2017 MLB Postseason Thread

elcheato said:

Chemistry, emotion, cultural and team history has nothing to do with it, they were the second best team in the AL all year. Randomness of the regular season put them in the wild card, but they dominated all year. Second highest run differential in the MLB total, behind only the Indians.

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I know they had the run differential.
 
And you're right, history doesn't matter, but it does show they have a legacy.
 
But chemistry and emotion both have A LOT to do with it.  I keep saying this is a major reason why the Red Sox didn't succeed.  We had no chemistry and little emotion.  That doesn't stimulate a team if you don't have emotion.

Baseball is barely a team sport, there is no team work, it's all individual based (there are 25 individuals, but they don't work together), thus chemistry is almost a non-existent factor other than with maybe some defensive portions 

Underdog yankees and underdog dodgers just two wins away each wow

elcheato said:

Baseball is barely a team sport, there is no team work, it's all individual based (there are 25 individuals, but they don't work together), thus chemistry is almost a non-existent factor other than with maybe some defensive portions 

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But clubhouse synergy matters

Is Aaron Judge suddenly going to be a bad hitter if Gary Sanchez pisses in his frosted flakes? He's gonna be mad as hell, but still gonna be bombing 

elcheato said:

Baseball is barely a team sport, there is no team work, it's all individual based (there are 25 individuals, but they don't work together), thus chemistry is almost a non-existent factor other than with maybe some defensive portions 

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I disagree.  I think chemistry makes a big difference.
 
You can't turn most double plays with one guy.  Can't turn a triple with one guy.
 
You can't win games by getting hits.  I've seen the Red Sox hit all year long but not cash in any runs.  They were probably one of the worst clutch hitting teams all year, but teams like the Yankees pick up their teammates on base and get them home.  Hitting may be a one man job, but scoring runs takes some chemistry.  Consistent lineups, batting around others, etc.  There's no stat that can prove this, it's more of an internal psychological thing, but I believe it.  The concept of winning is the same way.  Pinstripes are symbolic of winning.
 
And what's more is that the winning franchise isn't just what happens on the field.  The Steinbrenners made all the right moves this year to put the Yankees in a winning position.  The Steinbrenners are winners, always have been.  Maybe not the past decade or so, but they're easily on their way back.
 
If this series were exclusively played in Houston, it would be over.  But Yankee Stadium is a dome of winning for Yankees in the postseason.  It boosts the team chemistry to play at home.  The fans, the energy.  It all matters in the game.

Mexi said:

Underdog yankees and underdog dodgers just two wins away each wow

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Dodgers were a -175 favorite to advance even after Seager's injury was announced

elcheato said:

Is Aaron Judge suddenly going to be a bad hitter if Gary Sanchez pisses in his frosted flakes? He's gonna be mad as hell, but still gonna be bombing 

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I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but you seem really butthurt that the Indians lost.  Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know, but it seems really obvious to me.
 
And trust me, I wanted the Indians to win too.

PWNdroia said:

I disagree.  I think chemistry makes a big difference.
 
You can't turn most double plays with one guy.  Can't turn a triple with one guy.
 
You can't win games by getting hits.  I've seen the Red Sox hit all year long but not cash in any runs.  They were probably one of the worst clutch hitting teams all year, but teams like the Yankees pick up their teammates on base and get them home.  Hitting may be a one man job, but scoring runs takes some chemistry.  Consistent lineups, batting around others, etc.  There's no stat that can prove this, it's more of an internal psychological thing, but I believe it.  The concept of winning is the same way.  Pinstripes are symbolic of winning.
 
And what's more is that the winning franchise isn't just what happens on the field.  The Steinbrenners made all the right moves this year to put the Yankees in a winning position.  The Steinbrenners are winners, always have been.  Maybe not the past decade or so, but they're easily on their way back.

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I just said other than defensive portions, I will concede there is obvious synergy/chemistry that goes into turning double plays, among other defensive plays.
 
"Clutch hitting", as in hitting with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, is a myth. It's not a real concept. Players averages fluctuate year to year in that situation, and even throughout the year when it comes to "clutch hitting". It's all on such small sample sizes, that it's utterly meaningless to look into it. For example, Edwin Encarnacion had 78 at bats with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. He hit .179 in those situations, is he unclutch because of those 78 at bats? 

PWNdroia said:

I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but you seem really butthurt that the Indians lost.  Maybe I'm wrong, I don't know, but it seems really obvious to me.
 
And trust me, I wanted the Indians to win too.

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I'm not sure what my post has to do with being mad that the Indians lost. I said Aaron Judge would still be bombing homers if someone pissed him off in the locker room.

elcheato said:

I just said other than defensive portions, I will concede there is obvious synergy/chemistry that goes into turning double plays, among other defensive plays.
 
"Clutch hitting", as in hitting with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, is a myth. It's not a real concept. Players averages fluctuate year to year, and even throughout the year when it comes to "clutch hitting". It's all on such small sample sizes, that it's utterly meaningless to look into it. For example, Edwin Encarnacion had 78 at bats with 2 outs and runners in scoring position. He hit .179 in those situations, is he unclutch because of those 78 at bats? 

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I look at clutch differently.
 
Not just how well a player hits with RISP, but rather how well a player hits with RISP when the game is in close range.  It's not clucth if you hit with RISP when you're up or down by 10 runs, but it's clutch when you hit with RISP in a close game.  Maybe it's a myth, I see your point, but it's called getting the job done and winning and that's precisely what the Yankees do in most games, most situations.

elcheato said:

I'm not sure what my post has to do with being mad that the Indians lost. I said Aaron Judge would still be bombing homers if someone pissed him off in the locker room.

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I'm just implying it.  Like I said, I could be completely wrong.  You tell me.  I've just never seen you aggressively argumentative in this way.

Well you're right about that, i usually don't care about anything enough to legitimately argue 

But no, I don't believe in clutch hitting, and my anger on that mostly stems from having to hear the Indians announcers go on and on about it all the time. They talk about clutch hitting, bunting anytime a guy gets on base, and how you don't need to throw hard.

It infuriates me

elcheato said:

But no, I don't believe in clutch hitting, and my anger on that mostly stems from having to hear the Indians announcers go on and on about it all the time. They talk about clutch hitting, bunting anytime a guy gets on base, and how you don't need to throw hard.

It infuriates me

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There are some things that exist where stats can't prove.
 
Stats can't explain how I feel at the exact moment right now, or how I will feel the next day.  Stats can't explain emotion.  Stats can't explain faith.  Likewise, stats can't explain clutch.  Yet the idea of clutch exists just like feelings, emotion and faith.

Wonder who will sign yu darvish

But im enjoying him while we have him. Hes nasty

Yu darvish with the at bat of the year

Small market dodgers wont re-sign him

Mexi said:

Small market dodgers wont re-sign him

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That was a joke, right?

Dan's right, this isn't that surprising really. They have all the parts you need to win. Phenomenal lineup. Severino and CC both had excellent years, and Gray and Tanaka had down years but we know what they're capable of. On top of that, they have a nasty bullpen.