# MLB Playoffs 2018: Who Wins It All? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 30, 2018, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203 "2018-09-30T04:36:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/81 "2018-10-10T03:13:30Z")
I guess the Sox think Sale will be fine to go Saturday even while pitching an inning today. Jeez, they have a three run lead. But it looks like the move is going to work for Boston. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/82 "2018-10-10T03:35:17Z")
Maybe Sale should have gone two innings? That was really bad from Kimbrel. But enough to win. Should be a fun series start Saturday. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/83 "2018-10-10T03:39:26Z")
Oh, and this picture is how close the Yankees came to keeping the inning alive. [https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpHfxL8XcAA2NIg.jpg:large](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DpHfxL8XcAA2NIg.jpg:large) Torres didn’t miss being safe by much. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/84 "2018-10-10T11:57:22Z")
If Angel Hernandez had been at first last night he would have called Torres safe. There would have been a riot after the call was overturned. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/85 "2018-10-10T12:15:14Z")
A win is a win, but, Lord, that doesn’t bode well for the next series. Enjoying beating NY, will worry about that on Saturday. ---
**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 10, 2018, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/86 "2018-10-10T13:49:27Z")
Whew, that Kimbrell meltdown was tough to watch knowing that 1) Sale had already been used; 2) there is nobody throwing in the bullpen; 3) Kimbrell made things interesting back in game 1 by giving up a HR to Judge. I have to question if he can be trusted in the ALCS. Workman should have been at least getting ready in the pen and I would have yanked Kimbrell maybe after Voit walked, definitely after he hit Walker. Oh well, it’s a victory and it’s Yankee Elimination Day. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/87 "2018-10-10T13:59:39Z")
Kimbrel simply hasn’t pitched enough to stay sharp since, oh, mid-September, and it shows. He has to let a few guys get on before the rust comes off. That’s going to be a problem in the ALCS, especially with Game 1 not until Saturday. However, the off days mean Price, Rodriguez, and Eovaldi can all be available out of the bullpen this weekend (assuming Sale and Porcello will start), and they can cover the 7th and 8th. Price is especially motivated to redeem himself. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/88 "2018-10-10T14:18:30Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Kimbrel simply hasn’t pitched enough to stay sharp since, oh, mid-September, and it shows. I don’t think that’s it. He has a history of crapping the bed at times, and he needs to be on a short hook if things are going south. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/89 "2018-10-10T14:26:03Z")
Kimbrel pitched 9.1 innings in September, in which he struck out 15 men, walked six, but allowed just one hit in the entire month. A couple of bad games doesn’t mean a lot. Things can be scary in the playoffs but the propensity of people to go completely gorilla-shit is truly bizarre. Today CNN had the headline that the Yankees need to “Fix the entire roster,” a conclusion based on them losing three games to an absolutely awesome opponent. Remember, this is a club that went 100-62. You can’t fix THAT much on a 100-win team. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/90 "2018-10-10T17:52:26Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > You can’t fix THAT much on a 100-win team. And when you try, the result is apt to be a 90-win team. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/91 "2018-10-10T17:55:42Z")
Kimbrel needs to quit trying to be fancy and get back to basics. No more trying to paint corners, just fire gas to set up the curve. Keep it simple. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/92 "2018-10-10T17:58:52Z")
That is one weird looking stance he gets into when he’s getting signals from the catcher. ---
**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 10, 2018, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/93 "2018-10-10T19:47:00Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Kimbrel pitched 9.1 innings in September, in which he struck out 15 men, walked six, but allowed just one hit in the entire month. A couple of bad games doesn’t mean a lot. > > Things can be scary in the playoffs but the propensity of people to go completely gorilla-shit is truly bizarre. Today CNN had the headline that the Yankees need to “Fix the entire roster,” a conclusion based on them losing three games to an absolutely awesome opponent. Remember, this is a club that went 100-62. You can’t fix THAT much on a 100-win team. If he had just given up a couple hits, I probably wouldn’t have been too concerned. But when it’s control problems you know things can go off the rails in a hurry. Two walks and a HPB do not make me feel warm and fuzzy. As for the Yankees, I think they’re disappointed with what they got out of Stanton. And as a Red Sox fan I’m thinking, whew bullet dodged! Because I wanted him over JD Martinez. And he wasn’t terrible, but I think they thought he’d be better. And they’re disappointed in Sanchez. But otherwise, the offense is fine. They could add a starting pitcher, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/94 "2018-10-11T13:44:17Z")
I guess I am not sure what the Yankees thought they were getting. Stanton hit 38 home runs, after all; he was one of the best players on the team, and stayed healthy, which historically has been his biggest problem. If the Yanks were expecting him to hit 59 home runs again - well, they can’t have been. I know a lot of fans were cheerily talking about how he and Judge would hit 100, 120 homers together, but fans are fans. Their front office cannot have been stupid enough to not know that 2017 was the outlier season. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/95 "2018-10-11T14:10:34Z")
Check out the final chart in [this article](https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-astros-gave-the-indians-an-all-time-beating/). So out of 308 playoff series, in looking at the greatest OPS differential between teams, 3 (of the 4) series from this year make the top 7 all time. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/96 "2018-10-11T16:07:44Z")
> [@Covfefe](#): > > Check out the final chart in [this article](https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-astros-gave-the-indians-an-all-time-beating/). So out of 308 playoff series, in looking at the greatest OPS differential between teams, 3 (of the 4) series from this year make the top 7 all time. I’m about as far from a baseball stat nerd as you can get but I still found that article very interesting. Thank you for sharing it. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/97 "2018-10-11T18:13:46Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > According to [this reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/baseball/comments/3png24/what_are_the_biggest_blowouts_in_postseason/), it was 23-7, Red Sox over the Indians in the 1999 ALDS. It is. In looking at all time playoff blowouts one of my favourite facts is that one of the 15-run blowouts was 1996 NLCS Game 7: Braves 15, Cardinals 0. and one of the rare 14-run blowouts was… 1996 NLCS Game 5: Braves 14, Cardinals 0. ---
**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 11, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/98 "2018-10-11T20:26:57Z")
In the 1960 World Series, the Yankees won game two 16-3, game three 10-0 and game six 12-0. The Pirates won the series. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/99 "2018-10-11T20:44:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The Wild Card rules gave the Giants a World Series in 2014, so it evened out. > > The 2014 Giants remain the only team to ever beat four teams in the postseason, which is a cool thing to be able to say. If the Brewers win they could technically say the same thing. The “who-wants-the-division game” against the Cubs wasn’t technically playoff baseball, but it also technically WASN’T playoff baseball ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203/100 "2018-10-11T21:32:22Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The Wild Card rules gave the Giants a World Series in 2014, so it evened out. > > The 2014 Giants remain the only team to ever beat four teams in the postseason, which is a cool thing to be able to say. Nitpick: Technically, the Royals also beat four teams in the 2014 postseason, as they beat the Giants 3 times in the World Series. Previously, they won the AL WC game over Oakland, then swept the Angels and Orioles in the ALDS and ALCS. But the 2014 Giants remain the only team to _eliminate_ four teams in the postseason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-playoffs-2018-who-wins-it-all/822203.md?page=6)