2023 World Series: Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers

Texas needs Jon Gray not to remember he's a mediocre roster-filler for one more inning.

gray’s got a nice mizuno glove, i like that. league seems to be rawlings/wilson mainly, so good to see some variety

maybe semien should switch to a mizuno - might have actually caught that then

Seemed like a generous hit, or at least in slow motion it did...I guess it was hit pretty hard.

PFAADT and SBORZ in the same game, finally

Pham-tastic

Tommy Pham to do absolutely nothing

Currently a possible MVP--on the field, and he's even got some narrative going for him.

The moment I've so not been looking forward to: Aroldis warming up.

This has the feel of a looming Arizona comeback unless Texas adds a run or two...which they won't do in the 8th now. They were really lucky to get out of that second inning. Seager hit the home run, and they haven't done anything since.

Seriously, get Chapman out of there after Carroll. I know Bochy has to manage the bullpen with an eye on Tuesday and Wednesday, but winning tonight gets you a game 6 at least, and that's more important.

ooh its gettin good now

well must be nice to get all 3 outs in the span of like 45 seconds

Jesus...an absolutely brilliant pitch for a strikeout, and then an incredible DP. Living on borrowed time, but Texas might hold on.

Okay finally got a work break. Dbacks come back let’s go!!!!!!

Ooooh base touching controversy, love these

Tommy Pham is that man. Slapping Joc? Definite dick move, besides that event, I don’t really care about the morality of the bloke. He’s got that Madbum “I take everything deathly seriously” temperament, but it doesn’t annoy me as much on him (probably because he’s not a Gont)

Giant*

Nice story him giving the AB to the young buck last night

Gont

Something I know won’t win me any friends in this thread: I like all these fellas in silly costumes sitting behind home plate this series. If you’re gonna spend the big buck, make the most of it and have some fun. Hope to see the banana boys again in game 6

They Might Be Gonts.

Works for me

https://i.postimg.cc/B6P7sXsn/IMG-4117.png

My welsh heritage speaking through the unconscious mind

Who is John Gont?

Pham walk-off incoming

one small step for man, one gont leap for mankind

If Pham does come up with two on, I want him to give up his AB to a little-used teammate who's never had the thrill of the World Series spotlight.

Another missed call.

There were Gonts in the earth in those days

How has Texas stayed in this post season with Leclerc pitching. Luckiest pitcher alive right now.

Garbage call

I think he missed that one too.

They did even up--missed strike, missed ball.

Lol

https://i.postimg.cc/SxWyQxSV/IMG-4118.png

Way to ruin a good inning ump

I irrationally hate Leclerc

It’s not his fault, but he just continues to pitch in incredibly frustrating innings. Not fun to watch

If you miss two pitches, one for each side, it's a wash. I know it affects the psychological procession of the AB, but I don't think you can say the net effect was big. The AB should have unfolded 1-0, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, and then the 5th pitch would have been a called strike three. I think I have that right.

? He's been awesome his last two times out.

Good Series so far.

Nothing's a wash in baseball, blow up your example to a whole AB/inning/game and tell me calling balls and strikes as opposites doesn't effect anything. On the biggest stage, the first AB of the 9th with the potential comeback, calling pitches like that is really poor form. Would love to see an analysis of AB results on a falsely called 2-strike pitch vs correctly called 2 strike pitch. My (limited) viewing experience tells me to expect an out 19/20 when it's called wrong

I said it was irrational!

Great series

I'm watching Jon Gray on the post-game show. Steroids and personalities aside, it must be amazing for a player to sit there between A-Rod, Ortiz, and Jeter. That's 9,000 hits and 1,500 HR.

The whole game, sure. We're talking one AB. If he calls the second pitch correctly, the batter's never ahead in the count.

I'd say it's been a good series, far from a great one thus far. G1 was classic, G2 was okay for a while and then a blowout, G3 was better, with some great defense, but interchangeable with hundreds of other WS games.

yeah I do think when a hitter gets an obviously bad strike call it messes with their head in the exact way you really don't want to have your head messed with

I agree, but wouldn't Moreno also have gotten a big psychological boost when he found himself sitting on a 2-0 pitch instead of 1-1?

Positive feedback vs. negative feedback ain’t equal

^^the main reason I don’t think it’s a wash and despise negative make up calls. If you screwed it up ump, own it, and don’t screw it up more

Disagree, but whatever the case, seems like a stretch to give this one pitch undue weight as to why they lost. Far more important was Walker running through the stop sign in the second.

yeah that was a real boner

Oh yeah, it's not the reason they lost at all. Didn't see that, will have to watch the highlights

for all the randomness of the postseason - BECAUSE of the randomness of the postseason - you need to be pretty much perfect with your fundamentals to eke any tiny edge you can get

Sheehan-ILX mind-meld on how good infielders have gotten:

Infield defense has become so good that we don’t think about it any more. We just expect plays to be made on these rockets, expect balls that don’t get through the dirt to become routine outs. Infielders now turn double plays with lethal efficiency, with even players we don’t immediately think of as wizards, like Seager, able to make plays. I mentioned using a time machine on Merrill Kelly, taking him back to the 1980s. Do the same with Seager, an average shortstop in our game, and he’d challenge Ozzie Smith for Gold Gloves each year. The baseline level of athleticism has risen slowly over time so that we don’t notice it. Today’s infielders, today’s infields, are out machines, though, even hampered by ill-conceived rules that dictate they position themselves poorly.

The lesson? Hit the ball up. I have been screaming this on Slack all month. You have to hit the ball up. Seager and Marte hit the same rocket last night. One hit it up for two runs, the other hit it down for two outs. Groundballs are death. Hit the ball up.