David Laurila: Greetings all. Go Astros. Go Phillies. Go baseball.
8:04
David Laurila: I got both a flu shot and a Covid booster yesterday, and am really dragging today, but fortunately I have a few energetic colleagues joining the chat shortly.
8:04
Dan Szymborski: Greetings peoples!
8:04
Justin Choi: Good morning from South Korea!
8:05
Alex Sonty: Man, Justin. I remember us getting up with you in 2020 to play KBO DFS.
8:04
Belli Flop: Baseball is so special. Thank you to everyone at FanGraphs and in the community for helping make it so!
8:05
Dan Szymborski: David. Justin. I believe Alex is joining us too at some point?
8:05
Dan Szymborski: And there he is!
8:05
Dan Szymborski: This has been a long stretch of no baseball
8:06
Alex Sonty: I talked to my wife!
8:05
Alex Sonty: Yes, I’m here! Sorry. Having an internet hiccup.
8:06
Dan Szymborski: Those are the worst! I had a real hell of an internet time the first few games of the playoffs.
8:07
Chris: Dusty Baker brought up Bill Cosby today… Oof
8:07
Dan Szymborski: He’s a bit behind with the news!
8:07
Rays stan: Don’t let this WS distract you from what Evan Reifert is doing in the Arizona Fall League
8:07
David Laurila: I just spent a week at AFL games. Don’t believe I saw Reifert. Did see some greta baseball. Highly recommend the AFL.
8:07
The Stranger: Ugh, I did the flu/covid double vaccine and it knocked me out for a week. Hopefully you do better than I did.
8:08
Dan Szymborski: My sister just got her second stint of COVID today. If she thinks I’m visiting or babysitting for like the next month, she’s mistaken!
8:08
Devil Ray Jay Johnson: What order would you use the Astros relievers (assume Verlander goes 5 IP)?
8:08
Alex Sonty: Verlander has more of his own leash to any modern pitcher. Even in the postseason. Even in the World Series.
8:08
Alex Sonty: I think Verlander’s outs prop was 16.5. I didn’t make any bets on this game, but that could be close.
8:09
Lzfreak: Is this the most seemingly lopsided WS matchup in recent memory?
8:09
David Laurila: I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me, but in World Series history, the team with the better cord has won just over half the time.
8:10
Dan Szymborski: They never really describe someone as an incomplete player
8:10
The 6ix: Verlander’s career World Series ERA is astounding. Cue the Small Sample Size song.
8:10
Devil Ray Jay Johnson: For big games like this Ken Rosenthal should wear a spinning bow tie
8:11
Justin Choi: He should wear a bow tie-shaped suit
8:11
Alex Sonty: “Blurred vision” Good one, Joe.
8:11
Yo-Yo: Do you think the age of “get in and get lucky” is overblown, particularly in the NL? 5 of 6 NL playoff teams had a top 8 in MLB payroll, with 4 in the top 5. The team that particularly builds for barely getting in (STL) is 1-9 in their last 10 playoff games.
8:11
David Laurila: Kind of amazing that the Cards have that record, but baseball will baseball.
8:13
Justin Choi: There’s an argument to be made that in the playoffs, depth is less important than top-end talent, which can only be acquired through spending
8:12
Dan Szymborski: I wasn’t looking at the screen and I thought that was a new age Meow Mix commercial.
8:12
The Stranger: I could definitely see They Might Be Giants writing a song called Small Sample Size
8:13
Lzfreak: If you had to, how would you rank the careers of Verlander, Kershaw, Scherzer, Greinke?
8:13
Alex Sonty: I don’t know but Kershaw’s firmly first and Greinke’s firmly last.
8:16
Alex Sonty: Best part of the days off is that the rotations align. Ace vs. ace and so forth. I’m a bit old school like that.
8:16
Dan Szymborski: Altuve is usually just around league-average for rate of swinging outside the strike zone. In Statcast, it’s his lowest out of zone swing % since 2012.
8:16
Justin Choi: Nola’s command is so good, it’s unreal
8:18
Tigers2123: Well…..I thought he was overstating Altuve’s free swinging a bit much but he nailed the call on the vulnerability to the outside pitch
8:19
Dan Szymborski: And correct that Pena *is* a free swinger
8:19
Belli Flop: Polls for rooting interest and prediction?
8:19
Justin Choi:
Who Takes Game 1?
Astros (54.0% | 27 votes)
Phillies (46.0% | 23 votes)
Total Votes: 50
8:19
Justin Choi: First time creating a poll!
8:19
Justin Choi: This is cool
8:22
Alex Sonty: Yordan Alvarez is in that “stop what you’re doing” territory
8:22
Alex Sonty: Chat got really quiet there.
8:23
Dan Szymborski: Always gonna have less of a crowd on a Friday night
8:23
jae: which starter y’all got going deeper?
8:23
Justin Choi: This feels like a potential Angry and Amped Justin Verlander start, so I’ll go with him
8:23
David Laurila: I liked these quotes from Nola when we talked about his curveball last summer:
“The more I have pressure on my thumb, the better it is. Sometimes I lose the feel on it and will put too much pressure on just my middle finger. For me, it’s more about the tip of my middle finger and the tip of my thumb. So really, I’m kind of going back to throwing it like a football. It’s the most true and has the most bite when I do that.”
8:23
jae: walking Yordan just to get to Bregman has got to feel awful. Can’t afford to not have location against these guys
8:23
Alex Sonty: Bregman has far less power
8:23
Alex Sonty: But yeah, pick your poison.
8:23
jae: JV definitely has some motivation to have a deep quality start
8:25
Alex Sonty: Hate to say it because it sounds stupid, but Verlander is writing his legacy. If he’s rolling and good on pitches, he’s gonna push Dusty as hard as it takes.
8:25
jae: agreed Sonty, just gotta be demoralizing to walk a batter right before facing Bregman. Not gonna get any free strikes
8:25
Daniel Bardo Pond: Any thoughts on Thompson sticking with Harper at cleanup vs hitting him 3rd?
8:27
Alex Sonty: Don’t really care? Should I?
8:27
Lzfreak: Dan, do we have neural network nicknames for this series?
8:27
Dan Szymborski: We do, of course!
8:27
Justin Choi: Ha, three perfect fastballs from JV
8:27
Dan Szymborski:
8:28
Guest: It is painful to watch this WS, again, as a Yankee fan
8:28
Alex Sonty: Verlander is such a god. Pure bulldozer approach to Harper.
8:28
Dan Szymborski:
8:28
Alex Sonty: (Sorry, I’m delayed from the internet issues)
8:29
jae: those are genius Dan, how do you generate those?
8:29
Dan Szymborski: Midvalley’s algorithms!
8:29
Dan Szymborski: Oh, the nicknames are GPT-3
8:29
Belli Flop: Yordan Alvarez being the superior defensive fielder at his position in this series is…something.
8:30
Belli Flop: I love myself some Kyle Schwarber it’s just funny.
8:32
jae: Yordan is overall at least average in LF at minute maid, his deficient range is mitigated by the short porch, and he has a cannon of an arm. Don’t sleep on him out there.
8:34
Justin Choi: Also helps that the Astros seem intent on minimizing the no. of plays he has to make
8:32
Alex Sonty: If you had the under on 2.5 innings before talking of “pressing” would begin, you won!
8:35
Dan Szymborski: Boom!
8:35
Justin Choi: That’s one dangerous lefty hitter
8:35
Dan Szymborski: What’s your delay Alex? We can try and not spoil you
8:35
Alex Sonty: LOL. Just saw it. Caught up more during the commercials, but still a bit behind
Dan Szymborski: I will try to tamp down on my excitement for 45 seconds
8:36
The 6ix: That big bald guy in the crowd really feeling it.
8:36
Sean: I’m on a delay too. YouTube TV seems to be a pitch behind.
8:38
Alex Sonty: OK, not just me.
8:36
jae: Destroyer strikes first!
8:37
David Laurila: Kyle Tucker has 60 home runs (30 plus 30) and a 137 wRC+ over the past two seasons. He can hit.
8:38
Sean: I’m happy to see Aaron Nola get back to his wet guy roots. He was looking kind of normie there for a while, but he is very wet tonight.
8:38
Lzfreak: Even if I’m not rooting for the Astros I’m rooting for Mancini
8:39
Alex Sonty: How can you not be romantic about Trey Mancini?
8:38
Daniel Bardo Pond: Per Savant, Nola’s two changeups have been thrown 3.1 mph faster than his average with 8 fewer inches of V break. That seems suboptimal.
8:39
Justin Choi: Interesting, because a greater v break and velocity differential from FB equals more whiffs, but faster changeups in general produce more groundballs
8:39
Justin Choi: Might be a small sample quirk though
8:38
Alex Sonty: Slugging over .500 for his career. Tucker’s a monster.
8:39
jae: Tucker will benefit immensely from the shift limitations. He always hits hard contact, but is shifted on very effectively. Watch out for him in 2023
8:40
Dan Szymborski: I think you have to be Chaz to be “chazz.” Chas is “chass.”
8:40
Andrew: What about Chone?
8:40
Dan Szymborski: That’s a whole other jar of mustard
8:41
Dan Szymborski: I don’t think “Get off me, ball!” is going to be a catchphrase
8:41
Justin Choi: Oh no, Nola’s getting BABIP’d again
8:41
Justin Choi: Also Smoltz again on the verge of understanding defense independent pitching
8:42
Lzfreak: If the Astros get babip luck this could be a short series
8:42
Baseball enjoyer: reminder that Click had to trade Siri in order to prevent dusty from starting him over chas
8:42
Baseball enjoyer: Silver slugger finalist Martin Maldonado…
8:43
Dan Szymborski: That befuddles me
8:43
David Laurila: Jose Siri is a really interesting player. Crazy tools.
8:43
Alex Sonty: Jose Siri is legit good
8:43
Alex Sonty: Serious power
8:44
Alex Sonty: This year was weird for him
8:44
jae: Astros broadcast pronounces it as Chazz, also I believe his name on twitter is spelled with a Z
8:45
Dan Szymborski: I’m still bitter my parents didn’t go with Alexander since dad hated it, or I could be Zander Szymborski
8:45
Alex Sonty: Gotta spell Xander with an “x” dude
8:45
jae: I love Siri. Glad the Astros traded him, I think he needs regular big league playing time to take it to the next level. Rays seem like a great fit for him
8:46
Alex Sonty: Ladies love the “x” I don’t make the rules.
8:46
Dan Szymborski: I do appreciate that Smoltz has little interest in tht etaco talk
8:46
Dan Szymborski: Then I have to be Xander Xymborski
8:46
David Laurila: Maldonado and his 70 wRC+ as a Silver Slugger finalist really needs to be explained. Jonah Heim was a notable omission among the many who were more deserving, (Waited for the hit to tweet this.)
8:46
Alex Sonty: lol
8:47
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, you can make an argument that it’s hard to capture Maldonado’s defensive abilities
8:47
Dan Szymborski: But Maldonado for a hitter award is just wackadoo
8:47
jae: so glad I found this chat. Nice and small, and chill.
8:47
Dan Szymborski: Day game chats are busier
8:47
InternetStranger: A perfectly executed hit and run! Is this 1987?
8:47
Alex Sonty: #RBIGUY
8:47
Baseball enjoyer: “I care about exit hits” – Dusty Baker
8:48
Andrew: Who picks Silver Slugger finalists?
8:49
Dan Szymborski: Coaches and managers
8:49
The 6ix: 36 pitches already. I think I like Verlander to go deeper into the game.
8:50
Baseball enjoyer: If anyone hasn’t noticed, white hate behind home plate is Bagwell and Biggio is beside him
8:50
Dan Szymborski: Hat?
8:50
Dan Szymborski: Because if Bagwell and Biggio started up a neo-nazi rock group, I’m *way* behind on the news, more than Dusty!
8:52
Tigers2123: 6 up 6 down is a great start but any concern JV sitting 93-95 instead of 97-99. He does have a reputation of building velo as he goes but…
8:53
Alex Sonty: I’m telling you, dude wants a CGSO
8:52
Dan Szymborski: He certainly doesn’t look like he’s struggling out there
8:52
Bunk: TIL Maldonado is a Silver Slugger finalist. I had to read that multiple times because it didn’t register at first.
8:53
Dan Szymborski: Charlie Blackmon too, who didn’t hit well even without a Coors adjustment
8:54
jae: Verlander’s year-average fastball velocity is 95. According to savant he is sitting at 94.6 thus far
8:54
Dan Szymborski: I love how they keep finding reasons that the Phils were a Team of Destiny during the season, but never mention *any* of it until they actually do well in the World Series
8:55
Justin Choi: Narratives are fun and manipulative Dan
8:55
Alex Sonty: “Just happy to be here” is being saved for after the fact.
8:56
jae: The Phillie underdog narrative is weird, they literally have the second highest payroll in baseball and underperformed for most of the season
8:56
David Laurila: Random fact: Prior to 1980, the only Philadelphia Phillies player to hit a World Series home run was Fred Luderus.
8:56
Dan Szymborski: There wasn’t a lot about the secret holy fire burning their souls with a passion while they were sucking in September
8:57
Dan Szymborski: I did not know that
8:57
Dan Szymborski: I would have assumed the Whiz Kids snuck in a solo homer or something
8:57
Tigers2123: It’s almost 30 year anniversary of the last Phillies WS team built around sluggers, not so great defense or bullpen
8:58
Alex Sonty: I think they’ve done the best they could.
8:57
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: JV is just a stud…
8:57
Baseball enjoyer: Speaking of white hate, Marsh inspired a very particular chant at the A earlier this season. Sometimes when he wasn’t even batting!
8:58
Dan Szymborski: I’m not sure I understand or if I want to
8:58
Tigers2123: I hope so. CGSO would be epic. Might be his last start of 2022 way they’re running table
8:58
Dan Szymborski: I initially read this as CSGO and didn’t get it
8:58
Jaret: Did the McCormick going on the rbi single by Maldonado pull the 2nd baseman over enough to get the ball through? looked like a double play off the bat
8:59
Wireless Joe Jackson: Old Man Winter looking inevitable.
9:01
Baseball enjoyer: Peña is so fun to watch
9:02
Alex Sonty: Carlos who?
9:02
Wireless Joe Jackson: Pena has a super interesting windup. He starts with the bat so low.
9:03
Alex Sonty: Not exactly, but makes me think of Eric Davis
9:02
Belli Flop: Heart hands
9:02
David Laurila: Mike Bordick’s 1,500 hits are the most for a player out of the University of Maine. Jeremy Peña has a good chance to exceed that number some day.
jae: lots of kids are gonna immitate Pena’s stance where he holds the bat a little bit back
9:04
Baseball enjoyer: Uconn, Maine, the Astros scouting dept has the northeast locked down
9:04
Zac Lowther of the Hill People: Have the White Sox interviewed Lou Piniella yet?
9:04
Alex Sonty: hush, you
9:04
Dan Szymborski: TORBORG TIME
9:04
Wireless Joe Jackson: I would be really entertained by a safety squeeze here. It would’ve made more sense with Maldonado, but…
9:05
Dan Szymborski: But Maldonado’s a Silver Slugger, you gotta let him swing away!!!111oneone
9:05
Baseball enjoyer: Astros Batting Stances Ranked
9:05
Baseball enjoyer:
baggy 2. Moises alou 3. Peña
9:07
Alex Sonty: You like the hands in the zone, huh
9:07
Baseball enjoyer: Baggy was easier to emulate as a kid because I wasn’t allowed to put in an Alou level chaw
9:07
Dan Szymborski: There was this weird trend in 10th grade where all the kids were using chewing tobacco
9:08
Alex Sonty: Not sure where you grew up, but we did far less harmful and far more illegal things here.
9:08
jae: source: White Sox pursuing Connie Mac’s reanimated corpse as manager
9:08
Zac Lowther of the Hill People: Is the Houston train the tackiest ballpark feature with the retirement of the Marlins sculpture?
9:08
Justin Choi: I think the Houston train is awesome!
9:09
Wireless Joe Jackson: I think Tom Kelly is probably available.
9:09
jae: Train is the right kind of tacky
9:09
Dan Szymborski: This was suburban Baltimore (Towson) in about 1992
9:09
David Laurila: Train is a terrible band.
9:10
Don: Is Michael Jordan the most popular athlete of all time, or is there some recency bias at work? The Babe? Post 1960 or so, is it Jeter for baseball? I have no idea for football. Gretzky hockey?
9:14
Alex Sonty: It’s Jordan or Ali, regarding American athletes. Gretzky, definitely, for hockey. Not sure about baseball, but when it’s all said and done, why not Ohtani? (Football is Brady, btw)
9:10
Lzfreak: The Houston train feels like a mixed metaphor. Are they space-themed or locomotive-themed? Pick a lane
9:10
Justin Choi: It can be both, a la Galaxy Express 999
9:10
The 6ix: Train would be tacky if the ballpark site didn’t have a history as a train station.
9:11
Dan Szymborski: Wait 45 secs
9:11
Daniel Bardo Pond: I may be in the minority, but I miss Tal’s Hill. Anyone else? … *crickets*…
9:11
Alex Sonty: Way too gimmicky for my tastes
9:11
Kiermaier’s Piercing Green Eyes: *Sad Phanatic noises*
9:12
Dan Szymborski: OK now
9:12
jae: KING TUCK STRIKES AGAIN
9:12
Baseball enjoyer: I interviewed train once and they are 100% in on the joke. Told me a story about playing “one of our godawful songs” for “a bunch of moms” while on mushrooms.
9:12
Andrew: The train in Houston is because the location used to be a train station. And now we get to see it again!
9:13
Dan Szymborski: My favorite piece of inside info ever is that the Astros *do* arrange a toothpick supply for Dusty
9:13
David Laurila: The Astros drafted Alex Bregman second overall in 2015. They drafted Kyle Tucker fifth overall in 2015.
9:14
Baseball enjoyer: Preston and Kyle Tucker have combined for 7 postseason homers for the Astros
9:14
Dan Szymborski: Me and Mariano Rivera have combined for 42 postseason saves!
9:15
Alex Sonty: Back to Tucker, so many tools. Such a gifted athlete.
9:16
Justin Choi: Just noticed, but that was a smooth bat flip from Tucker
9:16
Justin Choi: One of the best this postseason
9:16
Justin Choi: And he twirled too
9:17
Alex Sonty: The twirl was cool
9:20
Wireless Joe Jackson: What does this mean for Verlander? He gets to pitch as long as he wants unless he gets in trouble, right?
9:20
Alex Sonty: I hope so
9:20
Andrew: the strike zone graphic opacity is so low as to be barely perceptible – I like it, tbh
9:21
David Laurila: Re Kyle Tucker’s back-to-back 30-home-run seasons: He’s never struck out 100 times in a single season.
9:21
Baseball enjoyer: That was Yuli’s 32nd consecutive postseason AB without a walk or K. Record!
9:21
Wireless Joe Jackson: Both the strike zone graphic and the called strike zone have been on point.
9:25
David Laurila: Of note: The best-of-seven (which might end up going eight) Japan Series between the Orix Buffaloes and Yakult Swallows is tied at two games apiece, with one 12-inning tie.
9:26
Wireless Joe Jackson: There are ties? And they can result in an extra game?! Awesome!
9:26
jae: wow. I tried to follow the NPB but the games start at like 3AM and it’s hard to find coverage in english
9:26
David Laurila: Also, the KBO championship series will be starting in a few days.
9:28
Alex Sonty: I loved KBO in 2020. A lot of DFS players speak ill of the grind, but I had a blast.
9:28
The 6ix: Yakut Swallows makes me laugh every time. That and Nippon Ham Fighters.
9:28
Justin Choi: I know it’s ‘Nippon-Ham’, but seeing Ham and Fighters together makes me picture a frightened butcher trying to fight off a piece of sentient, murderous ham
9:28
jae: how does Castellanos hit that
9:28
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: shocked that realmuto didn’t score there…
9:28
David Laurila: @NPB_Reddit is a good way to follow NPB. Links to English language articles and box scores are plentiful.
9:29
Baseball enjoyer: Going to email Chomsky and ask whether the Astros using asymmetrical warfare to defeat the Yankees or Philly using “red October” as a theme is more socialist.
9:29
Justin Choi: Whoa Phillies!
9:29
David Laurila: The Phillies scoring runs is… not exactly a surprise.
9:30
Alex Sonty: Bohm with a laser
9:30
Alex Sonty: Such an excellent hit
9:30
Alex Sonty: Pulled on a line to the corner.
9:30
Justin Choi: Consecutive 97 mph heaters from JV, nice
9:31
Guest: Do Phillies pickup Jean’s segura’s option for 23 or move Stott to second and go after a free agent SS?
9:31
Justin Choi: I’d pursue a SS if I were them
9:31
Bryce Harpers Bandana: He has a Phanatic bandana!!
9:33
jae: Bryce sure likes neon green
9:34
Dan Szymborski: back sorry
9:34
Alex Sonty: Either Verlander is really focusing on his breathing to center himself or he’s huffing and puffing
9:34
Dan Szymborski: I appear to have missed q uite a bit in the bathroom
9:37
Alex Sonty: When do we get Luis Garcia’s eyesore of a windup?
9:37
David Laurila: Coming into tonight, Justin Verlander had allowed 27 runs in 79 ALDS innings, 27 runs in 80-and-two-thirds ALCS innings, and 27 runs in 38 World Series innings.
9:38
Alex Sonty: He’s tired. Breathing very hard
9:37
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Studly AB by Stott!
9:38
Devil Ray Jay Johnson: Verlander’s face is starting to look the same as a grocery store manager’s when told they ran out of shopping bags
9:39
Lzfreak: I like the Luis Garcia windup!
9:42
Alex Sonty: It’s pretty funny. It’s like someone randomly said throw this baseball to a stranger and that was the product
9:41
Daniel Bardo Pond: Verlander’s thrown 14 curveballs and 11 sliders and doesn’t have a single whiff on either pitch. Man, Philly can hit.
9:42
Wireless Joe Jackson: Playing Trails from Zero on your handheld in there, Dan?
9:42
Dan Szymborski: I haven’t yet as I’m still finishing up a Hajimari run and playing a fan translation of Kuro
9:43
Tigers2123: Who rocks the baby better? Naylor or Luis Garcia?
9:44
Wire Fan: Does this WS trip get Dombrowski into the HoF?
9:44
Alex Sonty: Probably should
9:44
Dan Szymborski: I’d be surprised honestly
9:44
Dan Szymborski: there are only four GMs in the Hall, IIRC
9:44
Dan Szymborski: and the most recent is Rickey
9:45
Liz: Is JV tipping his breaking balls or are the Philly hitters just that good?
9:45
Justin Choi: Phillies struggled with the heater first time through, so they might have shifted their focus to the breakers
9:45
Andrew: Wow, almost an Eric Gregg level call there
9:45
Dan Szymborski: Neither Gillick or Paul Richards are in
9:46
Wire Fan: Gillick not being in is ridiculous
9:47
Dan Szymborski: It’s just hard because they’re all in this innovator executive whatever category
9:48
Schmegs: That’s a shockingly high bar for HOF GMs.
9:48
Lzfreak: The worst part of playoff baseball is political commercials
9:48
Alex Sonty: “This WS trip” is the stretch. But he’s only 66.
9:49
Alex Sonty: I’m getting very little political ads in Chicago. Very little to elect.
9:49
Alex Sonty: More ads by advocacy firms on single issues.
9:50
Justin Choi: Spiritual connection between Marsh and bearded Philly fan
9:50
Lzfreak: Is Marsh growing a playoff beard or is that regular length for him?
9:50
Justin Choi: I believe it’s regular?
9:51
Wireless Joe Jackson: Marsh’s beard: more Gandalf or more ZZ Top?
9:51
Alex Sonty: Frank Beard had no beard
9:52
Dan Szymborski: Tim Salmon could not breathe underwater.
9:52
David Laurila: Random fact: Brandon Marsh is one of only three players with that surname in big-league history. Tom Marsh played for the Phillies in the 1960s. Fred Marsh played for a handful of teams in the 1950s.
9:52
Bryce Harpers Bandana: On field mics seem louder than usual. I like it.
9:53
Guest: GIllick is in HOF Class 2011
9:53
jae: Ump is a little too loud for my taste. love the crowd noise though
9:54
Tigers2123: If a pitch gets stuck in Marsh’s beard, is that a HBP?
9:55
Dan Szymborski: It’s a HBP if it touches the clothing and the a HBP if it touches the person so I don’t know how hair wouldn’t count
9:55
Lzfreak: Should Verlander still be in?
9:55
Alex Sonty: Normally I say yes, but the way he’s breathing, no.
9:55
Wireless Joe Jackson: I think it depends on if the beard’s in the strike zone?
9:55
Dan Szymborski: Standing with your beard in the strike zone is dangerous!
9:55
Dan Szymborski: Unless you’ve got a very long or weirdly shaped beard
9:55
David Laurila: The chances of Verlander making it out of this inning aren’t great.
9:56
Alex Sonty: LOL 67-0
9:56
Alex Sonty: I mean five runs is a lot. Just sayin’, LOL
9:57
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: That Stott AB is still paying dividends
9:57
Lzfreak: Realmuto is such a good player
9:57
jae: god this is excruciating from an astros fan pov
9:57
Wireless Joe Jackson: EXCELLENT! A win for entertainment.
9:57
Justin Choi: This chat’s been blessed with a proper game!
9:58
Justin Choi: Curious why the Astros didn’t turn to its pitching depth earlier though
9:58
Justin Choi: JV’s looked tired for the past inning plus
9:59
Alex Sonty: Been breathing very heavily since around pitch #60
9:58
Wire Fan: This is not going to help the Verlander WS narrative.
9:58
Alex Sonty: Realmuto squared that up really well. Was behind on it. Still smashed instead of poking it oppo
9:59
Tigers2123: 93 Phillies scored 6 runs per game in WS and lost in 6 games…..maybe it will be that kind of rock em sock em series
10:01
Alex Sonty: The 93 World Series was up there with 1991 and 1997 as the most fun of my childhood.
10:00
Dan Szymborski: Realmuto has the fourth highest career speed score of catchers since 1960.
10:01
Dan Szymborski: Behind Wathan, Varsho, and Marrero
10:01
The 6ix: Mitch Williams.
10:01
Alex Sonty: Effectively wild
10:01
David Laurila: Per Jeeho Yoo on Twitter:
MLB has cancelled its “World Tour: Korea Series,” citing contractual issues with a local promoter. Games had been scheduled for Nov. 11-12 & 14-15 in Korea.
10:03
Justin Choi: Was super disappointed to hear that
10:03
Alex Sonty: That’s horrible to see.
10:02
Alex Sonty: Dusty is really pushing the machismo
10:06
jae: need another Tucker dinger to get JV that elusive world series win
10:06
Wireless Joe Jackson: Modern baseball is so boring. Why can’t these guys play the game the right way?
10:10
Wireless Joe Jackson: Oh man, I think I would’ve tried to get two or three more out of Nola. What does the plan look like after this?
10:10
Dan Szymborski: Chaos!
10:10
Guest: Astros are gonna pull Verlander for the 6th right? Segura and Marsh have good numbers against Verlander and were into the 3rd time through the lineup.
10:10
Justin Choi: If they don’t I’ll be very surprised
10:11
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Not sure about this Nola hook
10:11
Alex Sonty: It’s fine.
10:12
David Laurila: Alvarado in a tie game, in the fifth inning. I like it.
10:12
Alex Sonty: That this game is anything more than in reach is something
10:14
Justin Choi: Alvarado destroyed Bregman, wow
10:14
Alex Sonty: You never truly punt a game, but if you go all-in, you do it on the road in Game 1 tied up.
10:14
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Wow… 101mph from the left side
10:15
jae: Verlander never getting that World Series win, huh
10:15
Alex Sonty: He’ll get another game.
10:15
CWess: 101, 101, 101 then “offspeed” at 95. Hitting is impossible.
10:15
Will H.: Phillies should consider losing this game so they can save their bullpen — smoltz
10:16
Daniel Bardo Pond: Alvarado’s 95 mph cutter has more downward movement than Nola’s 92 mph sinker.
10:16
Wireless Joe Jackson: The “citizens for sanity” ads are just batshit crazy.
10:16
David Laurila: This is correct.
10:17
Michael Scott: Snit after falling behind 4-1 put in low leverage guys in NLDS game 4 ATL @ PHI and lost 9-3. Said “We lost but it wasn’t costly because our pen is in good shape.” I guess Smoltz would agree!?
10:18
Antonio Bananas: The train station is not only the site of an actual train, but Nolan Ryan (GOAT Astro and a Texan) was nicknamed the Express.
10:18
Alex Sonty: Tucker’s so smooth
10:19
Wire Fan: Why does seemingly every car commercial involve people singing in the car?
10:19
Dan Szymborski: I thought those were commercials advertising murdering your family
10:20
Alex Sonty: No they’re for cracking the skulls of congresspeople’s families.
10:20
Guest: Thomson has been doing better than the man who beat him out for the Ynakees job
10:21
Alex Sonty: But we’re here to escape the ills of the real world. Let’s be better than those ads.
10:21
CJ: Alex: Don’t get me started, please! I’m trying VERY hard to leave that to twitter…
10:21
Alex Sonty: @AlexSonty
10:22
Lzfreak: The Astros bullpen might somehow be underrated. Or at least overshadowed by other strengths of the roster
10:22
David Laurila: Statistically the best pen in the AL.
10:22
Wireless Joe Jackson: FILTHY stuff from Abreu. He’s their 5th best reliever?
10:22
CJ: Houston Pen’s numbers are ‘helped’ by the absolute inept Yankee ‘bats’
10:22
CJ: CC looks almost unhealthy
10:22
Eel Ffilc: 99 mph is hot as it is but that 99 is sizzlin’
10:24
CJ: I’m sorry I can’t help being myself: old, cranky yankee fan
10:24
jae: Stanek throws pure heat, very exciting. Astros middle inning guys get fired up and then Montero/Pressly come in to lock it down in the 8th/9th
10:25
CJ: I miss George
10:26
David Laurila: Astros relievers gave up 36 home runs this year. By comparison, Cubs relievers allowed 98 home runs. (Caveat: Astros relievers threw far fewer innings.)
10:26
Lzfreak: 7 pitches from Alvarado seems light
10:28
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: I like the move, actually… no need to jeopardize his arm for tomorrow on the bottom of the order
10:28
Tigers2123: would love to see Mancini get a timely WS hit. Maybe this inning.
10:28
CJ: So if you are Phils, maybe you figure you have only one chance between gm 1 and 2 and go all in here, right?
10:29
Alex Sonty: I think you wanna fade Eflin facing Yordan or Tucker
10:30
Justin Choi: Yeah, righty sinkers vs. lefties are dangerous
10:29
Alex Sonty: He’s good now, but he has a platoon history that might matter.
10:31
Wireless Joe Jackson: To the extent that Houston has a bottom of the order.
10:31
Dan Szymborski: Silver Slugger candidate!
10:31
Xax Xxxxxoxxxi: It’s the World Series. You go all in no matter what.
10:31
Alex Sonty: Up 8-0 is different from being tied 5-5, though.
10:31
David Laurila: Mancini is now 1 for 30 in his career vs Philadelphia.
10:31
Dan Szymborski: Maybe he hates cheesesteaks
10:33
jae: I was really optimistic about Mancini coming over here with the short porch. Not sure why he hasn’t been able to figure it out
10:33
Alex Sonty: Could just be variance
10:33
CWess: “What you wanna do is the thing you’re good at and not what the hitter is not good at” -Smoltz
10:35
Alex Sonty: How that’s not a head injury is beyond me
10:37
Will H.: has there been a sabermetric study if the distance the catcher’s hand moves to frame helps or hurt getting calls?
10:38
Justin Choi: The required data isn’t publically available, so no. But it’d be a fascinating question to answer
10:37
Daniel Bardo Pond: I think it was Bud Black who had a rule change idea that catchers should be allowed to leave the game briefly to go through concussion protocol. If they pass it, they can re-enter the game. Seems sensible to me.
10:38
Lzfreak: Maldonado runs slowly even for a catcher
10:38
Liz: The ball bounced away pretty far which is a good sign for JT, means not much of its force was transferred to the mask/his face
10:41
jae: top 99%!
10:41
Lzfreak: This would make for a fun 18 inning game 😉
10:41
David Laurila: Uh,,, no.
10:42
Alex Sonty: I have a 1000-word football article to write tonight, so nuh-uh
10:43
Guest: WE says 56 percent Astros, but where would you put it taking into account actual bullpens?
10:44
jae: I would put Astros at maybe 65%. purely from bullpens I would say like 70% but Phillies have the comeback momentum
10:45
Antonio Bananas: How much prep does Smoltz realistically do to say things like “when his front side doesn’t fly open he’s nasty”?
10:45
Justin Choi: Not that much is my bet
10:45
Justin Choi: Apparently Ranger is warming in the ‘pen
10:46
David Laurila: Random Schwarber stat: He has two postseason doubles and 12 postseason home runs.
10:46
jae: I think one of the most important skills in a broadcaster is to be able to be confidently wrong
10:47
Justin Choi: If I was in the booth, I’d be worried about making the slightest of errors in whatever I say
10:48
Alex Sonty: I honestly don’t do live YouTube shows for this reason and this reason only.
10:47
Wireless Joe Jackson: It’s ot even 7PM here. Bring it on.
10:47
David Laurila: You are presumably in Alaska?
10:49
Wireless Joe Jackson: Juneau, represent. (not Wisconsin).
10:49
Wireless Joe Jackson: Seems like this should be Abreu’s last batter.
10:50
Lzfreak: Who had Schwarber getting us the taco?
10:50
David Laurila: Schwarber is 5 for 5 in stolen base attempts in postseason play.
10:51
Sharps: Noted speedster Kyle Schwarber.
10:51
Alex Sonty: Pure exploitative game theory
10:52
Guest: Schwarber was 10/11 in SB tries this season; he and Realmuto have some sneaky speed
10:52
Alex Sonty: Abreu staying in is interesting but not bad,
10:52
Alex Sonty: Is Realmuto’s speed sneaky?
10:52
Hugh Duffy: 10 out of 22 of Kyle Schwarber’s career stolen bases have been in 2022.
10:53
Dan Szymborski: Big Vince Coleman
10:54
Guest: Any catcher’s speed is sneaky.
10:54
Wireless Joe Jackson: I can’t believe Abreu’s facing Harper here after 28 pitches. WHY?
10:55
CJ: Abreu was wondering the same thing.
10:55
Michael Scott: Hmmm.. why is Will Smith on the roster if not to face Harper?
10:55
David Laurila: Counting the postseason, Kyle Schwarber is 13 for 14 in stolen base attempts this year.
10:55
Justin Choi: Hey, we’ve just passed 100 readers in chat!
10:56
Alex Sonty: They’re just here to talk politics
10:56
Dan Szymborski: So, do they announce Jerry Lee Lewis died during Castellanos’ at bat with bases loaded?
10:56
Dan Szymborski: Because THAT’s how you get a big homer
10:58
jae: is that only viewable by mods Justin?
10:58
Justin Choi: Yep
10:58
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: did not have Neris vs Castellanos on my Big Game Moments Bingo card….
10:59
David Laurila: Broadcast got that right. Castellanos had the highest swing% among qualified hitters this year.
11:00
Dan Szymborski: Whew
11:01
Will H.: wow, this is a two bags of popcorn game
11:02
Alex Sonty: What a game we got here.
11:03
Dan Szymborski: This better not be a 15 bags of popcorn game
11:03
Dan Szymborski: I love you guys, but I’m not chatting until 3 AM
11:04
Antonio Bananas: Schwarber is one of those 30 Speed 60 Steal guys in OOTP I’m never sure what to do with when they get on
11:05
Will H.: Dan with despondent Rocky 3 needs a pep talk from Apollo Creed vibes
11:06
TL Hopper: Unrelated to WS, but this was the most shocking thing I came across this week. 546 pitchers threw 20 innings this year. Luis Patino was 542nd in K%, 517 in BB%, dead last in K-BB%, 540th in HR/9. This guy might have thrown his last MLB pitch, and he was a top 10 spect 2 years ago.
11:06
Dan Szymborski: I’ve been sick all week from some apparently bad seafood!
11:06
Yo-Yo: Does the shift ban affect outfielders’ positions? Just thinking about Philly’s outfield and if they’ll have to cover more ground or something
11:06
Justin Choi: If I recall correctly it shouldn’t, but four-man outfields are out of the question now
11:06
Schmegs: How many times per game does Dusty poke himself in the tongue with his toothpick?
11:07
Alex Sonty: It’s calloused. Doesn’t matter.
11:07
Ben Schneider: I’m annoyed at myself for forgetting about this chat three hours ago, but I (and probably others) would appreciate a little more promotion in advance
11:07
Dan Szymborski: He has to be skilled at it by this point
11:07
David Laurila: Bill Dineen (35) and Cy Young (34) combined to pitch all but two innings for the Boston Americans when they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates five games to three to win the first modern-era World Series in 1903.
11:08
Justin Choi:
Dusty self-pokes per game
2 or less (23.6% | 9 votes)
3 (13.1% | 5 votes)
4 (13.1% | 5 votes)
5 (21.0% | 8 votes)
6 or more (28.9% | 11 votes)
Total Votes: 38
11:08
Justin Choi: Why not
11:09
Wireless Joe Jackson: The Frying Dutchman is all you can eat, Dan. Not all youdo eat.
11:09
Ben Schneider: Dusty has been doing this for years. He must have perfected the technique for using tooth picks
11:11
Dan Szymborski: You really gotta save Brad Hand for when everyone just wants to go home
11:11
Davidk: Who is Alex Sonty?
11:11
Alex Sonty: Me
11:13
Yo-Yo: The dexterity of Dusty Baker’s tongue isn’t something I planned on envisioning tonight, but I feel like I somehow deserve it
11:13
Alex Sonty: Email the Analytics bros
11:13
David Laurila: The Yordan Alvarez home run vs the Mariners is still the biggest moment of the postseason, right?
11:15
Alex Sonty: Oh, yeah. That it was a binary Robbie Ray spot made it all the more tense.
11:14
Dan Szymborski: A water slide that goes 1000 times as fast you’d be dead
11:14
Alex Sonty: The late inside cut killed Yordan. He had it barrelled up
11:14
Dan Szymborski: Don’t count your barrels before they’ve coopered.
11:15
Dan Szymborski: Is the MLB App the ONLY way to get locked in? Doubt.
11:16
Davidk: Harper’s homer is the biggest moment, David
11:16
Fire Ken Tremendous: Would be great if Cecil Cooper had the most barrels in MLB history
11:16
Kenny C: Astrosfan here to say that Harper’s homer was bigger
11:17
Dan Szymborski: Moment size is very subjective
11:17
Alex Sonty: Only says a man without a large moment
11:17
Dan Szymborski: Bo Jackson’s ASG homer is still a huge moment for me
11:17
Dan Szymborski: My gut size says there have been may large moments
11:17
Dan Szymborski: and ASG homers don’t really matter for anythng
11:18
Alex Sonty: Torii Hunter robbing homers two years in a row mattered a lot to me
11:19
Alex Sonty: I have no connection to Torii Hunter’s teams
11:19
Dan Szymborski: Bryson “Butters” Stott
11:19
Wireless Joe Jackson: Ixnay with the omentmay
11:19
Antonio Bananas: Hoskins home run is more memorable because of the spike. Expectancy be damned, people remember theatrics
11:20
Yo-Yo: I mean, STL won a Series with 83 wins. That’s probably more improbable
11:20
Fire Ken Tremendous: Is there any debate that Bo was better as a football player?
11:20
Alex Sonty: No, but he was a more valuable baseball player because RBs don;’t really matter
11:20
Dan Szymborski: He was more skilled as a football player
11:21
Dan Szymborski: I think Bo is the closest anyone’s come to being a star just on pure athletic talent
11:21
Dan Szymborski: He almost brute-forced his was there
11:21
Eel Ffilc: It’s ‘Stotch” but that still made me laugh
11:21
Dan Szymborski: I know, but there’s no Stotch!
11:22
Wireless Joe Jackson: This is one of the best games in which I had no rooting interest I’ve ever watched .
11:22
Will H.: I was at the Bo Jackson 3 homer / Deion Sanders inside the park homer game.
11:24
Alex Sonty: I don’t believe one can simultaneously play two sports like that and not suffer at both. And Deion was maybe the best cover corner of all-time, he was that great.
11:22
Xax Xxxxxoxxxi: I can’t believe it’s not “butters”
11:23
Wireless Joe Jackson: I have plenty of stotch left! …oh, wait.
11:24
David Laurila: The 1914 Boston Braves were 15 games out of first place on the 4th of July and a game under ,500 going into August. That was improbable.
11:24
Ben Schneider: Any chance we get throwback unis for one of the games?
11:25
Alex Sonty: I wanna see a throwback game in each ballpark. Quintessential retro unis from these two.
11:24
Dan Szymborski: The “beneficiary”
11:25
Daniel Bardo Pond: “Rafael Montero, #3 starting pitcher prospect on the Mets” feels like a lifetime ago.
11:25
Hugh Duffy: In terms of moments, I’m sure that Jorge Soler’s home run in Game 6 last year is slated to come back to earth any day now.
11:27
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, Kyle Tucker is such an obscure player to emerge into stardom finally tonight <eyeroll>
11:28
Reinsdorf and LaRussa’s Love CHild: The new fragrance from John Smoltz: Comfortably Confident.. Coming this holiday season.
11:29
Hugh Duffy: At least Kyle Tucker is hitting 5th in the order this year.
11:30
KC: It is just unpossible that the Phillies & Marlins have won the same number of World Series. Since the 1880s!
11:31
Fire Ken Tremendous: Was Brian Jordan at that game? Could have been the dual sport guy trifecta
11:31
Alex Sonty: Jordan was the best baseball player of two-sport guys, I think. Unless I’m forgetting someone at 10:30 p.m.
11:32
Dan Szymborski: I’m happy to see Lindor get some promotional stuff, but I hope he gets something cooler than a job search app
11:33
Daniel Bardo Pond: Only 11 pitches for Ranger Suarez seems like a decent side session between starts. The stress of a WS bullpen appearance has to count differently though, right? Any chance he’s limited a bit in his Monday start?
11:33
Dan Szymborski: I don’t think the Phillies have enough arms to have anyone be that limited
11:33
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Lindor’s got that New Balance gig too
11:34
Dan Szymborski: Yeah, but aren’t New Balance mostly for doughly uncool middle aged dudes like me?
11:34
Dan Szymborski: Or are they in now?
11:34
B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: I’m not saying it’s great… but it’s better than Indeed
11:34
Alex Sonty: New Balance has a hipster following and everyone’s into running these days.
11:34
TL Hopper: The Rays had a reliever who is now the best pickleball player in the world. So it might have been a night of 2 sport athletes. Googleing his name now.
Hugh Duffy: If you’ve got wide feet, New Balance is one of your few options.
11:36
Dan Szymborski: My feet are almost squares
11:36
David Laurila: Best basketball player who played in MLB be… Dave DeBusschere?
11:36
Dan Szymborski: Beats Ainge for sure
11:37
Dan Szymborski: certainly isn’t Gene Conley
11:37
Fire Ken Tremendous: That’s some top trivia
11:37
JM: New Balance cleats and stuff got popular in the mid 2010s i think
11:37
Jeter North: Why doesn’t the kid just leave the GEICO lizard at the mercy of the sea? I sure would.
11:38
Xax Xxxxxoxxxi: They are totally in : gances at his new New Balance sneakers:
11:38
Alex Sonty: Ainge was ahead of his time. He’s a starter who sits in the corner and scores 15 a game today.
11:38
Dan Szymborski: My grandfather had a Members Only jacket for the last 20 years of his life without ever realizing or care that it was “in” at any point
11:38
Jeter North: I have seven lucky pairs of NB sneakers. They rule.
11:38
Alex Sonty: Same with my grandfathers Members Only. It was burgundy
11:39
Dan Szymborski: I think it’s cheating to have SEVEN lucky pairs of sneakers
11:39
Dan Szymborski: “What’s in that cardboard box?”
11:39
Alex Sonty: I don’t think that’s what “lucky” means
11:39
Dan Szymborski: “It’s my box of 35 lucky rabbit’s feet”
11:39
Dan Szymborski: I think something’s gone over my head then
Hugh Duffy: A righty changeup on the inside to a lefty. Ballsy.
11:43
Alex Sonty: Sick pitch
11:43
David Laurila: Whoa,
11:43
Alex Sonty: No framing necessary. Just dropped it in there
11:43
Daniel Bardo Pond: Pressly thew 25 changeups all season.
11:44
Ben Schneider: Pena picked up his teammate there. That teammate being himself
11:44
Bryce Harpers Bandana: My heart skipped a beat there
11:44
Alex Sonty: Would really hate to see this game fall to an infield fly error
11:45
Marsh’s Beard: Use two hands!!!!
11:48
Michael Scott: Yeah, tie game in the World Series is an unusual time to use high leverage guys.
11:48
Alex Sonty: NEEDS MORE LEVERAGE
11:48
Bunk: Silver Slugger candidate Maldonado with a walk off home run. Calling it.
11:49
Dan Szymborski: Christian Vazquez must be damn good if they’re bringing in him to pinch-hit for an SS candidate!
11:49
Justin Choi: Dominguez vs. Maldonado, the unstoppable force meeting the stoppable object
11:49
Justin Choi: Who knows what will happen
11:50
CWess: I get workload and all but sheesh this game is just more evidence that SP are dying. Absolutely 0 offense since the bullpens took over
11:50
Justin Choi: I think it’s more the case that bullpens are comically good these days
11:50
Dan Szymborski: Do you REALLY always bet on Christian Vazquez in the big spots?
11:50
David Laurila: Christian Vazquez is an underrated player. Solid catcher for a number of years.
11:50
Justin Choi: Oh shoot it’s Vazquez haha
11:51
Alex Sonty: Are broadcasters contractually obligated to insert “postseason” into every sentence?
11:51
Jeter North: This is the most interesting WS Game 1 that I can recall.
11:53
Alex Sonty: Good thing Maldonado didn’t do that
11:54
Marsh’s Beard: Vazquez secret sauce
11:55
Jeter North: Caught ‘em playing deep 🙄
11:55
David Laurila: No-doubles defense and all.
11:55
Bat: Wow, that hung up there awhile…I didn’t see that dropping in.
11:55
Alex Sonty: Real deep OF
11:56
CJ: That is close
11:56
Eel Ffilc: Sweet pick by Segura
11:57
Alex Sonty: Jeremy Pena’s stance is like a cross between Alex Rodriguez and Eric Davis.
11:57
David Laurila: Crazy play. Can’t see them overturning the call.
11:57
JM: Great throw, great pick, wow
11:57
Justin Choi: Like how everyone agrees that this is great baseball on display
11:59
Alex Sonty: Yes
11:58
Alex Sonty: That’s a great catch and tag by Segura, right?
11:59
David Laurila: Good god this is great baseball.
11:59
Justin Choi: Castellanos!!
11:59
Liz: What a cool game
11:59
Bunk: What a game!
12:00
Jeter North: Good call on Eric Davis.
12:00
CJ: Are we sure he is bad defender??
12:00
Burrito Buddy: Even bad defenders are super good at the defense
12:00
Jeter North: Holy moly what a catch!!
12:00
Will H.: MOAR POPCORN DAN!!!!
12:01
CJ: Castellanos *is* bad normally, right? Could’ve fooled me.
12:01
Xax Xxxxxoxxxi: Happy Saturday
12:01
Yo-Yo: Castellanos just bought himself a “can’t judge my defense” card for the rest of his career
12:01
Marsh’s Beard: Bad defenders making routine please look hard. picking up their teammates.
12:01
Daniel Bardo Pond: Phillies, elite defensive team, confirmed.
12:01
Fire Ken Tremendous: Legendary outfielder Nick Castellanos doing what he’s known for there
12:02
CWess: We are now tomorrow
12:02
Bat: The Phillies couldn’t catch a cold during the regular season but now they are turning into defensive magicians.
12:02
Alex Sonty: Well, the Altuve single should’ve been caught
12:02
CJ: Somewhere Girardi is weeping, chuckling or throwing stuff at TV
12:02
Bat: Nick Clemente saves the games for the Phillies
12:02
Guest: Too good of a game to end on back to back shallow dinkers.
12:02
Lzfreak: The Garcia windup time!
12:03
Michael Scott: Castellanos saves his nice catches for the 9th innings of postseason game ones, apparently.
12:04
CJ: REALMUTO!!!
12:04
Jeter North: Boooomm!!!
12:04
Fire Ken Tremendous: KABOOM
12:05
CJ: WOW
12:05
Marsh’s Beard: Yeeeaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!
12:05
Jeter North: Ballpark is absolutely stunned.
12:05
Lzfreak: This will be a fun win probability graph game when it’s all said and done
12:05
Xax Xxxxxoxxxi: Phinally!
12:06
Kwah: JT Realmutovertime
12:07
Michael Scott: So if the Phils win, then the 106 win Astros join the list of “chokers” and no dynasty. Is this mainstream the narrative?
12:07
Dan Szymborski: Also analytics. Because
12:08
CWess: I wish we could stop with these dugout interviews
12:08
David Laurila: 100%. No idea why anyone would think that’s a good idea.
12:08
Bat: I don’t like in-game dugout interviews…I just wanted to say that.
12:08
Justin Choi: The analytics say don’t give up go-ahead homers in the 10th
12:08
Bohm Lettuce: Analytics are when a team is consistently good in the regular season but doesn’t win the World Series every year
12:08
Dan Szymborski: See, David does great interviews because he asks questions that results in something interesting for people to read about
12:09
Dan Szymborski: These types of interviews are just pointless
12:09
Dan Szymborski: Becuase they rarely elicit anything the least bit interesting
12:09
Alex Sonty: Nobody wants these guys giving mid-game interviews.
12:09
Dan Szymborski: “Tell me Joe Slugger, how did hitting the game winning home run feel?”
12:09
Alex Sonty: Hell, I don’t care what they ever have to say.
12:09
Dan Szymborski: “It felt great!”
12:10
Wire Fan: I don’t know… I thought JT might say “I was hoping to make an out”
12:10
Justin Choi: Yeah, it’s like, what do you expect the player to say? They’re mostly playing on instinct, and it isn’t in their best interest to reveal strategy
12:10
Marsh’s Beard: Yeah but what would a rod say
12:10
Kwah: The cowards at FoxSports refuse to air a live Fangraphs chat feed in a quadrant of their telecast.
12:10
Dan Szymborski: At least A-Rod may say something batshit
12:10
Hugh Duffy: Ya’ll are wrong. The in-game interviews are great.
12:10
Dan Szymborski: Well you’ve been dead for a century!
12:10
CWess: Baseball just continues to be totally clueless with regard to what good publicity is. “Let’s shove a camera in a players face in the middle of the game, thats a good trick!”
12:10
Michael Scott: But Ken gets to show off his bow-tie.
12:10
Arod: Thats an odd number lead. So the Phillies should be feeling good.
12:10
benjy: do they tell the players that they need to cut their celebrations short so they can go talk to ken? while he just stands there weirdly in the dugout?
12:11
Will H.: someone will say something crazy eventually, and it will be fun like “Saw meat and carved it up”
12:12
David Laurila: Roughly three hours ago (forget if it was here or on Twitter), someone asked what there will be more of: Astros runs or Phillies hits.
12:12
Marsh’s Beard: Arod usually says solo homers are OK
12:12
Alex Sonty: Solo HRs or three-run HRs. Two-run HRs take a guy off the bases.
12:12
Burrito Buddy: I’d rather see an interview with a player from another team who’s at home drinking
12:14
Dan Szymborski: Honestly, a lot of the complaints we have would go away if producers weren’t in these guys ears declaring “REMEMBER GUYS EVERY SINGLE SECOND HAS TO BE FILLED WITH TALKING”
12:14
Marsh’s Beard: Three hours ago I threw my remote turned off the TV and went to bed
12:14
Eel Ffilc: I’ll never get tired of a barehanded play
12:14
AdamZ: ”so mike trout, how do you think it must feel to get a big hit in the world series?”
12:14
Alex Sonty: LMAO Trout in the World Series
12:15
Bat: Syzm, remember when A-Rod had that one quote about how a larger disparity in score was worse than a smaller disparity in score? I need to find that link.
12:15
Daniel Bardo Pond: I’m sure FOX’s thinking was “let’s capture their demeanor in the heat of a big moment” but all that goes away as soon as a camera is in their face.
12:15
Guest: @Eel. Then you’ll love the throwback glove-less retro 1860’s baseball festival in Gettysburg, PA
12:17
Dan Szymborski: A-Rod was actually pretty good in that first postseason they brought him in just to do the pregame/postgame
12:18
Alex Sonty: A-Rod is great in the studio
12:17
Dan Szymborski: But doing in game analysis gives him WAY TOO MUCH TIME TO FILL
12:18
David Laurila: Alvarez, Bregman, Tucker due up in bottom half.
12:18
Marsh’s Beard: This one is not over yet. The Phillies two good relief arms are used.
12:21
Dan Szymborski: Chris Pratt’s stoner uncle survived the inning
12:21
Justin Choi: Alright, buckle your seatbelts…
12:22
CWess: Nobody loves themselves as much as A-Rod loves A-Rod
12:22
Alex Sonty: Can we bring it back to the reality that A-Rod had over 113 fWAR in his career? Because I’d think highly of myself, too, if I were that great at what I did.
12:22
Dan Szymborski: IS the American Sports Network “my favorite sports network?”
12:22
Child: My dad says stanek looks more like a professional bowler
12:23
David Laurila: Robertson has issued eight walks in his last five-and-two-thirds innings.
12:27
Dan Szymborski: Danh
12:27
Dan Szymborski: h
12:27
Dan Szymborski: g
12:27
Marsh’s Beard: Did Dan’s face end up in his keyboard
12:28
Alex Sonty: lol
12:28
Bunk: Really not a good time for my local station to cut to a Big Bang Theory re-run
12:28
Bat: Robertson slays the dragon to open the 10th
12:29
Dan Szymborski: That was loud
12:29
Marsh’s Beard: Imagine Robertson when he realizes they are still two dragons left
12:29
Justin Choi: That could have been much, much worse
12:29
Kwah: High socks + Low pitch combo causes an awkward flailing effort from both Yordan Alvarez & Dan Szymborski.
12:30
CWess: Nobody is taking anything away from what A-Rod did. Can we also come back to reality that he cheated and isn’t always the most likeable character? Its okay to call out hubris where it exists. It doesn’t speak anything about his career accomplishments.
12:30
Alex Sonty: My point is that if you don’t love yourself a lot after being that great, there’s a bigger problem there. His confidence is valid.
12:30
David Laurila: Someone suggested earlier that this will be known as the Kyle Tucker game.
12:31
Alex Sonty: Now you jinxed it
12:31
Ben Schneider: Only the Crawford Boxes makes that a hit
12:31
CJ: That was out in many stadiums
12:31
Wire Fan: Is that a bloop double off the wall?
12:33
Dan Szymborski: “How about some bad NBA analogies?”
12:34
Alex Sonty: Not like NBA runs at all, Smoltz
12:34
Marsh’s Beard: Hey Trent Gresham. Now is not the time to lay one down.
12:35
Fire Ken Tremendous: I don’t even care who wins but this is tense
12:35
Alex Sonty: SAME HERE
12:37
Justin Choi: This game has everything
12:37
Wild Pitch Wilder Game: The suspense in this game is staggering. What an incredible example of the sport.
12:37
CWess: Suddenly David Robertson has no idea where the ball is going. I’d get him out of there immediately
12:38
Andrew: I absolutely love that they just called that
12:38
Daniel Bardo Pond: I waited all week for baseball to return and it has not disappointed!
12:38
Bat: WHOA!
12:39
Bat: I don’t recall seeing that since Little League
12:39
Dan Szymborski: whew that was a close shave
12:39
Alex Sonty: That was a strike
12:40
Dan Szymborski: That last explanation by Smoltz was confusing
12:40
Justin Choi: The Phillies hang on. And to imagine they were down 5-0 at some point.
12:40
David Laurila: Four-and-a-half hours of great baseball. Thanks everyone for staying with us.
12:41
Alex Sonty: “It’s hard to explain.” — Guy who’s expertise is paid to explain.
12:41
Alex Sonty: Thanks, everyone. This was a blast.
12:41
Liz: Thanks for the chat, what a great game
12:41
Justin Choi: Appreciate everyone for being great chatters!
12:42
Marsh’s Beard: Thanks guys
12:42
Dan Szymborski: Thanks for chilling with us all night!
12:42
Bat: Thanks for the chat – I enjoyed it!
12:42
Daniel Bardo Pond: Thanks for hosting this chat, guys. It was fun!
Meg is the editor-in-chief of FanGraphs and the co-host of Effectively Wild. Prior to joining FanGraphs, her work appeared at Baseball Prospectus, Lookout Landing, and Just A Bit Outside. You can follow her on Bluesky @megrowler.fangraphs.com.
David Laurila: Greetings all. Go Astros. Go Phillies. Go baseball.
Dan Szymborski: Greetings peoples!
Alex Sonty: Man, Justin. I remember us getting up with you in 2020 to play KBO DFS.
top 99%!