2023 MLB postseason thread

[Bellhorn04]

Rangers up 7-1 on Rays after 7.

 

If the Rays lose, they will have lost 9 of their last 10 postseason games.

 

Pitchers of record were subjects of much discussion by Sox fans, as guys we "almost signed" this offseason - Eovaldi and Eflin.

[Bellhorn04]

Other starting pitchers of interest today for Sox fans, as looming free agents: Sonny Gray, Aaron Nola.

[sk7326]

The lesson of the Rays-Rangers series is ... 0.5 a run a game simply ain't enough.

 

Tip your hat to Eovaldi. We all know the deal with Nate - if his arm stays attached to his body, he's one of the better pitchers out there.

[Bellhorn04]

The amazing thing is the Rangers lost DeGrom and Scherzer to injury.

 

Montgomery and Eovaldi really stepping up.

[notin]

The lesson of the Rays-Rangers series is ... 0.5 a run a game simply ain't enough.

 

Tip your hat to Eovaldi. We all know the deal with Nate - if his arm stays attached to his body, he's one of the better pitchers out there.

 

I’ve said it since the day the Sox extended him (against my wishes) - the problem with Eovaldi has nothing to do with talent…

[notin]

The amazing thing is the Rangers lost DeGrom and Scherzer to injury.

 

Montgomery and Eovaldi really stepping up.

 

What? They’re not waiting for their injured pitchers to return!?? You don’t have to do that!?!

[sk7326]

I’ve said it since the day the Sox extended him (against my wishes) - the problem with Eovaldi has nothing to do with talent…

 

Overall the contract was frustrating though given the market for starters, that you got 1.5 very good seasons out of it made it more "meh" than a tire fire of a deal. I would have preferred to roll the dice with him than the Kluber-sort of flotsam. We knew that whatever innings Nate gave were probably going to be good.

[Jasonbay44]

Two of the AL East teams eliminated

[notin]

Overall the contract was frustrating though given the market for starters, that you got 1.5 very good seasons out of it made it more "meh" than a tire fire of a deal. I would have preferred to roll the dice with him than the Kluber-sort of flotsam. We knew that whatever innings Nate gave were probably going to be good.

 

I don’t know what sort of offer Boston made. Reportedly it was more guaranteed money than Texas offered, but the Rangers’ contract can be with up to $63mill over 3 with the incentives and options.

 

And I suppose, like Eflin, it is possible Texas native Eovaldi liked the speak of just going home.

 

Maybe it’s time the Sox negotiated with some New England natives for once…

[mvp 78]

Rangers up 7-1 on Rays after 7.

 

If the Rays lose, they will have lost 9 of their last 10 postseason games.

 

Pitchers of record were subjects of much discussion by Sox fans, as guys we "almost signed" this offseason - Eovaldi and Eflin.

 

Rays have lost every postseason game since the Arozarena popcorn incident against the Sox in '21.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I don’t know what sort of offer Boston made. Reportedly it was more guaranteed money than Texas offered, but the Rangers’ contract can be with up to $63mill over 3 with the incentives and options.

 

And I suppose, like Eflin, it is possible Texas native Eovaldi liked the speak of just going home.

 

Maybe it’s time the Sox negotiated with some New England natives for once…

 

This is where the Red Sox' front office always seems to miss the connection. Aaron Civale, native of Connecticut, grew up a Sox fan. Tampa traded a power-hitting minor league first baseman for him. Boston couldn't do that?

[mvp 78]

This is where the Red Sox' front office always seems to miss the connection. Aaron Civale, native of Connecticut, grew up a Sox fan. Tampa traded a power-hitting minor league first baseman for him. Boston couldn't do that?

 

Manzardo was MLB's #37 prospect and already in AAA. Sox don't have that guy.

[moonslav59]

This is where the Red Sox' front office always seems to miss the connection. Aaron Civale, native of Connecticut, grew up a Sox fan. Tampa traded a power-hitting minor league first baseman for him. Boston couldn't do that?

 

That was one trade I felt we could have jumped at.

 

Apparently, that 1Bman was pretty highly, so it's hard to know what we would have had to have given.

 

The multiple years of control was the big plus.

[dgalehouse]

Rays fans were conspicuous by their absence for the playoff games at the Trop.

[moonslav59]

Rays fans were conspicuous by their absence for the playoff games at the Trop.

 

Lowest non-COVID playoff total since 1919!

[moonslav59]

Will a new park really make a big difference?

 

Too many transplanted fans in the area, IMO.

[mvp 78]

Will a new park really make a big difference?

 

Too many transplanted fans in the area, IMO.

 

We'll see. For the longest time, fans have complained that the issue is location. The new ballpark is basically in the same location in St Pete. The facility will be nicer, but somehow I don't think the facility is what is preventing fans from showing up for playoff games...

[mvp 78]

Also, I'm not sure the transplanted fan issue matters much. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been towards the top of attendance, but are in Tampa and not St. Pete. Florida Panthers are towards the bottom because they are in Ft Lauderdale/Sunrise and not Miami. Miami Heat are a top 5 draw in the NBA. The Marlins don't draw because they have just been a hopeless franchise for a long, long time. Their various ownership groups have shows that they don't care about fans and have treated that fanbase the way the Sox fanbase was treated since 2019. Star players are dumped ASAP. Big time players are never on their radar. It's just churn and burn for their farm and hope to get lightning in a bottle like in 2003. Once that happens, let all the tradable assets go.

[moonslav59]

Also, I'm not sure the transplanted fan issue matters much. The Tampa Bay Lightning have been towards the top of attendance, but are in Tampa and not St. Pete. Florida Panthers are towards the bottom because they are in Ft Lauderdale/Sunrise and not Miami. Miami Heat are a top 5 draw in the NBA. The Marlins don't draw because they have just been a hopeless franchise for a long, long time. Their various ownership groups have shows that they don't care about fans and have treated that fanbase the way the Sox fanbase was treated since 2019. Star players are dumped ASAP. Big time players are never on their radar. It's just churn and burn for their farm and hope to get lightning in a bottle like in 2003. Once that happens, let all the tradable assets go.

 

The Houston area has a lot of transplants, and I know many who only go to games when their team is playing. One friend was a Phillies fan, who now is an Astros fan.

 

I think it is hard to get an older generation, who followed other teams for their whole lives to switch to being ardent Rays fans. The "older" population is much bigger in FLA, too, than most areas.

 

I just don't think they have enough people looking to root for the local baseball team in the area, no matter how nice the stadium is, of even if it's a 5 minute walk away from their house.

 

I would not go to any non Sox Astros game, if the park was nextdoor.

[mvp 78]

The Houston area has a lot of transplants, and I know many who only go to games when their team is playing. One friend was a Phillies fan, who now is an Astros fan.

 

I think it is hard to get an older generation, who followed other teams for their whole lives to switch to being ardent Rays fans. The "older" population is much bigger in FLA, too, than most areas.

 

I just don't think they have enough people looking to root for the local baseball team in the area, no matter how nice the stadium is, of even if it's a 5 minute walk away from their house.

 

I would not go to any non Sox Astros game, if the park was nextdoor.

 

Rays viewership is about league average per tv ratings. The fanbase is there.

 

Tampa's Hillsborough County is only 15% 65 or older, which is even less than a typical New England demographic. The county I live in is 32%.

[moonslav59]

Rays viewership is about league average per tv ratings. The fanbase is there.

 

Tampa's Hillsborough County is only 15% 65 or older, which is even less than a typical New England demographic. The county I live in is 32%.

 

https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tampa-bay-may-be-the-no-1-major-metro-for-seniors-but-lots-of-cities-are/2266356/#:~:text=Tampa%20Bay's%20population%20over%2065,metros%20in%20the%20United%20States.

 

They were 9th, last year, in most people moving to the city:

 

https://www.pods.com/blog/moving-trends

Edited October 6, 2023 by moonslav59

[mvp 78]

https://www.tampabay.com/news/business/tampa-bay-may-be-the-no-1-major-metro-for-seniors-but-lots-of-cities-are/2266356/#:~:text=Tampa%20Bay's%20population%20over%2065,metros%20in%20the%20United%20States.

 

They were 9th, last year, in most people moving to the city:

 

https://www.pods.com/blog/moving-trends

 

Yeah, everyone is moving to Florida. This is not really news? Tampa already has a local fanbase that is younger (per demographics) and watches the games (per tv ratings).

[moonslav59]

Yeah, everyone is moving to Florida. This is not really news? Tampa already has a local fanbase that is younger (per demographics) and watches the games (per tv ratings).

 

I didn't say it was news. I didn't even try to hint is was something we don't already know. It's been going on for a long time.

 

I just said TB has a large transplant population that skews the numbers, since many will never become Rays fans or ardent ones.

 

You said they have a low senior population. I presented numbers that indicate another opinion on that point. Now, you change the debate.

 

I'm not disputing the TV ratings.

 

I guess Tampa has a bunch of old and young people and not many middle agers. The point I'm making is the fanbase is smaller than normal due to so many never having a chance at becoming a Rays fan, because they already love the Yanks, Red Sox and ___.

[Maxbialystock]

The Houston area has a lot of transplants, and I know many who only go to games when their team is playing. One friend was a Phillies fan, who now is an Astros fan.

 

I think it is hard to get an older generation, who followed other teams for their whole lives to switch to being ardent Rays fans. The "older" population is much bigger in FLA, too, than most areas.

 

I just don't think they have enough people looking to root for the local baseball team in the area, no matter how nice the stadium is, of even if it's a 5 minute walk away from their house.

 

I would not go to any non Sox Astros game, if the park was nextdoor.

 

Meh. I've semi-adopted teams near where I was living: the Kansas Royals, the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Senators and Nationals, and the Philadelphia Phillies. I've also seen pro football games in person, Div I basketball at Madison Square Garden and collegiate sports of all kinds (lacrosse, tennis, squash, football, basketball, soccer, etc). I even went to the World Cup in DC.

 

And it's my opinion that the best sport to watch in person is MLB--except at Fenway Park, where the sight lines were always abysmal and the seats expensive.

 

As for the Rays, I read that roughly 3 million people live within roughly an hour's drive of the Trop, which I think is a horrible ballpark. So it makes sense to build a good ballpark where the Trop is.

[moonslav59]

Meh. I've semi-adopted teams near where I was living: the Kansas Royals, the Baltimore Orioles, the Washington Senators and Nationals, and the Philadelphia Phillies. I've also seen pro football games in person, Div I basketball at Madison Square Garden and collegiate sports of all kinds (lacrosse, tennis, squash, football, basketball, soccer, etc). I even went to the World Cup in DC.

 

And it's my opinion that the best sport to watch in person is MLB--except at Fenway Park, where the sight lines were always abysmal and the seats expensive.

 

As for the Rays, I read that roughly 3 million people live within roughly an hour's drive of the Trop, which I think is a horrible ballpark. So it makes sense to build a good ballpark where the Trop is.

 

Don't be shocked when they barely sell more tickets at the new place.

[Maxbialystock]

Don't be shocked when they barely sell more tickets at the new place.

 

I won't be.

[Maxbialystock]

Kershaw lasted .1 innings while giving up 6 runs. Now it's 9-0 Diamondbacks in the 2d.

 

Braves also lost, 3-0, to the Phillies. And the Orioles 3-2 to Rangers. Astros are the only home team in the Division Series who won the first game.

[Jasonbay44]

I know that some people are rooting for the Orioles because they haven’t won in forever and it’s a “cool story” but f*** the Orioles. Go Rangers!

[Bellhorn04]

Kershaw lasted .1 innings while giving up 6 runs. Now it's 9-0 Diamondbacks in the 2d.

 

Braves also lost, 3-0, to the Phillies. And the Orioles 3-2 to Rangers. Astros are the only home team in the Division Series who won the first game.

 

Kershaw has a career regular season ERA of 2.48 and a career postseason ERA of 4.49.

[Bellhorn04]

Braves big hitters looked a little tired in yesterday's game.