[Other Sport] MLB 2024 Season

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Great sweep for the Padres against Atlanta, and now a quick road trip up the coast to LA to face the Dodgers next. Really hoping Musgrove isn't done for the year though after being taken out with elbow issues again....hes been in such good form lately.

So good to see KC & Detroit advance as well - always root for the underdogs, and its nice to have some different names in the postseason mix.

Brewers / Mets decider, to see who faces the Phillies, tonight!

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

As a Rockies follower, please can I ask what this 'post season' thing is you speak of?

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

As a Rockies follower, please can I ask what this 'post season' thing is you speak of?

It is a mystical place, reserved for but a few....

 

[Soton Seagull]

For fear of poking the bear - dare I ask why they seem so bad at hitting the ball?

I was in Toronto last week and went with the Mrs to see Blue Jays vs Red sox as happended to be on whilst we were there - my 1st ever game.

I tried to put cynicism aside (it's just rounders etc) but was astonished by how infrequently they hit it, and it seemed that when they did it more often than not went out of bounds. Was I just unlucky with incompetent teams or do they really struggle to hit it in the legal areas?

I'm not claiming it is easy to hit; however if you are a batter and train in the nets plus play a huge amount of games in a season I can't help but feel they should be a bit better at it!

Interesting experience, dollar hotdogs were a welcome addition - beer prices not so much!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

For fear of poking the bear - dare I ask why they seem so bad at hitting the ball?

I was in Toronto last week and went with the Mrs to see Blue Jays vs Red sox as happended to be on whilst we were there - my 1st ever game.

I tried to put cynicism aside (it's just rounders etc) but was astonished by how infrequently they hit it, and it seemed that when they did it more often than not went out of bounds. Was I just unlucky with incompetent teams or do they really struggle to hit it in the legal areas?

I'm not claiming it is easy to hit; however if you are a batter and train in the nets plus play a huge amount of games in a season I can't help but feel they should be a bit better at it!

Interesting experience, dollar hotdogs were a welcome addition - beer prices not so much!

Not poking the bear at all...I used to think the same thing.

Its mostly down to speed & movement of the ball from the pitcher tbh. Some of the best hitters in history only have a .300+ average...meaning they only hit 3 out of every 10 balls across their career. Its also about timing - you swing a fraction too early and you'll pull that ball into foul territory. Its literally a game of inches!

Watch the first couple of minutes of this video - and you'll see what I mean about movement. A batter will swing on a pitch that looks like its "in the zone" - if it looks like it'll be a "ball" outside the strike zone, then they'll leave it - but when you have a ball moving all over the place at 80/90/100mph+, you have just milliseconds to decide what to do, and you never have a clue what the pitcher is going to throw. Fastball, slider, knuckleball, sinker, curveball....completely mental. That ball may look like its coming straight at you at first, but then itll suddenly drop away as you swing...making you look stupid. Its hard enough hitting a ball in British Single A games (the lowest of low levels) - I dont think I would even see the ball against a big leaguer!

 

[Barry Izbak]

Further to @Fignon's Ponytail post, it's worth noting that only one hitter in over 130 years of baseball has had a season average of over .400.
This means over 40% success hitting safely.
So the statistically best hitter ever, missed six times out of ten.
But then he is facing pitches up to 104mph

A good hitter hits .300 (30%)
A great hitter hits 33%

Next time you're in North America, see if you can find a public batting cage.
Somewhere like this https://thehittinghut.com/#:~:text=State of the art batting cages. 24/7

You pay your money, choose a bat and try your luck.
When I went, I thought I'd take it easy, so set the speed at 70mph
I never even saw it. It was so funny I just laughed and swung at everything, Zero

It's not as easy as they make it look from the bleachers

 

[PTC Gull]

@Fignon's Ponytail Congrats to Padres. Disappointing end of the season for the Braves but key injuries hurt (where have we read that before?). Roll on next season.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

For fear of poking the bear - dare I ask why they seem so bad at hitting the ball?

I was in Toronto last week and went with the Mrs to see Blue Jays vs Red sox as happended to be on whilst we were there - my 1st ever game.

I tried to put cynicism aside (it's just rounders etc) but was astonished by how infrequently they hit it, and it seemed that when they did it more often than not went out of bounds. Was I just unlucky with incompetent teams or do they really struggle to hit it in the legal areas?

I'm not claiming it is easy to hit; however if you are a batter and train in the nets plus play a huge amount of games in a season I can't help but feel they should be a bit better at it!

Interesting experience, dollar hotdogs were a welcome addition - beer prices not so much!

An American would probably have the same view on cricket - big bat, how come they don't just smash everything?

I was never much of a batsman (or cricketer generally) but I remember watching some of the great fast bowlers side on and struggling to follow the ball let alone think what it would be like to face them launching a ball at me from 22 yards away at 90mph

 

[Simster]

For fear of poking the bear - dare I ask why they seem so bad at hitting the ball?

I was in Toronto last week and went with the Mrs to see Blue Jays vs Red sox as happended to be on whilst we were there - my 1st ever game.

I tried to put cynicism aside (it's just rounders etc) but was astonished by how infrequently they hit it, and it seemed that when they did it more often than not went out of bounds. Was I just unlucky with incompetent teams or do they really struggle to hit it in the legal areas?

I'm not claiming it is easy to hit; however if you are a batter and train in the nets plus play a huge amount of games in a season I can't help but feel they should be a bit better at it!

Interesting experience, dollar hotdogs were a welcome addition - beer prices not so much!

I'm a Blue Jays fan somewhat jaded by this season, but it's also worth noting that not to try hitting the ball is usually by choice. In short and unlike cricket, runs are the precious commodity, not outs. Therefore the batter is picky with what he tries to hit - given that he has three chances (strikes) while the pitcher has to be very careful with what he offers the batter to hit.

Any sort of bang average connection will invariably lead to comfortable ground out, where the ball skuttles along the dirt to an inner fielder to throw to first base and a run out. In fact, sometimes it's worse than that - the fielding team might have time to run out more batters than just the at-bat batter (a double or triple play). Equally, if the batter gets underneath the ball, there's a good chance it's caught comfortably. (Actually that is sometimes not the end of the world, but obviously getting out is not normally the plan.)

 

[AZ Gull]

Great sweep for the Padres against Atlanta, and now a quick road trip up the coast to LA to face the Dodgers next.

I hope you smash them, like the D'backs did last season.

 

[Dave the OAP]

So mets or brewers! I think I would probably prefer the Phillies to play the brewers, although they are in a good vein of form at the moment so we wouldn’t be that bothered with either.

i think this is the phillies to lose again. They look very good through the season although had a blip!

I am not sure the people of Philadelphia can cope with another choke!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

So mets or brewers! I think I would probably prefer the Phillies to play the brewers, although they are in a good vein of form at the moment so we wouldn’t be that bothered with either.

i think this is the phillies to lose again. They look very good through the season although had a blip!

I am not sure the people of Philadelphia can cope with another choke!

Two of my mates at the baseball club are going to be at each others throats this weekend - one supports the Mets and the other the Phillies.
I think I may turn off the group-chat notifications for a few days!!

 

[Pavilionaire]

I was watching the Brewers / Mets decider last night and went to bed halfway through the 8th Inning after the Mets had responded to the Brewers' back to back home runs with a whimper. It felt as "game over" as it could possibly have been.

I cannot believe they came back to score 4 in the 9th. Before that they'd had c 14/15 scoreless innings, with several batters looking at strike 3 and a woefully passive display of hitting.

Indeed, minutes earlier to his 9th innings heroics, Pete Alonso had dropped an incredibly catchable ball in foul territory that prompted Brewers fans to give him dog's abuse.

And now I read: The Mets are the first team in MLB history to clinch a postseason spot in a win and win a playoff series BOTH via games in which they faced a deficit in the 9th inning or later

 

[AZ Gull]

Two intriguing and enticing divisional match-ups in the NLDS. The Phillies and Mets have faced each other nearly 1,100 times in the regular season - but have NEVER met in the post season

Recent history suggests it might be a disadvantage to be one of the two top divisional winners and have the five day lay-off. I certainly hope that trend continues this season - Mets and Padres to win, please.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Sadly, I think the Padres will beat the Dodgers, and maybe have enough to go all the way.

 

[FCB]

Surprised that Detroit swept Houston.

 

[AZ Gull]

Surprised that Detroit swept Houston.

What the Tigers have achieved in the last couple of months is extraordinary. At the start of August their chance of making the play-offs was 0.1%.

There is a fantastic stat that their entire 26-man play-off roster is earning a combined $18.8 million in 2024. Josh Hader, the Astros' closer, is earning $19 million this season. With the game on the line on Wednesday, Hader came on in the top of the 8th .... and after walking a batter gave up a three-run double that saw Detroit advance at the expense of Houston!

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Great win last night for SD after letting game 1 slip away. LA fans showing true colours though, throwing stuff at Profar, and then into the bullpen at our pitching staff, but Manny showed real leadership getting everyone together in the dugout, and getting them refocused. Seen loads of fights on socials too - amongst themselves!!! wtaf?!?

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

 

[Terry Butcher Tribute Act]

Phillies v Mets looked good fun!