2021 MLB Season Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

And then the Braves made up for it in the top of the 5th.  The Brewers had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, but couldn't score due to excellent infield play on three ground ball outs.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Kiké Hernandez walks it off and the Sox are going to the ALCS! Next up: Cheatstros!! (or White Sox possibly)

I think it's really funny when people insist that it's obligatory to include an é in Kike Hernández's name that is neither Spanish nor English.

He's Puerto Rican and it's a nickname for Enrique.  Spelling it that way is common on TV and websites to make the pronunciation clear and, of course, to distinguish it from a certain ethnic slur word.

[GeorgiaModerate]

If the Braves defeat the Brewers, win the NLCS, and meet the Red Sox in the World Series, the Braves would play the teams from both of their former cities.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Replay is worthless.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Braves advance to the NLCS!  However this turns out, this season has exceeded expectations.  We're playing on house money at this point.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Trashstros and Barfs advance, no doubt through systemic cheating.

If that's your term for good pitching (in the Braves-Brewers series).

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/chrismurphyct/status/1449558926538706947?s=21
As much as I love baseball, this can be a big time commitment to watch a game from beginning to end, with lots of delays that can be excessive (batter stepping out, pitcher stepping off, etc).  The real issue that I have is how these games can go so late at night, to the point where I have to turn it off and go to bed in the 6th or 7th inning.  I say this as someone who lives in the Central Time Zone, and I can’t imagine how rough this must be for ET viewers.

It's very rough.  I don't even try to watch Braves night games when they're playing out west.  Even their home games go so late that I'm sometimes falling asleep before it's over.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Terrific game.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Two evil empires down (Yankees and Cardinals) 1 game away from two more (Dodgers and Red Sox). Then hopefully the cheaters go down too.

If you prefer the Barfs in your scenario your baseball priorities are very bad.

Just remember that Hunter Pence was an Astros  too and beloved in SF and Cali , he stole bases very well and Buster Posey taught him how to catcher sign read, so Pence was stealing signs as a Giant

The Giants lost toDidyers they didn't have Pence whom retired to TX and Belt

Posey contract is up, he must decide like Pence to continue playing or be with his wife but Pence had a Baseball school he is married but has no kids

Pence is also accused of HGH just like Cena

Hunter Pence and Houston Astros and TX Rangers sign stealing and Arod HGH in TX has been going on for 2 decades

You're right. It would not surprise me if both the Ashtros and Barves are stealing signs this playoffs.

Also, it really goes to show how the best team doesn't necessarily win the MLB playoffs. Most would agree the best two teams in baseball were the Dodgers and Giants in 2021. Yet they were matched up against each other, Giants lost, and the Dodgers are currently on the brink of elimination by a crappy team that had to crawl into the playoffs after the Mets then Phillies collapsed.

And just why would you suspect the Braves of stealing signs for any reason other than your evident personal dislike of them?  The Astros have a history of it; the Braves don't.

Regarding your second paragraph, there's no doubt the Giants and Dodgers were the two best teams across the entire 2021 season.  However, if we're talking about the best teams right now, the Braves of the last couple months are drastically different, and much better, than the mediocre group that played the first two-thirds of the season.  It's true that the Braves are fortunate to play in a division that was weak this year, so they never got into a very deep hole and were able to take control of the division once they got hot late in the season.  But I think that by most objective standards, the end-of-season Braves are right there with the Giants and Dodgers.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Max Fried doesn't have his stuff tonight.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Man oh man.  If the Braves win this series, Eddie Rosario is unquestionably the MVP.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Can't believe I'll have to root for the f**king Atlanta Braves in the World Series. What a letdown.

We appreciate your support.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Jorge Soler has become the first player ever to hit a home run as the first batter of a World Series.  This is the 117th series.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Another record: the Braves are the first World Series team to score in each of the first three innings of game 1.

[GeorgiaModerate]

If the Houston Astros win the World Series this year, it will be hard to find anybody happier about it than Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale.

The flamboyant Houston furniture store owner is not only a huge Astros fan, he's also set to win $38.9 million if his bets on the team pay off.

McIngvale told CNN that he bet $3.35 million back in June that the Astros would win it all.
He said he made the wagers to cover another gamble of sorts -- customers who bought certain mattresses that cost $3,000 or more will get their money back if the Astros win.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/us/houston-astros-furniture-bet-trnd/index.html

[GeorgiaModerate]

When are they announcing the AL MVP award?

I mean, if Shohei Ohtani isn't a unanimous AL MVP, something is wrong with the writers who vote on the award.

November 11.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The weather looks unpleasant for tonight's game - 50F with 7-10 mph winds and intermittent rain showers.

[GeorgiaModerate]

What a pitching performance by the Braves! A 2-hit shutout.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The 12th best team hoists a trophy, what an insult to the entire history of the game. 162 games don't matter.

Would you prefer to go back to the era of no divisions, where the two teams with the best record from each league meet in the World Series?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Atlanta has such a rich history of coming up short, from the 1990s Braves dynasty that seldom won it all to 28-3, that I think the Astros have a very good chance of winning.

The Braves certainly hit 95% probability to win the World Series in-game tonight. With Georgia football independently at 35-40% to win the College Football playoff, there had to be about 97% chance of winning something this year. I still think they will, but hopefully it's limited to one title. Guess I'd prefer that to be UGA but not by all that much.

GA Moderate - pick your preferred champion! 40 year drought ended by an actually good team finally besting its five biggest rivals (who have won 14.5 titles in that span, maybe 15.5 if you count Tennessee) or 25 year drought ended by a lucky mediocre team pulling it altogether (after a period where just the Phillies took 1; don't know if you can count the Nationals or Marlins as much of a rival - probably less painful than the Yankees' 4 but half of those were against the Mets and Phillies at least)

UGA, no question.  They have their best team in a generation and legitimately look like the best team in the country.  If they don't win the championship it will be a real disappointment.  The Braves, OTOH, have already far exceeded expectations this year.  While of course I want them to win the Series, I'll be happy with their season even if they fall short.  They've been playing on house money through the whole postseason.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I'm not sure whether this bit of trivia has been mentioned, but this is the first time that a World Series game will be held on Election Day.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Soler strikes again!

[GeorgiaModerate]

BRAVES WIN!!!!!!!

Truly one of the most amazing late seasons runs I’ve ever seen. They were dead in the water in mid-July.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Fun fact: there hasn’t been a WS winner that has clinched on their home field since 2013.  Every champion since then has clinched either on the road or at a neutral site.  The streak continued last night.

That is a very odd fact considering that home field is an advantage in baseball because the home team bats last.  Although the Braves were road warriors this year; in the regular season they had a better road record (+11) than home record (+4).

[GeorgiaModerate]

Any free agent predictions?

Freddie Freeman stays with the Braves.