2023 ALCS: Texas Rangers vs. Houston Astros

texas consistently getting wood on pressley there but just not enough

Good game

Showing kids crying after sport loses: C or D?

I love baseball

D to showing it, C to the blokes jeering at the kid in the local winning sports bar

Feel good for Dusty and that’s it

Showing kids crying after sport loses: C or D?

It's fine for baseball

Bochy’s like, let me tell u about the time we were down 3-1 in the NLCS…and then he’s like, those guys weren’t fucking frauds, get out of my sight before I need a third stent please

i guess it's tough to ask marcus semien to do it, but if ever there was a place in any game for a bunt, that was it

If Marcus Semien didn’t like it, he probably should have tried not going 0-4

Of course I was in transit and missed all that. A fight? Jesus, I've got great timing.. I left right after Chapman struck out Alvarez. Three balls, came back to strike him out with three 100 m.p.h. fastballs--wished I'd seen that.

Still have to see the whole brouhaha, but agree with the consensus: down 4-2, runner on first, there's just no way you throw at a guy. Must have been something that was said.

Watching the 30-minute condensed version (terrible substitute, I know).

I'll stick with not-on-purpose--at the game level, it makes zero sense--but I will say: Garcia sure did take a stroll after his HR. Which I'm not at all opposed to--this is bat-flip city, after all--but that ball didn't clear the fence by a whole lot. He came very close to an embarrassing moment.

And I didn't realize how close the Rangers came to coming back in the bottom of the inning.

Bryan Abreu has been suspended two games and fined for "intentionally throwing at Adolis Garcia" pic.twitter.com/HQQ3O5U76S

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 21, 2023

Astros reliever Bryan Abreu was suspended two games for what MLB deemed an intentional hit by pitch in Game 5 of the ALCS. While the suspension could be implemented before Game 6, he is expected to appeal, and it likely won’t be enforced until next season.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 21, 2023

That's a pretty speculative suspension. I'm not ruling out that it was intentional after seeing Garcia's post-HR stroll, but the evidence is 100% circumstantial, and the game situation is a much more compelling argument that the pitch simply got away.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I didn’t think it was either but mlb have seen something otherwise

There's a writer I want to quote here, but I don't want to end up on the Posts Very Much in Character thread.

It was a first pitch fastball right at his upper body - the first pitch since Garcia hit the homer.

They were also down 4-2 in the 8th inning with nobody out, a runner on first, and in danger of falling behind 3-2 in games. It's like an appeal play: the evidence has to be clear before they overturn the call. Suspensions shouldn't be handed out based on mind reading. In five seasons and 180 innings, Abreau has hit 12 batters, thrown 12 wild pitches, and walks over four batters per 9 innings. You're not exactly dealing with Greg Maddux here.

everything about it *looked* intentional . . . apart from the fact that it would be an incredibly stupid thing to do in that situation

i'm willing to believe that abreu would be that stupid -- if for no better reason than making a dock ellis-type statement -- but yeah it seems like flimsy evidence

i suspect that MLB wanted to be seen doing something and also knew it wouldn't have to do anything when abreu appealed

https://theathletic.com/4983070/2023/10/21/adolis-garcia-hit-by-pitch-ejected-rangers-astros-brawl/

Not behind paywall

The incident will be debated for years.

not so sure about that, wee ken

Ha, just read that. Again, I'm not at all saying it wasn't intentional (see my initial post last night). But they removed him from the game, and beyond that, I think you need clear, incontrovertible evidence.

Harper got fooled on that change up, lays off the next two and then gets a base hit

Love him so much

Wrong thread Bee!

Lol

Watching a replay...Had no idea Don Kessinger's grandson plays for the Astros: Grae, the guy they sent out in the 9th to pinch-run for Singleton.

Feel like this has all the elements for a classic G6 (1975, 1986, 2011).

Oh no

Not the way the Rangers wanted to start

When I watched G5 on reply, I really liked the way Alvarez walked alongside Garcia after the HBP.

To only give up one run there was huge

Exactly the kind of inning you look back on after a loss.

I legitimately fear Altuve

Pretty strikeout, very fun AB from Nathan there

I love intentional walks.

Gift call

its crazy as good as Altuve's stat line has been this postseason that doesn't count the 5 or 6 warning track balls he hit in this series alone

"Warning-track power" used to be a putdown (not sure if the term is still in use), but when you're talking about a guy with the second most post-season HR, seems like a moot point.

Perfect timing for that post.

I think this whole Garcia situation has benefitted the Astros, Garcia looks totally stuck in his head right now

Heim

I thought that was caught!

Those ladies had the absolute worst preparation for that hr ball possible lol

I guess you can't say should've-had-it, but definitely could've-had-it.

Honestly lucky they didn’t get hurt@

I'd give Valdez the 5th and that's it. I remember commenting how awesome his curve looked in the WS last year. They look like lollipops tonight; Garcia is over-swinging, but Garver finally drilled one last inning.

When did six feet become "not very big"?

Thank you altuve