Time to drink...
Time to drink...
This is the firt post season for the Astros since their World Series run in 2005 when they were swept by the Chicago White Sox. The Royals are the reigning AL Champions losing the WS to the SF Giants in seven games.
The Royals had only one losing month this season, but that was September, when they went 11-17. They did stage a turnaround at the end, winning their last five games, to wrest home-field advantage throughout the postseason from the Blue Jays. The Astros went 11-16 in September, but they won two out of their final three to hang onto the second AL Wild Card berth.
Tonight's line-up:
Altuve 2B Springer RF Correa SS Rasmus LF Gattis DH Valbuena 3B Carter 1B Castro C Marisnick CF McHugh P
Escobar SS Zobrist 2B Cain CF Hosmer 1B Morales DH Moustakas 3B Perez C Gordon LF Rios RF Ventura P
Colin McHugh (19-7, 3.89 ERA) faced the Royals on May 27 when he pitched seven scoreless innings while striking out nine.
Yordano Ventura (13-8, 4.08 ERA) was demoted in July and quickly recalled when Jason Vargas went down with an elbow injury, he has been 9-1 with a 3.10 ERA since his return.
The Royals were 51-30 at home, third best in the AL. The Astros were 53-28 at home, tied with the Toronto Blue Jays for the best home record in the league. Kansas City has the home-field advantage in the AL postseason, meaning ALDS Games 1, 2 and 5, if necessary.
I was born in Washington DC, my Dad followed the Senators and the Orioles, we moved to upstate NY in '68, Orioles won in '69 an '71. The two Canadian teams were geographically closer to us then the NYC teams, moved to Florida in 1975, Yankees win in '76. Closest team became the Braves, cable comes along and I get to see a team I like make the post season, they get close a couple times and finally win in 1995. So, that was kind of close. I had two close friends that were a married couple and lifelong Angels fans, long time season ticket holders. The husband often would say , they would win a WS after he died, he passed away in Dec. 2001, the wife kept the ticket package and invited me to their post season and WS run in his place. It was a lot of fun and exciting, my only live WS and a win to boot, but again, they weren't really MY team. So, 2008 is the closest I have come to that with a team I actually fully support. All in all a lot better than some.
Us Cubs fans don't want any damn bandwagoners. We're the only team who has had to endure all this shit over the years.
We probably will become insufferable just because off the flack we've gotten from just about every other fan base in baseball. We can't have a national broadcast without ESPN/FOX or whoever bringing up Bartman, the goat, the black cat etc. We've had to sit back and listen to Cardinal fans and even worse White Sox fans bring up our drought even when we're just trying to have a friendly conversation about baseball.
Oh and if you can't look at what Theo has done in his career in Boston and Chicago and appreciate it, well, keep kicking rocks. Dude is amazing at making trades. He finds the best scouts and puts them to work. Great baseball mind.
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League Team Record Wild Card Division Pennants Titles MSL Kansas City Royals (NYY/TB) 3611-3517 1 14 8 7 TBL Cleveland Indians 1084-698 2 5 2 1 HSL Chicago Cubs 2071-1764 1 9 4 1
Cubs fans are hardly unique. I'm a Padres fan who got to sit through a 10 game losing streak to lose 1st place in September and Holiday not touching the plate at the culmination of a ridiculous Rockies winning streak just to name a couple examples off the top of my head.
You want to talk about stuff coming up quick in broadcasts? I was ecstatic when Matt Kemp hit for the cycle this year, but not because a Padres player did something great. It's because hopefully now I don't have to hear about how the Padres have never hit for the cycle every time somebody hits a triple early on in the game. But oh yeah, I still have to hear about the lack of a no-hitter anytime either team is without a hit past the 3rd inning.
As for Theo, what he's done even thus far is awesome. I'd begrudge the media slobbering and the connection to the so-called "curses", as if winning the World Series with two other franchises wouldn't have been an equally good feat.
Last edited by HollywoodLeo; 10-08-2015 at 11:17 PM.
League Team years Record Wild Card Division Pennants Titles MSL San Diego Padres 2034-2059 2,217-1,995 1 6 3 1 TBL Arizona Diamondbacks 2005-2018 1,216-1,053 1 9 6 3 TSSL San Diego Padres 2015-2021, 2024-2028 1,017-928 0 7 3 2 TSSL Texas Rangers 2029-2033 396-414 0 0 0 0
Duquette doesn't get enough credit for the Red Sux and Theo gets too much...at least in regards to 2004 and 2007.
Today's line-up:
DeShields CF Choo RF Fielder DH Moreland 1B Andrus SS Hamilton LF Odor 2B Gimenez C Alberto 3B Hamels P
Revere LF Donaldson 3B Bautista RF Encarnacion DH Tulowitzki SS Colabello 1B Martin C Pillar CF Goins 2B Stroman P
Cole Hamels (7-1, 3.66 ERA) has not faced the Blue Jays. He has only given up two earned runs in 22 innings over his last three starts. With his start Chris Gimenez will be behind the plate since having become his personal catcher.
Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67 ERA) has not faced the Rangers this season. He has had three postseason starts of six or more innings without allowing a run, which is tied for seventh-most in Major League history.
Blue Jays Josh Donaldson, took a Rougned Odor knee to the head on a slide at second base and had to leave the game early. He passed the league's concussion protocol and is in the line-up today.
Rangers Adrian Beltre also left early with a lower back strain and hobbled to first base after hitting an RBI single in the third inning. He is not in the line-up today.
Need this one...
Nail-biter in Toronto.
Already in progress...too many games.
Today's line-up:
Altuve 2B Springer RF Correa SS Rasmus LF Gattis DH Valbuena 3B Carter 1B Castro C Marisnick CF Kazmir P
Escobar SS Zobrist 2B Cain L Hosmer 1B Morales DH Moustakas 3B Perez C Gordon LF Rios RF Cueto P
It sure is fun watching the cocky Royals lose.
League Team years Record Wild Card Division Pennants Titles MSL San Diego Padres 2034-2059 2,217-1,995 1 6 3 1 TBL Arizona Diamondbacks 2005-2018 1,216-1,053 1 9 6 3 TSSL San Diego Padres 2015-2021, 2024-2028 1,017-928 0 7 3 2 TSSL Texas Rangers 2029-2033 396-414 0 0 0 0
NLDS Game 1 :
The Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals meet for the first time ever in a postseason series.
Tonight's line-up:
Fowler, CF Schwarber, RF Bryant, 3B Rizzo, 1B Castro, 2B Coghlan, LF Russell, SS Ross, C Lester, P
Carpenter, 3B Piscotty, 1B Holliday, LF Heyward, CF Peralta, SS Grichuk, RF Molina, C Wong, 2B Lackey, P
Jon Lester (11-12, 3.34 ERA) is 6-4 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 postseason games (12 starts) and has a 2.59 ERA this season against St. Louis.
John Lackey (13-10, 2.77 ERA) leads all active pitchers with 117 play-off innings, has a 3.08 ERA in the postseason, 1.93 ERA this season at Busch Stadium.
Poor Foster
League Team years Record Wild Card Division Pennants Titles MSL San Diego Padres 2034-2059 2,217-1,995 1 6 3 1 TBL Arizona Diamondbacks 2005-2018 1,216-1,053 1 9 6 3 TSSL San Diego Padres 2015-2021, 2024-2028 1,017-928 0 7 3 2 TSSL Texas Rangers 2029-2033 396-414 0 0 0 0