GIANT FIGHT BACK II

Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants, winners of the National League Championship Series, who defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 9-0 in the seventh and final game. They will host the American League champion Detroit Tigers in San Francisco for the first two games of the best-of-seven series.

Aside of the offensive explosion by the Bay Area baseball players in the penultimate game, the San Francisco Giants make history as they six consecutive elimination games during this year's playoff campaign. What does that mean? On six occasions (three against Cincinnati, and three against St. Louis), the Giants had to win the game otherwise they would be eliminated from the playoffs (Oh, right). What made the night so memorable for the Giants and their fans was the torrential downpour, which on a normal evening of baseball, would bring a halt to the action. The umpires allowed play to continue, and we saw the most memorable 9-0 finish in baseball history ^_^

The World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers begins tomorrow at 8pm Eastern time, and I might say a couple things about that series, as well as congratulations to the winning team. For right now, however, it is time to bring another season for the GOOFBALL to a close.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for making this blog so successful this year. This year we reached more baseball fans in more countries than in previous years, and the prospects for next year are higher still. I write all about baseball for you guys, and if you were not around, then none of this would be possible. There will be plenty to talk about in 2013, and I'm still holding to my "all designated-hitter" prediction that I made at the start of the year. If there is a playoff race, and a team qualifies with the luxury of a designated hitter in their lineup ahead of another that does not, then there will definitely be all-DH baseball for 2014. In the meantime, I still believe in all-DH baseball for 2013.

So, thanks again for all your support. I'll occasionally add a couple things to the blog during the winter months that are worth mentioning, but other than that enjoy the World Series, and I will see you all next year!

Bye! ^_^

Oh wait o_O I almost forgot: OZZIE GUILLEN GOT FIRED! O_O WHAT?!

Washington Nationals: Wait, What?

Cardinals show Washington, world why they are the
"Defending world champion St. Louis Cardinals"

Davey Johnson Shuffles Deck, Deals Away NLDS to Cardinals

Apparently, I went to bed too early Friday night, along with hundreds of Washington Nationals supporters, and a few fans of the St. Louis Cardinals that gave up when the Redbirds were down to the Nats 6-0 at the end of the third inning.

The season ended like it began for the Nationals: Bizarre, improbable, and unexpected. Not even management expected the Nats to play competitive baseball in October, hence Stephen Strasburg suited up in April rather than May, and used up all 160 of his "doctor prescribed" innings pitched. Would there even be the need for a fifth game against St. Louis Cardinals if Washington believed in their ball club, and started Strasburg in May so he could pitch into the postseason?

Michael Morse's pump fist in the (ahem) third inning,
after his 2-run homerun gave the hometown Nats a 6-0 lead.

In his lone game against the St. Louis Cardinals this season, Strasburg left the mound on September 2nd after pitching six innings, striking out nine batters, surrendering only two hits, and leaving the game with the Washington Nationals leading 2-0. Reliever Sean Burnett coughed up the lead in the seventh inning, therefore Strasburg did not get the win as the Nationals fought back in the later innings to win 4-3. It was that championship fight back the Cardinals are known for, and it made another appearance last night at the worst possible moment for the Nationals.

My question is, if Tyler Clippard is the closer, then how does Clippard pitch the eighth inning ahead of Drew Storen, who pitches the penultimate final inning? Both are right-handed pitchers, so why didn't Clippard end the game as in games past; did manager Davey Johnson mess up his pitching lineup? Maybe the Cardinal batters in the eighth inning were too much of a test for Drew Storen, so Johnson installed Clippard in his place?



Clippard vs STL, 2012 regular season: Six batters faced, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K, .000 opponent BA

Daniel Descalso and David Freese on the verge of an EPIC
comeback win for the Cardinals.

Storen vs STL, 2012 regular season: Ten batters faced, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 stolen bases, .400 OBA

From what I can tell, Tyler Clippard pitched better against the Cardinals than Drew Storen. What the statistics don't tell you is Clippard pitched against the same batters he faced last night in the eighth inning: Daniel Descalso (Hit solo home run to bring Cardinal within a run at 6-5, as a matter of fact), Pete Kozma (pop out to shortstop), Matt Carpenter (struck out swinging), and Jon Jay (fly out to center field). In the ninth inning, the non-closer Storen pitched against perennial all-stars like Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, and last season's playoff MVP David Freese; there are even at least six Silver Slugger Awards between the four of them! It was no wonder that the Cardinals came back to tie, take the lead with four runs in the ninth, and go on to win the game.

NLDS Game 5 Nats starter Gio Gonzalez ponders what might have been,
after a shaky postseason, and shocking early exit after defeat to the Cardinals.

If Tyler Clippard is the closer, then he should close out the game. You can't win a baseball game in the third inning (Hi Michael Morse) or the eighth inning, so if Drew Storen dealt with the bottom of the lineup guys here, then Tyler Clippard could throw his best stuff against the best the Cardinals batters could offer in the ninth. The best versus the best, as it should be. It's all doom and gloom, according to Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post, whose article had this to say.

Yadier Molina (4) shows everybody when is the right time
to celebrate a trip to the NLCS.

The season ended as it began with a bizarre and shocking result, except the Nationals lost when it looked like they would do nothing but win. Today's moral of story: Expect the Unexpected.

Wild Card, Anger Management

The new playoff format is a hit, and gives baseball the added drama we haven't seen since the Rays/Red Sox race to the postseason a year ago. Wild Card Friday was shaping up to be sweet, but a couple of incidents left many fans with a sour taste.

Flip Table: National League Wild Card Edition

Braves fans are a tad disappointed with
the controversial "infield fly" ruling,
and voiced their opinions all over the field

Atlanta Braves fans are still reeling over the controversial finish and premature exit from postseason play yesterday as the St. Louis Cardinals doubled the Braves 6-3 at Turner Field. With the Braves down by three runs in the eighth inning, and runners on first and second with one out, Andrelton Simmons pops a short fly toward left field. Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma ventured back to left field and made a late signal to catch the ball, but thought he heard teammate and left fielder Matt Holliday call for the ball behind him, and broke off his run. The ball dropped for what appeared to be a hit, which advanced the runners, but the outfield umpire gave the "Infield Fly" signal. This takes away the hit and calls Simmons out at first, but the runners stay.

Adron Chambers (left) scores after a bad throw to home plate
by shortstop Andrelton Simmons (not in picture). The Cardinals
scored four unearned runs on three Braves errors to win 6-3.

This was too much to take for Braves fans as they tossed bottles and debris onto the field prompting a nineteen minute delay. As you can tell from the video below, Braves manager Freddy Gonzalez was not too pleased with the ruling, and protested the game to no avail. As an observer, I find it fanciful the Atlanta Braves were the better team on the night. The Braves committed only eighty-six fielding errors during the 2012 campaign to rank among the best overall in the National League; that night, they committed three errors scoring four unearned runs. If you take those away, the Braves would be playing the Nationals on Sunday. Second, the Atlanta Braves left twenty-one runners on base, so for all their at-bats during the game no one could seal the deal. Finally, the emotion of the game did get the best of both players and umpires. St. Louis, however, used the nineteen minute delay to steady their nerves, prepare their closer Jason Motte to pitch the eighth and ninth innings, and win the game.

Flip Table: American League Wild Card Edition

I think the Texas Rangers are snakebitten. They had success within their grasp numerous times during the final two weeks of the season, but their offense could not seal the deal. It doesn't help matters when the lone left-handed starter turned reliever Derek Holland is pitching three times in seven days, and giving up costly hits, too.

O's, for Pete's sake! D:

The visiting Orioles outlasted the two-time American League champion Texas Rangers 5-1. After Yu Darvish struck out seven Baltimore batters and held them to only three runs, Ron Washington played the percentages and called in the tired Derek Holland to pitch to lefty leadoff hitter Nate McLouth (McLouth was 1-3 versus Holland, but a combined 0-3 versus prime relievers albeit righties Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara). One wild pitch to move an Oriole baserunner to third, and a hit to left field with two outs later, the Orioles were on their way with a 3-1 lead.

A few of my friends are Rangers fans, so after the game I wrote as my status on Facebook about how each of us were flipping tables over and being surly. I should progress and move on, but the recent history of the Texas Rangers has me thinking there is something weird going on o_O To come within a catch of winning the World Series in Game 6 against the Cardinals, within a strike zone of winning in Game 7, to lose a five-game lead over the Athletics with nine to go for the American League West Division on the final day of the regular season, and then fall apart against the Baltimore Orioles two days later has me thinking there is a new "hoodoo" on the likable losers from Texas.

Are the Texas Rangers the new "Charlie Brown" of Major League Baseball? I don't want to think about that; all I want to do is this:  (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

(All images and video are property of Major League Baseball and MLB Network)

Beckett Decked

I don't know what is more embarrassing for the Dodgers' recently traded, 2003 World Series MVP Josh Beckett; actually, I listed some here that all occurred in the past year.

• 5-12 record with 5.23 ERA in your last year as a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox :(
• Being booed by your fans after leaving the mound with an injury in your last home game as a member of the Boston Red Sox
• Traded out of the American League with another high priced free agent signing to the only club with new found money, and looking to spend it in the midst of a postseason run.
• Picked off at first base on a ground ball to *cough right field.
• Returning to the Dodgers bench after the event to find your teammates laughing at you.

In Josh Beckett's defence, the hit to right field rolled directly to 2012 All-Star, and three-time gold glove recipient Carlos Beltran. The thirty-five year old outfielder played shallow during Beckett's infamous at-bat, and his throw to first baseman Allen Craig was on the money.

Call it what you will, but for a man that some compared with Roger Clemens for his fiery approach and take care of business attitude to undergo an embarrassing series of events this season would be more than most people could take. When he broke into the league with the Florida Marlins in 2002, and manhandled the Yankees on the way to winning the Marlins' second World Series title in 2003, the way seemed clear for another pitching ace to take over the game.

Josh Beckett (LAD) winds up for the Dodgers, strikes back at his critics.

However, this was still "steroid era baseball", and the home runs and statistics are clear evidence of that. Nowadays, kids as young as high school need breaking pitches and curveballs to get ahead of the batters, but they also need delicate number of pitches and inning counts. Individually, they may prolong careers like those of Stephen Strasburg, whom the surprise playoff contender Washington Nationals shut down (again) earlier this week. Nevertheless, the new science behind pitching should improve the game, yes? Should we not see this generation's pitching phenoms winning 30-games in a season like Denny McLain? How about the Bob Gibsons, Sandy Koufaxes, and Don Drysdales pitching close to 150 pitches in a 2012 Major League Baseball game? Josh Beckett and other like him were next in line for that future, but it wasn't to be.

Beckett has alright stats for the Boston Red Sox since joining the club in 2006 with ten or more wins in five of his first six seasons with the baseball club, as well as another World Series championship ring he won in 2007. 2012 was not kind to him, however: If an inflated ERA of 5.23 in twenty-one starts doesn't move you, then a .266 OBA and 1.33 WHIP will o_O His highest totals in those categories since 2010. With playoff aspirations for Boston in the dust, and amidst terrible in-fighting and managerial controversies with the embattled Bosox lead man Bobby Valentine, the trade would help Josh Beckett's numbers, and they have...I guess. What he doesn't need is a "Welcome to the National League" message sent direct from right field, and then forwarded from his club house by his new teammates T_T

Beltran made a heads-up play, and didn't give up just because the ball made its way into the outfield; that's what you preach to kids on the practice field to "play to the whistle". However, for Josh Beckett, one would hope someone would blow the whistle on 2012.

Statistics and footage provided by MLB.com. All rights reserved.