MLB Season 2022. Playball!

[Brando70]

Thrilling opener for the Cubs, would have liked a win but it was an exciting start. Jason Heyward looked like Willie Mays Hayes the way he beat out that dribbler for a hit before Contreras hit is tying HR.

[Aristo]

Thought the game was just as exciting, but got to cheer a Cards win! Martinez looks like he has taken that next step. And holy crap will the Cardinals be better if last season was the fluke for Grichuk. Defense was looking so much better until Carp misplayed that ground ball that let Hayward reach, too.

[MizzouRah]

Heyward might be the worst contract ever.

Martinez is filthy good.. was a fun game to watch!

[dbdynsty25]

How can anyone be a Blue Jay fan. What a bunch of idiots on that team. Pillar getting mad about getting struck out on a quick pitch and Joey Bats going supreme idiot pimping his homer, staredown of the pitcher and hearty bat flip...DOWN 8-3 in the late innings. Not even to mention they've hit about 8 braves batters over a five game home at home series. And they basically knocked out an MVP candidate for a while by tagging Freeman on the wrist with one of them. Tomorrow's game should be interesting.

[10spro]

How can anyone be a Blue Jay fan. What a bunch of idiots on that team. Pillar getting mad about getting struck out on a quick pitch and Joey Bats going supreme idiot pimping his homer, staredown of the pitcher and hearty bat flip...DOWN 8-3 in the late innings. Not even to mention they've hit about 8 braves batters over a five game home at home series. And they basically knocked out an MVP candidate for a while by tagging Freeman on the wrist with one of them. Tomorrow's game should be interesting.

It's been a frustrating quarter to say the least for TOR. The rash of injuries never helped the team to get to what everyone think they should be. Not a huge fan of Bautista, there's been wild pitches in the last 3 games and with the game out of reach practically, was it called for a Joey Bat? No, although something must have been brewing up in the late innings.

I think ATL was more pissed at losing Freeman. Was it that big of a deal to have the benches clearing? Really? He'll probably get beaned tomorrow and everyone moves on.

I would understand his bat flip against teams like Texas, BAL, BOS but showboating against these Braves?

Whatever motive it was, he should have done it for going only .197 so far this season.

[snaz16]

I'll be in the ATL monday for a game against the Buccos and was really looking forward to seeing Freddy play. Didn't look good.

[dbdynsty25]

I'll be in the ATL monday for a game against the Buccos and was really looking forward to seeing Freddy play. Didn't look good.

Confirmed, fractured wrist. Out 8+ weeks. F8CK.

[snaz16]

I'll be in the ATL monday for a game against the Buccos and was really looking forward to seeing Freddy play. Didn't look good.

Confirmed, fractured wrist. Out 8+ weeks. F8CK.

Sucks big time , he was having a great year ,, wouldn't be surprised to see fireworks tonight. Pillar uttering a slur , Bautista bat flip down 8-3. Duck Jose

[10spro]

With Kershaw out with a back injury, Dodgers added some insurance in Yu Darvish without giving up their top three prospects. Sonny Gray to the Yankee obviously helps them to stay on course with the Bosox, who are without the services of D. Price again.

Jays pretty much stand pat with 7-8 games out of the playoff race, but I like what they've acquired for Francisco Liriano.

[10spro]

Joe Girardi must be thanking his bullpen infinitely for shutting down a dangerous Twins team. I mean when your starter just gives you three innings, things usually don't work out but the Yankees will have something for CLE to think about. The match ups in the AL look great.

[dbdynsty25]

Joe Girardi must be thanking his bullpen infinitely for shutting down a dangerous Twins team. I mean when your starter just gives you three innings, things usually don't work out but the Yankees will have something for CLE to think about. The match ups in the AL look great.

Three innings? He went 1/3 of an inning. Got one freakin' out...and they still won. Incredible.

[10spro]

Joe Girardi must be thanking his bullpen infinitely for shutting down a dangerous Twins team. I mean when your starter just gives you three innings, things usually don't work out but the Yankees will have something for CLE to think about. The match ups in the AL look great.

Three innings? He went 1/3 of an inning. Got one freakin' out...and they still won. Incredible.

Yup, 1/3 that’s what I meant. Damn Yankees.

[10spro]

The damn Yankees keep putting on a show. Give them credit, they have a nice mix of veterans and youth in their lineup and being down 2-0 already in the series, chances were not too good for them. Great pitching by CC tonight, we know they have a deep bullpen and while Judge struggled tonight, Gregorius was just money.

[Rodster]

The damn Yankees keep putting on a show. Give them credit, they have a nice mix of veterans and youth in their lineup and being down 2-0 already in the series, chances were not too good for them. Great pitching by CC tonight, we know they have a deep bullpen and while Judge struggled tonight, Gregorius was just money.

And that includes Joe Girardi not challenging the hit batter call in game 2 which gave the game to Cleveland.

[fanatic]

It feels so strange not to hate seeing the Yankees win! I'll definitely be rooting for Houston though...

Gotta hand it to the Yanks for building their youth while at the same time adding vets to keep them competitive. I remember when they decided against trading for David Price at the 2015 deadline (instead he went to my Jays) - which would have cost them Severino for sure. They still made the wild card, and their patience got rewarded in the end. Cashman made some great moves for Hicks, Didi, etc... I know that Boston probably has the bigger core of good young position players (Betts, Bogarts, Bradley, Benetendi and Devers), but as a Jays fan, I'm a bit more scared of the Yanks moving forward. If they end up with Otani, it could be game over!

On more of rant note, anyone else notice how many bad calls the ump made last night? Aren't we at the point where technology should take over for balls and strikes? Hopefully that's the plan and they are just working out all the kinks, because as much as we can say that human error effects both teams, it's hard to look past blown calls at key moments of playoff games. When Cleveland was threatening in the 6th, down 3-2 and the first pitch was erroneously called a strike to Lindor, it obviously effects the rest of the bat, which saw him jump into swing mode for pitch 2 and ground into a double play. Robertson ended up pitching amazing, so maybe that at bat ends that way regardless, but I just don't see the point of constantly having to deal with it.

[MizzouRah]

On more of rant note, anyone else notice how many bad calls the ump made last night? Aren't we at the point where technology should take over for balls and strikes? Hopefully that's the plan and they are just working out all the kinks, because as much as we can say that human error effects both teams, it's hard to look past blown calls at key moments of playoff games. When Cleveland was threatening in the 6th, down 3-2 and the first pitch was erroneously called a strike to Lindor, it obviously effects the rest of the bat, which saw him jump into swing mode for pitch 2 and ground into a double play. Robertson ended up pitching amazing, so maybe that at bat ends that way regardless, but I just don't see the point of constantly having to deal with it.

I have been thinking about this for a couple years now.. I'm just looking at the balls/strikes calling and it was horrible last night and it's horrible on a regular basis. I would hope one day they will implement the technology to automate balls and strikes but I'm sure it's an uphill battle. There's no doubt to me they have a system that could do it now, heck we see the technology on TV when watching the game.

Congrats to the Yankees though, heck of a comeback in the series!

[DivotMaker]

Four seasons ago the Astros finished the last of 3 consecutive 100+ loss seasons with their worst ever, 111 games lost. This year they won 101 and a few of those players like Altuve, Springer, etc were on that 111 loss team.

When Jim Crane bought the 'Stros from Drayton McLane, we thought we would be in a rebuilding mode, but nothing like 3 straight 100+ loss seasons. What Crane did though is bring in a GM Jeff Luhnow who shook things up and brought new technology with him from St. Louis. Crane also committed to rebuilding the Farm system that Drayton McLane allowed to deteriorate terribly. In fact, what the 'Stros were doing was noticed as far back as June of 2014 with the cover of SI:



Won't be too much longer to see how prophetic or not this prediction was. Houston has been a decent pro sports town, but has had terrible performance in all 3 major sports here.

Astros have been to ONE World Series and got swept by the White Sox

Oilers/Texans have NEVER been to a Super Bowl

Rockets have won two World Championships in 94/95 and nothing since

It is time for this city to get a major pro sports championship for a change........

[10spro]

I hope things work out for the Astros, Divot. They have a lineup where literally everyone can rip it anytime, anywhere. I don't dislike this version of the Yankees as I did in the past but they do have a deep bullpen to counter those bats. Both teams can hit so it'll come to the starting pitchers and I am betting on them to advance.

Regarding the topic of technology taking over the missed calls from the Umps, although in theory everyone would like to see it implemented, I don't see it being accepted by the owners anytime soon. Granted it's hard to judge a 98mph painting the corners at times, so from a not so regular viewer of the sport, do they want to see further video reviews to reverse or acknowledge calls from the umps at a risk of further delaying a game which already many people think it takes already to long to complete.

[dbdynsty25]

I already hate instant replay. I think it should be used for boundary calls and that's it. If the ball made it over the yellow line for a homer, fair or foul, etc. This hanging around the bag for an extra min. while the team decides if they want to challenge the call is annoying and unnecessary. They need to do away with it.

And hell no to electronic balls and strikes. (spoken like a true Braves fan w/ Glavine and Maddux getting balls off the plate called regularly, lol)

I really don't like the idea of technology in baseball. Too much of the fun (see above) and hearbreak (see Cardinals/Braves wild card infield fly bullsh*t) in the made and missed calls.

[DivotMaker]

I hope things work out for the Astros, Divot. They have a lineup where literally everyone can rip it anytime, anywhere. I don't dislike this version of the Yankees as I did in the past but they do have a deep bullpen to counter those bats. Both teams can hit so it'll come to the starting pitchers and I am betting on them to advance.

Here is a link to the article in SI if anyone is interested.

https://www.si.com/vault/2014/06/30/106 ... experiment

[RobVarak]

I really don't like the idea of technology in baseball. Too much of the fun (see above) and hearbreak (see Cardinals/Braves wild card infield fly bullsh*t) in the made and missed calls.

I understand this position, I just find it indefensible by an stretch of logic.

Every game has rules. Every rule should be enforced with the greatest possible level of consistency. The fun of the game is in seeing the athletes and coaches manage within those rules and engage in spectacular feats of athletics, not in seeing human beings make dumb, mundane errors because calling balls and strikes accurately is nearly impossible. Removing human error by the officials creates a more level playing field, results in fairer results and ultimately keeps the spotlight on the athletes rather than the officials.

Don Denkinger or Eric Gregg screwing up their jobs isn't fun. It generates controversy, not entertainment.

As far as balls and strikes are concerned, automated calls will also speed up the game. There is no longer any incentive to try to game the system by getting umps to make mistakes via nibbling and framing of pitches. I'm really looking forward to it.

Replay is different, because notwithstanding all those things I've just said, there is a point where ensuring perfect accuracy may require more time than is reasonable. I think they do a pretty good job of it overall, but it can definitely be streamlined.

[sportdan30]

Go Nationals!!!

[fanatic]

As far as balls and strikes are concerned, automated calls will also speed up the game. There is no longer any incentive to try to game the system by getting umps to make mistakes via nibbling and framing of pitches. I'm really looking forward to it.

Also, can you imagine how this would change the post-at bat dynamic in the dugout? Instead of steaming over a blown call, players can focus on the important parts of the AB. And yes, it will all be speedier - no back and forth between the manager and ump. Less need for all of that crap that only exists because umpires can only make the correct pitch call about 87% of the time.

I remember when my Jays lost to the Royals in GM6 of the ALCS in 2015. They had Wade Davis on the ropes in extras, looking to tie the game, and the ump made two horrendous strike calls on pitches that were 6-8 inches off the plate that pretty much squashed any potential rally. Two outs later, season over, have a nice day. As a fan and as players who dedicate their lives to this game, there's no reason why the outcomes can't be pretty much 100% fair without doubt.

[MERACE]

Since Justin Verlander was my favorite Tiger, and he's now with the Astros, I think it's pretty obvious which team I'm rooting for in the playoffs.


-MERACE

[RobVarak]

I'd really like to pull for the Astros, but Brian McCann makes it tough. Unrivaled league Most Valuable Jagoff 10 years running.

Altuve is so much fun to watch that I'll probably just ignore McCann's presence.