Yaz Fan Since 67

As I said in my first post here in years Ottavino never seems to have clean innings, there seems to be a lot of traffic after he comes in. IMO Whitlock would be a better option in the critical 8th inning.

The soft ground out by Plawecki to short that tied it in the 8th. If they were playing in a good chance to cut down the runner at the plate.

Well this magical season keeps on rolling along. I never understood why a manager pulls a pitcher after a no-no so quickly, to go with that reliever when he had Britton and Green on rest was a gift. Not sure why the infield was not in on the tying ground out. Boone is killing the Yankees, that loss had to be a gut punch to them. Please put Whitlock in the spot Ottavino has occupied for most of the season. PLEASE.

Boy I don't know about that. I like Arroyo and want his bat in the lineup but Cora sounded upset with himself for playing him there and then watching him get hurt. I read his quote to mean he won't make that mistake again.

I'm retired and drive rideshare in the evenings. So I record the games, then watch when I get home after the wife is in bed. I rarely watch any game live, I prefer to FF the commercials. So this set up is great for me. l love Eckersley, I think he's great. Remy keeps calling Kike Kiki, so annoying.

Oh I remember how the pen went in 2018. We all saw the set up men pitch far better in the post season than what we saw for 5 months. That still amazes me. But that 2018 team was far better than this one, they could overcome a bad post season by Kimbrel. Barns is very good, no doubt, but he's not as dominant as most WS closers from where I sit. As for Verdugo I just backed up last nights game. His 2nd AB (runner on 2nd on his first) they had 3 IF on the right side, the 3rd baseman is about 20 feet from 2nd base. He had 70 feet of open infield on the left side, he hit into the shift to the second baseman in shallow right for a ground out on a very hard hit ball.

Nothing about hitting ML pitching looks easy to me from home. I could try 1,000 pitches, starting my swing as the pitcher is winding up, and wouldn't touch a ball. I hear what you are saying, I've heard that too, but they make adjustment all the time. Seems this would be so beneficial. Don't even get me started on bunting. It's been a hot topic for me for a long long time.

Another thought: Can someone explain to me why a professional hitter can not adjust to the shift? The left side is completely open for many left handers and they refuse to go the other way for an easy base hit. If nothing else it would cause teams to re-evaluate their strategy and possible open up the right side.

Thanks man, it's such a small (but active) group I thought I may be remembered. Even if you don't it was nice of you to say you do. I'm still a Vaz guy but didn't understand why he didn't get more days off, especially for such a physically demanding position. Obviously they have gottn production from the backup in a limited role. I feel so badly for Chavis. He came back up after losing weight, he wants it so badly, but it's just not working. I saw him mentioned in trades but I question if he has any value. Still undecided if I want a deadline deal, the farm has been in need of a rebuild and I'd hate to stray away from that. Still the chance to win a ring is inviting.

Morning everyone. Not sure if I am remembered, I was a regular in 2018 but life got in the way. Forgot my password and for some reason could not get approved when I tried to register with another name. But this old man finally figured it out. Anyway I don't pretend to be as knowledgeable as you folks, I do not understand all the advanced stats posted here but I have enjoyed reading the threads and thought I'd finally participate. A few observations: I woke up still pissed as that loss last night. The Yankees were done but a bloop double by Stanton changed the game. Even before last night I was going to post my concerns with Ottavino. He has really good numbers and will be counted on in pressure situations in the post season but he never seems to have a clean inning. There is always traffic that he usually wriggles out of. That's not a good recipe for playoff success. If I never see Marwin Gonzales take another at bat in a Red Sox uniform I'd be fine with that. He got way too many at bats this season, obviously due to injuries, and it was painful to witness. Can you imagine this lineup if Verdugo and Dalbec had played close to expectations? I'm still fine with Bobby in the lineup, it's too soon to judge, but man..... The pen has been really good and a big reason for the turnaround. However I'm not sold on Barnes. I read someone say a top closer is not necessary but I can't remember too many World Series teams that didn't have one. I'm fascinated to see what Cora does with Whitlock, what a weapon he has at his disposal. With Tanner and Sale perhaps the rotation will be good enough in October but I have my doubts. For that last reason I don't expect a big run in October. But this year has been a blast. I live in Maryland so never got all the Sox games, until I subscribed to the MLB Network in 2018, and I did it again. Best money I have spent in a while, really enjoying this year.

Whoa that works for me. I'm a big Devers guy but I don't see him ever being anything other than a below average 3rd baseman and that may be generous.

Man I was just thinking about that situation as the DC radio guys were discussing Bryce Harper and how there is no such thing as a home discount. I remember Arroyo doing just that and they rewarded him by trading him, remember how pissed he was about that but that's just professional sports.

Lol

Yep. Such a shame he has had so many injuries.

I'm still an ERod fan but his stuff is just not good enough for any mistakes. As a result he lives on the corners and there is little margin for error there, that's why the counts go full so often. And that's why IMO what you see now is probably all he's going to be, a 4th starter.

Yeah I was watching some of the games again last night and I came to realize that winning 4-1 with the only loss taking 18 innings is about as close to a sweep as you can get. This really was a special season, best in Sox history so I guess this has to be considered the best team they've ever had.

I still have most of the games on my DVR list. I froze them all at the best moments and went back, again, to enjoy them last night. My favorite moment of the entire playoff run was JBJ's grand slam. I've seen that a whole bunch of times. "Jackie Bradley Jr.! A knockout punch here in the 8th!" was the call and it's awesome.

I always thought he was one of the best, at both football and baseball. You know it's a big game if Joe Buck is calling it.

Yep. Watching ERod not running to 2nd as he was obviously saving himself for his pitching duties, then seeing the Dodger pitcher wail at pitches reminded me of how much better the AL rules are.

A huge shout out to the Red Sox ownership who spent a ton of money above the tax threshold to allow us to sign players like JD. Thank you

Oh he's not gonna like that. I mean he sacrificed so much for this team and all.

So does Pablo's ring show up in a Fed Ex box?

Thank you Joe Kelly. I have no idea how you did that but thank you.

What a season. i don't live in the market, for the first time I got the MLB channel and was able to watch every game all year. On top of that I became a regular poster here. And I got to witness one of the best seasons a baseball team has ever had. What makes this fun is the Red Sox are kind of unique to me. Where most of my friends root for the same local teams I do (Redskins etc) I'm the only one who roots for the Sox. So I know damned well my old friends, guys I played softball with in 1986, long lost roommates are thinking of me as they watch all of this. *Sniff, Sniff* I need a tissue.

Yep. I really wanted him to make the final out, seeing his season end as he spun to one knee knowing that will be the play that is replayed forever, was awesome!