# MLB: September/October Regular Season 2022 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [September 1, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738 "2022-09-01T16:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/101 "2022-09-11T01:12:23Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Cleveland & Minnesota are in a dogfight for the Central. I–a Cubs fan no less–was gonna comment when this was initially posted, as the White Sox were not far behind (I think 3 gb, IIRC, someone check the stats), and still in the dogfight, but now they’re just a game behind the Guardians, and a game and a half up on Minnesota. It’s gonna be a dogfight between the three of them in this shitty, shitty division. Sox are now at around 37% to win the division. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/102 "2022-09-11T01:58:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > It’s gonna be a dogfight between the three of them in this shitty, shitty division. Point taken. I looked back at my post from just 10 days ago, and there are certainly changes. Braves are tied with the Mets. Yankees are still holding on over the Rays. Orioles slipping out of the WC race. Astros and Dodgers are locks for their divisions and the Cards still looking tough to win theirs. 3 teams fighting for the 3 WC spots in the AL, while Phillies and Padres are tied for the last 2 NL WC spots. Brewers slipping away as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/103 "2022-09-11T02:18:09Z")
Albert Pujols hits homer #696 to tie A-Rod for fourth all-time. > ---
**Author:** ![omenran](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omenran/32/3318_2.png) [@omenran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omenran)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/104 "2022-09-11T08:06:40Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Off-topic, I want to rant a bit about the rule for winning pitcher. It’s a convoluted and awkward thing now, but it probably made a lot more sense when it was put into the rule book and revised into it’s current form. Building off rules and how a game was played 160 or so years ago doesn’t make for a very logical or consistently organized set of rules. Most people who care about stats have long dismissed pitcher wins as meaningful, imo. As your example shows, it’s not so much about a pitchers performance as the teams.And fortunately contracts have seemed to move away from wins as a metric for pitchers. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/105 "2022-09-11T18:17:35Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > When a pitcher started a game in the 1940s, he was expected to finish it. The announcers would always preach how the pitcher had to learn to pace himself. Then along came dedicated relievers like Jim Konstanty who pitched in half of the Phillies games in their pennant-winning 1950 season and the game started changing, not for the better. Even in the 1940s, more than half of all games didn’t see the starter finish the game. I am not entirely sure why having relief pitchers is bad. It definitely means you’re getting higher quality pitching; there is very little argument to the contrary. Starting pitcher effectiveness falls off very rapidly once they face batters for the third time. Relief pitcher has given us a lot of unforgettable stars, too - Mariano Rivera, Goose Gossage, Dan Quisenberry, Tug McGraw, Tom Henke, Trevor Hoffman. How can one watch the Edwin Diaz entrance and not think that’s the coolest goddamn thing ever? Having a huge, huge number of relief pitchers might be bad though, and I do like the fact MLB now limits how many pitchers you can have at one time. In a few years I think they should reduce it again by one. ---
**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:** [September 11, 2022, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/106 "2022-09-11T23:59:52Z")
Yanks bought themselves a little breathing room winning the series over the Twins and then especially the Rays. A good time to go 5-2. Maybe the offense is awake again with the returning players. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/107 "2022-09-12T00:44:23Z")
Pujols hits #697 and incidentally keeps the Cardinals from losing two out of three to Pittsburgh. > **[With homer No. 697, Pujols wins another game for Cardinals, expands his legacy](https://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/with-homer-no-697-pujols-wins-another-game-for-cardinals-expands-his-legacy/article_94416723-b6d9-57ba-b303-c93c91648354.html#tracking-source=home-top-story)** > > After Pujols rallies Cardinals past Pirates, MVP candidate Goldschmidt says, 'Best hitter I've ever seen.' ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/108 "2022-09-12T01:40:10Z")
The Dodgers today became the first team to clinch a playoff berth. The magic number to clinch the division over the Padres is 2. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/109 "2022-09-12T04:11:23Z")
> **[Dodgers Reach Ludicrous Winning Feat Not Seen In 52 years](https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/dodgers-reach-ludicrous-winning-feat-not-seen-in-52-years/ar-AA11I0L4?ocid=MSNHP_U646&pc=U646&cvid=e5a992d629f04a6cbcd6525a0ca51ef4)** > > The Dodgers are in the midst of a historic run of dominance. They are about to set the franchise record for wins in a season and... So pretty much the series is theirs to lose … ---
**Author:** ![Chingon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chingon/32/17645_2.png) [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/110 "2022-09-12T13:00:02Z")
I mean they’ll be favorites, but let’s not crown them yet. The mariners know all about that, as do the dodgers and giants from last season. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/111 "2022-09-12T16:23:41Z")
> [@nightshadea](#): > > So pretty much the series is theirs to lose [YARN | Well, let’s not start suckin’ each other’s dicks quite yet. | Pulp Fiction | Video clips by quotes | 5382dd61 | 紗 (getyarn.io)](https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/5382dd61-8bbd-4d64-833f-783e0f1bb69d) ---
**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:** [September 12, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/112 "2022-09-12T16:36:45Z")
> [@Chingon](#): > > I mean they’ll be favorites, but let’s not crown them yet. Yeah, turns out the Dodgers haven’t even clinched a postseason appearance yet. > **[MLB error means Dodgers haven't clinched berth](https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34578975/los-angeles-dodgers-clinched-postseason-berth-yet-mlb-cites-mistake)** > > MLB, citing an internal error in determining the postseason clinching scenarios, announced that the Dodgers had not yet secured a playoff berth as of Monday morning. ---
**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:** [September 12, 2022, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/113 "2022-09-12T17:54:23Z")
I suppose this is warranted: > **[Womp Womp Womp - Sad Trombone at its best](https://wompwompwomp.com/)** > > The internet’s HTML5-iest, responsivest, auto-playingest, saddest trombone ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/114 "2022-09-12T21:19:20Z")
This article is a few years out of date, but it notes that since 1969, the holder of the best record has only won the WS 12 times (it’s now 13, though that 2020 COVID shortened season really deserves an asterisk). This is generally true of any playoff format. Any playoff discounts the regular season to some degree (some much more than others). And the Dodgers have been, by and large, either the best or nearly the best team in the regular season almost every year over the last several but only won it all once in that span (again, that weird 2020 season). They’ve come close a few times but haven’t managed to win that final game but the once. There’s more than a little luck involved in doing so, even for the best teams. > **[How many teams with best record won the World Series?](https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/10/01/baseball-teams-best-record-win-world-series-red-sox)** > > The Red Sox finished the regular season at TK-TK but can they win the World Series? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/115 "2022-09-12T22:49:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I am not entirely sure why having relief pitchers is bad. If you think the batting averages are too low, then it is bad. If you don’t, then of course it is fine. When I started watching, a lot of players batted over .300. Around 1930, I think the major league average was around .300. I think it makes for more interesting baseball. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2022, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/116 "2022-09-12T23:13:37Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > though that 2020 COVID shortened season really deserves an asterisk As the hardest postseason in baseball history? No home field advantage, an expanded playoff field, unpredictably fluctuating rosters, and living their postseason life in a bubble. I am no Dodgers fan and actively rooted against them. But that World Series victory is legitimate. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/117 "2022-09-13T01:32:56Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > If you think the batting averages are too low, then it is bad. If you don’t, then of course it is fine. When I started watching, a lot of players batted over .300. Around 1930, I think the major league average was around .300. I think it makes for more interesting baseball. YMMV. Well, in the NL in 1930 it was, but that was a weird outlier. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/118 "2022-09-13T02:43:29Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > If you think the batting averages are too low, then it is bad. If you don’t, then of course it is fine. I think what has happened is, in the last 20-30 years (and especially in the last 10 years), bullpens have taken on greater prominence, and starting pitchers don’t often pitch deep into games. As noted upthread by @RickJay, a big part of it is that advanced stats have demonstrated that, by and large, pitchers are decreasingly effective against batters each time they go through the batting order. Most managers now choose strategies according to those stats, and that typically means pulling the starter (even if he’s still relatively effective) after 5 innings or so, because the numbers indicate that it’s increasingly likely that the other team’s hitters will start teeing off on him the third or fourth time that they face that pitcher. Part of it is also that managers now pay attention to pitch counts – particularly for younger pitchers, there’s a pretty strong correlation between number of pitches thrown (per appearance, and per season), and developing arm injuries, particularly rotator cuff and UCL (Tommy John) injuries. It may frustrate fans to see pitchers pulled when they’re pitching well, but it likely does reduce the risk of injuries. For both of those reasons, complete games are now a rare thing; there have only been 27 complete games thrown so far in 2022, or less than one per team. Thirty years ago (1992), there were 419 thrown, and that was with four fewer teams in MLB. Conceptually, relief pitchers are fine, but it has (or had) swung too far to that extreme (and, FWIW, I _do_ think that batting averages are too low). MLB has taken some small steps to reinstitute a little balance: they’ve instituted rules around minimum numbers of batters a pitcher must face (largely eliminating the role of the “[LOOGY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handed_specialist)” reliever), and now limit teams to carrying 13 pitchers on the active roster. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/119 "2022-09-13T04:13:44Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > For both of those reasons, complete games are now a rare thing; there have only been 27 complete games thrown so far in 2022, or less than one per team. Up to 28 earlier tonight. Framber Valdez threw a complete game shut out for the Astros tonight in Detroit. But, yes, still a rarity these days. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2022, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738/120 "2022-09-13T13:45:57Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Conceptually, relief pitchers are fine, but it has (or had) swung too far to that extreme (and, FWIW, I _do_ think that batting averages are too low). MLB has taken some small steps to reinstitute a little balance: they’ve instituted rules around minimum numbers of batters a pitcher must face (largely eliminating the role of the “[LOOGY](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-handed_specialist)” reliever), and now limit teams to carrying 13 pitchers on the active roster. It’ll be interesting to see if any of this helps. Or if it helps enough. Offense levels do come and go, after all, and things might change even without direct intervention. The insane offensive levels of the late 20s and early 30s came and went without rules changes. They just happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-september-october-regular-season-2022/970738.md?page=7)