This year’s Dodgers were a juggernaut of a team. From the starting pitching to the bullpen to the batting lineup, they were impressive. They’ll be back next year, and they’ll be very strong.
From the optimism files: my recent recollection is that the Royals lost in 2014 and won in 2015. Any other teams manage that feat, in that order, in consecutive World Series?
I’m aware of all of that, and I’m not saying that there isn’t plenty of blame to go around. But when I look back at these two late acquisitions, I simply don’t think they made our team better in any way. Darvish had a great start in the NLCS and Granderson hit a grand slam during one of his first games with us. Besides that, absolutely nothing.
Bottom line - The Dodgers, as good as they played in the postseason, were playing better baseball before we got these guys. Their record to that point was nothing short of astonishing. We tacked on, what, 14 losses in a row after getting Grandy. I don’t think we had more than 2 or 3 losses in a row up to that point. Then we stopped winning for two whole weeks. I said it back then and I’ll say it again - it disrupted the entire chemistry of the team. We eventually got it back together, and then relied on an outsider to bring us to victory. It simply didn’t work.
The two other most recent examples are:
Yankees, 1976-1977
Orioles, 1969-1970
My quick research turned up the 1988-89 Athletics, who were the last to accomplish this feat.
You’re right, of course. Don’t know how i missed that.
By my count, it’s happened 14 times, [del]5[/del] 6 times (corrected) by the Yankees. I think this is the complete list.
2014-2015 Royals
1988-1989 Athletics
1976-1977 Yankees
1969-1970 Orioles
1960-1961 Yankees
1955-1956 Yankees
1943-1944 Cardinals
1942-1943 Yankees
1939-1940 Reds
1934-1935 Tigers
1930-1931 Cardinals
1926-1927 Yankees
1922-1923 Yankees
1906-1907 Cubs
Thanks, folks. Eight different teams having done it. That’s not too bad. We’re due!
Yeah, I don’t buy it.
The team was simply playing over its head - no one is really that good - and the arrival of Granderson coincided with a flukely losing streak. The thing is, the losing streak was irrelevant. It had no impact on the outcome of the season in any way; they still finished first, and the first seed.
These are professional athletes; the presence of two different veterans, neither known for being disruptive assholes, wouldn’t have an effect on their play. They just hit a skid, which happens, and it really amounted to nothing. After the 11-game losing streak (not 14) it was over they went 22-11, including the playoffs when they went 10-4 playing only against excellent teams.
a 40 carat black diamond necklace? tiffany?
I believe you need to add the 57-58 Yankees in there too–lost to Milwaukee and then beat them the next year.
Thank you. I will put it on my xmas list. And dream.
Well, harmonicamoon, if you had taken your prediction about the Astros to Vegas around the middle of the Red Sox series, you might have made enough to buy that necklace for yourself.
Going back a while but Tony Larussa’s Oakland A’s lost WS in 1988 and won in 1989.
Edit: Sorry, looks like someone beat me to it. Too lazy to look but didn’t the Yankees lose in 1976 against the Reds and win in 1977 against the Dodgers?
There have also been teams that lost in the playoffs and came back to win the next year. Yankees lost in 1995, won the WS in 1996. Lost the playoffs in 1997, won the WS in 1998-2000. Boston lost the ALCS in 2003, won the WS in 2004. Cardinals lost NLCS in 2005, won the WS in 2006.
Darvish is still a good pitcher for the right team, against the right team. Houston was the last team he should have been pitching against as a starter. I could see using Darvish in the post-season and in game 3 just to see if he could give the staff a few innings. Roberts’ decisions were generally good ones but the decision to start Darvish last night was one he shouldn’t have made.
As for Granderson, he’s a total non-factor except for the money that was spent on him. But he’s not the reason the lineup couldn’t score with runners in scoring position. Whatever hexes he brought to the team were certainly solved in the NL playoffs. The fact is that Houston was just a little better where it really mattered, which was driving runners in with runners in scoring position and making big plays on defense.
turns out they are not super expensive…Black Diamond Bead Necklaces and Pendants
picture 3 looks very like mcculler’s. or many trips to crater of diamond park in arkansas to dig up your own diamonds.
Thank you rocking chair. The pictures just don’t sparkle like on TV.
I have been thinking about them. If I wore one, I would probably get mugged.
But, they are beautiful.