one (yes, no-one) in the bullpen when Craig Kimbrel was having difficulties locating his slider in the 9th. Kimbrel allowed 2 runs in the 9th, and caused many Red Sox fans considerable anxiety, yet was able to close out a 4-3 win. Brock Holt wasn't needed in Game 4 and Aaron Judge went to the plate 14 times in this divisional series without a runner on base. If only... And now there are 4 left in 2018... National League Championship Series - Los Angeles Dodgers vs Milwaukee Brewers American League Championship Series - Boston Red Sox vs Houston Astros N.B. Houston are the defending World Series Champions whilst Los Angeles were the runners-up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoeFOH Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 Aaron Judge might think twice about playing "New York, New York" as he walks by the Sox clubhouse at Fenway next time... : ) #DirtyWater 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted October 10, 2018 Share Posted October 10, 2018 5 minutes ago, MoeFOH said: ....DirtyWater Play it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch&Stogie Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 All is great for my Astros. Going to be in town for Game 3 against the Sox. It's been a great season even if we don't repeat. The playoffs are always a crap shoot (see the Padres in 1998). And @Colt45I see you took my first choice of forum name. Are you a 'Stros fan as well? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 13, 2018 Author Share Posted October 13, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 1 Milwaukee Brewers 6 Los Angeles Dodgers 5 (Brewers lead NLCS 1-0) NLCS Game 1 - Clayton Kershaw has his shortest postseason outing immediately after going 8 innings in his last game for his longest postseason outing. Brewers manager Craig Counsell said that they'd use Gio Gonzalez differently, but no one factored in that this meant super reliever Bill Hader would pitch more innings than the starter, Gonzalez. Hader's 3 innings in Game 1 means that he won't pitch in Game 2 due to rest. The Brewers led 6-1 until the 8th when the Dodgers hit consecutive singles to make it 6-4 and then Chris Taylor in the 9th hit a triple off Lorenzo Cain's difficult drop in the outfield to make it 6-5. And so that was the final score. Brewers fans can thank modern technology for their win too, as Cody Bellinger was called safe after seemingly beating out Mike Moustakas' throw to first, only for the review to overturn the 'safe' call. Otherwise, Taylor's hit would have made it 6-6 tied. The Brewers have now won 12 games in a row. Can Los Angeles arrest this momentum in Game 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcman68 Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 @MoeFh congratulations on the historic season and the win! Having said that I hope that the Yankees spend some of that luxury tax money this offseason they saved by being under the cap this year! We are going to need to do it to keep pace with you guys next year! I did get to a Yankee sox game but that was the last series in NY in September and obviously it wasn't as exciting as I hoped it would have been when I bought them with the division all wrapped up. I would wish you good luck with Houston but that would be lying! ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 On 10/10/2018 at 9:35 PM, Scotch&Stogie said: And @Colt45I see you took my first choice of forum name. Are you a 'Stros fan as well? Perhaps, though I've been a member since 2005. Born, raised, and spent the first thirty years of my life in South Boston - so no. Sox, Bs, Celts, Pats for me..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotch&Stogie Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 16 minutes ago, Colt45 said: Perhaps, though I've been a member since 2005. Born, raised, and spent the first thirty years of my life in South Boston - so no. Sox, Bs, Celts, Pats for me..... Fair enough. Sox are my number two team, though I wish you the worst for the next eight days of baseball. ?Hope you're able to make at least one of the games though. I'm going back to Houston for game 3. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckme10 Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 Go Brewers! Although, I wouldn't mind watching LA epically lose in another game 7 world series. That would be fun. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoeFOH Posted October 14, 2018 Share Posted October 14, 2018 3 hours ago, gcman68 said: @MoeFh congratulations on the historic season and the win! Having said that I hope that the Yankees spend some of that luxury tax money this offseason they saved by being under the cap this year! We are going to need to do it to keep pace with you guys next year! I did get to a Yankee sox game but that was the last series in NY in September and obviously it wasn't as exciting as I hoped it would have been when I bought them with the division all wrapped up. I would wish you good luck with Houston but that would be lying! ? Thanks, Joe. Yeah, you guys add a couple of key pieces and you're seriously dangerous. More so than you are now, which is pretty scary. I was quite surprised we were able to get both those games at Yankee Stadium. I almost had a heart attack in the 9th! And thanks for holding back on that luck, we could have done with some today! Ugly loss, doubt we could have played worse. Oh, well... Turn the page, hope we can do better tomorrow. Need to split these first two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 14, 2018 Author Share Posted October 14, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 2 Los Angeles Dodgers 4 Milwaukee Brewers 3 (NLCS Series tied 1-1) Wade Miley had the game of his life, pitching 74 pitches, allowing 2 hits and no walks, as well as collecting two hits of his own, when he was pulled from the game during the 6th inning. after 6 innings Milwaukee were leading 3-0 and well on their way to a 13th consecutive victory. However, Josh Hader was on scheduled rest and the Brewers bullpen couldn't quell the Dodgers bats in the 7th and 8th innings. Josh Turner, who went 0-4 with 4 strikeouts in Game 1, connected onto a high fastball for a 2-run homer to seal the 4-3 win for the Dodgers. It seems the Brewers were targeting Turner with high fastballs in the strike-zone to strike him out throughout this series, but unfortunately for the Brewers, he connected in Game 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 14, 2018 Author Share Posted October 14, 2018 American League Championship Series - Game 1 Houston Astros 7 Boston Red Sox 2 (Astros lead ALCS 1-0) The big pitching guns of the American League were up tonight, Justin Verlander for the Astros and Chris Sale for the Red Sox. Chris Sale allowed 2 runs in the 2nd innings and Justin Verlander allowed a walk to tie the score a 2 each in the 5th. Houston pulled away in the 6th for a 3-2 lead on the back of Chris Correa's hit and Yuli Gurriel made sure of the Houston win with a powerful opposite field 3-run home run in the 9th. Interestingly, both Sale and Verlander allowed 4 walks each. Gerrit Cole and David Price go head-to-head in Game 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 15, 2018 Author Share Posted October 15, 2018 American League Championship Series - Game 2 Boston Red Sox 7 Houston Astros 5 (ALCS Series tied 1-1) David Price may have never won a postseason pitching contest in 10 attempts, and thanks to Alex Cora, he was one potential pitch away from completing 5 innings and thus qualifying for a win, but I think he'd be relieved that the Red Sox took Game 2 today, as they had to. The Red Sox local crowd surely had to work for it with Craig Kimbrel making hard work of saving the 9th, but hey, it's not like Kimbrel doesn't know how to shut out games, after all, he has over 300 saves. After Cole and Price traded giving up runs in the first three innings, things settled until Boston took a 5-4 lead. Mookie Betts got a single in the 7th and then preceded to advance base on passed balls and wild pitches until he took home and made it 6-4. Another RBI double in the 8th added insurance. And so we're off to Houston for Game 3 for at least three games. It's going to be a fun and frantically contested series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 16, 2018 Author Share Posted October 16, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 3 Milwaukee Brewers 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 0 (Brewers lead NLCS 2-1) They say Baseball is a 'game of inches', try telling that to Los Angeles pinch-hitter Brian Dozier. That called strike surely did 'paint the corner' but credit to Jeremy Jeffress for striking out Yasmal Grandal and Dozier in the 9th after the bases were loaded, with the potential tying run on base. The story of Game 4 was Brewers pitcher, Jhoulys Chacin who pitched a shutout into the 6th inning with relievers Corey Knebel, Joakim Soria, Josh Hader and Jeffress maintaining the shutout. The Brewers have relied on their relievers to pitch 2 innings at a stretch, and in Game 3 no reliever pitched more than 21 pitches, which bodes well for the next few games for the Brewers. In defeat, rookie Walker Buehler was very good, perhaps going one inning too many in giving up 4 runs over 7 innings, but he did have a quality start after 6 with 2 runs conceded up to the at point. Can the Dodgers tie the series in Game 4 at home? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 American League Championship Series - Game 3 Boston Red Sox 8 Houston Astros 2 (Red Sox lead ALCS 2-1) Nathan Eovaldi pitched a gem, going 6 innings and allowing 2 runs, but it was Jackie Bradley's grand slam in the 8th that sealed the win. In the meantime, Steve Pearce hit a go-ahead homer in the 6th to have the Red Sox leading 3-2 at that point. Teams that win Game 3 on the road after splitting the first two games have won a 7-game series 27 times out of 36. Therefore, Houston must win Game 4 at home tomorrow, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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