I don’t think there’s really any reason to think teams get rusty that fast.
Well, I’ll be darned… actually, to my surprise, on October 5, 1996, all four division series ended. The Cardinals and Braves completed sweeps of the Padres and Dodgers, respectively (bad day for SoCal baseball) and the Orioles and Yankees beat the Indians and Rangers in Game 4 of their series. I’d never have guessed that.
There have been two other years it could have happened, in 1999 and 2012, but did not.
I am mildly surprised it doesn’t happen more; in the latter stages of the DS you will usually have a day where all four series are scheduled to go, two for Game 4 and two for Game 5, which are all elimination games. It just hardly ever lines up. It might just be me - I didn’t actually keep track as I was going through the records - but it feels like sweeps are more common than you would expect.
If it’s true, it could be because the Division Series is seeded, unlike the other two rounds, in which there is only one possible match up. Since the team with the best record usually plays the one with the worst record (with some exceptions since the Wild Card can have a better record than a division winner), there is more of an opportunity for a big mismatch between teams.
I guess the record speaks for itself. But, I like the way Maybin looks on the field and at the plate. And he seems to have a positive influence on the team. With all the talent on the Yankee team, it will be hard for Maybin to get a foot in the door. But, I am rooting for him.
Again, l thank you for your answer. The MLB group on this MB seems to be rather clicky for a rookie like me. And I appreciate your response.
I just turned it on and missed the whole first inning fiasco. Holy crap, they walk in two runs and end it with a wild pitch/strike three for a tenth run? What did the Braves eat?
The Dodgers are the better team, but go Nats. The team with the most talent doesn’t always win. If they don’t win this one it won’t upset me as much as the other four NLDS losses, just because they had to overcome so much just to make it this far.
So, a question. In the NL, could the visiting team bat the pitcher’s spot first and begin the game with a bench player batting in that spot, and then sub in the starting pitcher for the bottom of the first?
Now that I’ve thought about it more, the only real effect is to have the pitcher be the 10th, 19th, 28th, etc batter instead of the 9th, 18th, 27th, etc. That may not be worth trading a bench player for.
My pleasure. And there can’t be too much baseball talk around here as far as I’m concerned. I love Maybin; he’s one of the guys who saved the Yankees season. Having Stanton and Maybin split the position is working pretty well so I expect it to continue in the ALCS.
As for the Rays, they’re a damn good team, and they were last season too. I fully expect Cole and the Astros to prevail tomorrow night, but with their pitching, they have a chance. Can’t wait to see this one.
Yeah, teams carry so much pitching these days that you really don’t want to sacrifice a bench player so early in the game. Especially if he’s some utility guy that you might want to sub in later in the game.
Rule 5.10 (f) says:
The pitcher named in the batting order handed the umpire-in-chief, as provided in Rules 4.02(a) and 4.02(b), shall pitch to the first batter or any substitute batter until such batter is put out or reaches first base, unless the pitcher sustains injury or illness which, in the judgment of the umpire-in-chief, incapacitates him from pitching.
