World Series Game 7

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

To think that the owners should behave like fanboys and operate the team for the good of the community or fan base is just silly.

Being a baseball team owner isn't a free market experience. You have to be vetted by other owners, and you have to be invited in. Supply and demand isn't in play. The highest bidder isn't in play.

Also, every...EVERY...single team gets government grants, government subsidies, and government tax breaks. They get not just fan money whether they consume a paid product or not, but they also take it from those that don't even care about baseball.

Fan pressure to spend on ownership has a long history of working and not working.

Asking one side of capitalism to just shut up and eat their slop while being happy to have slop to eat is weird.

[Kutcher55]

That has to be up there with toughest losses I have ever seen a team absorb. Shades of Red Sox 86 or 03, Yanks of 04 in terms of the gut punch jays fans must be feeling. I recall how physically and mentally ill I was the day after the 03 ALCS. Of course all those martinis I was pounding during the game probably didn’t help.

The Dodgers went out and won it. I didn’t feel that was a choke job by the Jays so much as the other team just pulled it out. In that sense Jays fans can hold their heads high.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by BioCRN

Also, every...EVERY...single team gets government grants, government subsidies, and government tax breaks. They get not just fan money whether they consume a paid product or not, but they also take it from those that don't even care about baseball.

That's always enraged me. The politicians who approve those subsidies should all be jailed.

The other thing that makes me furious is that both MLB and the NHL have been awarded exemptions from anti-trust statutes which has enabled them to own and operate minor league teams and even leagues as if they're nothing but a branch/subsidiary of the major league team. Leagues such as the International League, the Pacific Coast League, American Hockey Heague, etc. should function independently of the major leagues.

[Yoda]

I loved the look of pure joy on Justin V.'s face when the Dodger clinched it. Fitting conclusion to a brilliant career.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Yoda

I loved the look of pure joy on Justin V.'s face when the Dodger clinched it. Fitting conclusion to a brilliant career.

Who?

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

That has to be up there with toughest losses I have ever seen a team absorb. Shades of Red Sox 86 or 03, Yanks of 04 in terms of the gut punch jays fans must be feeling. I recall how physically and mentally ill I was the day after the 03 ALCS. Of course all those martinis I was pounding during the game probably didn’t help.

The Dodgers went out and won it. I didn’t feel that was a choke job by the Jays so much as the other team just pulled it out. In that sense Jays fans can hold their heads high.

Well not necessarily a choke by the Jays, they had plenty of chances to score in Game 7 and build a much bigger lead. They also could have won it in the 9th with some better base running and at least tied it in the 11th with a fly ball instead of a double play grounder. They just couldn't get the big hit when they needed it other than Bichette's home run.

[tod41]

The best game 7 I have ever seen in a WS. The bulk of the series, however, was a little choppy and erratic. I love all these Dodger fans lecturing the Mets fans. You can thank Bud Selig for the head start in forcing that regime change. The Mets were saddled with the Wilpons for many years thanks to Bud protecting his buddies. We'll see what happens going forward.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by calvindog

Did you see how small his lead was off third base was when the ball was hit? A few feet more and he easily scores.

This. Muncy was a good 20 feet off the bag, the runner about five. Where was the coach, what in the world was he doing? That's the tying run, get him as close as you can in case of a wild pitch, passed ball, or slow grounder to the infield!

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

This. Muncy was a good 20 feet off the bag, the runner about five. Where was the coach, what in the world was he doing? That's the tying run, get him as close as you can in case of a wild pitch, passed ball, or slow grounder to the infield!

Actually it was the World Series winning run...

[Knightlax5]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

Well, sure, changing the rules to get more $$$ is what billionaires do, both in and out of sports.

Relegation would be another way to handle it...Id love to see how ownership would react after the Angels or Pirates have to play against AAA teams for awhile.

Relegation is a cute idea but would never be practical. The same MLB teams own the minor league teams. Plus the facilities would not be up to par. No way the Yankees or Dodgers want to fly into Syracuse or Tidewater because one team in a major city had to finish last.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by Knightlax5

Relegation is a cute idea but would never be practical. The same MLB teams own the minor league teams. Plus the facilities would not be up to par. No way the Yankees or Dodgers want to fly into Syracuse or Tidewater because one team in a major city had to finish last.

Oh, I know it's totally not practical, and not going to happen, but it would be super fun!

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

This. Muncy was a good 20 feet off the bag, the runner about five. Where was the coach, what in the world was he doing? That's the tying run, get him as close as you can in case of a wild pitch, passed ball, or slow grounder to the infield!

IMO it was pretty clearly an overcorrection in response to the way game 6 ended.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by tod41

I love all these Dodger fans lecturing the Mets fans. You can thank Bud Selig for the head start in forcing that regime change. The Mets were saddled with the Wilpons for many years thanks to Bud protecting his buddies.

Huh? Please explain.

[bk400]

I really loved that this World Series rewarded those who have the attention span (and, admittedly, the time) to watch every game from beginning to end. It's a reminder to the baseball doomers that baseball is still awesome and probably will be for generations to come.

[calvindog]

How about Dodgers facing elimination in games 6 & 7 and both games ended with double plays?

[Bigdaddy]

What an exciting Series. Nobody plays perfect baseball, but these two teams battled it out night after night. There were so many close plays that could have changed the course of game seven if just....the ball would have been a couple inches further, the runner had a bigger lead, the pitch would have been executed better, etc. And two extra inning games, including Game 7.

Wow.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by jayshum

Actually it was the World Series winning run...

Oof!

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

IMO it was pretty clearly an overcorrection in response to the way game 6 ended.

That would make you play it differently from how you would in any other game? I can't see that.

[Huck]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

This. Muncy was a good 20 feet off the bag, the runner about five. Where was the coach, what in the world was he doing? That's the tying run, get him as close as you can in case of a wild pitch, passed ball, or slow grounder to the infield!

"Kiner-Falefa, to his credit, spoke about the play after the game and explained exactly what went wrong. "They told us to stay close to the base," Kiner-Falefa said, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. "They don't want us to get doubled off in that situation with a hard line drive. Varsho hits the ball really, really hard. (Max Muncy's) right there. I'm waiting for a backpick from (catcher) Will Smith in that situation. "It was obviously a tough play. They got it done. The lead is small. In that situation, you can't get doubled off. I got the best secondary lead I could, and it didn't work out."

"Upon rewatching, however, it looked as though it took Kiner-Falefa a few steps to get into high gear, and he even peeked over his left shoulder a bit to gauge where the grounder was hit in relation to Rojas."

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

And two extra inning games, including Game 7.

Wow.

Yes wow, but it's not that it was 2 games, it's that it was ELEVEN innings, including game 7.


And I'm still confused by the Justin V. comment below...

[calvindog]

And Will Smith caught every inning of every game (74 innings), after missing a month with a broken bone in his hand.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by calvindog

And Will Smith caught every inning of every game (74 innings), after missing a month with a broken bone in his hand.

And hit a homer after the 73rd

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Huck

"Kiner-Falefa, to his credit, spoke about the play after the game and explained exactly what went wrong. "They told us to stay close to the base," Kiner-Falefa said, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. "They don't want us to get doubled off in that situation with a hard line drive. Varsho hits the ball really, really hard. (Max Muncy's) right there. I'm waiting for a backpick from (catcher) Will Smith in that situation. "It was obviously a tough play. They got it done. The lead is small. In that situation, you can't get doubled off. I got the best secondary lead I could, and it didn't work out."

"Upon rewatching, however, it looked as though it took Kiner-Falefa a few steps to get into high gear, and he even peeked over his left shoulder a bit to gauge where the grounder was hit in relation to Rojas."

Doesn't explain why he slowed himself down by sliding into home plate. Overrunning home plate isn't a problem.

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

Who?

Too excited. Wrong pitcher.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Balticfox

Doesn't explain why he slowed himself down by sliding into home plate. Overrunning home plate isn't a problem.

Force of habit. Pretty rountine play under most circumstances, but of course this one magnified every little move into a gamechanger, which they were. All the attention would have been on Rojas, who stumbled and double-clutched the throw, if the runner had been safe.

[campyfan39]

I am so happy for Kershaw. Sometimes the good guys end up winning in the end.

I stopped watching baseball in August of 1994 because of the strike. I might occasionally watch the World Series, but that was it at best. I only got back into it in 2013 after reading Clayton's book "Arise." Such a good dude, and he and his wife opened an orphanage in a foreign country. Faith and family, etc.

My wife and I were blessed to get to go on vacation near Tampa this August, and they just happened to be in town! I got to see Kershaw pitch six scoreless and get a win! It was at Steinbrenner Stadium, so we were up close. It was only my third MLB game live ever! What a wonderful blessing that was.

Needless to say, we woke up the neighborhood when Mookie made that double play!

[Fred]

I watched the entire 7 game series and was hoping to see the Dodgers choke because they had the second highest payroll, just $2M behind the Mets, but then when you consider all the deferrals in payment that would actually place the Dodgers well ahead of everyone. Dave Roberts a great manager? Hell, you could put an experienced college level coach in and he'd probably have had a better record. I loved it when Roberts was playing the odds and put a lefty in vs Barger (no HRs vs lefty's in 117 at bats prior to the "SLAM").

There were also disgusting moments like in game 7 when Springer was jogging to second thinking Vlad walked and then was thrown out for a stike'm out, throw'em out double play which killed the first inning for the Jays in game 7.

At what point do these "big leaguers" get reprimanded for not hustling. Yes, 99% of the time not hustling will not lead to outs or potential scoring losses, but when it does happen, it makes you wonder why the players aren't benched. Baseball is a game of "Charlie Hustle". You play hard and never stop. Looks like today's players just don't get that.

I was happy that Kershaw's last game was him holding the Jays in the ninth inning of that marathon win for the Dodgers. All you could do was hope that Roberts wouldn't put Clayton in a position to have to pitch in a high leverage situation and blow it with that 90mph fast ball. So sad to see the skills diminished on a player like Kershaw. I mean he was one of the games best when he was in his prime.

You have to give a lot of props to Yamamoto. Wow, throws near a hundred pitches in game 6 then comes back out the next night for the win in game 7. That was a pretty interesting game 7 when you consider (4) starters pitched in that game.

Ok, enough of my 2 cents -
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[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by Fred

Baseball is a game of "Charlie Hustle". You play hard and never stop. Looks like today's players just don't get that.

Agreed.

Originally Posted by Fred

At what point do these "big leaguers" get reprimanded for not hustling. Yes, 99% of the time not hustling will not lead to outs or potential scoring losses, but when it does happen, it makes you wonder why the players aren't benched.

It seems that getting reprimanded causes too many of these high priced athletes to sulk which then jeopardizes the owners "investment" in those players. Hard-nosed disciplinarian managers may be a thing of the past.

[raulus]

Originally Posted by Fred

There were also disgusting moments like in game 7 when Springer was jogging to second thinking Vlad walked and then was thrown out for a stike'm out, throw'em out double play which killed the first inning for the Jays in game 7.

At what point do these "big leaguers" get reprimanded for not hustling. Yes, 99% of the time not hustling will not lead to outs or potential scoring losses, but when it does happen, it makes you wonder why the players aren't benched. Baseball is a game of "Charlie Hustle". You play hard and never stop. Looks like today's players just don't get that.

Was Springer's injury a factor in that play? I thought I understood that it was, but maybe he was just jogging because he lacked the will to win in game 7.

[bk400]

Originally Posted by Fred

I watched the entire 7 game series and was hoping to see the Dodgers choke because they had the second highest payroll, just $2M behind the Mets, but then when you consider all the deferrals in payment that would actually place the Dodgers well ahead of everyone. Dave Roberts a great manager? Hell, you could put an experienced college level coach in and he'd probably have had a better record. I loved it when Roberts was playing the odds and put a lefty in vs Barger (no HRs vs lefty's in 117 at bats prior to the "SLAM").

There were also disgusting moments like in game 7 when Springer was jogging to second thinking Vlad walked and then was thrown out for a stike'm out, throw'em out double play which killed the first inning for the Jays in game 7.

At what point do these "big leaguers" get reprimanded for not hustling. Yes, 99% of the time not hustling will not lead to outs or potential scoring losses, but when it does happen, it makes you wonder why the players aren't benched. Baseball is a game of "Charlie Hustle". You play hard and never stop. Looks like today's players just don't get that.

I was happy that Kershaw's last game was him holding the Jays in the ninth inning of that marathon win for the Dodgers. All you could do was hope that Roberts wouldn't put Clayton in a position to have to pitch in a high leverage situation and blow it with that 90mph fast ball. So sad to see the skills diminished on a player like Kershaw. I mean he was one of the games best when he was in his prime.

You have to give a lot of props to Yamamoto. Wow, throws near a hundred pitches in game 6 then comes back out the next night for the win in game 7. That was a pretty interesting game 7 when you consider (4) starters pitched in that game.

Ok, enough of my 2 cents -
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Dave Roberts is everyone's favorite punching bag, and I've certainly jumped on that bandwagon. But he did make some awesome calls when it counted:

1) Not pinch hitting for Miguel Rojas in the 9th inning in Game 7 (and frankly putting him into the lineup in Game 6)
2) Defensive substitution in center field in the 9th inning in Game 7 -- Andy Pages for Tommy Edman
3) Letting Yamamoto pitch in Game 7
4) Not emptying the bench too early in Game 3 (unlike Schneider)

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by bk400

Dave Roberts is everyone's favorite punching bag, and I've certainly jumped on that bandwagon. But he did make some awesome calls when it counted:

1) Not pinch hitting for Miguel Rojas in the 9th inning in Game 7 (and frankly putting him into the lineup in Game 6)
2) Defensive substitution in center field in the 9th inning in Game 7 -- Andy Pages for Tommy Edman
3) Letting Yamamoto pitch in Game 7
4) Not emptying the bench too early in Game 3 (unlike Schneider)

I’ve been a Dodgers fan for decades and a Roberts critic for seemingly almost as long. In fairness to him, he’s gotten MUCH better. His handling of the pitching staff in the 2017-18 postseasons was abysmal. Still makes dumb decisions but he’s better.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by bk400

Dave Roberts is everyone's favorite punching bag, and I've certainly jumped on that bandwagon. But he did make some awesome calls when it counted:

1) Not pinch hitting for Miguel Rojas in the 9th inning in Game 7 (and frankly putting him into the lineup in Game 6)
2) Defensive substitution in center field in the 9th inning in Game 7 -- Andy Pages for Tommy Edman
3) Letting Yamamoto pitch in Game 7
4) Not emptying the bench too early in Game 3 (unlike Schneider)

I was calling for him to move Will Smith up in the lineup after game 2. took him a few games but he did it.

[Fred]

Originally Posted by bk400

Dave Roberts is everyone's favorite punching bag, and I've certainly jumped on that bandwagon. But he did make some awesome calls when it counted:

1) Not pinch hitting for Miguel Rojas in the 9th inning in Game 7 (and frankly putting him into the lineup in Game 6)
2) Defensive substitution in center field in the 9th inning in Game 7 -- Andy Pages for Tommy Edman
3) Letting Yamamoto pitch in Game 7
4) Not emptying the bench too early in Game 3 (unlike Schneider)

Good calls. Yup, if Rojas would have struck out instead of homering and the Dodgers lost the series, then Roberts would have been arm chair quarterbacked to death.

What Yamamoto did was spectacular. Good for him, 3 W's for the series. We probably may not see that feat again for a while.

I still think that a manager with the pitching depth and lineup the Dodgers put together with all that money (and deferred cash) should win the WS every year. Holy crap, that starting staff for the Dodgers was just crazy. All that unhurt potential at the end of the season. The series W lets Vesia off the hook.

I was hoping Milwaukee with their 22nd ranked payroll was going to make the series.

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[bk400]

https://ftw.usatoday.com/story/sport...o/87066190007/

As if the WS didn't have enough...That family's been shagging fly balls.