2020 MLB postseason thread

The World Series has framed my life.
After 44 straight, I’m sitting this one out.

By Thomas Boswell

Since 1975, I’ve covered every World Series game for The Washington Post. My streak will end Tuesday at 252 games. Including travel days, I’ve spent more than a year covering the World Series.

Last month, I decided not to go to this World Series, because I don’t think it’s smart for a 72-year-old man in a pandemic. But I still hated making that call.

No matter the reason, I’ll miss the marvelous misery of covering the World Series this year.

And, believe me, it’s both marvelous and miserable. Every MLB writer comes home from the World Series feeling like Lawrence of Arabia staggering out of the desert.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...EOreg7kcDM88Pb3eS_dv_cx1L6VWLG3hgla1UMPTiWFw4

 

I think it’s the fear of the strikeout. Whiff rates have increased so much in the past decade.

 

More hated in Canada......
Rick Monday or Jim Sundberg?

 

Ed Sprague gets a mulligan?

 

There's like two unofficial rules for backup catchers, which I think Baseball Prospectus brought up in one of their annuals: 1) The worse a catcher hits, the better it is assumed that he is defensively or "handling a staff," because otherwise why would he have the roster spot? 2) Because they only get around 100 to 200 ABs a year, all of them will hit close to .300 in a year, because of how sample sizes work.

Mathis has played 16 god damn years and got into 945 games. He currently has an OPS+ of 48. Even systems that factor in his pitch framing give him a WAR of 3.8. He made $3M in 2019 and 2020 each.

 

Always wore a cup.

 

Time for predictions.

Dodgers in five*

*Admitted Dodgers homer

 

The Rays do everything right. It would be fun to continue what the Lightning started. But I don't see how they stop the Dodgers from prevailing.

Los Angeles brings home the trophy for the first time since 1988. Six games.

 

So did he, hence the nickname Pebbly Jack.

 

I’m #RaysUp 24x7 and potentially biased, but: If the Rays keep doing what they’re doing, they win. Won’t be a cakewalk, but they’ll win. Rays in 7.