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World Series Game Two: A Game of Inches
With their first loss of the 2022 Postseason, the Houston Astros had their backs to the wall. Game Two was a must win for the Astros, because going down 2-0 heading on the road could be certain death for the team. On the flip side, a 2-0 lead would be absolutely golden for the Philadelphia Phillies, as they would face the benefit of not needing to play all three of their home games. The pitching matchup was Framber Valdez (HOU) vs Zack Wheeler (PHI), and for the latter, it was not a good start, as the Astros struck him for three first-inning runs.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago in UnbalancedWorld Series Game One: An Improbable Comeback
For the second straight year, the World Series got underway in Texas' largest city: Houston. The one difference was the Houston Astros' opponent, as this time, they faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies, and based on the standings alone, this was yet another case of David facing Goliath. The Astros were in their second straight Series, and were looking to win this year to remove a lot of the stench from their tainted 2017 championship. As for the Phillies, they weren't even supposed to be in the playoffs, let alone the World Series. Season declared dead early in the summer, then a change in manager resulted in a great 2nd half and a postseason berth, which saw them go 9-2 en route to their first pennant in 13 years.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago in Unbalanced2022 World Series Preview
I do enjoy the World Series with a passion, and I say this even as a diehard hockey fan. There has always been a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding the Fall Classic, which officially debuted all the way back in 1903. During that year, and a brief period between 1919 and 1922, the World Series was actually played under a best-of-nine format, but in the other years, and consistently since 1923, the World Series has been played under a best-of-seven format. Between 1903 and 1968, the World Series served as the only postseason round in Major League Baseball, with the first place teams in the American and National Leagues competing in the Fall Classic. Since 1969, the World Series has been contested between the winners of the American and National League Championship Series, which served as the opening round of the postseason until 1995.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago in UnbalancedA Poignant, Yet Positive Message to All Yankees Fans
To all of my fellow New York Yankees fans...where do I start? Well, it was your typical Yankees season. The team got off to a great start, and I mean, a great start, but a lull in July and August served as a bit of a snag. Even so, the Yankees won the AL East, and before this, I had three simple words: "I want Houston!" I felt that the Yankees owed the Houston Astros some payback for five years prior, and I also felt that it was time for the Yankees to finally overcome the Astros in the postseason. When the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians in a five-game ALDS, it set up this inevitable meeting for the pennant.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Cinderella Eliminates Cinderella
The San Diego Padres desperately needed to make up for their immensely disappointing 2021 season, which saw them on the outside looking in despite having pretty big expectations. 2021 saw the Los Angeles Dodgers (the defending World Champions) favored to win the National League West, and those who didn't pick the Dodgers believed that the Padres would get it done. Instead, the San Francisco Giants ended up taking the West, the Dodgers got a Wild Card spot, and as for the Padres, well, they completely fizzled. Part of their problem was the season ending injury suffered by their star player, Fernando Tatis, Jr., and regarding this season, they ended up without Tatis again, but this time, it was a drug policy violation that resulted in an 80-game suspension--which will continue entering the 2023 season.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished about a year ago in UnbalancedPart II: My Most Memorable New York Sports Minutes
Photo by Eric Beato When something occurs before you were born or in infancy, it seems like ancient history. So while 12 years absence from post season play isn’t really extreme, the drought seemed like an eternity to me. The near miss disappointment of 1974 only added to the perceived futility, so when the Yankees ran away with the East, I felt I was finally inheriting the legacy that my father and grandfather held so dear.
Rich MonettiPublished about a year ago in UnbalancedWhy The Milwaukee Brewers Will Never Win A World Series Title In My Lifetime!
Every spring the baseball season brings optimism to every baseball fan no matter who you cheer for during the regular season. There really is only a handful of teams that really have a legitimate shot of being crowned World Series Champions. Many teams have not tasted the glory, but every season it gives them another chance to live the dream. For fans the dream is real until they see it will not come to pass again and again. Today, I will talk about my beloved Milwaukee Brewers and why they will never taste World Series glory in my lifetime.
Kenneth WatkinsPublished about a year ago in Unbalanced2022 League Championship Series Preview
October 18, 2022 will go down in history as the most unprecedented date in MLB history. For the first time ever, two postseason rounds overlapped, as less than an hour after Game Five of the American League Division Series ended, the League Championship Series kicked off. The League Championship Series (LCS) was introduced as a result of MLB splitting the American and National Leagues into two divisions, East and West, in 1969. Before then, the league standings determined the pennants, but with this format, the winners of the East and West Divisions in each league would face off in the LCS, which was introduced as a best-of-five series to determine who wins the pennant and advance to the World Series. The LCS served as MLB's very first playoff round, and it would be extended to a best-of-seven format in 1985. The LCS served as the opening round of the MLB postseason from 1969 until 1993.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Guardians Fall Short in Five-Game Thriller
This was one hell of a season for the Cleveland Guardians. 2022 was their first year under their new name, Guardians, but that was the only thing buzzing, as very few (if any) expected them to go anywhere. The Chicago White Sox were expected to repeat as champions of the American League Central, and those who didn't pick the White Sox had the Minnesota Twins taking the division, especially due to how Minnesota's offseason went for they. Yes, the Guardians nailed down Jose Ramirez, but there was nothing else that stood out. This team couldn't hit home runs, and they weren't too flashy compared to the East's New York Yankees and the West's Houston Astros.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Another Historic Season Wasted
In my story about the San Francisco Giants' NLDS loss last year, I mentioned that they joined a club that no team wants to be in. The Giants won 107 games in 2021, which is a franchise record, but all that season got them was an NLDS exit by their longtime rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. With the defeat, the Giants were part of a collection of sports franchises who achieved historic regular seasons, only to come short when it counted. In the NHL, of course, the 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning had the misfortune of blowing a 62-win season by getting swept out of the first round. In the NBA, the 2015-16 Golden State Warriors won a record 73 wins, led 3-1 in the NBA Finals, but lost the final three games. The NFL has seen a number of 13-3, 14-2, and yes, even 15-1 teams fail to even reach the Super Bowl. As for MLB, we remember the 2001 Seattle Mariners for winning 116 games, tying a league record, only to fail to win the pennant.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Eighteen Innings, Zero Runs
October 15, 2000. The Seattle Mariners defeated the New York Yankees in Game Five of that year's American League Championship Series to stave off elimination, but they would lose Game Six to the team who went on to win the World Series. October 18, 2001. The Mariners lost Game Two of that year's American League Championship Series to fall behind two games to none. Manager Lou Piniella vowed and guaranteed that they would be back in Seattle playing Game Six, but after winning Game Three in The Bronx, they would lose Games Four and Five. They would not return to Seattle in that series. In fact, postseason baseball wouldn't return to the city of Seattle until October 15, 2022--nearly 21 years after their last home postseason game, and 22 years to the day after the last the Mariners won a home postseason game.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in UnbalancedWhat Went Wrong: Braves' Pitching Squashes Repeat Plans
You know how hard it's becoming to win back-to-back World Series? There have been two sets of back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions since the last time a team repeated as World Champions in MLB. Yet after the wild finish the Atlanta Braves had, it seemed like they had a pretty good chance to repeat the success they had in 2021. It was an amazing year; the Braves bounced back from a rough start to win the National League East, and then run the table in the postseason--capturing the World Series on November 2, 2021. The team did lose Freddie Freeman, the heart and soul of the team, to the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason, and they would pay for it with another rough start to 2022.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago in Unbalanced