baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
The Turbulent History of the Montréal Expos
Some time ago, I wrote a story detailing the history of the NHL's Quebec Nordiques, who were part of the 1979 NHL-WHA merger and played for 16 seasons in the NHL before moving to Denver. The Nordiques were a hard luck team, but they did have a few moments. The same cannot be said about Quebec's other relocated major team. I've been fascinated with this team for quite a while, and oddly, the fascination increased after they relocated. Could they be back in some form? Who knows? Right now, it's time to tell the tale of one of the most extraordinarily hard luck teams in sports: the Montréal Expos.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What in the World Has Happened to the American League Central?!
It's hard to believe, but the 2023 MLB season is actually the 30th year of this six-division format. Divisional Play began in 1969 with the American and National Leagues being split into two divisions: East and West. This exact format was last played in the 1993 season, and after that year ended, the divisions were realigned, with select teams from the East and West being placed together in each league, marking the birth of the Central Divisions in the AL and NL. The original American League Central consisted of the then-named Cleveland Indians (now the Cleveland Guardians), the Chicago White Sox, the Minnesota Twins, the Kansas City Royals, and the Milwaukee Brewers. 1998 saw the Brewers moved to the NL Central and replaced by the Detroit Tigers, which made way for the expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays to replace Detroit in the AL East.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Six: Redemption?
Game Six of the 2022 World Series became part of baseball history days before it was even played. When the Houston Astros won Game Four to even the series, that forced a sixth game, and thanks to the rain postponement pushing everything back a day, Game Six took place on November 5--the latest date ever for a baseball game. The Series returned to Houston, with the Astros entering with a chance to clinch their second championship in franchise history. For the Philadelphia Phillies, they had to win back-to-back games on the road in order to win their first championship in 14 years.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Five: A Long Time Coming
The Houston Astros are coming off a historic evening--pitching the second World Series no-hitter in baseball history. The combined no-no evened the Series at 2-2, and more importantly, earned the Astros a trip back to Houston. But they couldn't dwell on either of those attributes, as they still had one final game in Philadelphia remaining. While Game Five took place in Philadelphia, Houston hosted a Thursday Night Football contest between the Houston Texans and the Philadelphia Eagles, and that game saw the Eagles emerge victorious and remain unbeaten.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Four: History in the Fall Classic
One year ago today, the Houston Astros' quest to prove the doubters wrong fell short, as they lost that year's World Series to the Atlanta Braves. The Astros, of course, found themselves back in the Fall Classic, but they were playing from behind for the second time, as they were down two games to one. Game Three saw the Astros fall victim to the longball, with the Philadelphia Phillies hitting five home runs in their victory. The Astros were looking to even the score against the Phillies, because a 3-1 hole would mean certain death for Houston.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Three: Raining Longballs
November 2, 2009. On that day, the Philadelphia Phillies played Game Five of the World Series against the New York Yankees, which was a win for the Phils that kept hope alive, but they would lose Game Six. That day was the last time a World Series game took place in The City of Brotherly Love, and after nearly 13 years, Philly was ready for the World Series to make its long awaited return. Then Mother Nature happened. Rain caused Game Three of this year's World Series to be pushed back a day; in fact, the entire series was pushed back one day, meaning that the latest date for the Series is now November 6.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Two: A Game of Inches
With their first loss of the 2022 Postseason, the Houston Astros had their backs to the wall. Game Two was a must win for the Astros, because going down 2-0 heading on the road could be certain death for the team. On the flip side, a 2-0 lead would be absolutely golden for the Philadelphia Phillies, as they would face the benefit of not needing to play all three of their home games. The pitching matchup was Framber Valdez (HOU) vs Zack Wheeler (PHI), and for the latter, it was not a good start, as the Astros struck him for three first-inning runs.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game One: An Improbable Comeback
For the second straight year, the World Series got underway in Texas' largest city: Houston. The one difference was the Houston Astros' opponent, as this time, they faced off against the Philadelphia Phillies, and based on the standings alone, this was yet another case of David facing Goliath. The Astros were in their second straight Series, and were looking to win this year to remove a lot of the stench from their tainted 2017 championship. As for the Phillies, they weren't even supposed to be in the playoffs, let alone the World Series. Season declared dead early in the summer, then a change in manager resulted in a great 2nd half and a postseason berth, which saw them go 9-2 en route to their first pennant in 13 years.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
2022 World Series Preview
I do enjoy the World Series with a passion, and I say this even as a diehard hockey fan. There has always been a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding the Fall Classic, which officially debuted all the way back in 1903. During that year, and a brief period between 1919 and 1922, the World Series was actually played under a best-of-nine format, but in the other years, and consistently since 1923, the World Series has been played under a best-of-seven format. Between 1903 and 1968, the World Series served as the only postseason round in Major League Baseball, with the first place teams in the American and National Leagues competing in the Fall Classic. Since 1969, the World Series has been contested between the winners of the American and National League Championship Series, which served as the opening round of the postseason until 1995.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Poignant, Yet Positive Message to All Yankees Fans
To all of my fellow New York Yankees fans...where do I start? Well, it was your typical Yankees season. The team got off to a great start, and I mean, a great start, but a lull in July and August served as a bit of a snag. Even so, the Yankees won the AL East, and before this, I had three simple words: "I want Houston!" I felt that the Yankees owed the Houston Astros some payback for five years prior, and I also felt that it was time for the Yankees to finally overcome the Astros in the postseason. When the Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians in a five-game ALDS, it set up this inevitable meeting for the pennant.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
What Went Wrong: Cinderella Eliminates Cinderella
The San Diego Padres desperately needed to make up for their immensely disappointing 2021 season, which saw them on the outside looking in despite having pretty big expectations. 2021 saw the Los Angeles Dodgers (the defending World Champions) favored to win the National League West, and those who didn't pick the Dodgers believed that the Padres would get it done. Instead, the San Francisco Giants ended up taking the West, the Dodgers got a Wild Card spot, and as for the Padres, well, they completely fizzled. Part of their problem was the season ending injury suffered by their star player, Fernando Tatis, Jr., and regarding this season, they ended up without Tatis again, but this time, it was a drug policy violation that resulted in an 80-game suspension--which will continue entering the 2023 season.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
2022 League Championship Series Preview
October 18, 2022 will go down in history as the most unprecedented date in MLB history. For the first time ever, two postseason rounds overlapped, as less than an hour after Game Five of the American League Division Series ended, the League Championship Series kicked off. The League Championship Series (LCS) was introduced as a result of MLB splitting the American and National Leagues into two divisions, East and West, in 1969. Before then, the league standings determined the pennants, but with this format, the winners of the East and West Divisions in each league would face off in the LCS, which was introduced as a best-of-five series to determine who wins the pennant and advance to the World Series. The LCS served as MLB's very first playoff round, and it would be extended to a best-of-seven format in 1985. The LCS served as the opening round of the MLB postseason from 1969 until 1993.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
