2020 MLB Season Thread

[MasterJedi]

Dread it. Run from it. Postseason fish magic arrives all the same, & now it's here.

Or should I say, the Marlins are.

As a Chicagoan, the Cubs are nothing without their roof top fans, they are gonna have to prove themselves outside the Cubbie, Marlins are gonna have to win 4 games, not 2, in the next round

The Cubs have generally been nothing outside of one lucky season.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

They were lucky to play Cleveland Indians in 2016 that year instead of a real team, but as I was telling brucejoel, Marlins arent gonna win 4 games against the Braves. They are gonna get swept or lose 5 games  against the mighty Braves😃😃😃

Marlins are heavy underdogs

[brucejoel99]

Dread it. Run from it. Postseason fish magic arrives all the same, & now it's here.

Or should I say, the Marlins are.

As a Chicagoan, the Cubs are nothing without their roof top fans, they are gonna have to prove themselves outside the Cubbie, Marlins are gonna have to win 4 games, not 2, in the next round

A. The Wrigleyville rooftops were still allowing fan attendance.
B. The next series is the NLDS, so no, the Marlins will only have to win 3 games, not 4.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30026719/hall-famer-bob-gibson-st-louis-cardinals-ace-dies-84

Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson died Friday at age 84, the St. Louis Cardinals confirmed to ESPN.

Gibson, who was born in Omaha, Nebraska, played all of his 17 MLB seasons with the Cardinals, from 1959-75.

Gibson announced in July 2019 that he had pancreatic cancer.

[RINO Tom]

Dread it. Run from it. Postseason fish magic arrives all the same, & now it's here.

Or should I say, the Marlins are.

As a Chicagoan, the Cubs are nothing without their roof top fans, they are gonna have to prove themselves outside the Cubbie, Marlins are gonna have to win 4 games, not 2, in the next round

The Cubs have generally been nothing outside of one lucky season.

Even when you say objectively true things about the Cubs, your pathetically misplaced (or, if you’d rather, ridiculously excessive and embarrassing) hatred of the Cubs prevents any credibility.  Like on other subforums, you just sound generally frustrated and cranky.  You’re like a Fox News host who finds a legitimate thing to criticize Democrats on but can’t help but let the pettiness shine through anyway.

With that said, wow.  We suck.  And we have since 2016 (Bryant/Rizzo/Baez average in the Playoffs since then speaks volumes).  Could never say I’m glad we’re just done, but ... ugh.  Embarrassing.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

The Central divisions went a combined 0-7 in the Wild Card Round.  That brings up an interesting point of why the expanded playoffs were so important.  This season, the MLB was, practically speaking, 3 separate leagues (East, Central, and West), with no cross over, so we had no way of comparing region to region in the regular season.  There were three objectively terrible teams in the Central pod, arguably the three worst teams in baseball this season.  That allowed the other 7 to get into the playoffs even though the postseason results suggest that the Central teams were probably all overrated.  The Yankees, Astros, and Marlins all won series even though they would have missed the playoffs with a normal format at the expense of extra teams from the Central.

The AL Top 8 wound up being pretty cut and dry, so I doubt it would have changed, but the Giants and Phillies have real gripes that maybe they would have had a better record than some of the Central teams if a normal schedule was played.  But, the point of the expanded playoffs was to counteract that, so no one can say they weren't given a shot.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Central divisions went a combined 0-7 in the Wild Card Round.  That brings up an interesting point of why the expanded playoffs were so important.  This season, the MLB was, practically speaking, 3 separate leagues (East, Central, and West), with no cross over, so we had no way of comparing region to region in the regular season.  There were three objectively terrible teams in the Central pod, arguably the three worst teams in baseball this season.  That allowed the other 7 to get into the playoffs even though the postseason results suggest that the Central teams were probably all overrated.  The Yankees, Astros, and Marlins all won series even though they would have missed the playoffs with a normal format at the expense of extra teams from the Central.

The AL Top 8 wound up being pretty cut and dry, so I doubt it would have changed, but the Giants and Phillies have real gripes that maybe they would have had a better record than some of the Central teams if a normal schedule was played.  But, the point of the expanded playoffs was to counteract that, so no one can say they weren't given a shot.

The flameout of all the Central teams has left a lineup that has a pleasing symmetry:

AL West #1 vs. AL West #2
AL East #1 vs. AL East #2

NL West #1 vs NL West #2
NL East #1 vs NL East #2

[brucejoel99]

The Central divisions went a combined 0-7 in the Wild Card Round.  That brings up an interesting point of why the expanded playoffs were so important.  This season, the MLB was, practically speaking, 3 separate leagues (East, Central, and West), with no cross over, so we had no way of comparing region to region in the regular season.  There were three objectively terrible teams in the Central pod, arguably the three worst teams in baseball this season.  That allowed the other 7 to get into the playoffs even though the postseason results suggest that the Central teams were probably all overrated.  The Yankees, Astros, and Marlins all won series even though they would have missed the playoffs with a normal format at the expense of extra teams from the Central.

The AL Top 8 wound up being pretty cut and dry, so I doubt it would have changed, but the Giants and Phillies have real gripes that maybe they would have had a better record than some of the Central teams if a normal schedule was played.  But, the point of the expanded playoffs was to counteract that, so no one can say they weren't given a shot.

The flameout of all the Central teams has left a lineup that has a pleasing symmetry:

AL West #1 vs. AL West #2
AL East #1 vs. AL East #2

NL West #1 vs NL West #2
NL East #1 vs NL East #2

(Obviously) the first time ever* that all of the Division Series are, well, literal division series

*not including 1981

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Braves are gonna beat Marlins, sweep 3/0  first 2 are in Atl😃😃😃

[GeorgiaModerate]

Braves are gonna beat Marlins, sweep 3/0  first 2 are in Atl😃😃😃

They're all in Houston.

[JGibson]

RIP Bob Gibson.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Let me be clear: the new playoff format is dumb as heck.

But the luck of this intradivisional draw makes this the most meaningful ALDS of my lifetime with the complete feel of a semifinal. The Indians in 2017 was a pretty epic ALDS series, but that was more because of the underdog factor. This is a heated battle of evenly matched titanic rivals, much like what makes the NHL playoffs great and similar to all the Yankees-Red Sox ALCS battles from the aughts.

This is so much fun. Could be fun to force the baseball world to choose between the Yankees and the Cheaters in the ALCS as we seek out revenge for 2017 and 2019.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

The big 4 are the Braves, Astros, Yankees and Dodgers, that will be the Penants. Sorry Marlins and Tampa Bay. Tampaa Bay is like Texas Rangers

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Marlins finally lose, sweep😆😆😆

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Tampa Bay 100 percent deserved to win tonight, and it's amazing the Yankees got to swing for the lead in the ninth - but CB Buckner was the absolute worst home plate umpire I have seen in about 15 years. He gave Happ way too many strikes too. Every pitcher was getting it. Just less fun to watch pitchers get every single call without question.

Yankees tried to pull a gimmick with their #4 starter to get favorable match-ups. Appreciate the effort to fake it while a serious underdog against a stud throwing gas. Not a bad time to take the L. Kevin Cash is an elite manager who manages the game the way I wish we would manage it. A+ effort to seal it.

Boone taking a lot of heat for that strategy but for once I do not question him. Idiotic to let Sanchez hit in the ninth against a guy throwing 99, but the pitching decisions were fine given the pieces to work with.

[NewYorkExpress]

Tampa Bay 100 percent deserved to win tonight, and it's amazing the Yankees got to swing for the lead in the ninth - but CB Buckner was the absolute worst home plate umpire I have seen in about 15 years. He gave Happ way too many strikes too. Every pitcher was getting it. Just less fun to watch pitchers get every single call without question.

Yankees tried to pull a gimmick with their #4 starter to get favorable match-ups. Appreciate the effort to fake it while a serious underdog against a stud throwing gas. Not a bad time to take the L. Kevin Cash is an elite manager who manages the game the way I wish we would manage it. A+ effort to seal it.

Boone taking a lot of heat for that strategy but for once I do not question him. Idiotic to let Sanchez hit in the ninth against a guy throwing 99, but the pitching decisions were fine given the pieces to work with.

I love Kevin Cash, and he's a great manager (and I hope he gets the Mets job, if the new ownership decides to part ways with Luis Rojas), but I think Charlie Montoyo should be the AL Manager of the Year.

In the NL, the manager of the year is obviously Don Mattingly. I don't think anyone predicted the Marlins being a playoff team before the season (I didn't have them winning a game, so I have to eat crow)

[Donerail]

Yankees tried to pull a gimmick with their #4 starter to get favorable match-ups. Appreciate the effort to fake it while a serious underdog against a stud throwing gas. Not a bad time to take the L. Kevin Cash is an elite manager who manages the game the way I wish we would manage it. A+ effort to seal it.

Very weird to watch the Yankees play around with their pitchers while the Rays hit a bunch of home runs. Something's off about that!

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Marlins are done, Mookie Betts and Dodgers

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Man - Lightning, Stars. Lakers, Heat. Rays, Astros. Dodgers, Braves (no ugly Marlins). Tom Brady and Drew Brees. What a time to Prefer the SUNBELT STACK.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Dread it. Run from it. Postseason fish magic arrives all the same, & now it's here.

Or should I say, the Marlins are.

As a Chicagoan, the Cubs are nothing without their roof top fans, they are gonna have to prove themselves outside the Cubbie, Marlins are gonna have to win 4 games, not 2, in the next round

A. The Wrigleyville rooftops were still allowing fan attendance.
B. The next series is the NLDS, so no, the Marlins will only have to win 3 games, not 4.

Sorry, sir, your Marlins are finished, they are losing 7-0

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Trashtros live to cheat another round. Guess I'm a Rays fan now.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

While I obviously want my team to win, the front office ought to be punished so that they pick up more pitching. Low-key hoping the Dodgers finally take it.

If the Astros win again, this season gets an asterisk. But on the bright side, we will probably never suffer another wildcard round. They should be favored over the Yankees and only be slight underdogs against the Rays. Just feels like they'll take the pennant. Hopefully the Dodgers avenge 2017 if so.

[brucejoel99]

Rays, please win Game 5 so I'm not forced to root for the Yankees in the ALCS.

Sincerely, a guy who doesn't like the Yankees but who hates the Astros even more.

[Never Made it to Graceland]

Rays, please win Game 5 so I'm not forced to root for the Yankees in the ALCS.

Sincerely, a guy who doesn't like the Yankees but who hates the Astros even more.

This.

[KaiserDave]

Rays, please win Game 5 so I'm not forced to root for the Yankees in the ALCS.

Sincerely, a guy who doesn't like the Yankees but who hates the Astros even more.

This.

This again