Family Good Stuff – Threeunassisted

Phillies Are Down 2-0 and Our Home Is Not Happy

It’s bad enough that New York Mets folded down the stretch and missed the playoffs. The New York Yankees trailing in their best of five series 2-0 is worse. Now, on top of all that, the Philadelphia Phillies have made it the wrong kind of triple play, finding themselves down 2-0 in their Divisional series. Needless to say, our household, both near and far is not doing too well in this postseason. To make matters worse, the Phillies now have to travel to Los Angeles to try and salvage their season, hopefully winning two straight and then trying to complete the comeback by winning a fifth game at Citizens Bank Park.

Rob Thomson’s face says it all. Credit: NY Post

Caitlyn just had her spirits elevated and then crushed within the span of five minutes. At least during the course of the game, she provided us with some funny comments:

“I spend enough time and energy into this team only for them NOT to spend enough time and energy to try and win the World Series”

“They are better off pulling a random fan from the stands and telling them today is your lucky day”-this as she saw the Phillies make a pitching change.

In Saturday’s Game 1 loss, it was a carbon copy of last year’s Game 1 divisional loss. We were at Siena for family weekend. The Phillies had a late lead disintegrate thanks to the bullpen. The game was at home. Matt Strahm was a part of both games. Their starting pitchers threw well enough to win. It’s amazing and painful to see how similar both games were.

Should the Phillies and Yankees lose their respective series this week, it will make the shortest playoff stints for our collective teams in four years. The Phillies would be the most painful. Two straight divisional titles, two straight divisional round exits and one unhappy daughter. The ending to the baseball season doesn’t get more depressing than that.

Let’s Go Mets

I will not be angry. We will see much of that over the coming days.

I will not vent. Talk radio will cover plenty of that.

I don’t want to minimize what happened but I also don’t want to dwell in a sea of sorrow (Thanks Alice in Chains).

The Mets in happier times. They will be back. Credit: Sports Illustrated

It’s not productive for me to go through the litany of things that went wrong.

The New York Mets are not my favorite team. However, people close to me root for them above everything. The hurt and anger doesn’t affect me like it affects them.

I feel horribly for them.

Matthew and I discussed what happens from here. The Pete Alonso decision looms above all, but that’s not the only concern.

Does Edwin Diaz opt out?

Will Clay Holmes return to the bullpen?

Will Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat all start 2026 in the rotation?

Can the offense not be so streaky? After all, most of the core players will be there beyond next season.

I think this post is best summed up by Matthew in a message he sent to our family chat:

I AM a Mets fan

I am PROUD to be a Mets fan.

There is no other team I see myself being a fan of.

The 2026 World Series trophy will be in Queens.

LGM.

I’m proud of you, kid. Let’s go Mets!

Trying to Convince an Aaron Judge Skeptic

Unless a meteor lands in the Bronx and halts baseball there for a month, the New York Yankees are heading back to the postseason. They have played good ball in September with a 12-7 record, and having won five of their last six contests. But it’s not September that is the critical month around here. It is October, and if the Yanks fail to win the World Series it will be looked at as a 16th consecutive failed season. No one knows that better than Aaron Judge, the best player in the game but owner of playoff statistics that are decidedly below average for a player of his stature. No one fails to remind me of this more often than my own flesh and blood.

Aaron Judge really could use a big playoff run. Credit: Yahoo Sports

Whenever the subject comes up about Judge, Ryan is always quick to point out his playoff failures. It could be a meme about his dropped flyball in Game 5 of last year’s World Series or a prediction about Judge striking out five times in two games in this year’s Wild Card round (if that is where they end up). No matter how great the regular season numbers end up, there will always be a, “yeah but” attached to his name. Judge will never be considered a true great Yankee unless he wins a title. The truth is, he is not alone in his thinking. I’ll bet there are thousands of Yankee fans, like Ryan, who see Judge as doomed to repeat underachieving postseasons. Someone between the ages of 7 and 17 will still believe that this time will be different. Or, it could be someone as old as say, me, knowing that eventually, greatness does shine through. Once upon a time, Alex Rodriguez was vilified for his playoff failures. Then, for one magical October in 2009, it all clicked for him as he was great from the Divisional round all the way to New York’s Game 6 World Series clincher. The same can happen to Aaron Judge in 2025. If he has a similar playoff run to that of Rodriguez in 2009, you can bet the Yankees will be raising their 28th championship banner.

After reading this, I doubt Ryan will change his mind. He will need to see proof before committing to saying, “Aaron Judge is great when it counts”. I don’t even think four home runs in round one will change his mind. No, for Ryan and all of the like-minded Yankee fans out there, greatness will only be considered when Judge gets a ring.

Can the Phillies Please Clinch the Division Tonight?

The Philadelphia Phillies clinched a playoff spot yesterday. However, I’d like to call it a muted celebration because the team did not win yesterday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. Instead, they “backed” in by virtue of a loss by the San Francisco Giants. Now the Phils head out on a difficult road trip, visiting the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s real simple: one more victory and Philadelphia repeats as National League East champions.

I expect to see JT Realmuto catching the final out tonight. Credit: Sports Illustrated

For all that is good in the world, and for my sweet daughter Caitlyn, please clinch the division tonight.

Don’t fool around. Don’t drag this out any longer. Hang five runs on Anthony Banda in the first inning and let Ranger Suarez cook. Have Kyle Schwarber boost his MVP credentials with a three run home run in the third inning. Make those notorious Dodger fans leave in the fifth inning instead of the seventh. Let’s have Caitlyn go into school tomorrow in a fabulous mood. If the Phils lose tonight, I will be peppered with things like, “why do we stink” or, “can the Mets catch us” or my personal potential favorite, “we are regressing”. I don’t need such talk at 7: 30 AM and neither does Matthew. I’ll have to play “Dancing on My Own”, the team’s 2022 song, on a loop in order for her to feel better. No offense to the song because I like it but we need to hear it after a win, not a loss.

It’s an hour before first pitch. I’ll make three innings at most. And when I wake up in the morning, I want footage of champagne and beer goggles. It’s not a lot to ask.

Who Needs Monday Night Football When You Have Mets-Phillies

I get it. The world was starving for the NFL season to begin and tonight represents the final game of Week 1. The Minnesota Vikings at the Chicago Bears is a tasty prime time matchup, a good way to close the schedule. How will Ben Johnson fare in his first game as head coach? J.J. McCarthy makes his NFL debut after being injured all of last year. So many storylines, so much intrigue….

Who cares? The Mets start a four game series against the Phillies tonight at Citizens Bank Park.

Big series this week between these two teams. Credit: northjersey.com

There is angst in the house. Matthew expects the Phillies to win three of the four games, the only Mets’ win coming on Nolan McLean‘s start this evening. Caitlyn got the awful news that both Alec Bohm and Trea Turner have hit the injured list. Personal rivalries aside, this is a big series. Even though the Phillies lead the Mets by seven games in the National League East, a Mets sweep would put them at only three back and owning the tiebreaker. For whatever reason, the blue and orange uniforms bring out the worst in them, much like the Red Sox seem to spook the Yankees this season. Realistically, the Phils will remain in first place through the end of the season. They also have designs on the #2 seed and a first round bye. The Mets are running out of time to get into the first Wild Card spot and play their opening round at Citi Field. The series is getting some love nationally with tonight’s game being broadcast on MLB Network and Thursday’s game televised on Fox.

I am just as happy as the next person that the NFL is back. It is America’s most popular sport. But the calendar still says Summer and the clock is ticking on the regular season. Therefore, nothing is taking a back seat to Phillies-Mets to start the week and Yankees-Red Sox to close the week.

The Temporary Breakup of the Baseball Family

September represents the last full month of the Major League Baseball season. Depressing for sure because it means the leaves will soon turn colors and the weather will begin to get cooler. September also means that this baseball family gets a temporary breakup. We dropped off Ryan yesterday at Siena College, now University, for his senior year. Though we will be in contact to discuss the playoff fortunes of our favorite teams, it won’t be the same not having him around discussing how he thinks the Yankees will flame out this year.

No Ryan means no discussing in person how good Cam Schlittler is. Credit: Northjersey.com

It won’t be long before we see Ryan again. Family weekend will be the first Saturday in October. Perfect timing to discuss the Wild Card round. There is a good chance that the Yankees, Mets and Phillies will all be playing that weekend. Two weeks after that he will be visiting for four days. At that time, we should be knee deep in the Divisional Round or potentially the League Championship Series. When Ryan was a freshman, he came down for his first visit and was able to witness Caitlyn’s favorite baseball moment. In Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS, Rhys Hoskins hit his famous bat slam home run off of Spencer Strider. To this day, Caitlyn says she called a home run as the pitch left Strider’s hand. Ryan backs her up.

When the Yankees made the World Series last year for the first time in Ryan’s era, I was a little sad I wasn’t able to enjoy it with him in person. I wasn’t that broken up too much, because, well, you know how the series turned out. At least the magic of texting will allow us to keep our group chat going. Before we know it, Ryan will be back home for good in May, and we will once again be complete.

The One Thing That Unites the Family

Three kids, three teams, one family. That is us in a nutshell when it comes to Major League Baseball. Ryan, Caitlyn and Matthew have different fandoms, different ways to express happiness and different ways to cope with tough defeats for their teams. However, there is one thing about baseball that they are 100% in lockstep. It’s the commodity that is talked about the most at the trading deadline and honestly, it is probably the thing that gives most fans the most agita.

Yes, bullpens were different (and better) in Bruce Sutter’s day. Credit: Redbird Rants

The dislike of the Major League Baseball bullpen unites the Lynch family.

I mean just now, while watching Phillies-Mariners for 15 seconds, the following conversation took place as the Mariners pulled to within 7-4:

Ryan: “Is this a bullpen guy?” (he didn’t look up at the TV, he just heard Caitlyn rant)

Caitlyn: “Yes” (it was Jordan Romano)

Ryan: “Not surprised”.

I’ve tried to explain that bullpens were never like this. Once upon a time, bullpens were comprised of guys who were not effective starting pitchers but found a home as a reliever. Teams had maybe four or five relievers on a staff and there were no set roles for them. Even the closer would come in at odd times, sometimes appearing as early as the seventh inning. Prime examples included Rollie Fingers, Rich Gossage and Bruce Sutter. Today, it is rare for relievers to pitch more than one inning, even when one of them needs only ten pitches to record three outs. That is the biggest reason why fans hate bullpens. Eventually, when you go through four relievers, one of them inevitably will get touched up, resulting in a loss. Ryan says there are no good bullpens. Caitlyn doesn’t forgive the Phillies’ bullpen for last year’s NLDS loss. Matthew holds his breath for every reliever not named Edwin Diaz.

Bullpens are like offensive lines in football. The loudest complains about teams (after managers) are bad bullpens. In about three weeks, football fans will be screaming to guys like Al Dukes that their team needs to fix their offensive line. I don’t want to be the guy to say, “back in my day….”. However, it is not a bad idea to re-think the role of relief pitching in 2025. The more pitchers you use, the likelihood of bad things happening increases. Let starting pitchers go longer. Don’t remove an effective reliever who strikes out the side. Listen to my kids. Do something differently with bullpens.

Philadelphia Phillies Are the Bright Light in Our House

The last time I posted, I detailed our most recent trip to Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies lost that day to the Los Angeles Angels. The date was July 20. Since that Sunday, the Phillies are the team that are keeping the baseball end of the house from disintegrating. They are in first place by 3.5 games and are 10-6 since that fateful day. Caitlyn is loving it. It’s a far cry from Ryan and Matthew who are enduring the dual trainwrecks that are the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. We don’t need to detail their play over the last two months. We are living it and we hate it.

Let’s bring back some positivity.

What’s not to like about the Phillies right now? They have a legitimate MVP candidate in Kyle Schwarber, who is a free agent at the end of the season. He leads the National League in both home runs and RBI’s and is enjoying the best season of his career. He became a Phillie in 2022; since his arrival, all the team has done is win. Schwarber will get paid, whether it is Philadelphia or somewhere else. In keeping with today’s theme of brightness, let’s say he re-signs with the Phillies. The team also has a legitimate Cy Young candidate, Cristopher Sanchez (also on my fantasy team). I mean, at what point do we put Sanchez in the class of best pitchers in baseball? Teammate Zack Wheeler is the bigger name but Sanchez has had the better season. That is quite the 1-2 combination in a playoff series. The one glaring hole was in the bullpen which the team addressed by acquiring Jhoan Duran. Now, the hard work of the rotation will be picked up an by an excellent closer and his unique entrance. Old Yankee and Met Harrison Bader also arrived at the trading deadline, providing another useful bat and Gold Glove caliber defense.

Right now, the Phillies have to be considered a World Series contender. Sure, they still have flaws such as overall bullpen depth and spotty offensive games. However, name a team that looks unbeatable. There isn’t one. It’s why the Yankees and Mets still have time to break out of their respective funks. However, no team in the house looks better than the Philadelphia Phillies.

When Will Caitlyn See the Phillies Win In Person?

On July 20, the family ventured to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in the hopes of seeing Caitlyn’s beloved Phillies win a ball game. It marked our third trip as a family to the Bank with this trip the first time we saw them play an American League team, in this case the Los Angeles Angels. Hopes were high that the Phillies would win for the first time in Caitlyn’s presence. Both teams won one game each in the series, making Sunday’s contest the rubber matchup. Could Philadelphia send us back home with smiles on our faces?

In a word, no.

A beautiful stadium, an ugly game. Credit: My picture

The Angels romped on that sunny, hot Sunday by a score of 8-2. It felt more like 15-2 as Los Angeles had multiple base runners seemingly every inning. We should have known something was up when the game was delayed for a half hour by rain. Luckily for us, a nice couple allowed us to use their towel to wipe down our seats. It quickly went downhill from there. Zach Neto belted the first pitch of the game from Ranger Suarez to the deepest part of the park only to have Brandon Marsh make a great catch. At that point, I knew it was trouble. Suarez simply didn’t have it. Los Angeles did not score in the first inning despite heavy traffic. They effectively ended the game in the following inning by scoring five runs. The only highlights from the Phillies on this day were two great catches from Marsh and a solo home run by Otto Kemp. Not even the antics of the Phillie Phantic could save us. At least I got to see Mike Trout bat six times. Max Kepler and Jordan Romano both received boos, though Romano pitched a scoreless eighth inning. The bright sun and lack of sunscreen gave all of us different colors. And of course, the cheesesteak was golden.

The Phillies are now 0-5 when Caitlyn is in attendance. That comprises three games at the Bank and two games at Citi Field. 2026 has to be different, no? She deserves better than to see her favorite team lose repeatedly with her in attendance. What would make her feel better? A Phillies World Series Championship in 2025.

MLB Trading Deadline: We Are Lucky

With the Trading Deadline almost over, I decided to have the “talk” with the three kids. Namely, I had to remind them that they are lucky that each of their teams spend most trading deadlines as buyers as opposed to sellers. This indicates that the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are in it to win a World Series year after year. This, as opposed to teams I highlighted earlier in the week that, despite having good, controllable players, are willing to move them, punting on this season and potentially next season.

Ryan McMahon, now a Yankee. Credit: Sports Illustrated

For most of this decade, all three of our teams have decided to make moves to try and enhance their playoff chances. The one exception was the Mets in 2023 when they dealt David Robertson, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander among others at the deadline during a lost season. It is an exciting time for all of us, as we each discuss what our teams need and what players we would be willing to give up. We scour mlbtraderumors.com for the latest news and potential deals. I get asked sometimes how certain deals sound as they are pitched to me. Most of the time, they are lopsided in favor of their teams. In Matthew’s opinion, what the Mets gave up for Tyler Rogers earlier this week was fair, even though Drew Gilbert was included. He was the outfielder that came to New York for Verlander two years ago.

In addition to Rogers, the Mets added fellow relievers Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley. The Yankees have acquired Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario and Austin Slater. The Phillies got on the board by adding Jhoan Duran. See, all three teams are active. Whether they contribute to a World Series Championship or not remains to be seen. At least all their teams are giving them reasons to be excited.