FanGraphs Yankees-Guardians ALDS Game 1 Chat

October 11, 2022

7:34	David Laurila: Greetings all. Not sure tonight’s game can top what we just saw in Houston… but you never know.

7:36	RTJ: I know we’re gonna talk about Yanks-Guards tonight but can we take a moment to acknowledge the excellent weekend baseball? Of course, the awesome 0-0 game on Saturday, but then the most entertaining 6-0 game I’ve seen in a long time on Sunday.

7:36	David Laurila: The baseball has been good, and we have a lot more in front of us. October is fun. (Less so today if you’re a Mariners fan.)

7:37	Guest: Serious question – is Yordan Alvarez the best hitter in baseball?

7:37	David Laurila: No, but as that long ball reminded us, he’s on the short list.

7:37	stever20: Saw biggest play ever by WPA: Yordan Álvarez homer today (+91.4%) Kirk Gibson homer in the 1988 World Series (+87.0%) Jimmy Rollins double in 2009 NLCS (+82.9%) Brett Phillips single in the 2020 World Series (+82.5%)

7:39	Ben Clemens: Hey guys, I’ll be joining shortly, just finishing up the Mariners/Astros game story

7:39	5 Run Homer: Did we just see the end of Yordan being underrated by mainstream baseball?

7:40	Ben Clemens: Don’t kid yourself, unless people think he’s the best lefty hitter in the game and a possible future Hall of Famer he’s still underrated.

7:40	YankeesOMGZZZZ1999FAN: Holy crap, can we just start with our first managerial WTF decision over in Houston? Robbie Ray… lefty…(checks notes)… specialist?

7:40	David Laurila: This will get talked about. Hindsight being 20/20 and all.

7:41	Dan Szymborski: Greetings people!

7:42	Justin Choi: How do you do fellow FanGraphers (I’m at work but don’t tell anyone)

7:43	Wireless Joe Jackson: Guardians better get to work. If it’s another Astros Yankees ALCS I’m tuning out.

7:43	David Laurila: I think it’s safe to say that many (most?) fans would like new blood in the ALCS. Pretty decent chance they won’t get it, though.

7:43	stever20: Saw this from a CFB writer on twitter- so so true- Playoff baseball is nothing but four hours of pain-inducing stress for both sides. The best. But also the worst.

7:45	David Laurila: Not sure which elite player is more underrated, Yordan Alvarez or Jose Ramirez.

7:46	Dan Szymborski: Maybe Ramirez? He’s been underrating longer, if that makes sense.

7:47	Dan Szymborski: underrated, that is

7:47	David Laurila: And re the Bader mention on the broadcast, NYY making players cut their hair is both dumb and outdated.

7:48	Ben Clemens: Alright, I’m done with the recap. And totally agreed, David.

7:48	Chad Young: Hi folks – excited to be here! I will be in and out tonight, but looking forward to chatting!

7:48	Dan Szymborski: Evenin’ Chad

7:49	RTJ: How has there not been some sort of civil suit against the Yankees hair “policy”

7:49	Ben Clemens: Bob Costas is so delightful to listen to

7:50	Jerry: How has this last stretch/postseason run from kelenic changed your opinion on him next year

7:50	Chad Young: Not a ton – it’s a small sample. But it does give me some hope that he can turn things around. From a fantasy perspective, it gives me a little more interest in using a late pick on him.

7:50	Bob Costas: No sarcasm emoji?

7:51	Ben Clemens: Not at all. He just has that 1950’s newscaster voice, it’s both soothing and makes me think something big is about to happen.

7:50	Chad Young: Kelenic is still a terrific talent and there is still a chance he can put things together, but a couple hot weeks doesn’t move the needle a ton.

7:51	Jorge: Can we get an exit velocity on Yordans homer. Can’t find it

7:51	Ben Clemens: 117

7:52	David Laurila: Went for a walk and listened to the Astros radio broadcast of innings 7 and 8 on my phone, Was home watching on TV when Alvarez went deep, and kind of wish I’d have hear Robert Ford’s call. One of the game’s elite broadcasters.

7:52	Ben Clemens: Huge shoutout to the excellent Baseball Savant game pages, which I use extensively in my recaps. You can find them here: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=715758

7:52	Dan Szymborski: I should have planned some game chat food. I have sour patch kids and bourbon.

7:53	Chad Young: Sounds like you planned perfectly

7:53	Ben Clemens: I have planned some game chat food: sour patch kids and bourbon

7:54	Ben Clemens: (I wish that was true, it sounds delicious)

7:54	Dan Szymborski: Did anyone get the Hankook commercial at about 40 TIMES THE VOLUME of everything else?

7:54	Dan Szymborski: Bourbon tastes really different after Sour Patch Kids. You get a lot more oak and grainy tastes

7:56	RTJ: Really elevating the “whiskey sour” drink there

7:56	Chad Young: Gotta ask how it tastes to have them together

7:56	Dan Szymborski: I like Eagle Rare 10 and the sour patch kids kinda blow out your taste buds so you no longer get the caramel taste

7:56	Wireless Joe Jackson: I’m a Skittlebrau man.

7:57	Quantrill: Didn’t his dad pitch for the Yankees?

7:57	David Laurila: Cal Quantrill is underrated.

7:57	Chad Young: Yes, Paul pitched for the Yanks briefly

7:57	Chad Young: 2 years 2004-05

7:58	Chad Young: He also pitched for like half this playoff field – Toronto, San Diego, LA, and Philly

7:58	Dan Szymborski: I have no specific recollections of Quantrill with the Yankees

7:58	Dan Szymborski: you say Quantrill and I see a Blue Jay

7:58	Jacob: @Ben when should we expect to see the recap published? Sad mariners fan over here.

7:58	Ben Clemens: Soon-ish, but if you saw the game there’s no need to relive it

7:59	David Laurila: Paul Quantrill gave up the 12th-inning David Otriz walk-off home run in 2004 ALCS Game 4.

7:59	Ben Clemens: Yankee Legend Paul Quantrill

7:59	There is not even a taco bell near me: Are we tired of Pete Davidson and the breakfast Crunchwrap yet? Why is he every third commercial

7:59	Ben Clemens: It’s art, really: it mirrors how I feel about Pete Davidson’s ascent a few years ago

7:59	Chad Young: My 9yo son has been watching baseball with me for years and this was the first season he fully bailed on me and my Guardians to cheer for his hometown Mariners. Today was a rough lesson for him…

8:00	David Laurila: I have never heard of Pete Davidson.

8:00	Wireless Joe Jackson: I knew I was supposed to recognize the guy in that commercial! …who’s Pete Davidson?

8:01	Dan Szymborski: The first inning: Quantrill seems to get three outs in two minutes while Cole took like 17 minutes per pitch

8:01	Dan Szymborski: Pratt’s doign his Mario voice

8:01	Ben Clemens: I’m very excited for the pitch clock

8:01	Chad Young: Per Savant’s pitch tempo, Quantrill is the 19th fastest worker with the bases empty. Cole 173rd

8:02	notslow: what are the guardians going to do if their pitching isn’t lights out? if the yankees score 5 runs do they just forfeit and get ready for the next game?

8:02	Ben Clemens: The Mariners score fewer runs per game than the Guardians, and they put up seven today! Just, uh, don’t ask what happened next.

8:02	Dan Szymborski: I’ll get hell for this in certain circles, but I like there being time pressure in a sport.

8:02	Hallowed Antiquity: The end of the Mariners was a Greek tragedy. You could see it coming but you couldn’t do anything about it.

8:03	Ben Clemens: A crane lifting Julio Rodriguez out of the stadium would have been a fitting ending

8:02	Jeff: Chad – as we Cleveland fans know, it isn’t easy for us either. Many disappointments.

8:02	Chad Young: oh for sure. I hated watching that game with him, but I have been there soooooo many times. It’s a part of sports fandom.

8:03	David Laurila: Cleatus Davidson played briefly for the Twins in 1999. The only Cleatus in MLB history.

8:03	ProfessorRossEforp: Is Judge leading off as silly as it feels to me? The pro is maximizing plate appearances, but shouldn’t they also want to maximize the men on base?

8:04	Chad Young: I would think he would be better used in the second spot, but I don’t hate it. It’s certainly better than the Guardians keeping Amed Rosario 2nd and Jose Ramirez 3rd, which makes me a little crazy sometimes.

8:04	Dan Szymborski: But there was a Cleatis!

8:04	Dan Szymborski: (Boyer for those that don’t know)

8:04	Ben Clemens: Chad, don’t even get me started on Pena second Yordan third

8:04	Dan Szymborski: Ken Boyer is lucky that his parents didn’t stuck to the Cl theme. Could have been Cletis, Cloyd, and Clen

8:05	notslow: anybody going to ask Servais, why Robbie!?

8:05	Ben Clemens: Perhaps a better question: was your best plan against Yordan Alvarez two center-cut sinkers?

8:05

Chad Young:

Jayson Stark

@jaysonst

Scott Servais on having Ray face Yordan:

“We talked about it coming into the series. We talked about it pregame today. I looked at it in the 7th inning and said, hey, this could happen. So that was the plan going in. End of the day, you have a plan, we still got to execute it.”

11 Oct 2022

8:06	Chad Young: There’s the answer and I have to say, I get executing a plan, but that plan was bad.

8:06	Dan Szymborski: I think it’s a far worse choice when you’ve planned it ahead of time.

8:06	David Laurila: Ken Boyer’s given name was Kenton Lloyd Boyer.

8:06	Ben Clemens: KLloyd

8:07	Dan Szymborski: If Servais got caught up in the moment and his gut told him Ray was the right move, then, like OK

8:07	Chad Young: If your plan with the game on the line against maybe the best hitter in the game is to bring in your homer prone SP in as a reliever for the first time in forever with two men on base…that’s not great

8:07	ProfessorRossEforp: I always thought most lineup optimizers had your best hitter batting 4th.

8:08	Ben Clemens: I haven’t run one of my own to check this recently, but the book had it basically 2>1=4>5>3

8:08	AA: Is Yordan Alvarez the second best hitter in baseball?

8:08	Chad Young: Was he this year? Yes. Will he continue to be? I could argue he should be seen as the best hitter in baseball

8:08	Jeff: Hijacking the Servais decision: Who has a better career, Will Brennan, Will Benson, or Nolan Jones?

8:08	David Laurila: Jones, quite possibly by a wide margin.

8:09	Dan Szymborski: “Not much of a hitter” is a very gentle way of describing Hedges’ offense.

8:09	Chad Young: Hedges offense is occasionally running into one and Cole’s weakness is throwing balls that can be run into, so I guess that could happen?

8:09	YankeesOMGZZZZ1999FAN: I think His Honor, Judge, holds best hitter title until proven otherwise right now, no?

8:10	Ben Clemens: Yeah, no question Judge is the best hitter right now. Who would you take for next year? …. probably still Judge

8:10	TooDamnTall: I have to go teach an English class to students in China. Do you think putting the chat up on the projector is a good use of class time?

8:10	Dan Szymborski: Not if you’ve seen my spelling in chats.

8:10	Chad Young: Judge was inarguably the best hitter in baseball this year.

8:11	AA: Why did Cleveland make Rosario the SS and Gimenez the 2B?

8:11	Chad Young: Rosario appears to be most comfortable at SS, and Gimenez wasn’t even clearly an everyday player when the season started. As they settled in and performed, Tito tends to stick with what is working.

8:11	ProfessorRossEforp: Judge apparently best leadoff hitter ever lol

8:11	David Laurila: Let’s not forget that Yordan Alvarez went 12 for 23 with five XBHs and six RBIs in last year’s ALCS. He destroyed Red Sox pitching.

8:12	Ben Clemens: Yordan’s career line is .296/.384/.590

8:13	Ben Clemens: And he’s been playing hurt for 1/3 of that

8:13	Ben Clemens: Also he stopped striking out this year

8:15	Ben Clemens: It’s pretty amazing; Judge has a career 163 wRC+, Alvarez 164

8:15	David Laurila: Probably not poll-worthy, but Oscar Gonzalez or Yordan Alvarez for biggest HR so far this postseason is an interesting question.

8:15	Ben Clemens: They’re both tremendous

8:15	notslow: the guardians logo is so bland, big mistake passing on being the spiders, imagine the jerseys 👀

8:16	Chad Young: Sports team logos tend to be pretty bland but the Guardians name/look has grown on me. That said…agree, passing on Spiders was a miss.

8:16	Dan Szymborski: Is it just me or is Ron Darling sounding more and more like James Woods every year?

8:16	David Laurila: The Cleveland Spiders went 20-134 in their final season.

8:16	Tstats: Oscar because of the wild card G3 randomness factor and the clinching it led to IMO, and the game legit had 0 offense which helps

8:16	Ben Clemens: Biggest HR so far this postseason? Oscar (41.6% \| 25 votes) Yordan (58.3% \| 35 votes) Total Votes: 60

8:16	Ben Clemens: Poll-worthy, imo

8:17	Chad Young: I voted Yordan – down 2 bottom 9 with two outs?

8:17	Ben Clemens: A fact I really enjoyed from my recap today: Julio Rodriguez accounted for 5 Mariners runs today. Alvarez accounted for 6 Astros runs.

8:17	Dan Szymborski: Yeah, Yordan was in a stickier situation for his team

8:17	Wireless Joe Jackson: Gotta go with Yordan because the game also ends if he makes an out.

8:18	YankeesOMGZZZZ1999FAN: Cal Quantril feels like the type of pitcher you hate to face. He’s not the Ace, but he’s gonna be a pesky pain in the ass, spotting his pitches, changing speeds and angles, and making you really pay him more attention than you think he deserves

8:19	Ben Clemens: It’s a recipe for being underrated, as David noted earlier

8:19	Daniel Bardo Pond: Yordan had a +105.2 Win Probability Added today. Wow.

8:19	Without Looking it Up: What was the name of the relief pitcher the Astros traded to the Dodgers for Yordan Alvarez?

8:19	Ben Clemens: Josh Fields?

8:20	ProfessorRossEforp: Oscar’s HR was bigger because the game may still be going on had he not hit it.

8:20	Chad Young: Need to step away, but I will be back!

8:20	Jeff: Yes. Josh Fields. Good trade.

8:21	Ben Clemens: Kevin Goldstein’s story about it is incredible. The Dodgers wanted Fields, Luhnow asked Kevin for a name, he said Yordan Alvarez. Luhnow texted Andrew Friedman that they wanted Y Alvarez, and Friedman mistook it for Yadiel Alvarez, a huge prospect at the time

8:22	Ben Clemens: Safe to say that the Dodgers would like to take that trade back.

8:21	NobleHelium: Bonds would have been the best leadoff hitter ever too, if they had figured out to do that.

8:22	ProfessorRossEforp: I firmly believe Cleveland went with Guardians due to having the same number of syllables and same final syllable as the old name.

8:22	David Laurila: Will be interesting to see how long fans continue to wear Indians gear. On my recent three-game visit to Progressive Field, I’d estimate it was 55% Indians and 45% Guardians.

8:22	Farhandrew Zaidman: Per James Smyth on twitter, IKF’s 55.8 percent ground-ball rate was the highest in the AL this year.

8:22	Dan Szymborski: I still slip and call them Indians from time to time.

8:22	Dan Szymborski: If you held a gun to my head and demanded I tell you what division the Brewers in, I might still say AL East.

8:23	Pinstripe Perry: Is IKF the worst regular on any of the remaining teams?

8:24	Dan Szymborski: Nah

8:24	David Laurila: An interesting stat I heard on the Astros radio broadcast today was that Bregman’s home run off of Munoz was his 13th in the postseason, and 11 of them have come against pitchers who have been All-Stars. Munoz, who throws triple digits, isn’t one of them.

8:24	Dan Szymborski: I don’t think he’s that bad. I think people made something out of him that he was not

8:24	Ben Clemens: There are some pretty bad regulars remaining

8:24	Ben Clemens: Kwan!

8:24	Casey: I “Kwan’t” the Guardians to win!

8:24	David Laurila: Kwan!

8:25	Dan Szymborski: I’m still going to screenshot that to blackmail Ben that he was answering Kwan to that question.

8:26	Ben Clemens: Haha don’t do it

8:26	Ben Clemens: If I had to pick worst remaining regular…. maybe Arcia?

8:27	Ben Clemens: But he’s less regular than injury replacement, and he’s a solid utility infielder, so that’s unfair

8:27	Dan Szymborski: I kinda feel based on his MLB time so far, you gotta put Kelenic

8:28	stever20: Mike Pietrello sure called that HR by Kwan. Said Yankee Stadium a perfect fit for his bat.

8:28	Wireless Joe Jackson: Hedges is pretty bad.

8:28	A different Matt: What annoys people about IKF is probably better players stuck behind him in AAA all year, and not even kicking the tires on the many better free agent shortstops in the offseason

8:28	David Laurila: Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika on Kwan, in September’s Talks Hitting interview: “While he doesn’t have the highest exit velocity, he’s got enough to hit it over the wall. The more settled in he gets to the big leagues, the more power I think we’re going to see from him.”

8:28	Dan Szymborski: Yeah, but that doesn’t make him horrific. If he had been horrific, the Yankees would’ve pushed him off quicker

8:29	Guest: Does ZIPS have a projection for Judge’s next contract after this year?

8:29	Dan Szymborski: I did a piece!

8:29	Ben Clemens: Bader is a tremendous defensive outfielder

8:29	Ben Clemens: That was a really good cut

8:29	Dan Szymborski: Ben, how the heck did you write an entire piece between chat room comments?

8:30	Ben Clemens: I wrote two potential pieces during the game

8:30	Ben Clemens: And then just blended them quickly

8:31	Ben Clemens: Luckily they were about Julio and Yordan, so the theme was pretty clean

8:31	Costas Vocabulary: Costas just said trudging

8:31	Dan Szymborski: I like to imagine there’s an alternate Ben piece hiding in his PC

8:31	David Laurila: I’ve found that I can write a game story far easier when I’m at the ballpark than I can at home,

8:32	Dan Szymborski: “Everything Goes Right for the M’s, Especially Robbie Ray, in Game One”

8:32	Guest: Machado, JRam, or Arenado–best current player (or third baseman, for that matter) to never win an MVP?

8:32	Wireless Joe Jackson: You blended Julio and Yordan?! Are you making some kind of atomic superplayer?

8:32	Ben Clemens: I screwed up a bit and gave them Yordan’s right-handed hitting ability and Julio’s left-handed bat

8:32	Dan Szymborski: I have a graveyard of never completed or pieces that dated very quickly

8:32	Dan Szymborski: I have a piece analyzing Cliff Lee to the Yankees and Jason Bay to the Rays

8:33	Ben Clemens: I have one I REALLY wish I’d published in 2019 titled “The Nationals Better Win Now, Because They Won’t Again for a While”

8:33	RTJ: #ReleaseTheSzymborskiDeepCuts

8:34	Ben Clemens: For a good hitter, Andres Gimenez has some bad swings

8:34	Ben Clemens: I’m not sure what about his swing causes it, but he has a lot of those pulling off half-waves at fastballs relative to his contact rate

8:34	Dan Szymborski: Even in a good Javier Baez season, there are some horrifying swings

8:35	Stats5: Dan, please don’t do a piece analyzing Rodon to the Orioles. Yet.

8:35	Wireless Joe Jackson: How sure are we that he’s a good hitter? I’m definitely not sold on 140 wRC+ yet.

8:35	Ben Clemens: I’m not sure I buy the power but I definitely buy the contact, which would make him an above-average hitter even if a lot of the power goes away.

8:36	Dan Szymborski: That’s 61 pitches for Cole

8:36	David Laurila: I believe that Gimenez came into this game 3 for his last 25.

8:37	Wireless Joe Jackson: Everybody who played in that Cleveland/Tampa series is 3 for their last 25!

8:37	Ben Clemens:

8:38	Dan Szymborski: Yeah, but 25 PA per player only goes back like 2 games now

8:40	Ben Clemens: A question for the panel: is the Guardians’ high-contact approach the worst possible matchup (relative to talent level) for a homer-prone pitcher like Cole?

8:41	Eel Ffilc: Was 0 fer 5 with 5 strikeouts in that last game

8:41	David Laurila: This being Gimenez, yes. Kind of wonder if he’s playing hurt, given how much he’s struggled of late.

8:41	Ben Clemens: Yankees CF goes yard, just as we all expected

8:41	David Laurila: The Yankees fans who hated the Montgomery-Bader trade — and there were many — are cheering now.

8:42	Ben Clemens: brb, picking up my dog (her daycare kindly drops her off)

8:42	Chad Young: I am back just in time to say the Guardians are going to have BIG TIME regrets about that 3rd inning

8:42	Pinstripe Perry: Montgomery Bader was killed here for a variety of reasons…but man it was a fun old-fashioned baseball trade. Dividends for both teams.

8:42	Dan Szymborski: I thought it was fine

8:44	Eel Ffilc: Ruling on the lights flickering after a HR? I think it’s weak

8:45	What would George do: If the Yankees don’t win the pennant, how secure is Brian Cashman’s position?

8:45	Dan Szymborski: I don’t think he’s in danger

8:46	David Laurila: Solid first three innings for Quantrill. Plus, his high socks are a good look.

8:47	Chad Young: Cashman has not only been very good at his job over a long stretch of time, he has managed to navigate everything that comes with running the Yankees. I think it would be VERY short-sighted of them to move on.

8:47	Ben Schneider: What would it take for this game to draw bigger headlines than the Astros? An all-out brawl?

8:47	David Laurila: The Yankees are playing, which means several such scenarios exist.

8:47	Dan Szymborski: I’m tired of Chris Pratt and his soft shirts.

8:48	Orioles2024: Calling for Cashman’s job…first world Yankees problem. 🤦‍♂️

8:48	Jay Levin: Keep reminding myself that Guardians win by running over imperfect bullpens … and the Yankees have one of those.

8:48	Ben Clemens: singling over*

8:49	Chad Young: As a Guardians fan, I 100% believe their path in this series is to work the Yankees starters and force that pen to throw 4+ innings per game. If they can make this a pen vs. pen battle, I like their chances.

8:49	Ben Clemens: If you asked the Guardians whether they’d take a draw between Cole and Quantrill, though, they’d say yes easily

8:50	Ben Schneider: Is Peraza eligible for the playoffs? I’m surprised he’s not on the roster

8:50	Dan Szymborski: Yes

8:50	Dan Szymborski: As far as I know

8:51	Dan Szymborski: Playoff rosters are different, situational players that do one thing well become more valuable relatively well. You have guys you’re not starting available if injury

8:51	Guest: Which manager is most likely to get fired if his team doesn’t win the World Series?

8:51	Ben Clemens: I think he’d only make the roster if they were going to start him over IKF, which they would not

8:51	Dan Szymborski: Mike Matheny 😀

8:52	RTJ: Sarcastically: Can we get some in-game interviews with Judge while he’s simultaneously batting? Just like the regular season !

8:52	Ben Clemens: They’d never do this, but the Trevino/Cortes ASG interview was spectacular

8:52	Orioles2024: Matheny should’ve never been hired.

8:53	Chad Young: Cole needed that inning

8:53	Dan Szymborski: 9 pitch inning?

8:55	Guest: If you’re the Mariners, what are you doing during your (bizarrely scheduled) off day tomorrow?

8:55	Ben Clemens: I’d be getting some Vietcajun food. I am dying to go to Houston and get some

8:55	Dan Szymborski: That’s a thing?

8:55	Ben Clemens: Yeah, and it sounds great

8:56	Dan Szymborski: It does

8:56	Micah Rose: I’m interested to see how Quantrill will pitch the rest of the game cause he had a 4.36 ERA 2nd time TTO and 4.40 ERA 3rd time TTO

8:56	Ben Clemens: There was a big influx of Vietnamese immigration (I think largely refugees?) in the ’60’s and ’70’s, and a lot of them settled in the Gulf

8:56	Guest: tell us more about the vietcajun food I’m drooling

8:56	Ben Clemens: Here’s an example: https://www.houstoniamag.com/eat-and-drink/best-vietnamese-cajun-crawf…

8:56	Orioles2024: Lol, my cousin in Houston raves about Vietcajun food.

8:57	Ben Clemens: A top 5 meal of mine, ever, was Szechuan-style crawfish in a Beijing convenience store back room and I think this would scratch the exact same itch

8:57	Guest: Baltimore used to have a restaurant named Thai-rish.

8:59	Guest: Wait a minute, Ben! What were you doing in a back room of a convenience store. … never mind.

9:00	Ben Clemens: Getting crawfish! My friend got married in Guangzhou so a bunch of us went on a trip around China afterwards, we had a local friend in Beijing who took us to his favorite local spots

9:00	Thai-rish: Baltimore used to have the Colts

9:00	David Laurila: With Don “The Human Bowling Ball” Nottingham playing fullback for a few years.

9:00	Torts: From Spotrac on Twitter: Cleveland’s entire 14-man ALDS pitching staff is making $18.5 million this year, or $17.5 million less than Cole himself

9:01	TokyoJoe: Good morning from Tokyo, where playoff baseball goes very well with breakfast!

9:01	Ben Clemens: Can confirm, as someone who did that this morning

9:02	Ben Schneider: Anyone else enjoying hockey opening night during commercials?

9:02	David Laurila: I am not, but am happy that I will see the Red Wings play the Rangers at Madison Square garden next month. It will be my first ever game at the Garden. I’m psyched.

9:03	B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: I cannot wait for the pitch clock, and I’m saying that as a diehard Yankees fan. My goodness their games are slooooow.

9:03	Chad Young: I watched chunks of the 2017 postseason walking around Toyko Disney with my kids. My wife is very patient with me in October.

9:03	Orioles2024: Ah…the good bad days. I quit watching the NFL when Irsay drove away in the March snow. No regrets.

9:03	David Laurila: This is in response yo my Don Nottingham mention, I assume. Norm Bulaich was there, as well.

9:04	Bat: So Britton, Effross, King, and Chapman are all hurt or deactivated for being AWOL…am I missing anyone else on the Yankees’ staff who is hurt?

9:04	Ben Clemens: Marinaccio

9:04	Ben Clemens: Montas, Ridings, Green

9:04	B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Amazing that the Yankees still have a decent pen with the attrition in the back end this season

9:06	Ben Clemens: Couldn’t agree more. Add in all the pitching depth they traded at the deadline and goodness gracious they have a lot of arms

9:06	Ben Clemens: have/had

9:06	A different Matt: Chad Green

9:06	Chad Young: Did Jose not think that was ball 4?

9:07	Ben Clemens: I’m not sure. That was slowwwww

9:07	Ben Schneider: What’s so impressive about the Yankees is that many pitching prospects they traded were mid- or late-round picks

9:07	David Laurila: Guardians pitchers have allowed two runs and 10 hits in 28 innings so far this postseason.

9:08	Orioles2024: Watching Britton go out was tough. Hope he’s able to recover and come back. I’d like him to warm up in Toronto and actually make it into the game. 😬

9:08	Chad Young: The Guardians really need Naylor’s bat to step up if they are going to have a real shot in this series (let alone any future series)

9:08	Ben Clemens: Time for my first beer of the night, which doubles as my single favorite beer: Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose

9:08	David Laurila: I am having a Leinenkugel’s Oktoberfest. It is my second tonight.

9:08	Ben Clemens: This is a northern California only thing, presumably, but if you have a chance to have one and like sours at all, do it

9:08	Orioles2024: Ben, that’s too many words for a beer. I’ll buy you a Busch Light.

9:09	Ben Clemens: Oooooooh I love Leinie’s

9:09	Ben Clemens: Also a good choice, David

9:09	David Laurila: Big Oktoberfest/malty beer fan.

9:10	RTJ: I like 99.5% of Bob Costas but I’m getting tired of him (along with basically every other announcer) praising players for not celebrating cool stuff they do – we want personalities!

9:10	Chad Young: I have been inspired. Opening a Nine Pound Porter from Georgetown Brewing here in Seattle

9:11	Guest: Does anyone know what on earth the Guardians’ mascot is? Seems like they missed a good opportunity to roll out a cool-looking gargoyle to go with the new name, instead of the . . . thing they have instead.

9:11	Chad Young: I will not stand for Slider slander

9:11	David Laurila: Programming note: I talked to Triston McKenzie recently and plan to share that conversation at the end of the week two lead into his Saturday start.

9:11	Orioles2024: Guardians mascot is a bridge

9:12	Dan Szymborski: Guardians mascot is a Marble Madness enemy

9:12	Ben Clemens: Lol to this play

9:12	Chad Young: My goodness…

9:12	Dan Szymborski: Well, THAT was a reversal of fortune

9:12	RTJ: wow that was awesome

9:12	TooDamnTall: Back from my class in China. The students think baseball is a bourgeoise endeavor and you all need reeducation, and that WAR undervalues performance in high leverage situations.

9:13	Chad Young: That is going to stand, isn’t it. Wow

9:13	Ben Clemens: Forget just standing, I think it will be confirmed

9:13	Chad Young: Yeah, agreed

9:13	David Laurila: Yankees could have used Jeffrey Maier there.

9:14	Eel Ffilc: He’s out!

9:14	Ben Clemens: Excellent camera work

9:14	Bat: Hurts as a Mets fan to see Gimenez and Rosario in this game. Terrific year by Lindor but the team would have been better off with Gimenez, Rosario, PCA, and the money rather than Lindor, Carrasco, and a 1/3 of a season of Baez.

9:14	Ben Clemens: What’s with throwing the PCA trade into this lol

9:14	Dan Szymborski: If he touched it clearly, it would have changed direction more

9:14	Pinstripe Perry: Rookie with a heads up play. Veteran with an inexcusable mistake.

9:14	Bookchinmusic: It would seem that Josh Donaldson has failed to play the game the right way

9:15	NobleHelium: Donaldson is going to get roasted for that one.

9:15	Chad Young: Either the ball would have moved or the guy would ahve reacted like he broke his finger lol

9:15	Ben Clemens: Josh Donaldson is going to blow up on Josh Donaldson in the dugout for that one

9:15	Guest: His name is slider? Does that mean we should expect him to hit the IL for a year after the inevitable Tommy John?

9:15	Chad Young: Not for TJS, but he did have an IL stint back in the day

9:15	Bat: Haha, sorry Ben but just talking about the long-term implications of the Lindor and Baez trades for the Mets org

9:15	Eel Ffilc: First base coach with the premature high five

9:16	Dan Szymborski: Donaldson now owes someone five

9:16	RTJ: Donaldson should NOT have celebrated that because he did not in fact do cool stuff that time

9:16	B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Geeze… nothing like giving ammo to the anit-fun baseball crowd

9:16	David Laurila: There have been some really entertaining games this postseason. This is yet another.

9:16	Ben Clemens: The best part of it is that he’s the anti-fun baseball crowd!

9:16	Ben Clemens: He’s the number one play the game the right way guy. He also doesn’t play the game the way HE thinks is right

9:16	Jeff: Speaking of how Cleveland built this team, 2 years ago they traded Clevinger ( starting tonight) for Quantrill, Naylor, Hedges (starting tonight)

9:16	RTJ: Gonzalez giving one back

9:16	Ben Clemens: Five hole!

9:17	Ben Clemens: In honor of hockey

9:17	Ben Clemens: IKF is an extremely high effort guy on the basepaths

9:17	Ben Clemens: And it paid off there

9:19	Micah Rose: Seems like the 2nd and 3rd time TTO is burning Quantrill

9:19	David Laurila: Without the two-base error, NYY doesn’t score and it remains 1-1 through five.

9:19	Bat: Boy, that error by Gonzalez was costly..

9:20	Chengy: I for the life of me do not understand starting Gonzalez (a not good fielder) in RF and Brennan (a good fielder not as good a hitter) as DH

9:21	Chad Young: This is about late-game PH scenarios. Brennan won’t face a LHP, so if a LHP comes on, he’ll get replaced and they won’t lose their RF. The alternative is you have him in RF and are either limited in who can PH for him or have to move Gonzalez off DH and give up your DH.

9:20	David Laurila: Per Mariners beat writer Daniel Kramer on Twitter: After going 3-for-5 with the homer and double today, Yordan Alvarez has hit .351/.449/.719 (1.169 OPS) in 69 plate appearances over 16 games against the Mariners this season.

9:20	Ben Clemens: that’s like…. hardly better than his overall seasonal line

9:20	Ben Clemens: It’s better, of course

9:20	Ben Clemens: He had an OPS over 1.000 though

9:20	Ben Clemens: what a hitter

9:22	Ben Schneider: Ben (or anyone), what do you think of the Donaldson/IKF trade after one season?

9:22	Ben Clemens: It was fine, I guess? It was too cute, in my opinion; if you wanted to spend some money on filling the left side of the infield you could have done other things. But they had to do something about the infield, so relative to not doing something, great.

9:22	B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: How the heck have the Yankees only worked Quantril for 72 pitches so far? That’s impressive

9:23	Chad Young: Man, Costas mentioning Cleveland’s last world series and making it about the Yankees is something

9:23	Guest: Trout vs. the Mariners this year: 1.274 OPS in 48 PAs

9:24	Ben Clemens: For a team that allowed so few runs, the Mariners gave up some good individual performances

9:24	Will: Darling is too much of a gentleman to cut off Costas granpa Simpson routine

9:25	NobleHelium: I think Cashman just wanted a temporary upgrade until Peraza and Volpe made it to the majors. People talk about Correa’s short-term deal but it’s not clear that most teams realized that was a possibility until it actually happened.

9:25	Dan Szymborski: That’s the impression I got

9:25	Ben Clemens: I totally agree with that. I don’t think you can compare what they did to getting Correa

9:26	Ben Clemens: If you go to the store to buy ice cream and choose between chocolate and vanilla, but when you go back the next day they have rocky road, that wasn’t really relevant info when you made your decision

9:26	B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: Watch the Yankees grab Correa on a repeat of his one year deal next season

9:26	RTJ: how come most black-and-white baseball videos are shot from over 1st base? When did the sightline change to being behind the pitcher/outfield?

9:26	Dan Szymborski: I don’t actually know, though I guess technologically has a lot to do with it

9:26	Dan Szymborski: never gave it much thought

9:27	Pinstripe Perry: If you’re Aaron Boone are you pushing Cole for another or going into the pen?

9:27	Ben Clemens: I think I’d push him, as greedy as that sounds

9:27	Chad Young: Hedges, Straw leading off next inning

9:27	Chad Young: you aren’t really asking for much

9:28	Ben Clemens: yeah. Stack your high lev guys against their good hitters

9:28	Chad Young: I might not let him face Kwan, but those first two guys? why not

9:28	Pinstripe Perry: I think Peralta is getting the preferred guy for the Kwan-Naylor lane. Loaisiga is probably getting the bottom of the order if they make a move right here. X Factor is who gets 5/6/7. Some scuttlebutt today Holmes might not be available G1.

9:29	David Laurila: FWIW: Cole went 110 or more pitches seven times this year, with a high of 118.

9:29	B’Ryce Hammer’s Luscious Locks: I’m sending Cole for one more

9:31	Ben Clemens: Okay, taking back a bit of my Costas love

9:31	Ben Clemens: c’mon man

9:31	Ben Clemens: we can’t at least use PA’s

9:31	Ben Clemens: ??

9:31	Joe: Costas, Jesus man

9:31	Chad Young: Yeah, that was garbage on multiple levels

9:31	Dan Szymborski: Yeah, like we haven’t had THIS conversation a billion times this year

9:31	David Laurila: Meanwhile, Quantrill went six or more innings 21 times this season.

9:31	Ben Clemens: If I’m Francona, I think I’m one batter from pulling Quantrill here

9:32	Chad Young: Tying it to HR/AB feels like such a weird “new angle.” like he thought he came up with something unique and insightful

9:32	Ben Clemens: with an off day tomorrow and THIS bullpen, I don’t want to get behind multiple runs without using any of them

9:32	Chad Young: I would have probably pulled him already, TBH

9:32	Orioles2024: Lol. Been 22 years. He’s rusty

9:32	Joe: Why does mlb insist on crapping all over baseball DURING BASEBALL GAMES

9:32	Dan Szymborski: Costas has a very NY-centric view of the world.

9:33	Ben Clemens: Stephan is one of the best relievers in baseball, and it would be really cool if everyone got to see it this week

9:33	Ben Clemens: A good throw gets him there, right?

9:33	Chad Young: The Guardians defense failing them now is pretty frustrating

9:34	David Laurila: Talked to Stephan on my Cleveland visit. Need to write that one up soon-ish.

9:34	Dan Szymborski: Hedges, this is like the one reason you exist

9:34	Dude: Costas sounds like he scripted a bunch of his remarks. Not really a fan of his announcing

9:34	Ben Clemens: I think his extemporaneous stuff is good, I really like his PBP, but I don’t need the diatribes.

9:34	Pinstripe Perry: David, did your convo with Stephan hit on any of the differences similarities between CLE and NYY pitching machines? Two of the best at developing arms for sure.

9:35	Hugh Duffy: One batter too late.

9:35	Jay Levin: And THIS is why you take Blake Snell out after 18 PA.

9:35	David Laurila: Showing celebrities after a home run is hit is…

9:35	Dan Szymborski: I did laugh at that

9:36	Dan Szymborski: “Yankees loving it! Fans loving it! Rizzo loving it! Cal Quantrill…not so much.”

9:36	Ben Clemens: Francona is gonna regret this one

9:36	Farhandrew Zaidman: Hedges also has a patent on a type of catcher helmet, so there’s that too.

9:36	Ben Clemens: You just know it was one of those 50/50 decisions for him

9:36	David Laurila: The idea that people would give a shit that Spike Lee is at the game escapes me.

9:37	Ben Clemens: Most celebrities I’d agree with you about, David, but Spike in New York is still cool to me

9:37	Ben Clemens: It’s kind of like how I hate corporate stadium names but like Coors Field

9:38	Hugh Duffy: Also, for those interested, the Dodgers-Padres game is starting.

9:38	Ben Clemens: I’ll be channel-hopping the rest of the night

9:38	Bat: I don’t need to see Spike Lee after a Yankees homerun….what is this, a Knicks game? He’s a celebrity Knicks fan, yeah, but how many Yankees’ games does he make each year?

9:38	David Laurila: Anthony Rizzo hit 32 regular season home runs, tying his career high. He’s had for season with 32 and another with 31.

9:39	Farhandrew Zaidman: Any issues with Urias game 1 over Kershaw?

9:39	Ben Clemens: Dan and I both separately projected it when we were bantering about this series

9:40	Ben Clemens: In other words, fine with me

9:40	David Laurila: People assuming this game is over presumably haven’t been watching the postseason this year.

9:41	Guest: Profar leading off? Is this normal?

9:41	Ben Clemens: It is! Courtesy of our lovely FanGraphs splits pages, I just confirmed that he had 405 leadoff PA’s this year, and no more than 58 at any other lineup spot

9:42	Ben Clemens: FanGraphs, it’s got the stats

9:42	Ben Clemens: That one’s free, Appelman

9:42	Ben Clemens: If you want more of my slogans, we can discuss a raise

9:42	David Laurila: With a long half inning, I’m guessing Cole is done.

9:43	Ben Clemens: Yeah, especially with a bit more breathing room. Keeping him fresh for a Game 5 on regular rest seems good.

9:43	Farhandrew Zaidman: Am I crazy for loving the Yankees batting Judge leadoff? Maximize your best hitter’s ABs.

9:43	Ben Clemens: Yeah I love it as well

9:44	Ben Clemens: Someone will have to explain to me why Juan Soto swinging at the first pitch means Manny Machado can’t swing at the first pitch

9:44	Guest: I don’t think anyone is warming in the Yankees bullpen.

9:44	Eel Ffilc: Looks like no one is in the pen

9:44	Chamaco: No one up in Yankees pen…so Cole coming back?

9:44	Ben Clemens: Seems…. strange but ok

9:45	Bat: Speaking of Yordan, the Dodgers seem to always know which prospects to keep and which to trade

9:45	Ben Clemens: Gonna disagree with you on this one. What about Oneil Cruz, just off the top of my head?

9:45	Orioles2024: Taking a first pitch strike drives me nuts. Lived through Cal doing it his entire career. Wait, that turned out OK for him. But still…

9:45	Ben Clemens: Also that comment came after Machado took two straight balls lol

9:46	RTJ: are some of y’all gonna be hanging here for the dodgers game as well?

9:46	Bat: Apologies Ben, I accidentally pushed “Send” and the full text was supposed to reference other than Yordan and ONeil Cruz…no other big names right?

9:46	Ben Clemens: I guess I’d have to see the expected success rate. That’s two pretty good hitters.

9:46	Dan Szymborski: One full game is enough from me, after four hours I start to get punchy in chats

9:47	Farhandrew Zaidman: Pedro Martinez is the classic “trading a prospect you shouldn’t have” in Dodgerland.

9:47

Hugh Duffy: Both Profar and Soto swung at the first pitch. You don’t want the pitcher to expect a pattern with Machado swinging at the first pitch. After two batters, they’re expecting Machado to swing first pitch as well, so the pitch will likely be out of the zone. So Machado shouldn’t swing at the first pitch. Odds are good he’ll get a ball on the first pitch.

9:47	Ben Clemens: But isn’t that good then? Gets Machado ahead in the count for free

9:47	Chad Young: I can’t stick around much longer either. Might not even make the rest of this one

9:47	Ben Clemens: I’m speeding up with time, which is a bad sign

9:47	Ben Clemens: I’m a build-up-and-collapse chatter

9:47	Ben Clemens: I might stick it out for an inning or so after this one but that’s it

9:47	Ben Clemens: Here come the Guardians

9:49	Ben Clemens: I mean, I guess Cole wasn’t THAT long for the game

9:49	Ben Clemens: Trea Turner: good

9:50	NobleHelium: Loaisiga is not a surprise here, Yankees love bringing him in against the top/heart of the order. Even though what was previously said about Wandy vs the lefties makes sense.

9:50	Chad Young: Think the Guardians are much happier to see a tougher righty than the lefty

9:50	Ben Clemens: omg

9:50	Ben Clemens: please stop this

9:50	David Laurila: What in the hell was that?

9:51	Ben Clemens: that was awful

9:51	Dan Szymborski: I just died a little

9:51	Chad Young: that was very bad

9:51	Ben Clemens: Costas gave it the pure disdain it deserved

9:51	RTJ: ok NOT a fan of the dragon promo

9:51	Ben Schneider: new level of corporate synergy

9:51	Ben Clemens: He let the disgust flow through him on that read

9:52	David Laurila: Does a sideline reporter have the option of saying, “No. I’m not going to do that”?

9:52	Bat: That may be the worst commercial interruption to game that I have ever seen in my life and, yes, I am aware of the concept of regency bias but do not think it relevant.

9:52	Chengy: But is that Dragon eating Taco Bell with Pete Davidson after the game?

9:53	TokyoJoe: ^might not have been so bad if the dragon ate Pete Davidson

9:53	Dan Szymborski: I was all “Oh, I didn’t know that there was rain in New York” when they started that and then that horrifying moment when you realize it was as promo hits

9:53	Dan Szymborski: I don’t mind promos, but I don’t like a promo that’s faking as a report

9:53	Guest: Could there be anything less interesting than Yankees Astros Dodgers again? Baseball has a problem.

9:53	Ben Clemens: Oh my god, I’m so tired of Tom Brady/LeBron/Steph Curry/etc. I think this is just an every-sport thing, and I choose to enjoy the continuity and the fact that I get to root for everyone else.

9:54	Dan Szymborski: When you say “there almost wasn’t a game tonight” and cut to an on-field reporter, there better be an actual damn reason why there almost wasn’t a game tonight

9:54	Ben Clemens: Right?

9:54	Ben Clemens: I thought it was rain as well, Dan

9:54	Chad Young: Given they are already worried about Thursday’s game, it feels really weird that they did that

9:54	David Laurila: Terry Francona is going into the HoF some day.

9:54	Chad Young: but the check was already cashed so they had to follow through

9:54	Dan Szymborski: “We’ve just received word that Joe Torre has gone to a better place. Let’s cut to the field for a report.”

9:55	Dan Szymborski: “Torre is heading down to Sandals, Jamaica, for an all-inclusive stay as the exclusive Jamaican resort of MLB!”

9:55	Will: It was dumb but complaining about cash grabs in sports kinda like getting upset a stork didnt deliver you to mom and dad.

9:55	Ben Clemens: Gotta disagree there. I’ll accept the ways that don’t take away from the action, and they’re generally good about sticking to those. This was too much.

9:55	TokyoJoe: Let’s get a poll on which was worse, that ad or the final season of Game of Thrones

9:55	Chad Young: Darling talking about Kwan’s “introduction to the postseason” like the WC round never happened

9:56	Ben Schneider: It’s getting hard to curb my Kwanthusiasm.

9:56	Ben Clemens: Postseason, this is Steven Kwan. Steven, this is Post

9:56	Dan Szymborski: and Cleveland was actually first in contact rate.

9:56	Ben Clemens: “Gerrit Cole, alone with his thoughts” was very nice I thought

9:57	Ben Clemens: Amed Rosario and swinging at pitches wayyyyy inside, name a more iconic duo

9:57

Dan Szymborski:

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11 Oct 2022

9:58	Chad Young: FWIW, Amed and GIDP are more iconic than Amed and swinging at inside pitchers

9:58	Ben Clemens: I sympathize with Guardians fans on that one

9:58	Ben Clemens: I felt like one of those floating people from Minority Report, I had a premonition of that coming true

9:58	Chad Young: the insistence on sticking with him in the 2 spot is frustrating.

9:59	Ben Clemens: We haven’t talked much about the Dodgers game… Dodgers gonna Dodger

9:59	RTJ: well that’s crushing to not have JRam bat with runners on base

9:59	David Laurila: This is correct.

9:59	Ben Clemens: I’m a big Rosario fan, ever since his prospect days, but c’mon man he’s not a 2 hitter