Major League Baseball

[TehStu]

I think mid-summer games largely depend on who you go see. I was at Busch Stadium last year and watched the Cards demolish the Cubs, and it was absolutely heaving and a proper carnival atmosphere, despite the 100 degree weather:

We didn't get to St. Louis this year, but did go see our local minor league team play. Think we had a crowd of about 4,000:

[Timbuktu]

So the Cubs and the Jays are through after a couple of great games and amazing 7th innings. The Schwarber homerun for the cubs was just something else and that 7th inning tonight had enough drama for the whole series.

I'm not sad to see the Cards go, though they did well enough considering injuries, it's hard where everyone ine the Cubs lineup is hitting homers. I feel a bit for the Rangers, the Toronto fans and some players got a bit too emotional in that game, but they lost their nerve and just gifted that game away. Not many other sports have this kind of tension that you get in a do or die game in postseason.

[TehStu]

Well, Cards had a 100 win season, I guess the injuries didn't help though. But I take nothing from the Cubs. 9 HRs in 2 games is immense. That said, I haven't encountered a single Cards fan (whose fan base is massive around here- you're either a Cubs or Cards fan) who isn't now cheering on the Cubs. I really hope they do it.

[Larsen B]

The coolest thing.

By the letter of the law, the Rangers run in the 7th was legal but it would be good if common sense was applied every so often. Glad it didn't end up being a controversial winner though. Andrus was shook.

[ChewMagma]

Only got into MLB this year after visiting the US, seeing some baseball on the telly while I was out there, watching the Moneyball film on the flight home, and then getting a half price deal on an MLB.tv subscription when I got back. I randomly decided to follow the Blue Jays because my mum is half-Canadian, they are on the East coast so I can watch them live more frequently, and they happened to be one of the teams I watched while I was on holiday - an auspicious choice: at the time I had no idea they had a 22 year post-season drought or even that they played in the American League East, which I suppose is historically probably the toughest division.

I've been following them avidly since the start of June. The turnaround after the All-Star break was just phenomenal and I genuinely think that game last night was one of the best sporting contests I have ever seen. Insane atmosphere, it had everything and that 7th inning...Bautista's bat flip might just about be the coolest thing I have ever seen a sportsmans do (except maybe Roberto Osuna in general - that dude has absolute ice running through his veins).

I fucking love it. Fingers crossed for a world series - just hoping that after this it will not be back to another 20 year post-season drought...

[ilpostino]

FUCKIN' GO JAYS GO!

[ChewMagma]

Estrada starting the opening game tonight. A lot of people were talking him down for much of the regular season, but my first sight of him was when he took a perfect game into the 7th or 8th inning on 2 back-to-back starts in June (one of which featured an awesome Donaldson play where he dived into the crowd to catch a foul ball). Like Osuna, Estrada just looks so cool on the mound and actually I thought looked the most unfazed of the four starters in the Rangers series.

Really excited for this one. The series against Kansas at the start of August was a cracker with the Royal pitchers gunning for Donaldson and plenty of bench clearing and ejections http://m.mlb.com/news/article/140624426/benches-clear-ejections-in-jays-royals-game. Arguably the series when Blue Jays started to turn around their season

Not sure I will manage to stay up till 1am though, but will try and avoid the score and watch tomorrow morning instead.

[ilpostino]

Estrada has been excellent for most of the year and I'd agree that he was the most composed in the ALDS series against Texas. Considering the reputation he has I would say that Price was absolutely the worst, the Rangers got right after him in his start and in relief.

As for the ALCS, there's some needle and history between both teams and it should be a cracker.

If the umps can just let them play and not toss anyone (which was a big problem in the final game of the regular-season series in Toronto, the ump issued a warning to both benches, then bottled a bunch of calls before ejecting Sanchez) it should be fun.

I work in Toronto and the buzz in the city is really something else. Great to see.

[ChewMagma]

Ouch watched game 1 this morning. I thought Estrada pitched well, but Kansas took their chances when they were presented and Volquez was too good. All hinged on that sixth inning and the Jays could not find a hit. More worrying though, Encarnacion might be struggling with this finger injury. Still it's only 1 game.

Yep David Price looked surprisingly nervous in his opening start and when he came in to relieve Dickey in game 4. That was an awkward situation, although I think it was the right call on Gibbons part given the game situation. Price has to step up this afternoon.

[ChewMagma]

What a horror show for the Blue Jays last night. My heart went out to poor old RA Dickey - when the knuckleball isn't working, it really isn't working. There were two moments when they could have got back into it, but the hits wouldn't come and then the KC bullpen shut it down. Hawkins coming in felt like Gibbons chucking in the towel and the less said about Tepera the better. Went to bed in the 8th and missed infielder Cliff Pennington stepping up to pitch, which underlines the difference between the two sides in the series: KC's bullpen is just far stronger. If Blue Jays somehow manage to scrap through to the playoffs, they will have everything crossed that Cecil can somehow make a comeback. At least Hendricks had a very strong showing last night, 4 scoreless innings.

[ilpostino]

It's all or nothing with the Jays, if the pitching or the hitting is good then we have a chance. If one or the other is bad we're in trouble.

KC have a considerably stronger bullpen, and I think the decision to not take Buerhle into the bullpen will bite us, especially with Loup away for personal reasons and Cecil injured. Tepera is...not great.

[ChewMagma]

And wouldn't you know the pitching and hitting were good. If that was Estrada's last game in Blue Jays jersey what a way to go out!

[Larsen B]

The ALDS wasn't exactly fun so I'm unsure why the Jays want to recreate the sensation of being one game away from getting knocked out and then rallying to win 3 in a row but, oh well.

[ilpostino]

And wouldn't you know the pitching and hitting were good. If that was Estrada's last game in Blue Jays jersey what a way to go out!

Pitched brilliantly, and with some late run support as a cushion too. Live to fight another day!

And how about those Mets, swept the Cubs and Daniel Murphy with a HR in seven consecutive games. Incredible stuff.

[Timbuktu]

Feels a bit empty first night without baseball in a while. The Mets-Cubs series is over too quickly, although i do appreciate the Cubs getting knocked out on Back to the Future Day. Now the Mets have to sit around for a while, potentially losing momentum. Hopefully the Jays can take it to game 7. With Price pitching, they have a chance to atone for game 2.

I've just started to watch games on BT sport. MLBtv is great and all, but i can't stand having the af breaks without ads, i really would prefer if they just switch to one of those fixed live views of the stadium.

[ilpostino]

Dubious calls aside, the game was there for the taking for Toronto and they couldn't capitalise.

Go Mets in the WS!

[Timbuktu]

That was some great baseball from the Royals. I was rooting for them all the way last year and can't begrudge them outplaying the Mets and their never say die attitude. Hosmer's base running in the ninth was pretty cool, the Mets kept being pushed into making mistakes.

[John0]

Watched the Royals get spanked 14-1 at Yankees Stadium earlier this year, would never have guessed they'd go on to win the World Series!

[Sun Tze]

I stopped subbing to MLB.TV three or four years ago (didn't want to have to watch more painful Giants/Cardinals World Series wins) but been keeping an eye on this years proceedings and kinda bummed i missed out on a Mets vs. Royals World Series. Pretty awesome, congrats Kansas City!

[TehStu]

Brother in law (Cubs fan) is coming over to visit in a couple of weeks, so we're driving down to St Louis to watch Cubs v Cardinals. Excited! Didn't get down to Busch Stadium last season. 

[LaParka]

Anyone see cards and Jays get a bit feisty? 

 

Ooof

[TehStu]

You confused me there, Cards are playing the Dodgers. That's the Rangers in a bit of a bonkers melee with the Jays.

[ChewMagma]

12 hours ago, LaParka said:

Anyone see cards and Jays get a bit feisty? 

 

Ooof

 

Yeah I was up watching this. Odor absolutely clocked Bautista. Pretty pathetic that a) they waited till Bautista's last at bat of the series knowing there would be no more games between 2 teams in regular season, b) they got idiot ex-con rookie Matt Bush to do the dirty, c) the Texas fans gave Bush a standing ovation when he walked off, d) Texas fans chanting 'USA! USA!' Like absolute muppets, e) it is all over a bat flip ffs.

 

On the other hand, Bautista is clearly a dick so eh.

 

At the end of the day the inevitable suspensions are the last thing Blue Jays underperforming bullpen and offense need right now.

 

As a European sports fan though I find this sort of thing fascinating. If two prem teams got into a scrap over a goal celebration, there'd be howls of outrage, "disgrace to the game", commentators tutting, long bans etc etc. Last night by contrast the commentators were largely "Odor threw a good punch" "this will bring Blue Jays together" "justified within code of game" "had to expect retaliation for bat flip" etc even though these are multi-million dollar sports stars who will miss games because they are acting like they are in the school playground. American sports fans seem to love it though.

[ilpostino]

Even as a Jays fan I thought it was hilarious. Cracking right hand from Odor, and we had a brawl where something happened, as opposed to what happens usually where there's some handbags and everyone mills around.

 

Let's hope it gives them a kick in the pants as they've been bang average so far.

[Timbuktu]

These guys don't forget do they?  What a punch that was, watched it so many times from all angles in slow mo

[ryodi]

Isn't this bad blood between the teams all because of Bautista's bat flip last season which is apparently disrespectful?

 

 

It's crazy to think he got criticised for that more than Odor is for slugging him in the game yesterday.

[LaParka]

Yeah I goofed the teams! 

 

I find all the unwritten rules in baseball pretty fascinating. Don't run across the pitchers mound, incident happens next guy at bat is getting plunked etc. For a non contact sport, they don't half like to brawl. Imagine the press if someone punched Rooney like Bautista got clocked. They'd be calling for criminal charges! 

 

Just look at this madness 

 

 

[TehStu]

Anyone watching the Cubs? NL championship game 1, bottom of the 8th, tied at 3 with the Dodgers. Cubs 2 out, bases loaded, Montero 0-2. Cool as you like, he knocks it out of the park. Just to rub it in, they then hit a solo HR and clip the top of the hedge in the same innings.

 

Glorious, even for a Cards fan.

[ilpostino]

I'm watching. If the Jays can't win it (and judging from their batting in the first two games of the ALCS we won't) I'd love the Cubbies to win the lot.

[TehStu]

Cubs Indians in the world series. Cubs off to an interesting start, walked two guys and hit another, Indians 2 up after the first.

 

Edit- that was a lot better from Lester in the second.