Category: Baseball
Preview of the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Cleveland Guardians
We’re now down to our final two teams in the American League, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians, who will hash things out in the best-of-seven ALCS starting Monday in the Bronx. Baseball, like most sports, is at its peak for fun when there’s something to prove and a little bit of competitive vengeance…
Legendary Cuban Pitcher Luis Tiant (1940-2024)
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports Even in an era brimming with colorful characters and exceptional hurlers, Luis Tiant stood out. The barrel-chested, mustachioed Cuban righty combined an assortment of exaggerated deliveries with a variety of arm angles and speeds that baffled hitters — and tantalized writers — over the course of a 19-year major league career (1964–82) and…
Flaherty Pitches a Masterful Game as Dodgers Take Game 1 of NLCS
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images LOS ANGELES — There was a glint in the eye of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. Asked in the pregame press conference if his Game 1 starter, Jack Flaherty, would be making any adjustments after an unsteady start against the Padres in the NLDS, Roberts vamped for a bit before a grin broke…
Preview of Dodgers vs. Mets in the National League Championship Series
Let’s get one thing out of the way up front: Jose Iglesias has issued an appeal to the gods. Iglesias, a pop singer who performs as Candelita and sometime infielder for the New York Mets, has seen his song, “OMG,” become something of a victory anthem. It’s been on signs and shirts and — above all — on…
Sunday Feature: Zyhir Hope’s Baseball Roots and Strong Bat
Zyhir Hope is one of the youngest and least experienced players participating in the Arizona Fall League. Acquired by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the January deal that sent Michael Busch to the Chicago Cubs, the 19-year-old outfielder has just 315 professional plate appearances, in part because he missed three months this season with a…
Guardians Dominate AL Central Rivals in Game 5, Advance to ALCS
It’s likely not too many people have heard of or seen the movie Wolfs, even though it features Brad Pitt and George Clooney in a crowd-pleaser action movie, throwing witty banter at each other for two hours. However, the film dropped three weeks ago on Apple TV+. No wide release, little marketing power behind it,…
Analyzing Stat Blasts: Effectively Wild Episode 2230 Dives into The Best-of-Seven Series
Ben Lindbergh and Meg Rowley discuss the excitement of the AL Central Division Series, a David Fry prediction, the reliever familiarity effect, an unfortunate TV shot, the Yankees’ ALDS win, the Royals’ chances of returning to October, the Braves firing coaches, the future of Tropicana Field, and MLB’s response to climate change. Then (1:00:24) Ben…
Dodgers Silence Padres to Secure Spot in NLCS
Forget second-guessing — I first-guessed Dave Roberts as the fifth inning of Game 5 ended. It was partially his hugging form – a little too hands-off-y for my tastes – but mostly, it was who he gave the hug to. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history. Eleven months ago, he pitched the…
An Analysis of Swing Path Variability During the 2024 Playoff Games
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports It’s the most wonderful time of the year: October baseball. As always in the playoffs, I’ve been keen to observe lineup construction and offensive personnel, particularly from a bat path perspective. Over the last few years especially, the matchup game has become more and more important as managers navigate the platoon…
Colson Montgomery of the White Sox Reflects on his Journey back to Success
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports Colson Montgomery learned a lot about himself as a hitter this season. The result of that introspection? He’s going back to the approach that not only helped make him the top prospect in the Chicago White Sox system, but also has him ranked 17th overall on The Board. Striving for more…