2017 AL Wild Card Live Blog

5:00
Jeff Sullivan: Hello friends

5:00
Jeff Sullivan: Welcome to 2017 AL Wild Card Live Blog

5:02
Travis Sawchik: [Jeff’s supporting actor enters]

5:02
Travis Sawchik: Howdy, folks

5:02
Jeff Sullivan: One year ago in this game, the Orioles lost to the Blue Jays by using Ubaldo Jimenez

5:03
Jeff Sullivan: Welcome, Travis, to your first FanGraphs playoff blog! It’s overwhelming!

5:03
At work: Go twins!

5:03
Unpopular Opinion: Go Yankees!

5:03
Travis Sawchik: My heart rate is up, Jeff

5:03
Jeff Sullivan:

Who do you think is going to win?

Yankees (73.6% | 190 votes)
Twins (26.3% | 68 votes)

Total Votes: 258
5:04
Jeff Sullivan:

Who do you want to win?

Yankees (29.3% | 76 votes)
Twins (70.6% | 183 votes)

Total Votes: 259
5:05
Jeff Sullivan: Running a few polls. Early indications: 75% of people think the Yankees will win, but 75% of people want the Twins to win

5:05
Travis Sawchik: Just a reminder, this wild card round could be better (right Yankees and Dbacks Nations?) https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/lets-improve-the-wild-card-round/

5:06
Jeff Sullivan:

In what inning will the Yankees go to their bullpen?

1 (4.2% | 10 votes)
2 (2.5% | 6 votes)
3 (2.1% | 5 votes)
4 (17.2% | 41 votes)
5 (38.3% | 91 votes)
6 (29.5% | 70 votes)
7 (4.6% | 11 votes)
8 (0% | 0 votes)
9 (0% | 0 votes)
10?! (1.2% | 3 votes)

Total Votes: 237
5:07
Brendon: Any thoughts on the winner of this game going on to face Trevor Bauer first instead of Kluber?

5:07
Jeff Sullivan: Travis, I’m putting you on the spot

5:07
Travis Sawchik: That was a bit of a surprise by the Indians ..saving Kluber for Game2

5:08
Travis Sawchik: But I was there in person today to hear why they are doing this …

5:09
Travis Sawchik: The Indians and Kluber apparently prefer he be on regular rest for a potential Game 5 … and potentially be ready for a Game 1 ALCS start if the series is completed in four games or less in the Indians’ favor

5:09
Travis Sawchik: BUT if you lose Game 1 in a best-of-five, you have a 32% chance to win the series (all other factors being equal)

5:10
Travis Sawchik: Of course not all other factors are equal , and maybe the Indians like the way the matchups play out with Kluber starting Game 2 … but still curious

5:10
Travis Sawchik: Jeff?

5:11
Travis Sawchik: Severino begins postseason with a 100 mph fastball for a strike

5:11
Jeff Sullivan: Just in time for the first pitch, I lose my connection!

5:11
Jeff Sullivan: Wild that the Yankees haven’t won a playoff game in five years

5:11
Travis Sawchik: Where are chatting from, Jeff?

5:12
Jeff Sullivan: I’m chatting from my office in Portland, Oregon. Yourself?

5:12
Jeff Sullivan: Dinger! Leadoff dinger!

5:12
Travis Sawchik: My half-finished basement in Bay Village, Ohio #basementblogginglife

5:12
Jeff Sullivan: 99.1 miles per hour. Dozier Dozier’d it

5:13
kevinthecomic: final score, Twins 1, Yankees 14

5:13
Travis Sawchik: I imagine the Indians (and Twins) are pretty happy with this start

5:13
Adam: My heart rate has been up for hours, Travis.

5:13
Travis Sawchik: Postseason baseball!

5:13
Jeff Sullivan: Mauer with a pop-out, if that counts as a pop-out. He’s one of the least-pop-uppy players in all of baseball!

5:14
Jeff Sullivan: And there’s our first pitch that Gary Sanchez doesn’t catch cleanly

5:14
Chris G: man, i hate the stream delay, spoilers

5:14
Jeff Sullivan: I thought *I* was on a delay with my own stream

5:15
J: How do you feel about Hicks in CF, Ells at DH and Headley on the bench?

5:15
Travis Sawchik: Like Hicks in center

Derek Florko
@SaberCoach
Aaron Hicks Throwing Mechanics (105.5 MPH)
26 May 2017
5:15
Long Live Jeff Frye: If this game goes deep into extra innings, would you think at all (regarding pitcher usage) about the next series or just try to do everything you can to win this one?

5:16
Jeff Sullivan: Not a single thought for the next game. You have to win. It’s the highest-leverage game of the entire season

5:16
Travis Sawchik: And I love the bat in the lineup

5:16
Jart: My stream has russian commentary.  their tone didn’t change at all with the HR because they probably don’t know what’s going on

5:16
Travis Sawchik: Isn’t Dozier supposed to be on the Dodgers?

5:17
Jeff Sullivan: Or they knew it was going to happen because the Russians have scripted this to the final pitch

5:17
Mike: What’s the win expectancy of a lead off home run

5:17
Jeff Sullivan: Roughly +10%

5:17
Chris G: The sound of the bat on ball is always beautiful during the playoffs

5:17
Jeff Sullivan: 15 pitches in, a mound visit. Warm up the bullpen!

5:17
Travis Sawchik: I swear that sound is heightened … on-field mics?

5:18
David Kagan: Does Servino always keep the ball up like he has?

5:18
Travis Sawchik: Severino looks like he might be over amped as they say. Didi came out for a visit to apparently try to settle him

5:18
Jeff Sullivan: Usually throws upper-half fastballs but he tends to control his other stuff better than this

5:19
Tyler: How is Sano not on this roster he can pinch hit.

5:19
Jeff Sullivan: He hurts

5:19
Jeff Sullivan: !!!!!!!

5:19
Travis Sawchik: hey, remember when Girardi was asked about bullpen-ing this game?

5:19
Show Hey O’Tawny: I’m sure we all predicted this

5:19
Adam: welllllllllllllllllllll crap

5:19
ChatzMcGee: Well… Twins it is.

5:20
Jeff Sullivan: Good sliders generally aren’t thrown middle-middle

5:20
Travis Sawchik: Distance on the Rosario HR: 336 feet

5:20
Jeff Sullivan: Chad Green throwing in the bullpen

5:20
Jeff Sullivan: It’s happening

5:20
Kyle: Bring in the Chad!

5:21
Show Hey O’Tawny: Loving the close up of Chad Green on ESPN. They know what’s up

5:21
Jeff Sullivan: I’m just glad to see Green getting his recognition. He was about as good as the best relievers in the whole entire world

5:21
Christian: What’s you opinion of the ESPN strike zone box they have on their broadcasts? I really like it but people on Twitter are complaining about it.

5:21
Jeff Sullivan: I hate it with the off-center camera angle, but I get why it’s there

5:22
JHey: I can’t wait for the twins to win the World Series

5:23
Factory of Sadness: If Severino gets yanked early and the Yankees somehow mount a comeback, what’s the earliest he could possibly pitch against Cleveland? Asking for a friend who always assumes the worst.

5:23
Travis Sawchik: Kill the off-center camera angle

5:23
Jeff Sullivan: I think he’d be good for Game 2

5:23
Jeff Sullivan: If he were yanked soon

5:23
Travis Sawchik: How many pitches? Right now … Game 2

5:23
At work: Twins have been crushing the ball since early august. This is not surprising to any twins fans

5:23
Jeff Sullivan: This time, though, they’re facing a good pitcher

5:23
Travis Sawchik: I’d guess we see him on full rest in Game 3 … unless he’s out very quickly

5:24
1992: Playoff baseball is better on the radio. Anticipation while waiting for the PbP to explain the result is amazing. Also, connects you back to how the support was consumed decades ago. Not a question, just a fact.

5:24
Travis Sawchik: There is something to be said for a radio call …and it’s more difficult to paint a picture without an actual picture

5:24
Jeff Sullivan: Luis Severino is out!

5:25
Travis Sawchik: But most people would prefer the visual

5:25
Travis Sawchik: Wow

5:25
Jeff Sullivan: Kepler knocks him out with a double. Chad Green coming in. Severino threw 29 pitches

5:25
Travis Sawchik: The best pitcher not named Kluber or Sale in the AL cannot make it out of the first

5:25
Jeff Sullivan: Baseball is amazing

5:26
AdamZ: Why is there an off center camera angle? Wasn’t espn the first network to have the dead center cam?

5:26
Travis Sawchik: My guess is no one thought about elevating the CF camera high enough many years ago .. but i have no real idea

5:26
Conor : Dan schulman just called chad green the Yankees “secret weapon.” Chances he read your article Jeff?

5:26
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t think it’s been published yet

5:27
Seff Jullivan: The HR probabilities on the two dingers, respectively: 68%, 37%

5:27
John: Twins-Rockies.  Book it.

5:27
Travis Sawchik: Bryce Harper is gonna love Yankee Stadium II

5:27
Travis Sawchik: Home-field advantage not working for Yankees thus far

5:27
Jeff Sullivan: Severino, incidentally: zero swinging strikes

5:28
Ryan: Bullpen game after all!

5:28
Show Hey O’Tawny: CHAD GREEEEEEEEN

5:29
Jeff Sullivan: Current Twins win expectancy, from our scoreboard: 82%

5:29
Sam: Thoughts on Pulling Severino in the first??

5:29
Jeff Sullivan: Right thing to do, with this much bullpen depth. Ask Travis!

5:30
Travis Sawchik: [clears throat]

5:30
Jeff Sullivan: Severino missed zero bats. Green has gotten whiffs with three pitches in a row

5:30
Travis Sawchik: FanGraphs, collectively, loves the Yankees’ bullpen

5:30
Seff Jullivan: Do playoff stats count towards the stats on your esteemed website?

5:30
Jeff Sullivan: No, but they are available on player pages if you click the little postseason button

5:31
Nick: Jeff, do performances like this make you give any credence to the idea of rookie nerves?

5:32
Jeff Sullivan: I believe some guys need a few minutes to settle in. Severino probably would’ve eventually, but the Yankees didn’t have to be patient

5:32
Jeff Sullivan: Chad Green proving that it’s never too early to record two huge outs. Top of the first over, still 3-0 Twins. Could’ve been worse

5:32
Travis Sawchik: Chad freaking Green

5:33
Jeff Sullivan:

All right, it’s 3-0 Twins in the first. *NOW* who do you think will win?

Twins (70.8% | 151 votes)
Yankees (29.1% | 62 votes)

Total Votes: 213
5:33
Travis Sawchik: Yankees have five relievers with k% of 30% or better … that’s insane even in this strikeout environment

5:34
Jeff Sullivan: Polling the audience on who it thinks will win, now that the Twins are up 3-0. Currently 68% of voters saying Minnesota

5:34
Travis Sawchik: Ervin Santana called Yankee Stadium a joke a couple years ago? (Per ESPN telecast)…. Well, it is

5:34
Jeff Sullivan: Twins win expectancy right now: 73%. Green bumped it down nine points with his two whiffs

5:35
AdamZ: What world do we live in where the Red Sox are a low power/low k team and the twins hit dingers and K a lot?

5:35
Ugh Sterling: Listening to the Yankees radio call. John Sterling and Susan Waldman are positively cackling that you commentator types didn’t predict two homeruns with only one out in the first.

5:35
Travis Sawchik: I think Dave did

5:35
AdamZ: You should do a poll as to whether or not people like the one game wildcard playoff

5:35
Travis Sawchik:

Do you like the one-game Wild Card format?

Yes (74.7% | 255 votes)
No (25.2% | 86 votes)

Total Votes: 341
5:36
Rick: When do they take Green out of the game?

5:36
Jeff Sullivan: Guessing they might try to take him through the third

5:37
Travis Sawchik: Early returns: 75.4% of people like the one-game wild card … That’s too bad

5:37
bosoxforlife: Sorry Travis, you are terrific but the drama of this one game is unbeatable and does not need changing.

5:38
Travis Sawchik: But in the KBO, best-of-two format, each game would still be an elimination game

5:38
Travis Sawchik: (the first game would just be for the lower seed)

5:38
kevinthecomic: how many people picked the yankees going to the bullpen in 1st?

5:38
Jeff Sullivan: It was 0% before Green came in!

5:39
Andre: Yankees and Twins beat writers suspect Berrios will be coming out of the bullpen

5:39
Jeff Sullivan: I would love it

5:39
Jeff Sullivan: (If the circumstances are right, of course)

5:39
Fact Check: Obvious selection bias on the one-game wild card poll: you’re polling people who care enough about the one-game wild card game to join this live chat.

5:40
Travis Sawchik: People would tune for our expanded wild card chat

5:40
Jeff Sullivan: And here come the Yankees. Turns out both teams get to hit in every inning

5:41
Jeff Sullivan: If that isn’t Aaron Judge, a normal player pops out to second with that swing

5:41
Mike: Conspiracy: Travis is just trying to extend the playoffs because he gets bored in the offseason

5:42
Travis Sawchik: Well, I do miss live baseball … But the KBO format wouldn’t have to expand the playoffs. Could do a double-headers which would be so great

5:42
JTT: Is this game the worst DH utilization in post season history? Ellsbury  at DH and robbie grossman batting 9th.

5:42
Jeff Sullivan: Some AL teams would do better playing in an NL ballpark than others

5:42
bert campaneris: I am here to read about Travis’ anecdotes about his basement. Get your facts right!

5:42
AdamZ: I don’t think I can name a single person in the Twins bullpen.

5:43
Jeff Sullivan: Trevor Hildenberger!

5:43
Travis Sawchik: I wish Jotcast had a periscope option … could do a live feed

5:43
Jeff Sullivan: He’s the most interesting one

5:43
Jeff Sullivan: Jason Castro with the rare catch made on top of the on-deck circle

5:43
Travis Sawchik: Time to eliminate on-deck circles!

5:43
Jeff Sullivan: Agree!

5:43
Andrew: TV guys talking about pitch count for Santana…isn’t that completely irrelevant in tonight’s game?

5:44
Jeff Sullivan: Only kind of. The Twins bullpen is not very good or deep

5:44
Travis Sawchik: It’s like have an oil slick on the field

5:44
Jeff Sullivan: Adrian Beltre was on to something

5:45
Travis Sawchik: Is Santana really sitting 96-97?

5:45
Jeff Sullivan: Gameday thinks he’s up there. Must be adrenaline

5:46
Seff Jullivan: Just saw this on TV: Jason castro has painted his fingernails bright yellow

5:46
Travis Sawchik: Kind of fun/interesting to see the situation affecting Severino and Santana

5:46
Jeff Sullivan: Catchers do that pretty often so that pitchers can better see the signs

5:46
Jeff Sullivan: Look at that! We’re tied!

5:47
Jeff Sullivan: That would somehow be Didi Gregorius’ 26th home run of the damn season

5:47
Anonymous: Oh right.  It’s 2017.  Home Runs.

5:47
AdamZ: lol

5:47
kevinthecomic: let’s start again

5:47
Jeff Sullivan: See the thing is that the Yankees are extremely good

5:48
Travis Sawchik: Towers was right

5:48
Nick: Why would you throw that pitch?

5:48
Jeff Sullivan: He’s not really throwing the pitches he’s intending to throw

5:48
Travis Sawchik: All those poor Twins beat writers had to kill their running game stories

5:49
Jeff Sullivan: Berrios warming up for the Twins

5:49
Jeff Sullivan: What a game, already

5:49
Enlightening Round: How does Castro rate as a pitch framer? Doesn’t look good tonight

5:49
Travis Sawchik: Terry Francona said he was rooting for both these teams to really work tonight. Indians have to be loving this

5:49
Jeff Sullivan: Above-average, but he mishandled the pitch to Gregorius right before the homer. With a called strikeout instead of a ball, it’s still 3-0

5:50
Beel: Travis the doubleheader would give the WC1 team a much bigger advantage than the #1 seed gets. I don’t like that. Why do they deserve such a large relative advantage compared to the other playoff teams? Especially considering they didn’t win their division.

5:50
Travis Sawchik: I see your point, but it would actually give the No. 1 seed a greater advantage since the Wild Card teams would often further exhaust themselves in a second game

5:51
Owen: You guys should take a poll of what the audience thinks that length of this game will be.

5:51
Travis Sawchik: Minutes or innings?

5:51
Galvanic: Hope this game ends 31-30 in the 12th inning.

5:51
Jeff Sullivan: Boy do I not

5:51
Travis Sawchik: I have a 2-year-old. I am not at all rooting for that

5:52
Travis Sawchik: I’m all for a noon start

5:52
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t know how many signs Santana just shook off, but he doesn’t have that many pitches

5:52
Travis Sawchik: Twins could really use Santana to get it together

5:53
Dubslow: The only logical conclusion is that the balls are juiced right? This is insane

5:53
Travis Sawchik: It doesn’t appear MLB introduced a new ball for the postseason

5:53
tommy toms: why do they call it “painting the black”?

5:53
Jeff Sullivan: Because there’s a little black border around the white bit of the plate

5:53
Travis Sawchik: Why is there a black border around the plate?

5:54
Jeff Sullivan: I’m guessing…it’s…what the plate is mounted on?

5:54
Travis Sawchik: I have no idea. Need Lindbergh and Arthur to investigate

5:54
Alex: Travis, how hard is it for you to separate being a fan vs. being a journalist?

5:54
Jeff Sullivan: Santana is at 40 pitches, with just 20 strikes

5:55
EccentricChemist: So pretty much both teams are going to burn through all their pitching tonight and be screwed come Thursday?

5:55
Travis Sawchik: There are times when you can be both … like in this very moment where I am not covering either team

5:55
Jeff Sullivan: Wild card teams should try winning their divisions

5:56
Jeff Sullivan: Hicks *really* wanted to crush one of those pitches up and in. No dice. We’re through 1! 3-3

5:56
Nick Punto to Alexi Casilla: Ervin Santana throwing 96-97 is exactly why velocity is overrated

5:56
Travis Sawchik: Hey, what if the was the first game of a KBO-style, potential double-header Wild Card round? (I will eventually stop pushing this idea .. just not today)

5:56
Jeff Sullivan: This season Yovani Gallardo gained 3 miles per hour for some reason and sucked

5:56
PitchClocksPlease: 1st inning took 46 minutes to play.

5:56
Travis Sawchik: Jeff, how do you feel about a 9-hour chat?

5:57
Jeff Sullivan: I chatted last year’s Game 7. I still haven’t recovered

5:57
joseph: Twins only brought 11 pitchers. Enough or not enough?

5:57
Jeff Sullivan: It’s enough, because if it isn’t enough, they’ve already lost

5:58
Josh R: Or with a laser strike zone it would still be 3-0.  I don’t get the people that say “…but the human element.” Why would we miss human mistakes?

5:58
Jeff Sullivan: Baseball is a game of human mistakes

5:58
Sad_Glade: Urgent Question: IS COLON ON THE PLAYOFF ROSTER

5:58
Travis Sawchik: Sadly, no

5:58
Tucker: Jeff, Travis … what are we drinking tonight?

5:58
Jeff Sullivan: Delicious Oregon tap water

5:59
Travis Sawchik: Nothing at the moment. I have to change that here in a moment

5:59
Mike: Does this affect how the Yankees use Severino in the ALDS if they advance ?

5:59
Jeff Sullivan: Probably not. He’s still their best starter

5:59
Travis Sawchik: Might he be in play for Game 2 now?

6:00
Jeff Sullivan: Green with three batters faced and three strikeouts

6:00
Jeff Sullivan: Travis was on to something

6:00
Jeff Sullivan: Twins bullpen no longer active — Santana will work the second

6:00
Travis Sawchik: Girardi is going to bullpen this thing next year

6:01
Chicks Dig the Long Ball: Looks like Dave is going to get what he desires. This is basically a 0-0 bullpen game for the Yankees.

6:01
Jeff Sullivan: The only difference between this game and the usual Twins/Yankees game is that in this game the Twins also have runs

6:01
Travis Sawchik: Edge, Yankees, obviously

6:02
Travis Sawchik: Indeed, Jeff, Indeed

6:02
Chaz Bono: If the Yankees’ and the Twins’ best players combined to form a super team would it be better than the Indians?

6:02
Jeff Sullivan: So basically it’s the Yankees + Dozier

6:03
Adam: Jeff, how do you feel about livechatting a game on pace to take 6.9 hours?

6:03
Jeff Sullivan: I feel like I love the west coast

6:03
Travis Sawchik: If you started the Ken Burns Vietnam documentary now would that — or this game — finish first?

6:04
Uncle Jimbo: The black is there because the plate does not lay flat.  The plate is raised and the black is tapered up to the plate from the ground.  The black has to be a different color to differentiate it from the plate.

6:04
Jeff Sullivan: Thank you!

6:05
Jeff Sullivan: First non-strikeout out for Green. But it’s an out anyway! To the bottom of the second we go

6:05
bosoxforlife: Jeff, you west coast guys don’t know how tough those AM finishes are.

6:05
Travis Sawchik: Thank you, Jimbo

6:05
Jeff Sullivan: I was in Hartford for the 2003 and 2004 ALCS

6:06
Buck Showalter: This is a totally improper way to run a bullpen. You save your relievers for their proper roles, whether the situation comes up or not!

6:06
Travis Sawchik: Ouch

6:06
Sloppy Orel Hershiser: Help!  My wife jacked the remote & is now watching The Voice fml

6:07
Travis Sawchik: Send out a distress call ….. or was that your distress call?

6:07
Jeff Sullivan: If it helps when the Voice is over this game will still be in the fourth

6:08
Chicks Dig the Long Ball: Jeff, being an outdoorsy dude living in Portland I figure you know a bit about weather. What’s your weather app/site of choice?

6:08
Jeff Sullivan: NOAA and Mountain-Forecast for climbing concerns

6:08
Jeff Sullivan: Hey, an easy out for Santana. It *can* happen

6:10
Michael: I dare say Bird would NOT be playing 1B on a Twins Yanks superteam

6:10
Peanut Wilson: Can you name three other players in the deal that sent Didi from the Reds to the Dbacks?

6:10
Jeff Sullivan: I might have exaggerated things

6:10
Travis Sawchik: Wasn’t that the Bauer and Choo deal ?

6:10
Travis Sawchik: Buxton BUXTON

6:10
Jeff Sullivan: BYRON

6:10
Jeff Sullivan: BUXTON

6:10
Jeff Sullivan: LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

6:10
Michelle: BUXTON STRIKES AGAIN

6:10
Thomas: BYRON BUXTON

6:10
Sgt. Pepper: this game is so awesome

6:10
Travis Sawchik: BUXTON GIFS

6:11
Travis Sawchik: MORE BUXTON GIFS

6:11
Jeff Sullivan: Byron Buxton is why the Diamondbacks were stupid to trade Ender Inciarte

6:11
Travis Sawchik: Buxton playing CF is probably the most enjoyable thing to watch in baseball

6:11
Jeff Sullivan: Because center field defense is ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT

6:12
Anonymous: Those walls are not nearly as soft as you think they are

6:14
AdamZ: This game is a perfect microcosm of 2017.

6:14
Jeff Sullivan: knock knock

6:14
Jeff Sullivan: who’s there?

6:14
Jeff Sullivan: the home-run spike

6:14
Travis Sawchik: Buxton. Velo. Strikeouts. Home runs.

6:14
Travis Sawchik: 2017

6:14
Travis Sawchik: And bullpens

6:14
RyanW: DRS shout out on ESPN. Love Mendoza as an analyst

6:14
Travis Sawchik: And Outs Above Average!

6:14
Travis Sawchik: I think Mendoza does a really nice job

6:15
Jeff Sullivan: Byron Buxton had a .314 OBP and 24 outs above average. Same as a .362 OBP and 0 outs above average

6:16
Jim Golderman: Talking about DRS in a nationally broadcasted game… even just 10 years ago that was unthinkable.

6:16
Jeff Sullivan: Through two now, 4-3 Yankees

6:16
Travis Sawchik: That’s true. Ten years is a long time, though

6:17
MaineBall: So would you say that Kipnis in CF is trouble for the Indians then?

6:17
Jeff Sullivan: Well thankfully they never allow any balls in play

6:17
Travis Sawchik: What’s kind of interesting about Buxton is he was merely a good defender last year, now he’s the best https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/byron-buxton-explains-how-he-catches-e…

6:18
Zock Jr.: Time to sit down and watch the game. Can’t have missed much, it’s only been- WTF

6:18
Travis Sawchik: The NBA might be more what you’re looking for

6:18
BossTon: Do you guys think Buxton is going to stick in the bigs this time?

6:18
Jeff Sullivan: Not sure I’m sold on the bat yet but he’s never going to see the minors for an extended stint again

6:18
Cale: Jeff and Travis, when was the last time you went to a playoff game?

6:18
Travis Sawchik: I went to Game 6 of the World Series last year. It did not end well for the Indians

6:19
Jeff Sullivan: Travis is a real baseball writer. I’m a stay-at-home fraud

6:19
Tom: Byron Buxton=Javy Baez of the OF?

6:19
Jeff Sullivan: Buxton is defensively superior

6:19
Travis Sawchik: Well, I went to that game as a ‘fan

6:19
Travis Sawchik: ‘

6:20
Travis Sawchik: I saw our old friend August Fagerstrom at Game 6

6:20
Michael: I think Buxton has 25 outs above average now.

6:20
Jeff Sullivan: There’s another pitch Sanchez doesn’t block

6:20
Jeff Sullivan: Yankees get a break; Twins should have an extra base on that

6:21
Travis Sawchik: Sanchez has some lazy moments behind the plate

6:21
Jeff Sullivan: And yet he’s still rated as a well above average defender! Pretty incredible

6:21
Jeff Sullivan: Speaks to how talented he truly is

6:21
Travis Sawchik: The Randy Moss of catchers

6:22
jumpstartation: Randy Moss?

6:22
Travis Sawchik: Super talent, takes plays off

6:22
Travis Sawchik: No more mixing genres

6:22
Jeff Sullivan: Sanchez stabs at a borderline pitch and the Twins have another baserunner

6:22
Jeff Sullivan: David Robertson now warming up

6:23
Jeff Sullivan: Robertson was closing for the White Sox. Yankees might use him in the third inning

6:24
Jeff Sullivan: Berrios apparently throwing again so Santana will be finished after two innings

6:24
Jeff Sullivan: Combined 2.1 innings for today’s starting pitchers

6:24
Travis Sawchik: Green has thrown as many as 48 pitches in an appearance this year, according to MLB dot com

6:24
Miles: What do you think is the primary barrier to more advanced stats to entering the mainstream of broadcasts?

6:24
Jeff Sullivan: Not enough demand

6:25
Travis Sawchik: True

6:25
Travis Sawchik: And having to explain things and educate

6:25
Jeff Sullivan: Most people just don’t care that wOBA is better than batting average

6:26
Travis Sawchik: ESPN should have Jeff and I call this game on an alternate channel and see how the ratings are

6:26
Jeff Sullivan: They would be terrible!!

6:26
Travis Sawchik: Haha

6:26
Travis Sawchik: My mom would tune in

6:26
Travis Sawchik: That’s all I could promise

6:26
Jeff Sullivan: My mom probably wouldn’t 🙁

6:26
Sharp: Are the components of catcher defense (arm, block, frame, etc) split anywhere?

6:26
Jeff Sullivan: BP has them split out on their leaderboards

6:27
Travis’ Mom: Ehh…..

6:27
Travis Sawchik: Nice

6:27
Jeff Sullivan: aaaaaaaaaaand they’re loaded up. Green might well be gassed

6:27
Jeff Sullivan: Green did exceptionally well to escape the jam in the first, but when relievers lose their steam, they lose it in a hurry

6:28
Uncle Jimbo: This is basically the alternate channel.

6:28
Johnny Bench: if Gary Sanchez can’t block the plate, how did he save 8 runs on defense?

6:28
Travis Sawchik: And what a channel

6:28
Jeff Sullivan: Blocking isn’t very important, relative to throwing and framing

6:28
Jeff Sullivan: Travis has a very pleasing voice. It’s one thing you’re missing in this text-based format

6:29
Anonymous: What’s the cliff’s notes skinny on Berrios?

6:29
Jeff Sullivan: Very good breaking ball, struggles against lefties

6:29
Travis Sawchik: Jeff has The Face for TV

6:30
Avi: Didn’t MLB stream a couple games as “MLB Now” last year and had the MLBAM guys on to talk sabermetrics on the broadcast? Supposedly the numbers were so bad, hence they stopped it almost immediately.

6:30
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t have The Suits

6:30
Travis Sawchik: But they didn’t have us

6:30
Jeff Sullivan: Yeah, they did some…MLB Plus? or whatever it was called, but again, not much demand, unfortunately

6:30
Jhey: This is fun…too bad I won’t be able to stay up past the 5th

6:31
Sharp: What role does CC serve being on the roster?

6:31
Jeff Sullivan: Starting games

6:31
Travis Sawchik: How many kids on the East Coast will see the end of this game?

6:31
Jeff Sullivan: Or you mean tonight? Just insurance

6:31
Travis Sawchik: Pays to have 30 ft/sec Sprint Speed

6:31
Jeff Sullivan: There’s that Buxton speed!

6:32
RyanW: Is 25 still a kid? Either way the answer for two thumbs here is “unlikely”

6:32
Jeff Sullivan: Really nice job by Gregorius, not that it mattered

6:32
Travis Sawchik: Baseball does have a pace problem

6:32
Hugh: The MLB Plus whatever was terrible.  Nerds fawning over spin rate and other saber stats and not talking about the game.  Watching one of those gave me respect for all the real TV and radio guys.  It’s a skill to weave a narrative and keep the audience engaged.

6:33
Jeff Sullivan: Ball in the dirt, Buxton moves up…

6:33
Travis Sawchik: So Statcast Vin Scully?

6:33
Jeff Sullivan: Something I wish more people would understand, like Hugh here: being an announcer is very, very hard. Tremendously underrated skill to be able to speak about a game for 200 minutes

6:33
Travis Sawchik: Pretty shocking that Sanchez rates as above-average framer

6:33
Travis Sawchik: To me, anyway

6:34
Jeff Sullivan: There are times I think the numbers might be missing something

6:34
Travis Sawchik: Agreed

6:34
Jeff Vader: Depending on how many pictures the winning team has to go through tonight, I’m wondering what sort of downstream impact that will have on the upcoming divisional series

6:34
Lachlan: I have class in 3 hours so if this game could not go 18 innings that’d be great

6:34
Jeff Sullivan: Kids, win your divisions

6:34
Travis Sawchik: What kind of class? Where?

6:35
David S.: I still think there’s a ton of noise in framing stats, like pitcher quality and really shitty umpires

6:35
Jeff Sullivan: I’m inclined to agree. I don’t think the numbers do enough to control for pitcher identity

6:36
Travis Sawchik: I’d be curious to see how clubs are evaluating receiving

6:36
Travis Sawchik: I assume some teams are having their folks go back and evaluate all framing chances

6:36
Jeff Sullivan: I imagine they check the numbers against the eye test. If you don’t see the technique, you don’t believe the stats

6:37
Travis Sawchik: Is that what August does?

6:37
Jeff Sullivan: We are not to speak of what August does

6:37
Jeff Sullivan: We’ve got some Berrios now, officially

6:38
Travis Sawchik: Ha. But seriously, that would make sense

6:38
Travis Sawchik: And then he totally redeems himself

6:38
Jeff Sullivan: Sanchez is very good at this part of baseball

6:39
Travis Sawchik:

Brian Kenny
@MrBrianKenny
The @astros did tandem starts in minors. Ridiculed. Can’t be done.
Jose Berrios is in in the 3rd #WildCardGame
4 Oct 2017
6:39
Travis Sawchik: Preach

6:39
Jeff Sullivan: Amazing what a one-game playoff can do for a team’s open-mindedness

6:39
Travis Sawchik: Indeed

6:39
Jeff Sullivan: Nothing quite like actual stakes to destroy your traditions

6:40
Travis Sawchik: Isn’t amazing how Green didn’t melt when coming into a game early?

6:40
Christian: Why is Buxton so low in the lineup?

6:40
Jeff Sullivan: Because he doesn’t hit so good

6:40
Post Malone: Slower pace = higher tension. Not an issue in the playoffs imo

6:40
Jeff Sullivan: Game 2 of last year’s World Series had a slow pace and was awful

6:41
Travis Sawchik: Who are the Twins going to start in Game 1 of the ALDS?

6:41
Jeff Sullivan: Kyle Gibson, I guess, would be the play, with maybe Santana ready for G2

6:41
Travis Sawchik: Gotta think Indians are huge Twins fans at the moment

6:42
Rosin Bag: Can Bartolo be activated for the ALDS?

6:42
Travis Sawchik: Yes

6:42
Uncle Jimbo: Do you guys get paid by the hour?

6:42
Jeff Sullivan: Do we even get paid?

6:42
Jeff Sullivan: Travis?

6:43
Travis Sawchik: I just keep getting ad free membership reward dollars

6:43
Travis Sawchik: It’s a good deal!

6:43
Factory of Sadness: Any chance of a tandem with Clevinger/Salazar/Tomlin in some order in a hypothetical ALDS game 4 given what we’re seeing tonight? Tito is definitely watching

6:44
Travis Sawchik: I think Cleveland is going to be pretty creative in a Game 4 .. Bauer could be in mix, too

6:44
Travis Sawchik: Tomlin will be a on a very short leash

6:44
Jeff Sullivan: I like how Gregorius struck out on like five pitches down the very middle

6:45
George: Berrios has wicked movement, especially on his fastball/2-seamer.

6:45
Jeff Sullivan: Faint hints of Jose Fernandez in there, only without the dynamite changeup

6:46
Nick: Does run expectancy take into account the fact that the Yankees historically crush the Twins’ spirit whenever they get any sort of momentum going?

6:46
Travis Sawchik: Wasn’t he supposed to have an advanced changeup as amateur?

6:46
Jeff Sullivan: When the Yankees knocked out the Twins in the 2003 ALDS, Jose Berrios was 9

6:47
Mike: Is Sanchez the new Cano in terms of appearing like he doesn’t try while being very good ?

6:47
Jack: Surely you guys get t-shirts??

6:47
Jeff Sullivan: Cano has more smooth.

6:47
6:48
Jeff Sullivan: There’s where Berrios would like a changeup

6:48
Jeff Sullivan: Had to go with five identical fastballs and Bird punishes the fifth. 5-4 Yankees

6:49
Travis Sawchik: Greg Bird is an extreme fly-ball and pull hitter, he’s going to have a nice run in NY

6:49
Jeff Sullivan: Just so long as he doesn’t go all Nick Johnson

6:49
Travis Sawchik: Well, there is that little fact

6:49
Travis Sawchik: Johnson could have been amazing

6:50
bosoxforlife: Nobody should complain about the pace of this game. Baseball is about tension and drama and this game has already had all you could ask for and it is the bottom of the 3rd.

6:50
Jeff Sullivan: Would baseball games be great if they lasted 10 hours?

6:50
Guest: On the announcer discussion: people don’t listen to announcers to hear a player’s stats. The announcers are there to tell stories. Stats belong in graphics, though, and it wouldn’t be too crazy to see something like wRC+ or WAR on the graphics before long. We do at least get OPS now, so there may be a slow movement in that direction.

6:50
Jeff Sullivan: OPS+ would probably be good enough

6:51
Jeff Sullivan: Really helpful, too, since it has a built-in comparison to average

6:51
Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: O/U 4 hour game?

6:51
Jagouar: What do you think of those big blue empty seats at Yankee stadium?

6:51
Jeff Sullivan: Well, we’re almost halfway there…

6:52
Travis Sawchik: Those Lay-Z-boys behind home plate? They are so absurd

6:52
Travis Sawchik: It would be cool to see pre-corporate postseason environments

6:53
Gee: When you guys wear baseball caps, which logo if any do they have?

6:53
Jeff Sullivan: Yard Goats

6:53
The Hamburglar: Who worked the super long Blue Jays/Orioles game last year? I remember that went very late.

6:53
Travis Sawchik: I have two caps in my rotation right now: a Phillies cap my sister bought me (she lives in Philly) and a Browns cap. …. I think I just want to experience empathy in publuc

6:53
Jeff Sullivan: This guy!

6:53
Travis Sawchik: public

6:54
Daniel: Who’s going to be chatting tomorrow?

6:54
Jeff Sullivan: Dave and someone else

6:54
Travis Sawchik: Jeff, do we get down days like Chad Green after 45 pitches?

6:54
Jeff Sullivan: If you and I hold tight together we have tremendous leverage

6:55
Jeff Sullivan: Try to fill the pages without us! Ha ha!!

6:55
Travis Sawchik: [Sinister laugh]

6:55
Post Malone: Yard goats?? You a CT guy?

6:55
Jeff Sullivan: Brother is over there and it’s a hat with a goat on it

6:56
Travis Sawchik: I saw someone with a YardGoats hat on at the FanGraphs meet up in FanGraphs…It was quite tasteful

6:56
Jeff Sullivan: Their colors are sharp!

6:56
Jeff Sullivan: Excellent choice of green

6:56
Daniel: So you guys are admitting your content is just filler for the site?

6:56
Show Hey O’Tawny: In which we learn Travis doesn’t know what Jeff looks like and actually saw Jeff wearing a Goats hat

6:56
Jeff Sullivan: And this site is just filler for your existence

6:57
Travis Sawchik: Isn’t there a John Olerud-Rickey Henderson story that goes something like that?

6:57
BPhoenix 2042: Love me some yard goats. I’m a CT guy. Thought the name was dumb at first but it’s growing on me. Sort of a goofy, lovable thing they’ve got going on. Nice stadium too.

6:57
Jeff Sullivan: And the goat cheer they have over the PA is adorable

6:58
Jeff Sullivan: Hey, Robbie Grossman swung

6:58
Jeff Sullivan: Probably shouldn’t have

6:58
Cass: I wish the old MASN ad featuring Nick Johnson were still online. It was all kinds of amazing. They tried to make his elite patience and pitch recognition see, exciting and so showed pitches come to him with the voice in his head saying, “Too low” or “too high” and the finally “Oh yeah” before he hit a double or homer or something. Wish it ended in a walk, but yeah, Nick Johnson was an amazing OPS machine when healthy, which was rarely. This ad is like 10 years old…

6:58
Travis Sawchik: Is this a real thing?

6:58
Travis Sawchik: Someone find it

6:58
bosoxforlife: I just took off my Red Sox hat and put my Yard Goats hat on. Blue and green are Hartford colors. We will never forget the Whalers.

6:58
Jeff Sullivan: That ad sounds fantastic!

6:58
Travis Sawchik: Love the Whalers logo

6:59
Jeff Sullivan: The Yard Goats ballpark sells Whalers apparel. That’s pretty unusual, I’d think

6:59
Travis Sawchik: Let’s get Hardford an expansion team

6:59
Jeff Sullivan: Oh by the way everyone it’s the fourth inning

6:59
Slider: Two more reasons it’s dumb to start Bauer in game 2: if kluber pitches game 5, there’s little chance he can pitch 3 games in the ALCS. And similar to Britton next year, they could lose the ALDS in four games only pitching kluber once, whatcha think?

6:59
Travis Sawchik: I’d start Kluber in Game 1

7:00
AdamZ: You can buy Whalers gear at Bradley airport.

7:00
Jeff Sullivan: They know where the money is

7:00
Jeff Sullivan: The Whalers became more popular after they ceased to exist

7:00
Post Malone: There was a FanGraphs meetup IN FANGRAPHS? How does that work?

7:00
Travis Sawchik: Did I type that? Shoot. It’s only the fourth inning and I’m losing it

7:00
Travis Sawchik: FanGraphs meetup in Boston

7:01
Jeff Sullivan: Oh, Travis, it’s going to be a long month.

7:01
George: For me it’s not even about not starting Kluber, what happened with Carrasco? If you want to make the argument that Kluber goes on games 2 and 5 I could see it, but Carrasco is way better than Bauer so the decision not to choose the former is shocking.

7:02
Jeff Sullivan: Heck of a stretch by Bird to potentially complete the double play there

7:02
Travis Sawchik: If they went Carrasco in Game 1, they might have been able to bring him back for a stint in Game 4

7:02
Matt: Very Mark Teixeira-esque stretch by Bird there.

7:02
Erik: In case anyone wants to track it, the longest 9-inning game lasted 4 hours and 45 minutes. Through 3 innings, we were on pace for something like 5.5 hours or more.

7:02
Show Hey O’Tawny: Never seen a Bird do the splits before

7:03
Todd: Remember when bird was the best thing about the Yankees young core? God their rebuild has gone well

7:03
Section329: Jeff great to see you at Pitch Talk Seattle and the Women in Baseball event at Safeco

7:03
Travis Sawchik: You mean, March?

7:03
Jeff Sullivan: Thank you for attending. We’ll do another Women in Baseball event next summer and it will be even better somehow

7:03
Bryan: Minnesota not challenging because the game is taking forever

7:03
David Wiers: The Nick Johnson video in question: http://www.veoh.com/watch/v809553w2DXg4p7

7:04
Jeff Sullivan: That commercial is really terrible and quite extraordinary

7:04
Michael: Buxton was taken out of the game??? :0

7:05
Jeff Sullivan: Uhhhhhh

7:05
Jeff Sullivan: Zack Granite is now playing center

7:05
Travis Sawchik: That commercial was incredible

7:05
Travis Sawchik: What happened to Buxton?

7:05
Jeff Sullivan: Buxton apparently hurt making his sensational catch. That is some godawful news

7:05
Travis Sawchik: Ugh

7:06
Post Malone: March 2016 bird was considered the Yankees best hitting prospect. Then Gary Sanchez happened, they made some great trades, Severino found his stride and now they will dominate for the best 10 years

7:06
Travis Sawchik: He hit the wall rather squarely

7:06
Jeff Sullivan: Also Judge led all of baseball in WAR

7:06
Evan: Why isn’t there some kind of shock absorber system for the outfield wall?

7:06
Chris G: walls are hard….

7:06
Tim: Is it weird that even as a Yankee fan, I’m bummed Buxton is out

7:07
Jeff Sullivan: Zack Granite this year finished with one of baseball’s very lowest fly-ball exit velocities

7:07
Travis Sawchik: We need baggy walls every where

7:07
Travis Sawchik: Twins had it right

7:07
Show Hey O’Tawny: Zack Granite has like 80 speed though so this isn’t the worst thing ever

7:08
Jack: I was living in DC at the time and can confirm, that commercial is a real thing that actually happened. I always imagine Nick Johnson feeling vindicated whenever the spot aired.

7:08
Travis Sawchik: It’s amazing that some producer sold that concept for a commercial back in 2007 or whenever

7:08
Mark: Why doesn’t cashman get more credit on a Theo-type level? Is it just a payroll thing?

7:08
Jeff Sullivan: Yep. Yankees will never get that kind of credit

7:09
Adam: Buxton did leg out a potential DP ball in the third, after that wall crash. Odd. Concussion effects maybe?

7:09
billsaints: Have them like the the walls in trampoline parks to help even out the juiced balls.

7:09
Jeff Sullivan: Then you’re just asking for ACL tears

7:10
CarrotJuice: Should the Yankees get that level of credit?

7:10
Jeff Sullivan: It’s complicated

7:10
Confused Englishman: How does Judge look long term?  To me he looks like the second coming of Chris Davis

7:10
Jeff Sullivan: Judge obviously makes better contact than anyone else. Only thing we don’t know is how that’s going to age

7:10
Jeff Sullivan: If Stanton is any indication, it can age just fine

7:10
Jeff Sullivan: Well lookie there

7:11
Travis Sawchik: What was the time stamp on that, jeff?

7:11
Travis Sawchik: Ha

7:11
Jeff Sullivan: That’s a bad pitch, and that’s a dinger. 7-4

7:11
Anonymous: Well, that felt sort of inevitable!

7:11
Nick: Man, screw the Yankees.

7:11
Post Malone: Judge missed a meatball

7:11
Josh: That ball was crushed from the onset holy hell

7:11
Jeff Sullivan: 108 miles per hour off the bat

7:11
Travis Sawchik: Even Judge thought that was pretty cool

7:12
Travis Sawchik: And it was

7:12
Jeff Sullivan: Love the thumbs-down thing. It’s tremendous

7:12
Sgt. Pepper: Finally something normal happens in this game

7:12
AdamZ: There have been a lot of just over the wall homers today

7:12
Post Malone: Stanton is hardly older than judge though

7:12
Jeff Sullivan: Fair point! So, remains to be seen. But this kind of power just hasn’t existed very often

7:12
Show Hey O’Tawny: Is that it for the Twinkies?

7:13
Jeff Sullivan: I mean, basically

7:13
Travis Sawchik: Remember when Aaron Judge was struggling to make it on top 100 prospect lists in the preseason?

7:13
Jeff Sullivan: Will never ever ever understand how he didn’t get 80-grade power

7:13
Nick: The Yankees beating up on the Twins for the last 14 years kinda disproves the notion of karma.

7:13
Jeff Sullivan: One day, all of the Yankees will be dead

7:14
The Hamburglar: Whether you hate the Yankees or the media’s obsession with him, its hard to hate Judge the person/player

7:14
Anonymous: Dillon Gee sighting. October Baseball!

7:14
Josh: Given the bullpen differential, the Yankees just have zero excuse if they lose from here on out, correct?

7:14
Jeff Sullivan: Yep

7:15
CarrotJuice: If Judge only hits it 386 feet, should it even count as a home run?

7:15
Travis Sawchik: Probably not

7:15
AdamZ: Judge’s homer is a single at Fenway

7:15
Travis Sawchik: By 2100 we will be quantifying performance very differently

7:15
Jeff Sullivan: Yankee Stadium is stupid but Fenway is just differently stupid

7:15
Travis Sawchik: in game

7:15
Floyd: Final score predictions? I say 11-6 NYY

7:15
Jeff Sullivan: 13-5 Yankees

7:16
Brian: Single in CLE too

7:16
Post Malone: Some places had Clint Frazier power greater than it equally to judge….

7:16
Travis Sawchik: We’re not impressed, Aaron!

7:16
Anonymous: “Loser goes home, winner goes to Cleveland.” Way to making losing sound better, ESPN

7:16
Jeff Sullivan: Right? I, for one, love going home!

7:16
Travis Sawchik: Hey, I live in Cleveland

7:17
Srhkthew2: In a 4-1 game we’d think the Yankees were flat out playing them. 7-4 feels like they’re out playing them but lucky too. 13–10 we’d think they were just lucky. Why that perception?

7:17
Jeff Sullivan: Percentage of runs scored

7:17
SpicyBoy: i’m just really sad someone has to lose 🙁

7:17
Korey Cluber: This game has gone on for two hours and it’s the bottom of the fourth.

7:18
Guest: Jeff what was the impetus for your involvement in the women in baseball event? Glad to see it, just curious how you came to get involved

7:18
Post Malone: Auto correct is making me look illiterate on some of these posts.

7:18
Travis Sawchik: Auto correct creates more harm than good

7:18
Jeff Sullivan: Read one too many stories about horrible ladies’ night events and thought it would be worth making use of some Mariners connections to try to right things and get out in front of a movement

7:18
Nathan: Are you predicting immortality for the Twins?

7:19
Jeff Sullivan: They too shall die

7:19
a: people who complain about autocorrect: why don’t you just turn it off?

7:19
Travis Sawchik: Can I turn it off on my iPhone? I didn’t come with instructions

7:19
Bryan: Will any of you be seeing postseason baseball in person?>

7:19
Post Malone: How much of a run differential should i wait for before I go to sleep

7:19
Jeff Sullivan: I will not. I assume Travis will?

7:19
Travis Sawchik: You’re probably safe

7:20
Travis Sawchik: I will be seeing some postseason baseball in person

7:20
Travis Sawchik: Including Game 1 of the ALDS!

7:20
Jeff Sullivan: Which won’t have Corey Kluber in it!

7:20
Travis Sawchik: Here in wonderful Cleveland

7:20
B. Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Man, this game just seems hopeless for the twins all of a sudden.

7:20
Jeff Sullivan: In retrospect, game arguably turned with Green’s first-inning strikeouts

7:20
Travis Sawchik: Isn’t that something? This isn’t to knock Trevor Bauer, who has had a breakout season and has been one of the game’s best pitchers in the second half

7:21
Brian: Does Judge produce more batspeed than other players?

7:21
Jeff Sullivan: One would assume, given the linear relationship between bat speed and EV

7:21
Travis Sawchik: We’ve received 1,390 messages during this chat thus far … Well done, people

7:21
Jeff Sullivan: (Top of the fifth inning.)

7:22
Brian: Is baseball immortal?

7:22
Jeff Sullivan: Only hope is immortal

7:22
jumpstartation: Who do in-game interviews appeal to? Does anyone actually enjoy them?

7:22
Jeff Sullivan: Networks get to show off their access

7:23
Babe Lincoln: Crowdsourcing because FG > rest of internet: anyone know an easy way to get shoe polish off your hands?  Just shined my shoes before an important meeting tomorrow, and now my hands are covered in black gunk.

7:23
Jeff Sullivan: Make it a Mentos commercial and cover the rest of your body in the same gunk

7:23
Jeff Sullivan: but don’t be racist about it

7:24
Travis Sawchik: Direct all life questions to Jeff

7:24
ChatzMcGee: Stanton had the fastest bat speed according to StatCast.

7:24
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t think Statcast actually measures bat speed

7:24
Jeff Sullivan: At least not very well

7:24
Jeff Sullivan: Hey we’re halfway through the baseball game!

7:25
Jeff Sullivan: How you holding up, Travis?

7:25
Travis Sawchik: I need a timeout

7:25
Jeff Sullivan: You should take one

7:25
Travis Sawchik: Came out to amped up like Severino

7:25
Travis Sawchik: We should be bullpen-ing our chats

7:26
Jeff Sullivan: That’s a great idea

7:26
Travis Sawchik: too*

7:26
Jeff Sullivan: Basically we should take our own advice

7:26
Mike R: From 18.2% win probability to 26.5% on those two first inning strikeouts.  https://www.fangraphs.com/livescoreboard.aspx?date=2017-10-03

7:26
Dan: Critical innings by robertson. All set for easier innings for the pen

7:26
Travis Sawchik: Ha. … I am actually going to get a beverage

7:26
AdamZ: There is very little more deflating than a first pitch pop up.

7:26
Mike: Why would you type this shoe polish question into this chat instead of google.com?

7:27
Babe Lincoln: So most sports people used to play are extinct (e.g. gladiator stuff, things we’ve never even heard of), and most of the rest are clearly dying (e.g. boxing).  Stands to reason that modern sports will eventually die too.  We know how football will die (concussions).  How will baseball eventually die?

7:27
Jeff Sullivan: Elements of it will probably evolve into a related, more action-packed sort of game

7:27
Jeff Sullivan: That doesn’t take 4 hours

7:27
binder: who should come in next for the Yanks?

7:28
Jeff Sullivan: Kahnle

7:28
The Hamburglar: Any offseason vacation plans for you guys?

7:28
Jeff Sullivan: Probably Chile

7:28
caesar_solid: Does MLB have to wait for the next CBA to implement any new directives aimed at improving pace of play?

7:29
Jeff Sullivan: Nope. Could implement the pitch clock as soon as next season

7:29
MaxRobespierre: Any of you guys have strong feelings about Molitor as manager? I don’t watch MIN often and hard to judge because of up and down seasons (no pun intended)

7:29
Jeff Sullivan: In all honesty I don’t remember the last time I had any strong feelings about any manager. Sometimes I almost forget they exist

7:29
Beel: But why Bauer over Carrasco? I don’t get it.

7:30
Travis Sawchik: That I don’t know

7:30
Travis Sawchik: Bauer has been really good in the second half

7:30
J: How is Berrios still in?  No better RP than the 2nd SP?

7:30
Travis Sawchik: Like one of the best 25 starters in baseball

7:30
Jeff Sullivan: I think he’s going to come out pretty soon

7:30
Travis Sawchik: Maybe they wanted Carrasco to start first road game?

7:30
Jeff Sullivan: But, yeah, the Twins are super thin

7:30
Jeff Sullivan: There’s a terrific Berrios changeup to whiff Bird

7:31
Jeff Sullivan: According to Olney, according to the Twins, Buxton’s back stiffened up after hitting the wall

7:31
Danny: Bauer’s arm is more durable and probably  better with short rest.

7:31
Jeff Sullivan: Quick easy inning for Berrios. To the sixth!

7:31
Show Hey O’Tawny: Tell me something about Trevor Hildenburger cause I’ve never heard of him

7:32
Travis Sawchik: Bauer does seem to have a resilient arm

7:32
Jeff Sullivan: Great three-pitch command low-angle righty reliever who comes over the top with gas for called strikeouts

7:32
Mac: Could Bauer be put in the bullpen for his side day for an inning or 2 later in the series? He’s always saying he could pitch every 3 days.

7:32
Travis Sawchik: Bauer will be available for Game 4 in relief, per Francona

7:32
Long Live Jeff Frye: Managers exist solely to absorb radio call-in anger that would otherwise be directed at the GM or ownership. They are rage buffers.

7:32
Travis Sawchik: This is in part, true

7:33
Travis Sawchik: They are basically the spokesperson for the organization

7:33
Jeff Sullivan: Otherwise, their major contributions are impossible for us to measure

7:33
Jeff Sullivan: I believe they’re important. We just can’t tell how important

7:33
Travis Sawchik: A manager addresses the media twice a day (or almost twice a day) every day of the season … GMs are available much less frequently

7:33
Christian: Do you guys moderate the chat as well as participate in it?

7:34
Travis Sawchik: We do. Incredible feat of human existence

7:34
Jeff Sullivan: I’m so proud of us

7:34
Travis Sawchik: *endurance

7:34
Jeff Sullivan: You can tell it’s human-operated because we cross-moderate and get our answers twisted

7:34
Travis Sawchik: Man, I can’t think or type coherently

7:34
Jeff Sullivan: That’s some beverage you retrieved

7:35
The Hamburglar: Would MLB be improved if they had their managers dress in full suits?

7:35
Jeff Sullivan: I can’t believe that they don’t

7:35
Travis Sawchik: We are not always choreographing so well…but this is our first dance

7:35
Jeff Sullivan: Single for Granite! It’s happening!

7:35
Travis Sawchik: It’s an Oregon Tapwater IPA

7:36
Jeff Sullivan: Good purity

7:36
That Guy: Would you pitch Severino in game 1 or err on the side of caution and wait till game 2?

7:36
Jeff Sullivan: G2

7:36
Anonymous: If Jacoby Ellsbury does not draw a Catcher’s Interference, this whole night has been a gigantic waste of time

7:36
Travis Sawchik: Jeff …

7:37
Jeff Sullivan: I’M SAYING

7:37
Jeremy : Eddie Rosario now has a HR in his first ever AB, his first ever pitch hit AB, and now his first ever playoff AB.

7:37
Jeff Sullivan: I like this stat

7:37
Jeff Sullivan: Even Eddie Rosario gets a fun fact!

7:37
Post Malone: If I’m Buxton there’s no way a little back tightness is keeping me out of the game

7:37
Jeff Sullivan: If you’ve ever hurt your back, there is

7:37
Grue: Hildenberger is ok, but he’s no relief ace

7:38
Jeff Sullivan: Correct, but he’s the best they’ve got 😐

7:38
Floyd: It would be hilarious to see managers wearing suits with mouthfuls of chaw and tobacco-stained ties

7:38
Travis Sawchik: I’d be all for this

7:38
Daniel: why does jose berrios get below average sw/str percentages this season? i feel like his stuff is too nasty. is he forever a strikeout-looking fool-you-outside-and-come-back-in type pitcher?

7:38
Jeff Sullivan: Doesn’t have much for lefties

7:39
Bryan: Surprised Robertson still in?

7:39
Jeff Sullivan: I am, actually. Kahnle should be in any minute

7:39
Travis Sawchik: Yeah, Yankees have like 10 more arms like this

7:39
Bryan: Southern Tier brewing. Yay or nay? Spoiler alert: I am drinking their thick mint imperial stout. It’s a girl scout cookie in beer form.

7:40
Travis Sawchik: I enjoy some Southern Tier. I don’t love pumpkin beer, but pumking is pretty damn good

7:40
mtsw: Zack Granite is a Zach Greinke autocorrect

7:40
MaxRobespierre: I know this feels like an Eno question, but what sort of adult beverages are you enjoying at the moment?

7:40
Jeff Sullivan: Still Oregon tap water

7:41
Travis Sawchik: Sibling Revelry (Westlake, Ohio) IPA

7:41
Mark: Is Robertson low-key the second best Yankee reliever?

7:41
Travis Sawchik: It’s not half bad!

7:41
Jeff Sullivan: I’m not sure how to tell them apart. They have five elites

7:41
SpicyBoy: how come the two teams dont line up on the field and give each other high fives after the game like in little league

7:41
Jeff Sullivan: Fraternization is outlawed by the official MLB rules

7:42
Jeff Sullivan: This is not the answer but the statement is correct!

7:42
Beel: Who saw Robertson pitching more innings than both SP combined?

7:43
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t know what ESPN’s camera was doing but it was definitely not showing Robertson striking out Grossman

7:43
Travis Sawchik: Girardi knows he has five other dudes like this, right?

7:43
Jeff Sullivan: Robertson at 45 pitches aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand staying in for Dozier. Weird

7:43
Jeff Sullivan: I would not do this

7:44
NtflxnRichHill: David Robertson must have a hell of a time finding jeans that fit those thighs

7:44
Simon: Robertson has thrown more pitches than either starter, and more innings than both combined.

7:44
Bryan: Bigger upset: Yankees over the 115 win Mariners team in the ALCS or the Yankees/Twins over this years Indians?

7:44
Jeff Sullivan: The Yankees aren’t much worse than this year’s Indians

7:44
The Hamburglar: I’ve always maintained that if a player breaks a bat mid-at bat, they shouldnt be allowed to get a new one. They have to finish the at bat with the broken stub

7:45
AdamZ: Has a pitcher ever said “I’m gassed, take me out skip” when asked by a manager if he is good to go?

7:45
Jeff Sullivan: Rarely, but it does happen!

7:45
Travis Sawchik: If Dave Cameron called me right now, I would tell him to take me out

7:45
Fake Eno: Oregon tap water; earthy undertones, small hints of flouride, better finish than Idaho tap water.

7:45
Jeff Sullivan: no fluoride because we are stupid

7:46
joseph: If the Twins don’t punish Robertson/Girardi, it’s time for sleep.

7:46
Jeff Sullivan: Sanchez just got nutted pretty bad

7:46
Rick Ross tha Boss: NUT SHOT!!!!!!   🙂

7:46
Travis Sawchik: Ugh

7:47
Jeff Sullivan: Robertson is finished, having walked Dozier

7:48
Jeff Sullivan: 52 pitches. 3.1 innings, 3 hits, 0 runs (so far), 5 strikeouts

7:49
Travis Sawchik: Just imagined if the Yankees had bullpen-ed

7:49
Jeff Sullivan: They basically have. They just spotted three runs

7:49
Travis Sawchik: Could have had a Severino-Bauer Game 1 matchup

7:49
The Hamburglar: I feel like it was incredibly stupid to let Robertson pitch to Dozier

7:50
Danny: Very impressive outing from Robertson, but it would be very fun to see a three run homer here!

7:50
Confused Englishman: Can we bring in 2009 Joe Mauer for this at bat?

7:51
resumeman: girardi’s been too timid with his bullpen

7:51
Jeff Sullivan: He went to the bullpen in the literal first inning

7:51
Jeff Sullivan: Mauer comes ever so close

7:51
Jeff Sullivan: 10 more feet and we’ve got a tie game. As is, we do not have a tie game at all.

7:52
Jeff Sullivan: Another terrible camera angle from ESPN for the climax of the play

7:52
Nick: Why aren’t nice things allowed to happen to the Twins?

7:52
J:

Mike Petriello
@mike_petriello
David Robertson’s 52 pitches:

34 curveballs
18 fastballs

That is… a ton of curves.

4 Oct 2017
7:52
Zac: Solid camera choice from the producer

7:52
Tom: What is going on with the cameras in this game!?! Infuriating

7:52
Ned Yost: feels like that’s the ball game

7:52
Factory of Sadness: ESPN managed to capture every part of the flight of that ball except the catch itself

7:53
TKDC: I’m glad I almost saw that play

7:53
Jeff Sullivan: Time for Hildenberger as the desperation mounts

7:53
Travis Sawchik: ESPN production truck is getting fatigued

7:53
PitchClocksPlease: Being the first team to go from 100 losses to the playoffs isn’t a nice thing for Minnesota?

7:54
Jeff Sullivan: Yankees win expectancy now up to 91%

7:54
Factory of Sadness: Wasn’t the Twins lineup one of the more productive lineups down the stretch? Give me anything to hope for pls

7:54
RIch: There’s still one more nerve racking Dellin Betances inning coming

7:54
Jeff Sullivan: If this is your first time watching Hildenberger, watch for him to come over the top with a surprise heater around 92. Fun twist!

7:55
Andrew: What does the Twins offseason look like?

7:55
Jeff Sullivan: Cheap pitching

7:55
BPhoenix 2042: The breaking ball revolution is more interesting to me than the fly ball revolution. I love it when pitchers throw the bendy stuff more than the straight stuff.

7:55
Travis Sawchik: It is fascinating

7:56
Enlightening Round: Hildenberger hit 95 over the top

7:56
Jeff Sullivan: No idea where that came from but boy he’s a delight

7:57
Jeff Sullivan: Check out his minor-league numbers. Very good!

7:57
Anonymous: must be nice to have a 95mph heater as your ‘gimmick pitch’

7:57
Jeff Sullivan: Imagine how it looks when everything else is 75-88

7:57
Gary: Who the hell is Hildenburgman?

7:58
Jeff Sullivan: A four-pitch reliever who never walks anyone

7:59
Mike: why even compare pre 2-WC post season records vs current ones (like 100 loss to made playoffs)?

7:59
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t know. I mean, I get it, but yeah, you’re obviously missing something. It’s a different era

7:59
Post Malone: Think Twins take a step back next year?

7:59
Jeff Sullivan: Can’t imagine they’ll make the playoffs

8:00
Jeff Sullivan: Maybe they stay around .500 but there will be a better fifth-best team

8:00
George: Do the Yankees also have the highest fastball velocity average out of the bullpen? Like ever? Chad Green was sitting 97 and he’ll be the second slowest pitcher the Yankees will throw out today after Robertson.

8:00
Travis Sawchik: Sixth on record… How about those 2014 Cardinals?

8:01
Travis Sawchik: But the velo and breaking stuff combo might be best

8:01
Andrew: Shouldn’t the game just be final?  Feels like we’re just coasting until the end

8:01
Jeff Sullivan: 7-3 A’s, bottom of the eighth…

8:01
Post Malone: This isn’t even the playoffs. More like a play-in

8:02
Travis Sawchik: This is MLB’s version of March basketball in Dayton

8:02
Grue: If they actually get good pitching in the offseason they could repeat the second wild card maybe, right? This isn’t a great team the Twins have, but thats mostly because of the pitching.

8:02
Jeff Sullivan: Same goes for the Orioles, Angels, Mariners, Rangers…

8:03
Confused Englishman: 2014 A’s bullpen similar to 2017 Yankees?

8:03
Jeff Sullivan: Admittedly no

8:04
Dan: Why is chosen shreve warming up….

8:04
Bryan: Shreve warming up

8:04
Crusty: I don’t trust Betances either

8:05
Confused Englishman: Is there any example of 2017 Yankees blowing any game similar to what they need to do now?

8:06
TheRaysSeemedBetterThanUnder.500: Not sure if you brought up the 2014 game because of my earlier comment but I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about that game!

8:06
Danny: When you guys say they should bullpen, is that to save the starter for the division series? Because if you really want to win this game, I think it makes sense to go with your best pitcher, even if you do pull them after several innings.

8:06
Jeff Sullivan: That game singlehandedly validated the WC format

8:06
Travis Sawchik: That … and/or just use your best SP for a shorter duration

8:06
MaxRobespierre: I know as writers you guys have been detached from your favorite teams out of necessity, but are you/were you a Cleveland fan (I ask Travis to avoid Jeff and the Mariners). How do you feel about the team’s success lately? I ask because I understand Ben Lindbergh is at the game tonight and I wonder if he feels Yankees fandom welling up in his veins.

8:06
Jeff Sullivan: I can promise you Ben does not

8:07
Travis Sawchik: Most of my fandom has been crushed

8:08
Jeff Sullivan: My stream is really struggling to keep up and I’m really struggling to care about it

8:08
Travis Sawchik: Once you see how the sausage is made, some of the magic is lost …. And while this is an enjoyable line of work, it’s still a job

8:08
Babe Lincoln: Sad for Ben.  Think he thinks it’s worth it?

8:08
Jeff Sullivan: Same story for every national writer, more or less

8:08
Jeff Sullivan: Game’s picking up speed, as the stress is winding down. To the bottom of the seventh we go, still 7-4

8:09
jake: the lessening of fandom is obviously necessary for many in your line of work, but do you ever regret it?

8:09
Jeff Sullivan: That’s why I keep hockey around. I get to stay in dumb love with hockey

8:09
AdamZ: Three certainties in life: death, taxes, and the Yankees knocking the Twins out of the playoffs.

8:09
Guest: Yankees fans should never feel any joy.  This is simply a result of the massive resource advantage their team has.  They should feel a vague satisfaction when they win a championship, and bitter disappointment if they don’t.

8:10
Jeff Sullivan: Used to be more true, I think, but now some other clubs are catching up

8:10
Jeff Sullivan: Thank you, luxury tax!

8:10
Travis Sawchik: That’s an interesting question. I still really enjoy baseball .. but I don’t live and die with the on-goings of one team

8:11
Adam: By that logic, if the dodgers win this year, they should just walk off the field silently.

8:11
Jeff Sullivan: Speaking for myself, I’ve lost a lot of the emotional fandom, but I’ve gained a lot in terms of how much I enjoy actively thinking about baseball.

8:11
Travis Sawchik: Hey, act like you’ve been there before, right?

8:11
Jeff Sullivan: If the Dodgers win they should go celebrate in the Diamondbacks’ pool

8:12
caesar_solid: Do you guys get tired of answering questions about why you don’t over-romanticize baseball anymore through your fandom? I mean, you can be a fan of the sport and not a team. I have favorite teams, but I’m just a fan of baseball, and people always like my dog died when I tell them

8:12
Jeff Sullivan: It’s just a different way of connecting with the game. It’s a less common and familiar way that most people don’t consider until they have to

8:12
Travis Sawchik: I was really happy to see the Cavs beat the Warriors in the 2016 NBA finals, that was a purely emotional thing and tied into civic pride and tribalism

8:13
Bryan: Jeff do you read up on corsi and other NHL fancy stats?

8:13
Jeff Sullivan: Nope! Don’t want to let that in

8:13
Jeff Sullivan: Baseball gets all the thinking, hockey gets all the passion

8:14
Bryan: Those last few innings are worth Blake Rutherford alone

8:14
That Guy: Just a reminder that the Yankees haven’t had a sub-.500 season since 1993. This despite turning over the roster multiple times in the era of FA and spending last year selling for a “rebuild.” The Yankees hate is still completely warranted.

8:14
Guest: What is the reason that playoff WAR doesn’t exist?

8:14
Jeff Sullivan: We don’t have playoff UZR

8:14
schwec: MVP chants accurate?

8:14
Jeff Sullivan: I think Altuve is going to win, but I also think Judge has a stronger case than the voting results will reflect

8:14
Danny: I like the tribalism of cheering for one team, and baseball is fun to talk about a lot! It’s hard imagining losing that.

8:15
Travis Sawchik: If you’re around it long enough, you’ll lose that

8:15
The Hamburglar: How do you suggest getting into hockey? I’d love to make the switch from football to hockey

8:15
Jeff Sullivan: Go to a hockey game. That’ll do it

8:15
Jeff Sullivan: Although I should warn you hockey has its own concussion problems, albeit to a lesser extent

8:15
Post Malone: When’s the last time Boston was under .500

8:15
Jeff Sullivan: 2015

8:15
Jeff Sullivan: and 2014

8:15
Jeff Sullivan: and in 2012 they were a catastrophe

8:16
Guest: Is UZR it? Because I don’t see “Off” and “BsR” on there either.

8:16
Jeff Sullivan: Oh, right, BsR too. The black-box stats don’t have playoff inputs

8:16
RJ: Biggest reason for no playoff WAR : what’s replacement level?

8:16
Jonas: Can Severino start on Friday?

8:16
Travis Sawchik: Yes… ‘Should’ is perhaps the better question

8:17
Aer: that’s the second time gary has stepped out of the box before the pitch is caught. why?

8:17
Jeff Sullivan: Taking all the way and preventing himself from swinging

8:17
Travis Sawchik: Severino would be on regular rest for Game 3 and is probably pitching only once in the series, regardless

8:17
Jeff Sullivan: No outs and two runners in scoring position now for the Yankees. Verge of spiraling out of control, here

8:18
AdamZ: The best part about caring about one team is going onto message boards and bitching about how horrible they are all the time regardless of their record.

8:18
MaxRobespierre: I’m so detached from individual MLB teams that I usually cheer along with the home team’s fans whenever I attend a game, regardless of where it is. I can get pumped for that, and the experience is fun.

8:18
Travis Sawchik: Maybe we need individual team message boards at FanGraphs

8:18
NtflxnRichHill: Which one of you could name more players on the Padres’ 25 man roster?

8:19
Jeff Sullivan: Probably me, but I keep obsessive track of the depth charts

8:19
Travis Sawchik: Jeff is your man on depth charts

8:19
Travis Sawchik: And Padres

8:19
Jeff Sullivan: Did you know Craig Stammen is around and quite good

8:20
Tim: Do you guys remeber when Travis said Judge wasn’t clutch and Gary wasn’t that good?

8:20
Jeff Sullivan: We all say lots of things

8:20
Jeff Sullivan: One time I wrote a positive article about Carlos Peguero

8:20
Jeff Sullivan: There’s one important out for the Twins. If they want to have any chance…

8:21
Travis Sawchik: I didn’t say Judge wasn’t clutch … He wasn’t ‘clutch’ in 2017 regular season. That’s probably not predicative. But it is history

8:21
Guest: Is there a reason that the black box stats can’t and won’t ever exist in the playoffs? Something about controlling for the league environment? Or do they just currently not5 happen to exist?

8:21
Jeff Sullivan: I don’t think they exist, and we’re not in control of them

8:21
Jeff Sullivan: Important point there by Travis. Whenever we point to Clutch, we are smart enough to know it’s not predictive. But what’s happened has happened

8:21
Travis Sawchik: What I mean, is I wasn’t having an opinion … I was writing about history that happened

8:22
caesar_solid: is there a way to search for games in the regular season with the biggest swings in win-probability? I was hoping there would be something like that for each team on their team page

8:22
Travis Sawchik: Sanchez, well, I’ve been eating crow for several months. That’s fine.

8:22
Jeff Sullivan: No 🙁

8:22
Babe Lincoln: Jeff, any recommendations for a good volcano book (besides Krakatoa)?

8:23
Jeff Sullivan: No Apparent Danger

8:23
AdamZ: Jeff and Travis, what are your worst takes (in hindsight) you ever put into writing?

8:23
Jeff Sullivan: In a fit of frustration I accused Daisuke Matsuzaka of being a mercenary in violation of international law

8:24
Travis Sawchik: I suggested the Columbia class of nuclear submarines were a poor investment

8:24
Jeff Sullivan: For shame!

8:24
Bryan: I still don’t get why Didi’s wRC is only 115 or so. Dude has been one of the top 3 or 4 offensive SS in the league. And is top 5 in almost all categories. Seems to me your putting too much stock in walks

8:24
Jeff Sullivan: Low OBP, hitter-friendly ballpark

8:25
Jeff Sullivan: This is how it works http://www.fangraphs.com/guts.aspx?type=cn

8:25
NtflxnRichHill: My wife just looked at aaron judge and said, if I cover his face, that’s what your body looked like when we got married.

8:25
Jeff Sullivan: What a huge strikeout by Rogers. Twins might escape this yet!

8:25
Jeff Sullivan: They really can’t afford to give up another run

8:25
Crusty: Yankees fans:  ready your pitchforks for the march on Travis!

8:26
Travis Sawchik: What’s amusing to me is I have actually been very pro-Yankee this year in postings

8:26
Babe Lincoln: In an argument with a friend about whether a Clutch Player exists, came across some great *anecdotal* evidence that it does not: Derek Jeter: .310 (career) BA regular season, .308 BA playoffs; Andy Pettitte: 3.84 ERA regular season, .381 ERA playoffs

8:26
Jeff Sullivan: Of course, in Jeter’s defense, hitting in the playoffs is much harder

8:26
Jack: Jeff: Dante’s Peak or Volcano?

8:26
Travis Sawchik: Praised the Yankee’s rebuild efforts, Judge’s swing adjustments and, generally, Greg Bird…. But Sanchez #neverforget

8:26
Jeff Sullivan: Dante’s Peak for accurate visuals, Volcano for accurate lava movement portrayal

8:27
MaxRobespierre: I assume Travis will be at a playoff game this postseason. How about you Jeff? Plans to attend any? Or is it too inconvenient geographically?

8:27
Jeff Sullivan: No reason for me to go anywhere. I’ll work far better from home

8:27
Adam: What’re each of your favorite pieces you’ve ever written? (FG or otherwise)

8:27
Travis Sawchik: Probably the Sanchez and Judge posts 😉

8:28
Jeff Sullivan: I honestly do not have an answer to that

8:28
Travis Sawchik: Jeff has written 3,000-plus posts

8:28
Jeff Sullivan: Alan! Busenitz!

8:28
That Guy: It really feels like Sanchez went under the radar this season. He’s already the best catcher in the AL, yes?

8:28
Jeff Sullivan: Yes

8:28
Travis Sawchik: What I enjoyed writing most this year was probably the stadium piece

8:29
Travis Sawchik: That’s my serious answer … but it’s tough to revisit all content on the spot

8:29
Danny: You should have played baseball.

8:29
Travis Sawchik: I did! Until I was 17

8:30
Jeff Sullivan: Boshers warming. Household names on this staff

8:30
Jeff Sullivan: And Busenitz walks in a run.

8:30
Jeff Sullivan: Crusher

8:30
David: Dude that stadium piece was awesome

8:31
Travis Sawchik: Thanks! Upper deck in the new generation of stadiums have pushed a generation of middle-class fans very far away from action. I hate that.

8:31
Floyd: Peak Jeff is the post comparing Mariners to random household objects

8:32
Jeff Sullivan: Oh, right, that was it. That’s the one I loved the most https://www.lookoutlanding.com/2010/7/14/1570205/first-half-in-review-…

8:32
Girardi: Have I managed this game well?

8:32
Jeff Sullivan: Pretty well. Should’ve yanked Robertson a little quicker but that’s about it

8:32
Jeff Sullivan: Maybe PH for Bird a few minutes ago

8:33
Anthony: Without trying to get too personal about this, do you guys like your jobs? Not FG specifically, just generally…

8:33
Travis Sawchik: A Blackberry!

8:33
Jeff Sullivan: It’s great, and though I have my occasional complaints, it’s because I’m guilty of losing perspective

8:33
Travis Sawchik: Anthony, what kind of vibe are we giving off?

8:34
Jack: Wait Columbia Class??, link?

8:34
libre: Who is the best CF in baseball?  Is Aaron Hicks under the radar in that discussion?

8:34
Jeff Sullivan: What? Trout? What?

8:34
Travis Sawchik: Hicks and then Trout

8:34
libre: New Yankee Stadium is a great example of the upper-deck far-away rich-playground thing of Travis’ piece.

8:34
Travis Sawchik: It seems rather elevated

8:35
Guest: link me some of dat stadium piece

8:35
The Hamburglar: In that piece you mentioned you hated sitting in the upper deck, i actually quite enjoy it. Nice bird eye view, less crowded, a little cooler during day games

8:36
libre: Who is the best baseball player from each state?  Ellsbury the best Oregonian?

8:36
Jeff Sullivan: We’ve got Dale Murphy and Mickey Lolich!

8:36
Bean: At what point does a switch hitter with bad splits get asked to just hit from one side? Said hicks .310 from right side vs .240 from left. Expected to hit sub .240 from right side vs righties?

8:37
Jeff Sullivan: Hicks 140 wRC+ vs. lefties, 119 vs. righties

8:37
Tim: Sorry to bring up bad memories, Travis. Love your work

8:38
Travis Sawchik: I’ve become a recluse since the Sanchez post

8:38
Jeff Sullivan: What the shit

8:38
Jeff Sullivan: How is Granite out

8:38
Jeff Sullivan: When does this happen

8:38
Jeff Sullivan: He didn’t step on the base!

8:38
Jeff Sullivan: whoopsadoodle

8:39
Travis Sawchik: What kind of household item is Granite?

8:39
Jeff Sullivan: Really impressive call by the first-base umpire there

8:39
Travis Sawchik: How do umpires keep focus in a game like this?

8:39
Jeff Sullivan: Fear

8:39
bougshy: Why go Kahnle and not Betances

8:39
Jeff Sullivan: They trust Kahnle more

8:40
Anonymous: What’s the article on this game about?

8:40
Jeff Sullivan: tomorrow’s wild-card game

8:41
Jeff Sullivan: Kahnle is good. One more inning to go

8:41
libre: You answered three of my things so I think the queue is much more empty than it was earlier.  You guys should stop.

8:41
Travis Sawchik: We’ve had 2,098 questions

8:41
Jeff Sullivan: Can’t stop! Dave will fire us!

8:42
Travis Sawchik: So you’re beating your questions-answered expectancy

8:42
Jeff Sullivan: Yankees bullpen: 7.2 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts

8:43
Jeff Sullivan: And now pulled-pork tacos have arrived on my desk. This evening is looking up!

8:43
Stephen: I’m starting to think the Yankees might be pretty good? With this kind of bullpen usage, they might put up a pretty good fight against Cleveland.

8:43
Travis Sawchik: Yankees are a tough out with this bullpen, No. 2 in MLB in run diff

8:43
Jeff Sullivan: Yankees are one of the elites. There are like seven elites, but there’s little difference between them

8:43
Jeff Sullivan: was written about just today at fangraphs.com

8:44
MaxRobespierre: Isn’t Granite Cistulli’s Guy? Sigh

8:44
Travis Sawchik: Is he? Gotta get all over Cistulli for that misstep

8:44
BPhoenix 2042: Having just read that piece comparing the mariners to random household items… i am in love.

8:44
Jeff Sullivan: everybody was garbage

8:45
Tim: How in gods name is Matt Belisle a closer on a playoff team?!?!?!

8:45
Jeff Sullivan: Because they traded their closer who never struck anyone out

8:45
Jack: Re: the future & forecasts – Every B52 still flying… i was on a sub planned in the mid 60s that wasn’t decommissioned until 2000

8:46
Travis Sawchik: I’m not an expert on military hardware but technology is changing pretty quick and they don’t do much to deter non-state actors

8:47
Brian Cashman: That white sox trade is looking pretty good for the Yanks right now

8:47
Anonymous: Was this a bad game?

8:47
Jeff Sullivan: Stroke of genius. Yankees knew what they were doing and people way overrated the Frazier part of it

8:48
Travis Sawchik: No. It cannot be a bad game if it had the drama and intrigue of its first several innings. It just peaked early

8:48
Jeff Sullivan: Yep. Fine game, but it will not be remembered for very long

8:48
Brett W: This game might finish under 4 hours, which is actually amazing for a game in which the 3rd inning doesn’t start until 1:35.

8:48
Rick: I would have bet almost any amount against this game ending before midnight (eastern) if you’d offered it to me in the 3rd inning, yet it might actually happen!

8:48
Travis Sawchik: Cannot predict ball

8:48
Josh R: Several Yankee relievers racked up a lot of pitches tonight. Will this end up mattering in the next series?

8:49
Jeff Sullivan: A little bit. Robertson will be unavailable for longer than usual. But they should be all right

8:49
Jeff Sullivan: Off we go to the ninth, where the Twins will need a damn miracle

8:49
Kevin: I umpired youth baseball for 12 years…I’m sure this is different in a sense, but I found after doing it long enough your brain pretty much shuts off and makes the calls instinctively, you feel more like an observer than anything else

8:50
Travis Sawchik: So it’s sort of like a muscle-memory thing? Neural connections and all that? That would make sense

8:50
Jeff Sullivan: Probably like how experienced hitters come to judge when and when not to swing

8:50
Jeff Sullivan: Same process, essentially

8:50
Bean: Okay so Hicks is a bad example, but do teams pay a lot of attention to that on a per season basis? Do they ever tell the batters to stop and hit from one side? Or ultimately up to player?

8:51
Jeff Sullivan: Some guys decide to stop switch-hitting. Sandoval did it, Victorino did it

8:51
Kevin: bullpen WC game strategy proven (if accidental) – does this break the ice?

8:51
Jeff Sullivan: Doesn’t hurt! But then, not many bullpens are as good as the Yankees’ is

8:52
Andre: Umps have been fantastic tonight

8:52
Travis Sawchik: A lot of folks saying that, which is really something

8:52
Nick: Are the Yankees an ALCS favorite if they make it past the Indians? 100 win team by baseruns that looks to be even better than that in the playoffs.

8:52
Jeff Sullivan: Don’t think they’re any better than the Astros

8:52
MaxRobespierre: Im new to FG live blogs. Wondering what the chat schedule is this week? Will both of you do the live blog again tomorrow and the rest of the playoffs? Or will FG Staff rotate?

8:53
Jeff Sullivan: Dave and someone will be chatting tomorrow. We won’t have live blogs throughout the playoffs because that’s a lot of chatting, but we’ll have chats for many of the big games

8:53
Jeff Sullivan: Two more outs…

8:53
Josh R: Seriously, a team can’t really win post season series with Fernando Rodney closing things out, can they?

8:54
Dan: did you guys see the article that chapman was basically throwing his fastball with a 2 seam grip and just switched to a 4 seam and has seen improvements. do you think it was a gradual, accidental switch to 2s grip

8:54
Jeff Sullivan: Going to be fascinating to see how often he actually closes

8:54
Travis Sawchik: I did not … Interesting

8:54
Kevin: yes, very similar to having played a sport or musical instrument for a long time…you are hyper focused in a sense, but not really in a conscious/stressful sort of way

8:54
Jeff Sullivan: I didn’t either. I’ll be damned

8:54
caesar_solid: probably how like baseball writers write articles about Mike Trout

8:54
Travis Sawchik: Exactly!

8:54
Jose berries n cream: Where would you put judge on your trade value list if you made one?

8:54
Jeff Sullivan: I’ve never made one but top 10

8:55
Travis Sawchik: My only concern would be longevity … but that’s more down the road, so he’d rank pretty high

8:55
Brett W: Did Cleveland win tonight?

8:55
Jeff Sullivan: Yeah. Plenty of questions left to answer, but what a dang starting point

8:56
Judge homers: Is there a way to see where the ball would land if there was no stands? Would he be crushing 600 foot bombs?

8:56
Jeff Sullivan: That’s what the estimated distances try to do

8:56
Travis Sawchik: I don’t think Cleveland felt like it won anything tonight … better team is going to advance, and Severino is not exhausted by any means

8:56
Travis Sawchik: And Chapman is throwing 103 mph again

8:56
Jeff Sullivan: One more…

8:57
Brett W: If somebody offered you $5,000 to either drop a baseball off a 25-story building through a basketball hoop or strike out Aaron Judge, which do you choose?

8:57
Jeff Sullivan: You could luck into the basketball drop

8:57
Hank: Who has the better bullpen, Indians or Yanks?

8:57
Jeff Sullivan: Personally, I think Yankees

8:57
Travis Sawchik: Yankees

8:57
Jeff Sullivan: Pending Clevinger/Salazar

8:58
Travis Sawchik: Salazar could be a great relief weapon, though

8:58
caesar_solid: does BaseRuns adjust for strength of schedule?

8:58
Jeff Sullivan: nope

8:58
Travis Sawchik: Curious to see how aggressive Indians are with him in relief. He’s on the ALDS roster

8:58
Jeff Sullivan: Who do you think they’ll use more — Clevinger or Salazar?

8:58
Travis Sawchik: Clevinger — i think

8:59
gibs: Now where would you put Stanton on your trade value list?

8:59
Jeff Sullivan: He’s not on it, with that contract

8:59
Travis Sawchik: He was pitching so well as a starter and to move him out of that Game 4 spot, I’m guessing they have significant relief plans for him

8:59
Jeff Sullivan: Written about at The Athletic!

8:59
Travis Sawchik: Indeed!

8:59
Jeff Sullivan: Mauer extends it. Classic Joe

9:00
Travis Sawchik: Tying run is in the dugout

9:00
Jeff Sullivan: So is the go-ahead run

9:00
Jeff Sullivan: So are all of the pile-on insurance runs

9:00
Jeff Sullivan: Lots of runs in the dugout

9:00
Travis Sawchik: Winning attitude here

9:01
Travis Sawchik: Severino-Kluber for Game 2 anyone?

9:01
Jeff Sullivan: Always rooting for another Aroldis Chapman somersault

9:01
Travis Sawchik: It’s official Yankees-Indians … could be quite a series

9:02
Jeff Sullivan: Alas, it’s ended! 8-4 Yankees.

9:02
TheRaysSeemedBetterThanUnder.500: Thanks for chatting guys!

9:02
Jeff Sullivan: Thanks for chatting with us, y’all!

9:02
Jeff Sullivan: And thank you Travis!

9:02
Travis Sawchik: Thanks for your 2,247 questions, folks! Great turnout

9:02
Travis Sawchik: Thank you, Jeff!

9:02
Jeff Sullivan: Dave and help will have the game tomorrow night. For now, we’re finished! Take care everybody

9:03
Travis Sawchik: Who is turning out the lights?

9:03
Jeff Sullivan: I got it!





Jeff made Lookout Landing a thing, but he does not still write there about the Mariners. He does write here, sometimes about the Mariners, but usually not.

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burts_beads
6 years ago

The 2014 Cardinals bullpen velocity is very skewed since Neshek and Choate don’t seem to register on there at all.