# MLB. And here comes the Post Season! **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 29, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171 "2016-09-29T00:43:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/201 "2016-10-08T06:32:27Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > [Bill Murray at Wrigley](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CuNb8I4WEAAe2f2.jpg:large) > > 🙂 I literally LOLd for about one minute!. :D:D:D ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/202 "2016-10-08T06:41:21Z")
Dodgers won! Giants lost. A good day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/203 "2016-10-08T07:55:58Z")
I was shocked to find out that of the last 22 100+ win teams, only 2 won the World Series. I like the baseball playoffs, but that hardly seems fair. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/204 "2016-10-08T11:10:26Z")
> [@Club\_33](#): > > Kershaw wasn’t particularly good tonight, but we pulled it off anyway. Can’t really complain. > > Go Dodgers! That’s a terrible sign if you’re a Nats fan. Kershaw will probably be lights out if there’s a game 5. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/205 "2016-10-08T11:13:01Z")
Cubs out-Gianted the Giants, winning a tight low-scoring ballgame, which is what the Giants usually do to their opponents. Lester’s performance a good sign for the Cubbies. Ideally, if the Cubs can close it out in, say, 4 games (3’s probably asking a lot) then they can set their rotation up for the NLCS. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Still two big wins left. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/206 "2016-10-08T11:17:14Z")
> [@russian\_heel](#): > > I was shocked to find out that of the last 22 100+ win teams, only 2 won the World Series. I like the baseball playoffs, but that hardly seems fair. Me too, that was a surprise. I think it was John Smoltz who was saying he’d work to restructure the MLB postseason, because for example a team having five strong pitchers on their staff and having had a great regular season, that advantage is diminished in a 5 game series. They’ll carry only three of their five starters. Of course, someone like Smoltz (or Glavine or Maddux) would say that. Those great Braves teams of the 1990s won only one World Series. With significant contributions from Mark Lemke. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/207 "2016-10-08T18:07:06Z")
The postseason is a different kind of test than the regular season–the teams that are best by one measure are not necessarily best by the other. This is both necessary and desirable. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/208 "2016-10-08T19:14:11Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > That’s a terrible sign if you’re a Nats fan. Kershaw will probably be lights out if there’s a game 5. I guess. I understand that it’s fun, when talking about sports, to make predictions, but it seems to me that predictions like this are literally little more than an exercise in fun. They don’t really have much analytical significance. Firstly, it seems pretty safe, on any given day in any given year, to predict that Clayton Kershaw will be “lights out.” He’s one of the greatest pitchers of this era, or any era in baseball. He’s won the Cy Young three times, he’s been in the top three votes on two other occasions, and he’s won an MVP award, all before his 28th birthday. He won’t be in contention for an award this year, but that’s largely because he missed two whole months of the season. That means his cumulative stats like Wins and WAR and K’s are not as good as they would be for a full season. But if you look at his non-cumulative stats like ERA, FIP, WHIP, and K/9, he was at least as good this year as he was in his MVP seasons. Hell, his 2016 WAR, when he missed about 10 starts, is less than one game lower than his WAR in 2011, when he won the Cy Young. He could also be crap in Game 5. Because while awesome pitchers tend to pitch awesomely more often than not, there is always the possibility of a bad day. And there’s no real way to predict that. It also seems to me that your first sentence is somewhat contradicted by your second. That is, while Kershaw might (or might not) be lights out in Game 5, i don’t think that would be terrible news for Nats supporters at all. This is because, in their current situation, simply getting to Game 5 would be absolutely excellent news for Nats supporters. They are currently down 0-1 in a 5-game series. This means that they need to win three of their next four games. That’s a difficult thing to do. If you asked a Nats fan (or a Nats team member or manager, for that matter), which of the following two scenarios do you think they would prefer? Scenario 1: tied 2-2 in the series, and preparing to face Kershaw in Game 5 in Washington. Scenario 2: down 0-1 in the series, and preparing to try and win 3 games out of 4, with two games in Los Angeles. If they have any understanding of how the odds of winning actually work, this is a no-brainer. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/209 "2016-10-08T21:02:36Z")
With today’s game rained out, that gives Kershaw another day of rest between starts, which means he could pitch Game 4 in LA if necessary. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/210 "2016-10-08T21:07:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > With today’s game rained out, that gives Kershaw another day of rest between starts, which means he could pitch Game 4 in LA if necessary. I thought they were only moving today’s game and keeping the others as scheduled (no travel day)…which would not affect Kershaw’s availability for a start. No? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/211 "2016-10-08T21:14:04Z")
The rained out game has been moved to Sunday and there will be no travel day. So, nothing changes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/212 "2016-10-08T22:10:53Z")
Oh, well. It isn’t going to go past 3 anyway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/213 "2016-10-09T02:45:26Z")
Travis Wood has hit only the second home run by a relief pitcher in baseball postseason history. Hasn’t happened since 1924. Let’s hope Hendricks is OK. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/214 "2016-10-09T02:54:27Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Travis Wood has hit only the second home run by a relief pitcher in baseball postseason history. Hasn’t happened since 1924. A little embarrassing for the TV producers, who went to a taped interview with Bruce Bochy when Wood came up to bat. “Well, it’s a relief pitcher hitting,” they evidently said to themselves, “nothing of significance will happen,” and then WHAM. You’d think someone would have pulled the plug on the tape the moment the ball was last sighted heading for the stands. But apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/215 "2016-10-09T03:07:25Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > A little embarrassing for the TV producers, who went to a taped interview with Bruce Bochy when Wood came up to bat. What?! No excuse for that, regardless of game situation or batter. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/216 "2016-10-09T03:12:50Z")
Yeah, that was pretty bad. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/217 "2016-10-09T03:29:12Z")
I don’t see how the Giants win the series now. They’ve scored a total of 5 runs in three post-season games. Madbum to save the season on Monday, which he could, but even if he does, Cubs have major mojo. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/218 "2016-10-09T04:48:31Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I don’t see how the Giants win the series now. They’ve scored a total of 5 runs in three post-season games. Madbum to save the season on Monday, which he could, but even if he does, Cubs have major mojo. The odds are certainly long. > [@](#): > > In the history of best-of-five postseason series in baseball – i.e., the Division Series format and the old LCS setup – 72 teams have started out down 0-2. Here’s what happened to those 72 teams … > > - 43 times the team down 0-2 got swept. > - 20 times the team down 0-2 lost the series without getting swept. > - Nine times the team down 0-2 came back to win the series. But… > [@](#): > > It must be said, though, that the Giants have powered through before under similar circumstances, and not in the sepia-toned days of yore. For instance, the Giants during this even-year dynasty thing have won nine straight elimination games. Nine straight! That dates back to the 2012 NLDS against the Reds. Know what happened in that series? The Giants came back from down 0-2 to beat the Reds in five. What’s more, they won Games 3 and 4 in Cincinnati with Ryan Vogelsong and Barry Zito as their respective starters. \*\*Keepin’ the faith. _DON’T STOP **BELI** EVEN_!!! ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/219 "2016-10-09T04:50:31Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > A little embarrassing for the TV producers, who went to a taped interview with Bruce Bochy when Wood came up to bat. It happens. Not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171/220 "2016-10-09T05:12:24Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > It happens. Not a big deal. It doesn’t “happen.” They did it. Stupidly, pointlessly, they decided to put something else up there instead of the actual live postseason baseball in progress. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-and-here-comes-the-post-season/767171.md?page=12)