MLB general postseason 2020 thread

The Dodgers '81 title has always felt a little tainted to me--not nearly to the degree of this year--because of the Reds' weird season.

I have mixed feelings on Houston's previous success, before they got caught. There's a lot of talent there, and Verlander then Cole were a big part of it. When the story broke, I didn't immediately write off their title. I wasn't sure.

I feel like the 06 Cards still have a bit of a stink on them simply because they were close to .500

I'm under no delusion that the Astros winning would stop Manfred from doing everything in his power to maintain the expanded postseason. He would probably claim in one breath that a sub-.500 team winning proves that his method allows for the cream to rise to the top and that the Astros are actually the great team they always claimed to be, so stop giving him shit about their lack of punishment. He's made it clear that he's a shameless worm who will happily abuse a crisis to get his agenda passed.

But it would still be broadly unpopular and cause an uproar and it might get the point across that the playoffs are too random to be this deep. (It would've been better if the Brewers won too.) And I'd rather it stay unpopular for as long as possible because it sucks. And I've already seen people on reddit and Twitter turning in its favor because they liked the chaos of an 8-game day.

Also it'd be really funny

the astros winning would not be a rebuke, nor would it kill off stupid expanded playoffs

I'm not so sure...the cheating and the whole way that organization handled it was a huge embarrassment for the league. There is *nobody* at MLB offices who isn't praying thet are eliminated in this series. If they were to wun the WS with a losing record to it, the blowback would be universal.

to win the WS with a losing recoord,

xposts

oops thermo, meant to link to this one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Major_League_Baseball_strike

Dusty's review of Camus: "One of the most negative philosophers around." https://t.co/z9YWQlNiua

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) October 12, 2020

oh, i don't think MLB *wants* the astros to win. but all the extra money from extra playoff games -- which iirc goes straight to ownership under the current scheme -- will ease the pain nicely

also lol that for all the pace-of-play innovations last night's 2-1, 8 1/2-inning game went 3:50

but i thought all the owners were losing tons of money by playing baseball and actually we should be thankful to the owners for allowing us to have some fun during difficult year?

a couple of fantastic defensive plays in this game so far - the adames leaping catch and margot going over the wall

maaaybe if you guys had started LCS threads i wd know they'd begun by now?

i was too busy not discussing evan longoria's career to start any new threads, sorry

man the rays really do live on the edge. the difference between this and them being down 2-0 is not a lot

I guess I’m watching this L a game?

this is your happening and it freaks you out

Hey real fans!

Not sure I like their presence.

kinda dug the five-straight-days division series as a test of depth, but seven straight is too much

one off day after game 4 would be fine

Has Will Smith ever faced Will Smith?

The Braves can hit.

really changes things when you have no kenleyfidence

Has Will Smith ever faced Will Smith?

yeah in Gemini Man

As someone who's a far bigger Jethro Tull fan than I ought to be (the rare ultra-'70s band I didn't leave back in high school 45 years ago), I had no idea the Braves had a rookie pitcher named Ian Anderson.

Kiermaier really putting on a CF clinic.

Melancon has caught more homeruns this season than he has allowed.

welp this blowout got interesting in a hurry

4h12m for the clockwatchers

Wheels falling off the Astros’ bus in spectacular fashion.

What the fuck is this question? Can you find a positive after going up 2-0? Lol wut

Good job by Melancon here pic.twitter.com/vFAW1i4kcn

— Jomboy (@Jomboy_) October 14, 2020

Who was that idiot?!

well here we go

Shades of the Braves game earlier...

what's going on with the altuve throwing errors? injury or yips?

yips

He (well, the whole team, but he especially) should be thankful that he's being spared from relentless heckling.

is there anything preventing the opposing team from banging on water coolers really loudly while the astros bat?

other than poor sportsmanship and the possibility of getting into a physical altercation i mean?

I watch playoffs/world series in a weird way. Once my Twins are eliminated I root for whoever eliminates the Yankees. Last year that was the Astros, and Altuve knocked in the series-ending walkoff homer. This year I'm cheering for the Rays, and I now know the Astros are a bunch of cheaters, but I still feel a little for him and his fielding errors. But just a little.

an Altuve-amount of feels?

btw some pretty impressive stuff from ian anderson this post (as ron darling would say), despite the walks yesterday

it's surprisingly difficult to make a baseball-related jethro tull reference

a cautionary tale, though, as the last rookie with this kind of playoff scoreless streak was . . . michael wacha

Anderson much more impressive than Wright

lol @ Atlanta

I hope Turner gets drilled in his next AB.

"Oh you want to pretend to get hit to get on base the cheap way? How about 100mph between the shoulder blades?"

(not that anyone will remember that AB or anything haha)

Ok dodgers

yikes

all the dodgers have scored at least once, by the third inning

Eggs Benedict warming up.

Damn. Rays were a matter of feet from putting the series away right there.

it's surprisingly difficult to make a baseball-related jethro tull reference

hahaha, google Gerald Bostock and softball when you have a minute

Astros in 7!

“I watch playoffs/world series in a weird way. Once my Twins are eliminated I root for whoever eliminates the Yankees. “

Lol did someone get their feelings hurt?