On October 8, 1995, I sat in shocked silence as Edgar Martinez broke my heart, lining a double into the left-field corner of the Kingdome, eliminating the Yankees from the playoffs and ending the career of my all-time favorite player, Don Mattingly. I can’t say for sure that knowing what would follow would have made…
It seems a shame that the first thing that comes to mind after a game–after a series–that has been so exciting is a criticism. But there’s no way I can write about this game and not have one single, overriding thought. Where was Armando Benitez? Tie game in the ninth inning, two outs, two poor…
The best-played game of the series so far went to the Mets, 4-2. Unlike the first two games, this one lacked the controversial baserunning and managerial decisions that gave us so much to talk about over the weekend. The primary thing to take from Game Three is an object lesson in what "bad defense" really…
As I’ve often mentioned, Baseball Prospectus is very lucky to have a readership that, on a daily basis, makes us smarter. One of our readers dropped a note to me last week in the wake of some recent pieces he’d seen here and on the Web: I’m excited about the Series and a little concerned…
Yankee fans are only now beginning to breathe normally again, after last night’s ninth-inning rally by the Mets fell one run short. For eight innings, Game Two was completely dominated by Roger Clemens and the Yankees, but once Clemens left–after just 112 pitches–the Mets scored five runs off of Jeff Nelson and Mariano Rivera before…
Timoniel Perez looked like he was going to get off the hook, thanks in part to Bubba Trammell. Trammell’s bases-loaded single in the seventh inning tied World Series Game One and set up the go-ahead infield single by Edgardo Alfonzo. Unfortunately for Perez, the Mets bullpen couldn’t hold the lead and he goes down as…
A series that presents a beguiling question: what, exactly, is the point of the travel days? Lineups (AVG/OBP/SLG/Equivalent Average) (Ed. Note: For players who played for multiple teams, their EqA only reflects their performance with their current team.) New York DH Chuck Knoblauch (.283/.366/.385/.257) SS Derek Jeter (.339/.416/.481/.304) LF David Justice (.286/.377/.584/.312*) CF Bernie Williams…
I guess I’m supposed to be more excited. As many of you know, I was born and raised in New York City, and while I have lived in Southern California for more than ten years–picking up a degree, a wife and an aversion to wind-chill factors along the way–I’ve never let go of my affection…
A few random notes from the LCSs: Tony LaRussa’s decision to use Darryl Kile on three days’ rest has opened him to some criticism. I don’t think this was LaRussa’s best performance, but I can’t argue with that decision. Kile threw fewer than 90 pitches in Game One and LaRussa’s pitching was a mess with…
Over at ESPN.com there’s a piece on the greatest World Series games since 1975, as chosen by the BP staff. The piece has generated a lot of e-mail, and I want to address some of the issues raised. As a general rule, a game is the sum of its parts. In the same way that…
One of the longest-lived cliches about sports coverage is the second-guess. The longer I do this, the more I dislike sitting in front of my computer and criticizing the moves of people who are very accomplished in their chosen field. Not because the criticism is undeserved, but because I feel like it doesn’t add anything…
Last night, the Mariner bullpen continued to pitch like something out of a W.P. Kinsella novel, getting the last seven outs of a 2-0 win in Game One of the ALCS. For the third straight game, they backed up a great start, this time by Seattle’s Freddy Garcia. Garcia had a great fastball all night;…
Last week’s assertion that Armando Rios getting thrown out at third base in the tenth inning of NLCS Game Two wasn’t such a big deal generated a flood of e-mail, even more than Gary Huckabay’s famous "I Love You, Britney" piece from late 1998. (Sadly, she never responded; Gary still can’t listen to "Sometimes" without…
A rematch of what remains the only good thing to come out of the new playoff format, 1995’s Yankee/Mariner series. No Joey Cora this time, so we’re unlikely to see anyone go from home to first by way of Redmond. Lineups (AVG/OBP/SLG/Equivalent Average) (Ed. Note: For players who played for multiple teams, their EqA only…
Just what is it about the Mets that they play these amazing postseason games? They played two of these against the Diamondbacks in the Division Series last year, then three more against the Braves in the NLCS. They were also in the middle of The Greatest Postseason Ever, 1986, which included maybe the best LCS…
Below is my ballot for this year’s Internet Baseball Awards. I’m not going to get too deeply into explaining the choices, but I will provide a general description of my rationale in putting together each ballot. If you’d like to vote in the IBAs, go to the page here at Baseball Prospectus and cast your…