That’s why it surprised me. Their manager really knows better. WIth one out I could understand it (I think it might be one of the rare situations where an intentional walk leads to fewer expected runs allowed), but that was lunacy with two outs.
God I hate intentional walks. So, so often they blow up in your face.
The problem with the Phillies isn’t Bryce Harper. He’s not worth his contract, but he’s more than good enough to help a team win. The problem the Phillies had in 2019 is they couldn’t pitch.
In terms of what the manager can do about that, maybe not, but by all accounts the Gabe Kapler era (it was two seasons long) was very toxic BEFORE Bryce Harper showed up. I am pretty sure Gabe is the only active MLB manager in baseball history to be under FBI investigation for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and that’s not even the worst thing that’s come out about him.
The IBB to Soto made perfect sense and it worked, except Bregman booted the ball. Soto is their most dangerous hitter and putting him on first created a force at every base. A no-brainer for a team with no southpaws in the bullpen.
TIL that there is a MLB prospect named Henry Henry.
Having a force at every base isn’t much of an advantage with 2 outs. How many situations do you see where there is no play to first but there is a play at another base, especially with the runners going on contact?
But as Blank Slate pointed out, the walk was issued to Soto, the most dangerous and hottest hitter in the lineup. If Bregman makes the play (which should have been ruled an error), they’re out of the inning.
In answer to your question, how about a smash up the middle with the second baseman making a diving stop and flipping to the shortstop for the force? Or a ground ball to the hole on the right side fielded by the first baseman going to his right and throwing to second for the force, rather than having to stop, turn, and try to throw to the pitcher in stride for the out? I’m sure there are others, but I’ve definitely seen both of these.
Of course you have - but they don’t happen very often.
Game 2 drew a TV audience of about 12 million viewers, including streaming - one of the lowest Game 2s ever, and roughly a third of what one would have expected thirty or forty years ago.
I’d watch more of the Series if I didn’t have to stay up so damn late to do it. I just can’t burn the candle at both ends the way I could when I was in my 20s or 30s rather than my 60s.
Maybe if we weren’t playing baseball at the end of October there would be more viewers. For me, the hockey season is well under way (which does tend to make baseball seem a trifle…slow) and lots of people are into football. My friend was trying to watch the Astros game, the Stars game and Ohio State football last Friday, as an example. Baseball is a different kind of game and requires a different mind set; switching from hockey to baseball is not kind to baseball IMO. If the TV people and the league weren’t so greedy the season wouldn’t go on until it’s snowing and start up again while it’s still snowing.
At least they play a normal schedule in the WS, and not try to spread it out over like 3 months like the NBA Playoff bullshit.
I suspect that if the matchup had been Dodgers vs. Yankees, those figures would be higher.
Were I not a Nats fan, I would have shut it off and gone to bed. That broadcast team is insufferable. I mean, it’s the second inning, and they’re talking about football and their golf game. I’m gonna try to find a simultaneous radio broadcast tomorrow night.
I certainly agree about the broadcasters. In addition to the fox idiots being idiots, I also think it’s really sad that the people who call the games all season long have to sit in the audience when their team is playing in a world series.
I’d watch more if I didn’t work nights
I love the Nats’ radio broadcast team, so I’m fine just listening. My son and I are going to hang out near the ballpark on Saturday, just to soak up the atmosphere. I’m sure the area within a block or two of the stadium will be packed.
I’m still nervous about the outcome, especially since I was living in NY when the Yankees lost the first two games at home and came back to win. I was rooting for the Yankees then, though.
I raised an eyebrow at this hire, but then I remembered that whatever managerial hiring process Epstein/Hoyer have devised over the last 15 years netted them Francona and Maddon. They’ve made mistakes but in this particular department I think they get the benefit of the doubt. It’ll be interesting, anyway.
And the Astros have sacrificed a goat named Brandon Taubman on the altar of the unemployment line, a few days too late, in order to reverse their fortunes. Of course, they then followed it up with more stupid, tone-deaf statements by Jeff Luhnow. Their PR strategy, if it can be called that, cannot get out of its own way.
Do you know if there’s a way I can stream their broadcast? I’m in the Boston area.
Try the MLB app, although I don’t know if it works without a subscription or not.
It’ll be interesting to see how Ross handles it. I’ve heard that Maddon’s final straw was the zoo atmosphere around a big dollar Trump fundraiser held at Wrigley by Ricketts during the dog days of August. And, the Cubs always end up getting used a punching bag in the rough and tumble world of Chicago politics. No one is going to be blaming Maddon for destroying a neighborhood or creating white privilege in an area for people to be free of gun violence while he’s with the Angels.
So Joe Girardi has the Philly’s job. I would call this another loss for the Mets. I await their hire.
Lamoral:
The Nets winning ANYTHING would be interesting, for damn sure.
I suspect that’s part of it, yeah. Games going really long and late doesn’t help, either, and of course there’s more to watch these days.
I would be fine with MLB reducing the length of the regular season, either by cutting out games or holding doubleheaders on a regular basis - both have obvious drawbacks and would require other changes, but, meh, whatever.
No doubt, but even then the ratings would be nowhere near what they used to be. Last year we had a Boston-LA series, two of the biggest markets in baseball, and for like games (the series only went 5 so you have to compare Game 1 to other Game 1s, Game 2 to other Game 2s, etc.) it was one of the least watched World Series ever.
If you look at the ratings, what fascinates me is this; the San Francisco Giants are ratings poison. I don’t know why, but their presence in a World Series chases fans away.
Equally, the all time highs are puzzling. Here are the most-watched WS games by game number:
Game 1 - Detroit-San Diego in 1984
Game 2 - Toronto-Philadelphia in 1993
Game 3 - Minnesota-St. Louis in 1987,
Game 4 - Kansas City-St. Louis in 1985
Game 5 - Los Angeles-Oakland in 1988
Game 6 - New York Mets-Boston in 1986
Game 7 - New York Mets-Boston in 1986
Games 6 and 7 make sense to me, but 1-5 aren’t generally what I would call marquee matchups, especially Game 2, as the ratings data I am pulling is only the USA, and the massive Canadian audience isn’t being counted.
The AVERAGE record is 1978, Yankees-Dodgers, which does makes a lot of sense.
Something that I find endlessly fascinating is how big, purportedly professional organizations keep screwing this up. Half assed denials are even worse than intentional walks in blowing up in your face. When a company is hit by a PR torpedo, it is ALWAYS better to take a breath, spend a day or two doing a real investigation to be fully acquainted with the facts, and then take complete responsibility and apologize profusely. When you deny deny deny no one believes you anyway and it’s ten times worse in the end.
The Astros are now on their third different statement in less than a week and the apology in the third statement now rings hollow because everyone thinks, justifiably, that it was wrung out of them, and the Astros are now regarded as a bunch of goddamned assholes. Had they shut the hell up for a day or two (or said “We are looking into this”) and then published one clear statement apologizing for what happened and stating specific corrective action, they would look like professionals and could have cast Taubman as a lone wolf. Instead, millions of fans think less of them, MLB is pissed at them, and they’ve lost the trust of the sports media.