2023 NLDS: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves

[Sportsforever]

Quote: Originally Posted by LowerWolf

That’s terrible.

Ya…that was awful. The game day tracker shows that pitch as being in exact same location as previous pitch called a ball.


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[Sportsforever]

Okay…maybe we can wake up now.


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[LowerWolf]

Please let that be the swing that gets them going.

[DrJones]

One thing I do find interesting is that the "chalkiest" of recent postseasons was actually 2020. Despite a 60-game regular season, a 16-team playoff field and a 1st-round best-of-3 that you'd think would produce a ton of upsets, favourites won a very NBA-like 11 of 15 series (with the vampire Astros accounting for 2 of the 4 "upsets").

Now, the main reason for those results was probably randomness, but it's very possible that the unusual circumstances of the COVID playoffs favoured teams with better records.

1. No byes, no chance for rust (real or perceived)

2. No off days within series (3-game series were completed in 3 days, 5-game series were completed in 5 days, 7-game series were completed in 7 days; only the World Series had normal breaks between Games 2/3 and 5/6). It's obviously a small sample size, but it's easy to speculate that following a regular season type schedule really helped the "better" regular season teams, ie roster and pitching depth - let's see everyone's 4th/5th starters!

3. No crowds (except for small neutral crowds in the NLCS and World Series). Let's face it, if you're a 100-win team going against a 90-win team, is a home crowd really that much of a help? If anything, I'd say most of the time it just adds pressure. Note that this was the one postseason where Kershaw and the Dodgers put it together

Obviously, #3 is a no-go, but I do wonder about the other 2. Do baseball players really need off-days within series? Don't all of these teams charter private jets these days?

[DamnYanks2]

Boom we got a game. I knew it. Braves won't go quietly.

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[Speedy]

ABOUT TIME

[LowerWolf]

Tie it up, Ronnie.

Edit: getting hit may wake him up.

[Sportsforever]

Riley’s swing has been so long these last few weeks…he just can’t catch up.

…and they sped up his bat!

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