# MLB: 2013 Postseason
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [September 30, 2013, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978 "2013-09-30T04:26:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 24
### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/461 "2013-10-18T14:16:10Z")
> [@asterion](#):
>
> And Avila is done for the evening. I’ll never understand why anyone wants to be a catcher. He’s had a bad couple of nights behind the plate, not to mention getting hit by the pitch.
I’ve never seen a catcher take more abuse behind the plate than Avila. Dude’s a foul ball and bat magnet.
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### Author:  [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/462 "2013-10-18T14:25:46Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#):
>
> I’ve never seen a catcher take more abuse behind the plate than Avila. Dude’s a foul ball and bat magnet.
As a former catcher I can tell you it has a lot to do with your positioning for that particular pitch. If they are pounding the batter inside with something that has late movement ( 2 seamer, cutter,…) if you’re not in the correct position you get hit those foul-tips in some bad spots.
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### Author:  [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/463 "2013-10-18T14:26:06Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#):
>
> Top of the ninth, sacrifice bunt, play at third base when the Detroit Catcher tagged the umpire.
>
> What the Hell was the Umpire doing so close to third base that he got tagged by Detroit’s Catcher
The ump was in position to see the play. Pena turned the wrong way to make the tag. He could have caught the ball and swept his glove to the base, instead he turned his entire body towards foul territory and brought the glove all the way around. It looked awkward.
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#):
>
> Exhibit B: The Randy Moss Mooning
Yeah, that’s the biggest “uuugh” moment I associate with Buck. The thing I do like about Buck is that he seems very knowledgeable of the game, especially regarding baseball. Too bad the color commentator always has to be an ex-player, because Buck would be better at that than play by play.
It’s an unpopular opinion, but I always liked Jon Miller on the play by play. That may also have been a product of having a terrible partner (Joe Morgan) to make him look better.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/464 "2013-10-18T15:48:39Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#):
>
> Exhibit A: The David Tyree Catch
>
> Exhibit B: The Randy Moss Mooning
Those are football things. I don’t know what makes a good football announcer or what doesn’t; I would presume the skill set is different, and someone could be good at one and not the other.
I mean, Randy Moss isn’t much of a pitcher, but that doesn’t make him a bad wide receiver.
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### Author:  [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/465 "2013-10-18T16:10:48Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> Those are football things. I don’t know what makes a good football announcer or what doesn’t; I would presume the skill set is different, and someone could be good at one and not the other.
For one thing, a football announcer has to come up with clever things like, “moving left-to-right on your radio…”
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### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/466 "2013-10-18T16:25:11Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#):
>
> The ump was in position to see the play. Pena turned the wrong way to make the tag. He could have caught the ball and swept his glove to the base, instead he turned his entire body towards foul territory and brought the glove all the way around. It looked awkward.
I agree that Pena made a bonehead play, after being caught not covering third base.
And yes the Umpire was right on top of the play. and I mean **RIGHT ON TOP** of the play.
The umpire could have been 3 ft further away, and still have a perfect view of the play. And not been within arms reach of 3rd place bag. I am pretty sure the runner still would have been safe, but IMO, the umpire was too close to the play.
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### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/467 "2013-10-18T16:27:03Z")
I agree the ump really didn’t need to be that close. It was kind of bizarre. I don’t know if Pena could have made the tag in time anyway, but that shouldn’t have happened.
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### Author:  [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/468 "2013-10-18T17:09:07Z")
> [@Marley23](#):
>
> I agree the ump really didn’t need to be that close. It was kind of bizarre. I don’t know if Pena could have made the tag in time anyway, but that shouldn’t have happened.
I thought it was more of a function of what side of the bag the throw was made. Pena’s inertia, after catching the ball on that side swung him around into the umpire. Had it been to the other side, it’d have been a close call.
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### Author:  [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/469 "2013-10-18T19:42:25Z")
Not to spend too much time on this one play, but I really thought the throw was a good enough spot for Pena to sweep his arm down without turning his entire body the other way.
Middlebrooks didn’t even end up scoring, so it really didn’t matter.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/470 "2013-10-19T01:11:46Z")
I’ve got tickets to the ALCS Game 6, but we won’t know the time of \*\*TOMORROW’S \*\*game until after the NLCS game tonight. That’s just silly; pick a damn time and commit to it. They’re holding 38,000 people from finalizing their schedules until 11:30 tonight.
Grumble, grumble.
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### Author:  [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/471 "2013-10-19T01:46:24Z")
Yep, I cant keep watching. Someone page me if things stop going horribly wrong for LA.
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/472 "2013-10-19T01:47:56Z")
OK, it’s looking like an 8:00 PM start now.
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### Author:  [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/473 "2013-10-19T02:37:16Z")
Wild pitches, throwing errors, walks, sac flies… only thing StL DOESN’T have is a home run!
Terrible, terrible…
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/474 "2013-10-19T03:38:26Z")
And thus ends another successful season for the San Francisco Giants.
It’s all relative, baby!
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/475 "2013-10-19T03:59:05Z")
Wacha Wacha Wacha!
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### Author:  [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/476 "2013-10-19T04:34:10Z")
Cards!!!
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### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/477 "2013-10-19T06:37:33Z")
This Giants fan is happy.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/478 "2013-10-19T14:33:37Z")
The better team won. You can’t fault the Dodgers for losing to the best team in the league.
I like Yasiel Puig and snort at people who keep writing him tickets against the ever-changing Unwritten Rule Book, but he had about as bad a game as it is possible to have and one hopes he’ll stew on it over the winter and resolve to be a better ballplayer. Not that they wouldn’t have lost anyway, because they would have lost even if he’d played well, but man, he had an embarrassing night.
On another note, have you ever noticed that the people who scoff at so-called “Moneyball” baseball not producing winners don’t seem to notice the existence of the St. Louis Cardinals, who are about as Moneyballish a team as you’ll ever find? The team isn’t cheap but they’re not a truly high-spending team and don’t mind letting an Albert Pujols walk away. They produce prospects from within, pick up players who are undervalued by other teams, emphasize on base percentage in their hitters and K/W ratio in their pitchers, and win and win and win in a small market. When players like Josh Hamilton hit the market the Cardinals say “no thanks.” They put their trust in a kid like Jon Jay or a more affordable but just as good veteran like Carlos Beltran. What a wonderful organization the Cardinals are, they deserve every success they have.
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### Author:  [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/479 "2013-10-19T14:37:47Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> The better team won. You can’t fault the Dodgers for losing to the best team in the league.
>
> I like Yasiel Puig and snort at people who keep writing him tickets against the ever-changing Unwritten Rule Book, but he had about as bad a game as it is possible to have and one hopes he’ll stew on it over the winter and resolve to be a better ballplayer. Not that they wouldn’t have lost anyway, because they would have lost even if he’d played well, but man, he had an embarrassing night.
It was a bad night for him to have a bad night because it has just given credence to the (somewhat racist) narrative that the way he plays the game was going to cost the Dodgers the post season.
I am actually more worried that we are going to get a winter’s worth of stories about how Kershaw chokes in the clutch.
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### Author:  [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)
#### Post date: [October 19, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-2013-postseason/669978/480 "2013-10-19T15:05:39Z")
> [@RickJay](#):
>
> The better team won.
Yeah. Scoreboard.
> [@](#):
>
> On another note, have you ever noticed that the people who scoff at so-called “Moneyball” baseball not producing winners don’t seem to notice the existence of the St. Louis Cardinals, who are about as Moneyballish a team as you’ll ever find? The team isn’t cheap but they’re not a truly high-spending team and don’t mind letting an Albert Pujols walk away. They produce prospects from within, pick up players who are undervalued by other teams, emphasize on base percentage in their hitters and K/W ratio in their pitchers, and win and win and win in a small market.
You’re pointing to their skill in developing players in the minors (that’s scouting, drafting, and coaching), and being \*unable \*to keep their guys when they turn into big stars (that’s being constrained by a small market). Is confirmation bias at play here, as well as snark?
Note that they are also successful in October far beyond what “fucking luck” would predict. Four pennants and eight appearances in ten years. You can do the math.
I am very relieved, btw, not to have to hear McCarver yammer about The Big Trade all during the Series. Yes, there’s still a small detail for Boston to clear up, I know.
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