baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
MLB Pennant Race 2022: 1st Berth Clinched, Are the Yankees Truly Back?
While many sports fans (myself included) were focused on the beginning of another sport's season, there was still a postseason push going on in Major League Baseball. The month of September is closing in on the midpoint, and there are still some intriguing storylines out there--as the season enters the final 24 days. They are as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB Pennant Race 2022: Braves Moving Closer, Tight AL Central
Who doesn't love the month of September?! As every baseball fan knows, September is the ultimate month in the MLB season; it's the final countdown, the last chance for teams to make their mark and qualify for the postseason. It's a different race now--instead of 10 teams qualifying, it's 12. Three division winners and three Wild Cards, meaning that more teams are in the hunt in the vital month of September. The increased population of postseason teams makes for a much more intriguing race, and here are some of the stories that have developed with 31 days left in the season.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB August 2022 Review
Well, this is it. We have finally reached the home stretch of the 2022 MLB season. The regular season will come to an end on October 5, 2022, which is a Wednesday, meaning that the season has 35 days--an even five weeks--remaining. August has been quite eventful for us baseball fans, and here are some of the things that occurred during this pivotal month.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB July 2022 Review
The month of July always sees the first half of the Major League Baseball season come to a close, and it's followed by the Midsummer Classic, aka MLB's All-Star Game. After the festivities take place, the second half begins, and that's when the paces are really set in the pennant races. The room for error decreases once August hits, and with that said, here are the key moments that took place in July.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB 2022 National League 1st Half Recap
The National League, Major League Baseball's senior circuit, also has its share of intriguing storylines and surprises. Much like the American League, these developments are a result of the new postseason format, which now allows three Wild Cards in each league. The National League picture does look quite interesting entering the break, and the storylines and standings are as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB 2022 American League 1st Half Recap
The 2022 Major League Baseball season is at the halfway point, and what a first half it has been. It didn't seem like we'd get a season due to the lockout that affected spring training, but we did get one and it's been amazing to this point. The All-Star Break is a pivotal point in three of North America's four main sports leagues (the NFL doesn't have a break, as the Pro Bowl takes place a week before the Super Bowl), but it is immensely emphasized in baseball. It is always important to be in a good place by the All-Star Break, and regarding the American League, it has seen a lot of surprising teams on the verge of breaking through. Here's how things stand in baseball's junior circuit entering the break.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB June 2022 Review
June is a pretty vital month in the Major League Baseball season, even if it is early in the year. The month of June is the final month before baseball's All-Star Break, which is a pivotal point of the season, as it pretty much determines who has a shot at the postseason, who will win their divisions, and who needs to do a lot to cross the playoff line. While all of that is still down the line, the month of June was quite memorable. Here are the key occurrences.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB May 2022 Review
The 2022 MLB season is closing in on the summer months, and that means the All-Star break is getting closer and closer. While the month of April serves as an introductory portion of the season--not as vital but important enough to give fans an idea of how each of the 30 teams will perform, the month of May serves as a tone-setting month. How each team stands after May is important, as June is the last full month before the all-important All-Star break. But that's down the line. Here's a look at a few teams that drew some attention in the month of May.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB April 2022 Review
Hard to believe that earlier this year, there was a possibility that we wouldn't have baseball in April. A lockout had enveloped the sport for over three months until things ended up settled, leading to the season starting only a week later than originally planned. The return also brought new wrinkles to the sport: the permanent universal DH, the "ghost runner" extra inning rule ending after this season, nine-inning doubleheader games, and an expanded playoff format that features 12 teams (six in each league) and the best of three Wild Card Series opening the postseason.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
A Look at Major League Baseball's Many Changes as the Lockout Ends
It's over. The latest Major League Baseball lockout finally came to an end just one day short of the 100-day mark, with a tentative CBA agreement. The collateral damage was minimal; spring training was lost, and Opening Day ended up pushed back a week--from March 31 to April 7. Despite the later start, a full 162-game season is the plan, with the regular season set to end on October 2, 2022. This work stoppage is the first one since 1994, and that one saw the remainder of that season canceled, as well as that year's postseason and World Series. It also resulted in the 1995 season starting late and containing 144 games, and that season ended with the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Six: Party Like it's 1995
Here's what I remember about 1995. I was only ten years old. Seinfeld's popularity increased in its time on NBC's Thursday night lineup. Saturday Night Live was celebrating 20 years. The Simpsons' seventh season began with the surprising revelation that baby Maggie Simpson shot Mr. Burns. In the sports world, the Houston Rockets won their second straight NBA championship, the New Jersey Devils won their first of their three Stanley Cups, and Major League Soccer and the WNBA didn't exist yet. Regarding the Atlanta Braves, they won the World Series with a shutout victory in Game Six. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Five: No Home Runs, No Problem
As a sports fan, I always love when the World Series just happens to coincide with a football Sunday. It brings me back to 2009, when Game Four of that Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies took place in the "City of Brotherly Love," which also hosted an early NFL game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Regarding this Sunday, which was also Halloween, the city of Atlanta was busy, as the Falcons were at home, as well as Game Five of this year's World Series.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
