# MLB: October 2017 — Welcome to the Postseason **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 1, 2017, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735 "2017-10-01T15:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/461 "2017-10-26T14:22:14Z")
As has been noted, it’s not unusual at all to have a Dodger starter pulled before or during his third time around a lineup, especially in a game where his spot in the batting order is coming up and they’re short on runs. The bullpen has been excellent at managing for five innings. Asking six outs of Kenley is an awful lot, though, particularly against that offense. As for Maeda, he has been groomed specifically to face righties, and he came in during a stretch of five consecutive righties in the Astros’ order. Per the formula, he eas going to leave after that no matter how well he was pitching. Again, it usually works. In an ideal world, Ross Stripling would have pitched the 7th and left Morrow and Jansen with an inning apiece. But Stripling really hasn’t been effective at ALL since August, and I was not happy he was brought in. His brief appearance was a costly one. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/462 "2017-10-26T15:09:19Z")
Girardi is reportedly out as Yankees manager. > **[Yankees decide not to bring back Joe Girardi as manager](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/yankees-decide-not-to-bring-back-joe-girardi-as-manager/)** > > Girardi's contract expired after the season and he's said to want to spend more time with his family ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/463 "2017-10-26T15:16:45Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > Girardi is reportedly out as Yankees manager. > > [Yankees decide not to bring back Joe Girardi as manager - CBSSports.com](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/yankees-manager-joe-girardi-reportedly-agree-to-part-ways-after-10-seasons/) Not sure how I feel about this. I want Brian Cashman back as the highest priority. I know I mentioned that earlier. Girardi is a good manager, who seemed to get a lot out of teams but he is also frustrating at times of course. My biggest worry is who is in the candidate pool to replace him? In the end, it will probably be a by the book and by the numbers guy. Gut feel managers have gone the way of the dinosaur anyway. [del]My understanding is this is Joe’s decision and he’ll be stepping away for a few years in theory.[/del] ETA: And the [Daily News is reporting](http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/yankees/joe-girardi-steps-manager-yankees-article-1.3589431) that is was the Yankees decision. Color me surprised if correct. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/464 "2017-10-26T15:29:38Z")
If the Nats have any sense, they’ll jump on him. Which reminds me, don’t be surprised if Dusty Baker goes to the Bronx. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/465 "2017-10-26T15:32:47Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > If the Nats have any sense, they’ll jump on him. > > Which reminds me, don’t be surprised if Dusty Baker goes to the Bronx. I would be shocked. I’m sure he would love it but I am not very impressed with Baker overall. I think if George was alive, you would be right, but with Hal running the show, I would guess it won’t be Dusty. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/466 "2017-10-26T15:46:12Z")
There isn’t a chance in hell it will be Dusty Baker. John Farrell, perhaps? Just kidding, but as **What Exit** said, it’s not going to be an old school, seat of the pants manager like Baker. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/467 "2017-10-26T16:10:43Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The commentators were saying that Hill is almost never allowed to go through the lineup more than twice. He’s only faced the same batter three times in the same game once. > > Whether that makes sense or not I can’t say, but that’s the reason they gave. And the Dodgers trust their bullpen enough to use that strategy. > > And it did nearly work. Yeah, given the information provided in this thread, it did not necessarily seem like a completely bone-headed move like when Maddon took out Kyle Hendricks in the fifth with the Cubs Game 7 WS last year. I mean, it all somehow worked out in the end, but, as a Cubs fan, boy was I fucking pissed at the game management. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/468 "2017-10-26T16:12:01Z")
There rarely seems to be a manager who resists the urge to overmanage in the Series. Roberts is not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/469 "2017-10-26T19:51:16Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > There rarely seems to be a manager who resists the urge to overmanage in the Series. Roberts is not one of them. The trouble is, if he leaves the pitcher in, and the pitcher gets hit hard the next inning, then everyone castigates him for not having the stones to yank the pitcher earlier. I think it’s a pretty no-win situation, managing. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/470 "2017-10-27T00:25:46Z")
Seems crazy to dump Girardi when he’s obviously doing something right with the talent he has. Hopefully the Yankees hire the next Jimy Williams. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/471 "2017-10-27T00:32:22Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Seems crazy to dump Girardi when he’s obviously doing something right with the talent he has. Hopefully the Yankees hire the next Jimy Williams. I think it’s going to Rom Thomson or Al Pedrique. Cashman probably knows already and fired Girardi accordingly. Perhaps there will be an actual interviewing process, but I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/472 "2017-10-27T02:01:03Z")
I think Tony Pena deserves a shot. Whoever gets it, I hope they get to carry more position players and fewer pitchers next year. How many times in late innings has there not been a decent bat on the bench? Too many. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/473 "2017-10-27T12:33:33Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Seems crazy to dump Girardi when he’s obviously doing something right with the talent he has. Looks like N.Y. followed Boston down the path of “what have you done for me lately”, dumping good, classy but understated baseball guys in favor of the new hot hire (with a probable short life span). Sports Illustrated has a story suggesting that Girardi just wasn’t right for today’s analytics-driven game. Wasn’t it the GM and staff who were supposed to handle that? > [@](#): > > Hopefully the Yankees hire the next Jimy Williams. I hear Bobby Valentine is available. It’d be nice to see Terry Francona win it all in 2018. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/474 "2017-10-27T19:41:00Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Looks like N.Y. followed Boston down the path of “what have you done for me lately”, dumping good, classy but understated baseball guys in favor of the new hot hire (with a probable short life span). > > Sports Illustrated has a story suggesting that Girardi just wasn’t right for today’s analytics-driven game. I don’t understand this. I’m analytically minded, and my analysis shows that the AVERAGE Girardi team went 91-71, and that is ten years he won more games than any other manager. Analytically speaking, it was very unlikely the Yankees would win 91 games this year, and yet they did. Analyzing the facts, it appears to me his Yankee teams never had a losing record, even in a few years they really should have. I’ve no idea how they won 84 games LAST year. I’m just, you know, going by the numbers and all that, but the Yankees under Girardi had a higher winning percentage in the playoffs than they did in regular season play. What was the guy hired to do that he was not doing? ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/475 "2017-10-27T20:14:35Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > If the Nats have any sense, they’ll jump on him. > > Which reminds me, don’t be surprised if Dusty Baker goes to the Bronx. I’d be stunned if the Yankees hired Baker. There could not be a more wrong guy for that job. He was wrong for the Nats job, too. I’ve said it before, Dusty is a guy who can take a team from bad to pretty good, but he can’t seem to take good teams to championships. ETA: I do agree that Girardi would be great for Washington. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/476 "2017-10-27T20:38:53Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I don’t understand this. I’m analytically minded, and my analysis shows that the AVERAGE Girardi team went 91-71, and that is ten years he won more games than any other manager. Analytically speaking, it was very unlikely the Yankees would win 91 games this year, and yet they did. Analyzing the facts, it appears to me his Yankee teams never had a losing record, even in a few years they really should have. I’ve no idea how they won 84 games LAST year. I’m just, you know, going by the numbers and all that, but the Yankees under Girardi had a higher winning percentage in the playoffs than they did in regular season play. > > What was the guy hired to do that he was not doing? I think [Teix summed it up well](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mark-teixeira-says-girardi-was-let-go-because-yankees-need-a-better-communicator/). Basically Girardi is being replaced for a better communicator and someone a bit younger that will relate better to all the kids and someone that will follow the analytics even closer. I think Joe did an very good job and won’t be easy to replace but he did seem to manage very tight this year and he is a fairly poor communicator to the press and by reports upstairs within the organization also. I think it will be hard to replace him and someone like Dusty would be a disaster. Expect to see someone that Cashman already has ties with. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/477 "2017-10-27T20:59:21Z")
Maybe Geraldi will be working for Derek Jeter? ---
**Author:** ![Club\_33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@Club\_33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Club_33)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/478 "2017-10-28T04:10:29Z")
Well, Darvish certainly didn’t shine tonight. Nor did our 3 and 4 hitters who are cold as ice. Better turn it around quick boys in blue, if you want to play more games at Chavez this year. Completely disgusted. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2017, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/479 "2017-10-28T04:23:49Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I wouldn’t be surprised if they piggy-back the four non-Keuchel/Verlander starters by design - pitch McCullers third and tell him to get into the sixth inning, then bring in Brad Peacock; then do the same with Morton and Collin McHugh. So that was the McCullers/Peacock piggy-back; look for Collin McHugh in the sixth inning tomorrow. ---
**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 28, 2017, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735/480 "2017-10-28T06:46:48Z")
The contrast between the managers and their handling of their pitching staffs is interesting. Hinch rode McCullers and Peacock a while each, and then Roberts used six pitchers, Darvish, Maeda, Watson, Morrow, Cingrani, and Stripling. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-october-2017-welcome-to-the-postseason/797735.md?page=25)