baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
World Series Game Four: On the Verge
The Atlanta Braves' first home World Series game in 22 years was a victorious one, and was almost a historic one, as the Braves nearly no-hit the Houston Astros. Even with the no-hit bid gone, the Braves went on to take a 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic, and 24 hours later, the two teams faced off in Game Four.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Three: Historic Proportions
The city of Atlanta has not had a great sports history. It was in 1966 that the Braves moved for the second and most recent time, relocating from Milwaukee to Atlanta, and it was that same year that the Atlanta Falcons were established. Two years later, Atlanta received the NBA's Hawks, who had previously played in St. Louis for 13 seasons and won a championship in 1958. In 1972, Atlanta joined the NHL with the establishment of the Flames, but after eight disappointing seasons, six playoff appearances, and only two playoff games won, the team relocated to Calgary in 1980, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1989. They tried again with the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, but lasted 11 seasons and only made the playoffs once before moving to Winnipeg and becoming the second Jets team.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Two: Astros' Pitching Leads the Way
Game One of the World Series was dominated by the Atlanta Braves' pitching, as well as timely home runs by Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall. For the Houston Astros, they needed to strike back in order to salvage something in the first two games in their park. Game Two started off on the right foot for the Astros; an Alex Bregman sac fly in the first inning to put the Astros up 1-0. The top half of the second inning saw Travis d'Arnaud tie it up with a solo shot; the Braves' third HR of the Series, but after that, the Astros exploded with four runs in their half of the second inning, resulting in a 5-1 lead for the Astros after two innings.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game One: 25 Years in the Making
There is always something about the first game of the World Series. Actually, there's always something about the first game of the World Series, NBA Finals, and the Stanley Cup Final. It's that aura; the feel that this is a definitive and epic end of the season. In the case of the World Series, it's the American League's best versus the National League's best in a battle for all of the marbles. This is the 117th World Series in baseball's modern era, with only 1904 and 1994 not seeing the Fall Classic occur. This year, it's the first-ever Fall Classic meeting between the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Dodgers Dethroned
Even though the 2020 season was cut down to just 60 games in two months, it was quite a dream season for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In this current era, the Dodgers entered that year facing the possibility that they could be one of the biggest failures in all of sports. Despite the immense amount of money spent building the team, they kept coming up short. In 2016, the Dodgers were the team who lost the pennant to the Chicago Cubs--who hadn't won a pennant since World War II ended. 2017 and 2018 saw them in the World Series, but they lost both years. 2019 was an embarrassing season--a franchise record 106 wins, yet they suffer a Division Series loss to the Washington Nationals.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Red Sox Bats Get Cold at Wrong Time. Top Story - October 2021.
Three years ago, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series--their fourth since 2004. What followed was two seasons of disappointment, dismay, and the proverbial axe falling on certain people. Their 2019 season was immensely disastrous, as they went 84-78--24 games worse than their 2018 championship season--and missed the postseason. Pitching was the main problem, though if you asked then-GM Dave Dombrowski, the pitching was just fine. That statement was why I used the word "then-GM." Dombrowski was fired in September of 2019, less than a full season after delivering a championship to Boston. It was that bad.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Giants Fall Short in an Epic Clash
Without question, there are three rivalries in baseball that just stand out the most: Yankees/Red Sox, Cubs/Cardinals, and Dodgers/Giants. The rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox is actually the youngest of the three, but it's the most heated due to the Babe Ruth connection and the many decades they have spent battling each other for position. The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals have been rivals since 1882--the oldest of the three battles. The Giants and Dodgers' rivalry started in 1890, but it spans not only three different centuries, but also two coasts, as the teams were founded in New York and later moved to California in 1958.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: A Taste of the Brewers' Own Medicine
Remember what the full story of the Milwaukee Brewers was? It was pitching. Pitching was the absolute nucleus of the Brewers' 2021 campaign. This was a season that saw their MVP slugger, Christian Yelich, miss several games due to injury. Yet in spite of everything, the Brewers' rotation (led by Corbin Burnes) and bullpen (led, once again, by Josh Hader) dominated and led the way for the Brew Crew. The team led all of Major League Baseball in shutouts.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Rays Dethroned as American League Champions
The popular social media meme as of late has been "How it started/how it's going." The meme usually describes occurrences that start out very well, but as things progresses, they deteriorate...badly. The Tampa Bay Rays definitely qualify for that meme, as they ended up as the first casualty of this year's Division Series--eliminated in four games by the Boston Red Sox.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: White Sox Were Doomed From the Start
Despite many other postseason berths being clinched beforehand, the Chicago White Sox were the first to wrap up their division in 2021. The White Sox led the American League Central outright, never looking back, dominating the whole season. When the regular season ended on October 3, the White Sox's 93-69 record was 13 games ahead of the second place Cleveland Indians. A dominant season like that should be commended. It would be...if it didn't come with the following caveats.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Yankees Fizzle in Fenway and Cards' Season Ends in Walk-off Fashion
The MLB Wild Card Games have come and gone, and after the dust was settled, the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals each saw their season come to an end. These two teams have won a combined 38 World Series, the two winningest teams in MLB history, but no playoff wins in 2021. In fact, the teams scored a combined three runs in this year's postseason. First off, let's discuss the Yankees' exit.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
MLB Postseason 2021: The Picture is Complete
The final day of the MLB season, aka Game 162, had the potential to be very chaotic and result in some things being unsolved. There was still the National League West up for grabs, but it was the American League Wild Card that had the biggest logjam. And with all of the games going on at once, per the recent tradition, it all made for a fantastic day in baseball.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
