# MLB: The Playoffs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [September 30, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185 "2011-09-30T18:45:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 28
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/541 "2011-10-21T19:05:32Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The ball brushed Pujols’s glove; there’s no reason Pujols shouldn’t have cut it off. I’d blame that one on Pujols. It looked to me like Pujols was going pretty hard to his left to pick that short hop – picking it would certainly have prevented the error, but I don’t think you can blame Pujols for going well beyond what the book would define as “ordinary effort.” If the throw had been on target and Pujols had muffed it, I’d agree with you, but not when the throw short hops in well to the left of the target. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/542 "2011-10-21T19:06:24Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > The ball brushed Pujols’s glove; there’s no reason Pujols shouldn’t have cut it off. I’d blame that one on Pujols. Yeah, i just watched it again, and Albert had plenty of time to get himself in the right position to catch the ball. He was a little nonchalant about it until the last second, when he realized that it was tailing away from him. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/543 "2011-10-21T19:07:55Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > If the throw had been on target and Pujols had muffed it, I’d agree with you, but not when the throw short hops in well to the left of the target. YMMV. The throw was a little off target, but Pujols should have adjusted in time. And it didn’t short-hop him; it hit his glove on the full. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/544 "2011-10-21T19:27:21Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Were we watching the same game? Apparently not. Everyone else saw Kinsler hold up after rounding third. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/545 "2011-10-21T22:07:29Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > The throw was a little off target, but Pujols should have adjusted in time. And it didn’t short-hop him; it hit his glove on the full. If that’s the case (I’ll have to check it out again when I get home) and Pujols lolly-gagged over there and the ball hit him in the glove, then I stand corrected. Then it was Pujols who cost them the game. ---
**Author:** ![Invisible\_Chimp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f05b48/32.png) [@Invisible\_Chimp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Invisible_Chimp)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/546 "2011-10-23T00:53:30Z")
Craig has had some great timely hitting in the World Series. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/547 "2011-10-23T01:24:33Z")
Wow, this is been a bad inning for Texas. First, Kinsler messes up the throw from second, then the umpire fucks up the call at first, and then Napoli fucks up the throw to the plate. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/548 "2011-10-23T02:47:19Z")
I feel comfortable saying that Pujols can hit the ball real hard. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/549 "2011-10-23T03:15:05Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I feel comfortable saying that Pujols can hit the ball real hard. Twice. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/550 "2011-10-23T03:17:07Z")
I fear the Pujols home run (oops, there goes another one) took the Rangers out of this game. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/551 "2011-10-23T03:17:10Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Twice. Not as much of a no-doubter as the first, but still, good Lord. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/552 "2011-10-23T03:28:40Z")
People tend to think of Pujols more as a complete hitter, not a pure distance slugger like McGwire, but Jesus, the man can hit the ball far. And even those shots did not equal that incredible home run he hit in Houston in 2005, the one that had flight attendants and a layover in Frankfurt. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/553 "2011-10-23T03:35:38Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > People tend to think of Pujols more as a complete hitter, not a pure distance slugger like McGwire, but Jesus, the man can hit the ball far. Just from what I’ve seen in this series, he doesn’t exactly suck as a first baseman, either. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/554 "2011-10-23T03:44:27Z")
Almost as awesome as that first home run was the near dead silence that fell over the stadium after Pujols hit it. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/555 "2011-10-23T03:50:27Z")
It’s interesting that a fan interference call requires the fan to touch the ball (or the fielder’s glove, maybe?), according to the broadcast. I don’t know that I’d argue that throwing a ball into the field behind the play should be fan interference, but I’d think there would be other ways for a fan to interfere beyond directly touching the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/556 "2011-10-23T04:02:49Z")
Holy crap. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/557 "2011-10-23T04:03:14Z")
Are you fucking kidding me? I humbly bow before my baseball overlord. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/558 "2011-10-23T04:04:40Z")
Weird how that was historic and exciting and felt totally predictable at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![jeredc1983](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ed8c4c/32.png) [@jeredc1983](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeredc1983)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/559 "2011-10-23T04:07:25Z")
The sports bar we’re at in STL is going crazy right now. Just had to report to the dope that this city should just give Pujols the Arch if he wants it. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185/560 "2011-10-23T04:33:30Z")
Is Pujols going to get anything to hit for the rest of this series? He probably shouldn’t. Just some random stat stuff: Pujols ties the WS records for hits in a game (5, with Paul Molitor) and RBI in a game (6, with Matsui and Bobby Richardson) in addition to the home runs record, and he breaks the record for total bases in a game with 14 (Jackson and Ruth had 12, with Ruth doing it twice). In Pujols’ first 11 career World Series games - the first two of this series plus the '04 and '06 series - he was 8/37 (.216) with one home run and two RBI. In this game he went five-for-six, which takes his career WS average all the way up to .310. Those 14 total bases equal his total from those other 11 games combined. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-the-playoffs/598185.md?page=29)