baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
What Went Wrong: I Repeat, Where's the Offense, Rays?!
You know, I've been writing these "What Went Wrong" playoff elimination pieces since 2021. I started doing it for hockey, then baseball, and some select NFL teams who fail to reach the playoffs, and I am planning to do this while talking NBA. This has to be a first, however. I never thought I'd be writing a sequel, but here it is. In 2022, the Tampa Bay Rays had a strong regular season, but their postseason saw them score one run in a two-game Wild Card Series.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedA Look at the 1978 New York Yankees
Nowadays, there's a stigma among fans of the New York Yankees that we don't see to know a lot about hardship. We're entitled. The team's entitled. We've never known what it's like to really struggle. The team is currently in a pennant and championship drought that has now lasted 14 seasons, but the people making these comments forget that the Yankees have struggled like this before. The Bronx Bombers won back-to-back championships in 1961 and 1962, but after that came a lot of unsuccessful seasons--14 of them, to be exact. The drought ended in 1977 when the Yankees won over the Dodgers, and it looked like the Bronx Bombers were truly back.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in Unbalanced2023 Wild Card Series Preview
I do enjoy the MLB Postseason, especially that first day. The first day of every sport's playoffs has that different feel. The aura around it says, "It's big. It's more than just a game now." It's true, though. Every sport's playoffs has a lot more at stake, and it's not any different in baseball. I still remember when the Postseason started with the Division Series, though it's been the Wild Card round (in some form) since 2012. From 2012-2021, it was the single Wild Card Game, though the COVID-affected 2020 season gave us the Wild Card Series. It was supposed to be just for that year, but MLB decided to make the Wild Card Series permanent in 2022.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in Unbalanced2023 Postseason Field Complete
Entering the final day of September, and the penultimate day of the regular season, five postseason slots were open. The Miami Marlins got one of them; defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates to join the October party. Even so, four spots remained. However, a funny thing happened. All of the other remaining slots? All filled, bit by bit. I thought we would see one, maybe two slots still open entering the final day, but nope. The remaining postseason slots are all filled in, with some slight positioning still left to be decided. More on that later.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedMarlins Clinch on Penultimate Day
For so long, the National League's Wild Card race has been absolutely insane. It had been a logjam for the longest time, but eventually, numbers get thinned out--such is life in sports. For the most part, it had been the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Chicago Cubs, the Miami Marlins, and the Cincinnati Reds vying for those two vacant spots, though for the most part, the Marlins had been behind that magic playoff line. However, they started winning at the right time--during the Cubs' sudden inability to hold a lead.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedPhillies Look to Defend Their Pennant
Red October is back for another go-around! The Philadelphia Phillies entered their meeting with the Pittsburgh Pirates needing just one win to clinch their second straight postseason appearance. They would need extras in this game, but it was a quick finish for the Phils. A walk-off RBI single giving them a 3-2 win, as well as another trip to the postseason. The Phillies' mission, now that they will be playing October baseball, is a simple one: win two more games than they did last season.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedAt Long Last, Brewers Clinch NL Central
I thought they'd never clinch that division! The Milwaukee Brewers' magic number had been at 2 or lower for the entire past weekend. It was down to one because the Cubs lost, but despite having two opportunities to lock up the National League Central with a win, they lost both times. The Brewers and Cubs returned to play on Tuesday, September 27, 2023, and regarding the former, they were at home against the lowly St. Louis Cardinals. As for the Cubs, they were on the road against the dangerous Atlanta Braves.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedMLB Pennant Race 2023: Seven Days Left, and a Lot to Decide
Well, this is it. Down to the wire. The 2023 MLB season has just one week, seven short days, remaining. That is not a lot of time. Despite this, there is so much to be determined. So many teams are vying for a chance to participate in this year's Postseason. Unfortunately, there is one team that we all know will not be part of this postseason party, and that team is the New York Yankees.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedTwins Lock Up 1st Place in a Weak AL Central
The American League Central has been...interesting this season. In an earlier story I wrote about the division, there were no teams at .500 at that very time. It seemed like we would see an 81-81 or worse record actually finish first in the division, but that wouldn't be the case, as the wins picked up for the division's top teams. In all of the mess, I figured that the Cleveland Guardians would repeat as division champions because of their fantastic 2022 campaign. Not only did the Guardians win the division, they completely shut down the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card Series, and went the maximum five games with a powerful New York Yankees team.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedMLB Pennant Race 2023: The Junior Circuit's 1st Spots are Clinched
I can't believe it. I truly can't believe it. With Sunday's matchups done, the 2023 MLB season has just two weeks left. It shows that even a season as long and grueling as baseball can fly by at the drop of a hat; it seemed like yesterday that the season started. This week saw the Braves and Dodgers lock in their divisions, but it also saw two more teams join the postseason party.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedDodgers Capture NL West, but What's Next?
The Los Angeles Dodgers entered their Saturday game against the Seattle Mariners with two ways to clinch the National League West. One way was a win and one San Francisco Giants loss (the Giants were playing a doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies). A second route had the Giants losing both games of the doubleheader, and the Arizona Diamondbacks losing to the Chicago Cubs. The Giants did lose Game One of their doubleheader, meaning that all the Dodgers needed was a win. This was followed by the Giants losing the second game as well, while Arizona's game was back and forth and needed extra innings.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 7 months ago in UnbalancedBraves 1st to Clinch 2023 Postseason Spot
One thing that always fascinates me is the fact that Major League Baseball refers to their playoffs as the "Postseason." The other three main leagues use "playoffs," but baseball promotes the "Postseason." They are both one in the same, but still, I just love how baseball uses "Postseason," because it is a season--a brief season that takes place after the regular season ends. The length varies depending on the format and the league, though in the case of baseball, the Postseason lasts just over a month. For the second straight year, 12 teams are part of this entertaining madness, and on September 10, 2023, the first of the 12 teams locked in a spot in this year's Postseason.
Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 8 months ago in Unbalanced