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…
Several readers have written in to ask me about the comments I made in my latest ESPN.com piece, in which I argued that Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius are no longer useful baseball players, particularly given their salaries. The gist of the feedback is that because Martinez had driven in 100 runs in all of…
Game Four was another very good game with some interesting critical tactical decisions. We got to see Joe Torre get as creative as he’s going to get and we got to see Bobby Valentine get boxed into a couple of corners and dodge some bullets. Torre’s decision to yank Denny Neagle with two outs in…
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…
Rany Jazayerli: Civilization is ending as we know it, a plague of locusts has hit the Midwest and the sun rose in the west this morning. What bothers me most about watching everyone on TV pat themselves on their back for a job well done, is that everyone acts like the Mets and Yankees deserve…
(The time right after the regular season is a slow one on the transaction wires. Chris Kahrl sums up three weeks of inaction here, and returns next week with biweekly TAs.) Anaheim Angels Baltimore Orioles Chicago Cubs Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Indians Colorado Rockies Detroit Tigers Florida Marlins Houston Astros Kansas City Royals Los Angeles Dodgers…
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…