The Official 2021 ALCS Thread

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

The MLB should just ban check-the-check. Baseball already has too many swinging strikeouts where batters actually swing. Plus, it would cut down the length of games if batteries couldn't appeal every single time a hitter flutters an eyelash. At least make it like with replays; each team is limited to three check-the-checks, so pick your spots.

 

The home plate ump's job is to call balls and strikes, while base umps call plays on the bases. We never see the home blue overrule a tag or slide call at third base, even when he has a better angle than the base ump (for example, standing behind a sliding runner; that's a personal peeve from amateur leagues, where there are only two umps).

 

In the check swing I was referring to, it wasn't even close to a swing. An otherwise great game was marred by a inexcusably bad call by the 1st base chUMP. And, as usual, there will be no punishment by their union for that disgusting mistake.

Anyone who thinks bad calls by the chUMPIRES don't affect the results of a game, well, I disagree. Hopefully, the SOX/Astros series will not be affected by shite calls.

Edited October 15, 2021 by SPLENDIDSPLINTER

[moonslav59]

In the check swing I was referring to, it wasn't even close to a swing. An otherwise great game was marred by a inexcusably bad call by the 1st base chUMP. And, as usual, there will be no punishment by their union for that disgusting mistake.

Anyone who thinks bad calls by the chUMPIRES don't affect the results of a game, well, I disagree. Hopefully, the SOX/Astros series will not be affected by shite calls.

 

It really was an awful call. Sad way for a whole season to end.

[mvp 78]

There is something strange going on with Sale.

 

He might have been lucky to only have a 4.08 ERA in his last 4 starts of the 2021 regular season, but he got K's in 21 of his last 38 outs, including all 7 outs in his start vs WASH.

 

He K'd 2 out of 3 in that one start vs TBR, too.

 

It's pitch selection.

 

FB: 331 WOBA, 437 SLG

SL: 217 WOBA, 228 SLG

CHG: 479 WOBA, 667 SLG

 

Run Value by Pitch Type:

Slider -1

FB -1

Change 5

 

According to statcast, his changeup has 3"s less of vertical drop than in 2019.

[mvp 78]

Luplow's grand slam AB:

94 MPH FB - called strike

94 MPH FB - foul

94 MPH FB - HR

[moonslav59]

Most wins in 2021

 

107 SFG OUT

106 LAD

100 TBR OUT

95 MIL OUT

95 HOU

93 CWS OUT

92 NYY OUT

92 BOS

91 TOR Did not make playoffs

90 SEA Did not make playoffs

88 ATL

[moonslav59]

It's pitch selection.

 

FB: 331 WOBA, 437 SLG

SL: 217 WOBA, 228 SLG

CHG: 479 WOBA, 667 SLG

 

Run Value by Pitch Type:

Slider -1

FB -1

Change 5

 

According to statcast, his changeup has 3"s less of vertical drop than in 2019.

 

Good stuff.

 

I still wonder why he's getting more K's without a good change up.

 

Can he correct it?

 

Can he pitch well enough without the change up?

[Maxbialystock]

In the check swing I was referring to, it wasn't even close to a swing. An otherwise great game was marred by a inexcusably bad call by the 1st base chUMP. And, as usual, there will be no punishment by their union for that disgusting mistake.

Anyone who thinks bad calls by the chUMPIRES don't affect the results of a game, well, I disagree. Hopefully, the SOX/Astros series will not be affected by shite calls.

 

Whattalotta. That was Scherzer on the mound and spineless, useless Flores at the plate with 2 outs and a man on 1b. The 1b ump was being merciful with that call because Flores was in all instances doomed to be the final out of this NLDS.

[Slasher9]

Robot Umps Now!

[mvp 78]

Good stuff.

 

I still wonder why he's getting more K's without a good change up.

 

Can he correct it?

 

Can he pitch well enough without the change up?

 

He's NOT getting more k's.

 

2021 10.97 k/9

2019 13.32 k/9

2018 13.5 k/9

2017 12.93 k/9

[mvp 78]

Robot Umps Now!

 

It's been a long time coming

[YastrzemskI]

Especially to the Astros, who led the majors in putting runners on base and in driving them in.

 

If Sale doesn't pitch like he is capable of in this series.. I just don't think we can overcome it. Our Pen is good but not dominant. The nonsense is over. The time for saying "I need to figure it out" is over. The Astros will jump all over him if he shows any cracks every bit as much as the Rays did if not more so. He needs to be the one to give the pen a damn break this time.. not the other way around. I may be oversimplifying this but his performance may be the deciding factor in this series and beyond. We need to ride Sale, Eovaldi and ERod to a World Series ring. Great performances on the mound from those three wont guarantee us anything but without them we don't stand a chance.

 

No excuses. Execute pitches one pitch at a time, one batter at a time. It's just that simple. ERod turned things around with his last start. Get your s*** together Chris.. and lets win this thing.

 

GO SoX!

[Maxbialystock]

It really was an awful call. Sad way for a whole season to end.

 

Meh. Flores was doomed going against Scherzer, who had an 0-2 count on him before that call.

[moonslav59]

He's NOT getting more k's.

 

2021 10.97 k/9

2019 13.32 k/9

2018 13.5 k/9

2017 12.93 k/9

 

I was talking about his last 3-4 games, about when he started looking crappy.

 

2021

First 6 starts:

2.40 ERA

31K/30 IP

 

Last 3 starts:

4.97 ERA

21K/12.2 IP

 

Playoff Start:

45.00 ERA

2K/1IP

 

My point was about it being strange that at the time he started sucking, he also started K'ing batters at twice the rate of his first 6 starts.

 

You don't find that strange?

 

Another weird factoid about Sale was in 2018.

 

He missed some time before his start in AUG and then K'd 12 in 5 IP that game. Then, he missed more time. That was his highest K/IP game of the season.

 

[moonslav59]

Meh. Flores was doomed going against Scherzer, who had an 0-2 count on him before that call.

 

I'm sure someone said something similar about Vaz before his big hit.

[dgalehouse]

Meh. Flores was doomed going against Scherzer, who had an 0-2 count on him before that call.

 

There is no way to know that. He deserved a chance . The previous hitter was also rung up on a somewhat questionable call after hitting a long foul ball. The game ended in a controversial play. That should not happen.

[moonslav59]

If Sale doesn't pitch like he is capable of in this series.. I just don't think we can overcome it. Our Pen is good but not dominant. The nonsense is over. The time for saying "I need to figure it out" is over. The Astros will jump all over him if he shows any cracks every bit as much as the Rays did if not more so. He needs to be the one to give the pen a damn break this time.. not the other way around. I may be oversimplifying this but his performance may be the deciding factor in this series and beyond. We need to ride Sale, Eovaldi and ERod to a World Series ring. Great performances on the mound from those three wont guarantee us anything but without them we don't stand a chance.

 

No excuses. Execute pitches one pitch at a time, one batter at a time. It's just that simple. ERod turned things around with his last start. Get your s*** together Chris.. and lets win this thing.

 

GO SoX!

 

Well said, and if anyone has the psyche to pull it all together, I'd say it would be Sale.

 

(I'd still like E-O tonight.)

[moonslav59]

It's been a long time coming

 

Nuff said!

[mvp 78]

Meh. Flores was doomed going against Scherzer, who had an 0-2 count on him before that call.

 

https://twitter.com/UmpireAuditor/status/1448871584383442944

 

Very bad call though.

[mvp 78]

There is no way to know that. He deserved a chance . The previous hitter was also rung up on a somewhat questionable call after hitting a long foul ball. The game ended in a controversial play. That should not happen.

 

The Wade K was not questionable according to gameday.

[mvp 78]

@ckamka

Wilmer Flores is now 0-18 with a walk & 9 strikeouts career vs Max Scherzer. He would have been out eventually anyway.

[oldtimer]

@ckamka

Wilmer Flores is now 0-18 with a walk & 9 strikeouts career vs Max Scherzer. He would have been out eventually anyway.

 

If he had no chance, why not just call him out and end the game early? Flores is a big league hitter and by all rights has a chance, however slim, of getting a hit. Bad calls like the one that ended the game leave the impression that the umpire is incompetent if not something worse.

[jad]

If he had no chance, why not just call him out and end the game early? Flores is a big league hitter and by all rights has a chance, however slim, of getting a hit. Bad calls like the one that ended the game leave the impression that the umpire is incompetent if not something worse.

 

No it doesn't. We already know there are no clear definitions of a check swing, that all of them are judgment calls, and for swings like this, basically a coin flip. Only die-hard Giants fans or conspiracy theorists would choose this hill to die on.

[Maxbialystock]

There is no way to know that. He deserved a chance . The previous hitter was also rung up on a somewhat questionable call after hitting a long foul ball. The game ended in a controversial play. That should not happen.

 

Controversial has become a huge tent for all kinds of calls these days, like in the 13th inning of game 3 of the ALDS when people were outraged by what was essentially a ground rule double.

[Maxbialystock]

If he had no chance, why not just call him out and end the game early? Flores is a big league hitter and by all rights has a chance, however slim, of getting a hit. Bad calls like the one that ended the game leave the impression that the umpire is incompetent if not something worse.

 

Good point. I think the call in the 13th inning of game 3 vs. the Rays was equally outrageous. As a minimum, the Rays lead runner should have scored the go ahead run and their batter sent to 3d base. Renfroe was rewarded for misplaying the ball.

[dgalehouse]

That was clearly a check swing by any definition that I have ever heard. Not suggesting there was anything devious going on. Just a terrible call by the first base ump. They make quite a few mistakes in almost every game , but this was a very bad time for it.

[moonslav59]

Good point. I think the call in the 13th inning of game 3 vs. the Rays was equally outrageous. As a minimum, the Rays lead runner should have scored the go ahead run and their batter sent to 3d base. Renfroe was rewarded for misplaying the ball.

 

The rule was followed to the letter. It was not a bad call.

 

It is a bad rule.

[mvp 78]

That was clearly a check swing by any definition that I have ever heard. Not suggesting there was anything devious going on. Just a terrible call by the first base ump. They make quite a few mistakes in almost every game , but this was a very bad time for it.

 

If they have their own discretion, they need to know not to end the season on a 50/50 call.

[mvp 78]

Good point. I think the call in the 13th inning of game 3 vs. the Rays was equally outrageous. As a minimum, the Rays lead runner should have scored the go ahead run and their batter sent to 3d base. Renfroe was rewarded for misplaying the ball.

 

That's the rule. The rule should just be changed to awarding bases per umpire discretion MAYBE.

[mvp 78]

If he had no chance, why not just call him out and end the game early? Flores is a big league hitter and by all rights has a chance, however slim, of getting a hit. Bad calls like the one that ended the game leave the impression that the umpire is incompetent if not something worse.

 

That's what they did.

[moonslav59]

That's the rule. The rule should just be changed to awarding bases per umpire discretion MAYBE.

 

Yes, key word "maybe."

 

I always felt it unfair when a ground rule double goes into the stands as the (first base) runner is nearing or rounding 3rd base. He clearly would have scored, unless he fell down, but they always put him at 3B.

 

I'd hate to leave the choice up to clown umps, so I would not change the rule. Keep these important choices out of the CHUMPS hands!