MLB 2022

[gunnar hendershow]

Drew Rasmussen is 3 outs from a perfect game.

Edit - Mateo with a hit! I did it! I jinxed him! Let's go O's!!!

[The Buscher]

I turned over to MLB Network as the 9th was starting and I flat out told my girlfriend “with all the pressure on, the first guy up is usually swinging first pitch” and then, welp.

Hell of an outing though.

[Your Mom]

Sorry I know we have some Mets fans but this is just too funny

 

[Maxx]

Its okay, its about the time of year the Mets fans start their decline into anger and disappointment.

[GhostMachine]

I thought that was about two months into the season.....?

Oh, wait. That's when it happens with Reds fans. 

[The Buscher]

6 hours ago, Maxx said:

Its okay, its about the time of year the Mets fans start their decline into anger and disappointment.

You're not wrong.  Mets fans were talking mad shit when they went 4-1 on the Braves the weekend before last.  Opened last Friday with a 7 game lead and the fans talked like the Braves were no longer a threat to win the division.

Unsurprisingly just a few days later the lead is down to 3.5 and falling fast.  Moreover after having unusually good injury luck, in the span of 3 days they've lost both members of their third baseman platoon and had starters depart after 2 innings to injury on consecutive nights.  The bullpen is predictably terrible after Eppler did nothing to address it except add Givens who in 2 weeks with the Mets has surrendered more runs than he has in the last 3 months combined.

It's not all gloom and doom.  The NL East is on pace to have three 90-game winners and they're all likely to be playing in October.  But I have no idea why any Mets fan would ever talk shit with their history or act like the Braves were done when the Braves have been winning at like a .950 clip against sub-.500 teams since June.

[Maxx]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

 

[GhostMachine]

Too bad the next batter didn't hit a Grand Slam.....

 

[DMN in the House]

On 16/08/2022 at 12:58, Maxx said:

Its okay, its about the time of year the Mets fans start their decline into anger and disappointment.

Unlike me, who has to wait two more months!

[The Buscher]

It's fairly obvious the Mets fanbase thrives on being miserable because you keep hearing words like "collapse" being thrown at the team for "blowing" a 10.5 game lead despite the following being their records since the lead got to its highest point:

Mets 45-29, .608 winning percentage, a 98 win pace
Braves 54-21, .720 winning percentage, a 117 win pace

I don't need Elias Sports Bureau to tell me that a 98 win pace after having a 10.5 game lead is usually sufficient. It just happens the team chasing them has been outpacing the goddamn 2001 Mariners since then.

How would it even be a collapse? Fans don't want to hear it about a division rival but sometimes you just have to tip your cap.

[The Buscher]

Over the weekend, the Mets held their first Old Timer's Day since 1994.  Back then, Old Timer's Day for the Mets saw legends from all around the league invited because they didn't have enough history themselves.  This time it was fully a Mets event, with former players and coaches from the entire 60 year history of the team coming back, along with relatives of deceased Mets legends.  They played a game and it was a blast to watch.  49-year old Bartolo Colon still auditioning for a job blowing people away with 90 MPH fastball.  66-year old Mookie Wilson moving around in the outfield like his playing days.  79-year old Steve Dillon actually getting into the game and facing two batters.

Numerous Old Timer's took the time to publicly rip the Wilpons, who never cared at all about Mets history and never would've done an event like this.  Meanwhile Cohen paid for the travel and lodging for all 60 or so people that were brought in for the festivities.

They also righted a wrong.  Former owner Joan Payson adored Willie Mays and promised him when the Mets got him in 1972 that his number 24 would never be worn by the Mets again.  The number was accidentally given out to Kelvin Torve for a week in the '90s and it was also given out to Rickey Henderson and Robinson Cano, both of whom had enough clout to be given the number but Mays was publicly unhappy that the promise had been unfulfilled from all this time later.  So at Old Timer's Day they made the surprise announcement that #24 was retired effective immediately.  With the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers being the Mets' spiritual successors, I really do love that #24 and #42 are retired.

[The Buscher]

Aaron Judge hit #51 last night.  There are 32 games left.  He did recently have a 9-game drought, which finally killed his pace for passing Bonds.  But unless he gets hurt or guys finally stop pitching to him, it's hard to imagine he doesn't easily hit the 12 he'd need to pass Maris.

Of course, passing Maris won't actually get him the record but you'd never know it with the way the NY media and fanbase talk about it.

[gunnar hendershow]

 

[The Buscher]

That's awesome.  I'm guessing they would've found a way to wait until 2023 to call him up in a typical Orioles year, but it's not been a typical Orioles year and he had to be up by tomorrow to be postseason eligible had he made it.

https://www.playoffmagic.com/mlb/league/

This is probably my favorite "magic number" tracker as it shows every single team's magic number over any other team within their league, aside from the Astros and Yankees you can see how the magic numbers are in the 30s for everyone else, which paints a picture of how tight these races really are.

[gunnar hendershow]

3 hours ago, CM Busch said:

That's awesome.  I'm guessing they would've found a way to wait until 2023 to call him up in a typical Orioles year, but it's not been a typical Orioles year and he had to be up by tomorrow to be postseason eligible had he made it.

Realistically that's probably what would've happened but he was far, far too good in AAA recently where he may have forced a call-up regardless. Especially as Norfolk are way out of contention. It was wild to see him rocket up prospect boards this year. Adley's still the jewel of the Elias regime but people are starting to think Gunnar may be better.

And one of my favorite things when it happens, his first hit in the majors is a HR.

Let's not talk too much about his first AB though, which ended with him hitting a long flyball foul that was caught by the LF who then threw it all the way back to 1B to double up Ryan Mountcastle who made a serious base running mistake. Ah well.

[gunnar hendershow]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

Kyle Bradish who, since his call-up, has largely been treated as "hope he can get through 4" just strung together arguably the best 2 consecutive starts in the history of the Baltimore Orioles franchise. Even Jim Palmer never did this.

What even is this team/season?

[Slogger]

4 hours ago, damhausen said:

Kyle Bradish who, since his call-up, has largely been treated as "hope he can get through 4" just strung together arguably the best 2 consecutive starts in the history of the Baltimore Orioles franchise. Even Jim Palmer never did this.

What even is this team/season?

Orioles Magic

But like actual fucking magic and I'm here for it 😍

[The Buscher]

For the first time since April 11, the Mets are no longer in sole possession of first place.  The Braves, down 10.5 on June 1st, have gone 62-24 since then to reclaim first and there’s really no reason to expect them to slow down.  Especially since the Mets have completely forgotten how to hit over the last two weeks.

Saw this coming a mile away when the Mets beat the Dodgers last week and the fans acted like it was a done deal with a 3 game lead going into what was meant to be the easiest remaining schedule in baseball. They are 1-3 against the Nats and Pirates since then, getting blown out twice.

Bet this Narco stuff blows up in their face too.  Braves are 100% playing it if they clinch the division in front of the Mets in the 2nd to last series of the year.