9/1 at the Yankees

[S5Dewey]

Fister is a great surprise lately. If he continuous like this, give him the ball against Cleveland in the first game.

 

Interesting comment by OB tonight - Fister is the only pitcher currently in the RS rotation with a post-season victory.

[mvp 78]

Should have emptied the farm for Gray! Bad move DD!

[Station 13]

Game time: 2:40

 

Fister doesn't f*** around.

[TylerD]

Fister has been fantastic!!!

[a700hitter]

Game time: 2:40

 

Fister doesn't f*** around.

What do I do with the extra hour?

[Youk Of The Nation]

I never thought I'd be okay with Doug Fister being the 4th or 5th guy in the rotation for the postseason, but I am. I'm not sure I'd want him pitching in an elimination game, in fact I'm sure I wouldn't, but he's honestly proven (to me at least) that he's capable of being the starter in game 4 or 5 in a 2-1 or 3-1 situation. I trust him more than I do any of the other options. Sale-Price-Pom-Erod-Fister is looking pretty good to me now.

[Youk Of The Nation]

I love random facts, so here's one: Benintendi is only the second Red Sox player ever (Rice was the other) with 5HR at Yankee Stadium in one season. Even Papi or Manny or Williams never did that. That's pretty cool.

 

Of course, Williams and Manny weren't playing all their games in a Yankee Stadium where Peter Dinklage could hit a home run.

[a700hitter]

I love random facts, so here's one: Benintendi is only the second Red Sox player ever (Rice was the other) with 5HR at Yankee Stadium in one season. Even Papi or Manny or Williams never did that. That's pretty cool.

 

Of course, Williams and Manny weren't playing all their games in a Yankee Stadium where Peter Dinklage could hit a home run.

That is a very interesting stat.

[Northern Star]

 

Of course, Williams and Manny weren't playing all their games in a Yankee Stadium where Peter Dinklage's dead grandmother could hit a home run.

 

fixed

[Northern Star]

As my signature suggests, I derive most of my joy in life from the New York Yankees losing baseball games. I'm like Gollum with his f***ing ring.

[Northern Star]

Interesting comment by OB tonight - Fister is the only pitcher currently in the RS rotation with a post-season victory.

 

that's reassuring.

[Slasher9]

WIN. Can we please stop the Hanley needs to sit nonsense. Please.

Amazing start by fister.

Reed is bringing me around.

Kimbrel with another auto save.

Back to 5.5 with sale and Pom Pom

[Youk Of The Nation]

Interesting comment by OB tonight - Fister is the only pitcher currently in the RS rotation with a post-season victory.

 

Kind of misleading, though. Sale and E-Rod haven't pitched in a postseason game yet, and Pom has only pitched in 2, and while he doesn't have a win, he doesn't have a loss either.

[moonslav59]

Kind of misleading, though. Sale and E-Rod haven't pitched in a postseason game yet, and Pom has only pitched in 2, and while he doesn't have a win, he doesn't have a loss either.

 

I believe Fister is the only starter in our current rotation with a playoff loss as well.

 

All the others are undefeated!

Edited September 2, 2017 by moonslav59

[moonslav59]

WIN. Can we please stop the Hanley needs to sit nonsense. Please.

 

The complaint most often made by this board is the lack of a power hitter.

 

I'm not defending HRam. He's come up short when needed too often this year, but he's the best power hitter we have right now, and he might be one of the most likely players to carry us in the playoffs.

[a700hitter]

The complaint most often made by this board is the lack of a power hitter.

 

I'm not defending HRam. He's come up short when needed too often this year, but he's the best power hitter we have right now, and he might be one of the most likely players to carry us in the playoffs.

We can't sit our top HR guy. He has been having a lousy season and he is still our top HR guy. He has to play everyday.

[moonslav59]

We can't sit our top HR guy. He has been having a lousy season and he is still our top HR guy. He has to play everyday.

 

Agreed, but maybe avoid slotting him 4th for a while longer.

[SoxHop]

We can't sit our top HR guy. He has been having a lousy season and he is still our top HR guy. He has to play everyday.

 

......... there is no other option. Our best gamble is that he really finds his stride........ Good old Hanley may be the piece in the puzzle that could make or break a good or great season.......... Yikes!!!!!!!

[Spudboy]

I'd give my right arm to be able to throw like that!!

 

Wait... never mind.

 

Hahahahahahahahahaha!11!!!1

[Spudboy]

Oye. 3 dingers in 4 games and it's Hanley bag lapping time.

 

He is paid 22 million dollars a year. He hits .250. He may have 25-30 HR this year.

 

Yeah. Bargain. Big time.

 

Sloth.

[BstHcpr]

Fister has to be at least in the conversation to start a Game 4 in October.

[S5Dewey]

I'd rather have Fister to start a playoff game than [a healthy] David Price.

[Bellhorn04]

I think we're all feeling pretty high on Mister Fister right now, because in his last 3 starts he's given up 4 earned runs in 23 innings-against Cleveland, Baltimore and the Yanks no less.

 

May it continue!

[Maxbialystock]

One of the most satisfying wins of the season: in Sep at Yankee Stadium the day after a 6-2 beatdown by them; unexpected given Gray vs. Fister and our recent hitting woes; 3 dingers the night after 4 singles; Sox in the middle of a big pennant race late in the season.

 

Many great insights, thoughts postgame--the real meat of these game threads and great fun to be part of. Mine--

 

Early yet, need to see more, but I'm penciling Fister in as my 2d or 3d starter in the playoffs. He doesn't rattle--back to back Yankee doubles to start the game, and he calmly mows down the next 3 batters and doesn't need to K them to do it. He eats innings, which means he is as good a bet as Sale to hand a game off to Reed and Kimbrel. He has a pretty good curve--much more useful than a pretty good fastball--and a variety of other weapons and is ready to use them all at any time.

 

moonslav's right about HanRam--leave him in. Also about DD, about whom I am a huge skeptic because of Price, but he has also made several useful moves, including (moonslav left this one out) dumping Pablo.

 

Youk on Beni--much needed observation. To me the two dominant fundamentals that decide the overwhelming majority of games are hitting and pitching. Season long, he is our best hitter and he is hitting now when we really need it. Third is defense, and Beni is not a liability in LF and is a bunch better on defense than a ton of good hitting Sox leftfielders I could name. As for baserunning, name any other Sox leftfielder who stole 18 of 22 bases in his rookie season age 23. Good guys on this board disagree with me, which is fine. They don't like bad throws or intemperate baserunning. But I will never agree Benitendi is weak on fundamentals.

 

Cleveland swept the Tigers yesterday and are headed for the #2 slot in the AL and home field advantage. If they do that, they just might be the best team in the AL, better than Houston despite won-loss records.

 

After last night, I'm thinking I can live with that because last night gave me hope that moonslav's insistence that this actually is a pretty good team overall could be right. So, yes, I want the home field advantage over the Guardians. But to me much more important is to have a good team, a reliable team--the one that took 16 of 20 games in a great August stretch that vaulted us into the AL East lead--going into the playoffs. FWIW, looking back, I honestly don't think we lost to the Guardians in the ALDS because they had the home field. We lost because Price and Porcello stank and stank so early the Sox couldn't get back into either game. This October we can do better than that--see last night again.

Edited September 2, 2017 by Maxbialystock

[S5Dewey]

I think we're all feeling pretty high on Mister Fister right now, because in his last 3 starts he's given up 4 earned runs in 23 innings-against Cleveland, Baltimore and the Yanks no less.

 

May it continue!

 

This is exactly where the sample size issue hits home with me. There is no doubt that three starts is a very small sample size but at the same time it may be where he is NOW. IMO what a player has done in the past month is a better indication of what he will do in his next outing than is what he did in April or his cumulative stats for a year when he may have had a weak spring.

[S5Dewey]

 

After last night, I'm thinking I can live with that because last night gave me hope that moonslav's insistence that this actually is a pretty good team overall could be right. So, yes, I want the home field advantage over the Guardians. But to me much more important is to have a good team, a reliable team--the one that took 16 of 20 games in a great August stretch that vaulted us into the AL East lead--going into the playoffs. FWIW, looking back, I honestly don't think we lost to the Guardians in the AL East because they had the home field. We lost because Price and Porcello stank and stank so early the Sox couldn't get back into either game. This October we can do better than that--see last night again.

 

Nice post, including the part that I snipped.

 

We often like to say that making the playoffs is the important thing because after that "anything can happen". We say that because it's true. Teams often go hot or cold for no apparent reason. Last year the team went on a scorching hot streak just before the playoffs, then the law of baseball averages caught up with them during the playoffs and they went cold. s*** happens sometimes.

 

The secret to winning the WS is the same as winning any tournament, and it's twofold. A team has to be talented and they have to be hot at the right time. Any team that makes the playoffs (and arguably some who don't) has the talent to win the WS. It's a matter of who can pull it together and play well. I believe this team has the talent to win it all. They just have to play well at the right time.

[d-money]

I have more confidence right now in fister than porcello and Rodriguez put together. Porcello did pitch a decent game his last time around. Rodriguez has sucked all around.

[NativeBostonian]

Fister, the new Clay Buchholtz.

[OH FOY]

Buchholz mental case. Fister Bulldog.

Pitching has always been above the shoulders.

[NativeBostonian]

Buchholz mental case. Fister Bulldog.

Both a mixed bag. Never know what you’re going to get.