MLB 2022 Regular Season Thread

[alkeiper]

What I find interesting about that is for a long time the Red Sox were rarely a bad team. They finished last in 1932. Tom Yawkey buys the club. Buys players like Lefty Grove, Jimmie Foxx, eventually Ted Williams. Team wins the pennant in '46, famously could have won more. They stumbled a bit after the '40s but never finished last. The Impossible Dream Sox of '67 led to a boom where they never won a pennant but almost always fielded a winning team. Finally in 1992 they finished last in a seven team division. 73-89. Not a good team but hardly historically bad. Then in 2012 they lost 93 games and finished last in a five team division.

1933-2011. Seventy nine seasons. One last place finish.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Tbf, I don't feel like the Red Sox are a horrible team this year, just deeply disappointing and injury riddled (and in a great division). They were in the Wild Card as late as mid July!

I know vast majority of MLB fanbases have it worse off and would justifiably throw rocks at me for bitching but it is insanely frustrating to root for a team whose front office can't decide if they want to trade free agent spending firepower with the Yankees and Dodgers or if they want to be Tampa Bay North.

 

[alkeiper]

Seven to nine games left. Relevant baseball storylines...

1. Braves/Mets division race. Both teams tied with seven games left and they have a three game series this weekend. Both teams will make the playoffs but the losing team has an extra playoff round.

2. Aaron Judge. Fans are focused on 61 but Judge also continues to lead all triple crown categories.

2b. Luis Arraez is hitting .313.

3. Phillies/Brewers (and maybe Padres) wild card race. Yay sixth seed!

4. Orioles still have a puncher's chance at the wild card. They're chasing the Mariners who have not made the playoffs since 2001.

The Patrick Corbin watch is effectively over. He might start a game of Saturday's doubleheader, but he will not pitch twice.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Orioles still have a puncher's chance at the wild card. They're chasing the Mariners who have not made the playoffs since 2001.

This four game series is Red Sox's chance to play minor spoiler. Mariners have played like absolute butt the last two weeks, losing 8 out of the past 11 to mostly dumpy teams. If the Ms somehow blow this, it's going to sting poor Seattle sports fans for a while.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

So after reading a few articles/Twitter threads..

AITA for thinking Ohtani should be MVP this year and it isn't even that close?

I can see the argument for Ohtani just because he's so good as a hitter and as a starting pitcher but man... the "old school fan" in me looks at Aaron Judge and thinks it's not even close. I think WAR is a very overrated stat (why I prefer OPS+/ERA+) but Cease is #1 in bWAR pitching and Judge is far & away #1 in bWAR as a hitter.

Ohtani has a 149 OPS+ and 163 ERA+ but a pretty mediocre 14-8 record and there are several AL pitchers much better than him IMO. Ohtani's real "strength" is his role as an SP and doing both parts full-time.

Judge has a 212 OPS+ which absolutely smokes Ohtani as a hitter and Yordan Alvarez is also far superior with a 186 OPS+. On the pitching side, Justin Verlander has a crazy 213 ERA+ and Dylan Cease is at 194.

I just can't see how Ohtani should win MVP if Judge is far superior as a hitter and he's not the best pitcher in the AL.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

61!

 

[HarleyQuinn]

61! Judge ties Maris for all-time AL HR record

TORONTO -- Two slugging right fielders taking their swings in Yankees uniforms 61 years apart, one assigned No. 9 and the other sporting a super-sized No. 99. Roger Maris and Aaron Judge are forever linked as legends of this storied franchise, now the only men in its history to hit

www.mlb.com

 

[HarleyQuinn]

While Pujols and Judge are getting the headlines, Miguel Cabrera is quietly closing in on 3,090 hits and 510 HR for his career.

The 510 would put him in the Top 25 I believe and the 3,090 hits would put him ahead of Ichiro at 24th all-time.

 

[alkeiper]

Somehow the Mel Ott chase doesn't excite the youngins'. It's a shame.

 

[alkeiper]

24 innings in Chicago, three runs scored. The Phillies are hitting like garbage when they absolutely needed to show up.

 

[alkeiper]

J.T. Realmuto just stole his 19th base of the season. One more and he will join Ivan Rodriguez as the only catchers to go 20/20 in a season.

Edit: That didn't take long. Stole #20 in the same inning.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Seattle Mariners have ended the longest playoff drought in baseball. Love to see it. Great fanbase with horrible history.

Edit- It was actually the longest playoff drought in the four North American major sports leagues. Sorry SacKings!

 

[Smues]

Ziploc Bag of Air From Aaron Judge 61st Home Run Game Blue Jays New York Yankees | eBay

Ziploc Bag. Toronto Blue Jays. AARON JUDGE’a. New York Yankees. @Rogers Centre. 1 of only 6.

www.ebay.com

 

[alkeiper]

Last thing we need is Zack Hample hoarding air.

 

[alkeiper]

Luis Arraez sat today with a hamstring issue. He’s hitting .315, Judge is hitting .312.

 

[alkeiper]

Albert Pujols with three RBIs (so far) has tied Babe Ruth in career RBIs. Second all time.

 

[alkeiper]

Apologies to Snuffbox for rooting hard against the Brewers this weekend. I actually listened to the Marlins feed because I didn’t want the Phillies success tied to a Bob Uecker call.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1576723369323483137

This is not the kind of ‘90s nostalgia I like.

 

[Aero]

Mets needed to win just one game this weekend to control their destiny, so of course they get swept. What a disaster of a series.

 

[strummer]

It sucked hard but the as a Met I'm just happy they made the postseason. My expectations are so low for this franchise I can't get too mad. I mean I'm mad but I'll take anything remotely positive.

NL looks set. (Barring complete meltdowns by Braves(lol) or Phils

Mets/Padres and Cardinals/Phillies will be the wildcard series with Braves and Dodgers getting byes

 

[strummer]

Tomorrow might be the first time ever a home team that has 98 wins and is going to the playoffs will unmercifully be booed at their own stadium in the last week of the season.

 

[Aero]

It sucked hard but the as a Met I'm just happy they made the postseason. My expectations are so low for this franchise I can't get too mad. I mean I'm mad but I'll take anything remotely positive.

You're not wrong. Just stings a bit more knowing that the Mets dropped 5 to the Cubs and Nationals the last few weeks. Which reminds me that even if they got the win tonight, there'd have been no guarantee they take care of business against the Nats over the next few days.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Tomorrow might be the first time ever a home team that has 98 wins and is going to the playoffs will unmercifully be booed at their own stadium in the last week of the season.

 

[alkeiper]

It seems cruel to say a team that played .600 ball in the second half collapsed. But the Mets needed one win to cinch control of the division and just couldn't get it.

 

[alkeiper]

What to watch tonight.

1. A Phillies win or Brewers loss and the Phils are in the playoffs!

2. Aaron Judge. Hit #62 already.

3. Zack Greinke's last start for the Kansas City Royals?

4. Aaron Judge and Luis Arraez for the batting title. Will Arraez play?

5. Blue Jays win + Mariners loss = Blue Jays clinch home playoff series

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

2. Aaron Judge. Hit #62 already.

Roger Maris Jr. Reveals How He Wants MLB To List Home Run Records - Sports Illustrated

The son of Roger Maris has an idea of what MLB should do with its single-season home run records.

www.si.com

Do it to shut up Roger Maris' doofy son.

 

[alkeiper]

A record is nothing more than a statement of what happened and the sooner everyone figures that out, the better.

 

[alkeiper]

Just my opinion, I think the 6th inning is too soon to throw up the “no hitter” alert. 15 outs is nothing when you need 27.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

To the surprise of absolutely no one, Tony La Russa has stepped down as manager of the Chicago White Sox.

What a weird ass postscript to a HOF career. I mean literally he had already been inducted into the Hall of Fame before this run!

 

[alkeiper]

The phrase "national tragedy" is a bit strong, but when Zack Greinke's HOF case comes up I hope voters note that Greinke deserved more than four wins for his work this season.