Tag: mlb

MLB Playoffs: Checking in on the Family Vibe

I write this in anticipation of the New York Yankees clinching their divisional series against the Kansas City Royals this evening. I’ve checked in with Ryan today who, like most Yankee fans is waiting for the bats to wake up. As far as the other two kids go, well, their series is over. The New York Mets next play on Sunday vs. either the San Diego Padres or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Phillies next play a game in 2025, a fact that Caitlyn is trying to come to grips with.

Giancarlo Stanton is the best Yankee in the playoffs. Photo from Sports Illustrated

I knew this would be a really hard week. Someone has to win and someone has to lose, but knowing that didn’t make it better with the realization that one of my kids would be sad. At the end of each game, no matter who won, Caitlyn and Matthew would shake hands and say, “good game” to one another. It speaks to their excellent character and their love for one another. I firmly believe that if it is the Yankees playing the Mets in the World Series, Ryan and Matthew will exhibit the same affection for one another.

On to the three teams:

Yankees: It’s amazing how much Giancarlo Stanton can disappear in the regular season only to become the Yanks’ best hitter during the playoffs. It happened in 2022 and it is happening again now. Aaron Judge is slumping once again and the barbs regarding this on Ryan’s texts continue. His confidence level is not great but he believes that with just enough offense tonight New York moves on. He might even put in a good word for Gleyber Torres if they win. Ryan will be home next weekend so it represents a great chance to get his facial expression on either a Yankee victory or a Yankee face plant.

Phillies: Well, Caitlyn’s greatest fear came true. A regression from World Series in 2022 to NLCS in 2023 to NLDS in 2024 materialized in the most painful way possible. Now she is convinced they will lose in the Wild Card round next year and then miss the playoffs for the next ten years. I told her that as long as Bryce Harper is around, that will not happen. She doesn’t want them to win the division next year given the track record of division winners in the divisional round. I countered that the Mets were the best team in baseball since June 1. The first goal any team makes is win the division. All is not lost in 2024. I told her to pay attention to the Phillies’ prospects in the Arizona Fall League.

Mets: I suspect that Matthew would have celebrated a little bit more had the Mets beaten a team other than the Phillies. He said that he felt bad for Caitlyn as he knows what she is feeling. With that said, he is amped for Sunday. He would like the Dodgers to beat the Padres Friday as he believes San Diego is the better team. It’s a good thing there is no school Monday as Game 1 will begin at 8:15 PM EST. I think for as long as the Mets are in the playoffs, he can breeze past his bedtime to watch the finish of each game. Just think, the last time the Mets made it this far, he was 4. It’s now official: everyone in my family will have seen at least one League Championship Series with their favorite team playing.

Do You Remember the New York Yankees?

There has been so much excitement around here for the last week involving the New York Mets that the other New York baseball team seems to be have been overlooked. Yes, the Yankees won their first playoff game last night, defeating the Kansas City Royals by a score of 6-5. But now they get another day off before resuming their series Monday night. So now that they have played exactly one game in a week, it almost seems like they are coming back from Japan after playing an exhibition game.

Gerrit Cole finally pitched on Saturday. It felt like forever. Photo from the Sporting News.

We got the chance to see Ryan this weekend so it made for a doubly good opportunity to see the Yankees play Game 1. However, though the Yanks won, some of the things Ryan fears about this team popped up during the game. Aaron Judge struck out three times. Gerrit Cole was shaky. Anthony Volpe committed a huge error. Needless to say, the victory did not stir a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings for the boy. I look at it as a Game 1 victory and now they are ready to drop the hammer on the Royals the next two games. But again, it doesn’t even feel like they are part of the playoffs. The Mets and Phillies just finished an instant classic with their Game 2. Meanwhile, the Yankees sit idle once again and now I ask the question. Did they really win last night?

It doesn’t get much better. The Yanks and Royals will get another off day for travel after tomorrow’s game and potentially another one if the series goes five games. This isn’t an MLB playoff series, it feels more like an NBA playoff series. This is supposed to be the most exciting time of the baseball calendar. For a team sharing the same city as the exciting Mets, the Yankees feel like an afterthought.

New York Mets Vs. Philadelphia Phillies: a Week of Being Uncomfortable

Playoff baseball should be exciting. Playoff baseball should be full of drama. Playoff baseball should be a whole range of emotions as I detailed in this post. When the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets play one another in the National League Division series, there is one emotion that I will be experiencing over the week that, dare I say, not many people will have. Actually it’s not an emotion but rather a state of mind.

Buckle up for a long and exciting week. Photo from USA Today

That word is, “uncomfortable”.

I will be playing the role of Switzerland. I will not be rooting for Caitlyn’s Phillies or Matthew’s Mets. The only definitive thing I can say about this series is that I hope the winner goes to the World Series. Beyond that, it pains me to know that at the end of this round, one of my children will be highly disappointed. One of them will not have the opportunity (again) to see their team win a championship. I have already been told by both of them that if there is any emotion (namely anger) that comes out of them, it is not directed toward the other sibling but rather the team. I am confident (and lucky) in knowing that they will not take their frustrations out on one another. I also know that whoever the winner is, he or she will feel genuine compassion for the loser. And I know that the losing child will eventually come around to rooting for the winning team, even if it takes a game or two to get used to it.

As for my thoughts on the series? This has the makings of going all five games with the winner needing 12 innings in Game 5 to secure the victory. Both teams are very similar. Both lineups are full of players that are (I can’t believe I am using this word) grinders. They battle on every pitch and when the stakes get higher, they fight even harder. The expression, “you have to kill them to beat them” applies to both squads. The Phillies have the higher payroll and more well known players while the Mets have the ultimate family vibe, or as Matthew says, “the power of friendship”. I am prepared for both a long series and a lot of knots. However, my greatest challenge will be how well I can soothe the child whose team comes up short.

New York Mets: Despair, and Then, Elation

I knew they could do it.

Even at 2-0 in the top of the 9th inning, I held fast to the belief that the New York Mets would find a way to steal victory away from the Milwaukee Brewers. I said all during the day and I saw no reason to change my mind. Actually, my faith was made stronger when Devin Williams was only given the final inning as opposed to coming in the game in the top of the 8th. More on that later. Anyhow, as you can imagine, once Jake Bauers and Sal Frelick went deep in consecutive at bats, it was doom and gloom in the Lynch household. Even the mild mannered wife raised her voice in disgust at the sight of Milwaukee celebrating their display of power.

OMG they did it again. Photo from Sports Illustrated

As for Matthew……

Let’s just say he did not take it well. Growing up, Matthew was very hard to console after a loss, even a seemingly innocent one at the beginning of May. The zenith of this was that game in Washington in 2019 when the Mets took a 10-4 lead into the 9th inning only to lose 11-10. Come on, Met fans you know which one I am talking about that. Even non-Met fans remember that. In any event, as he got older Matthew calmed down quite a bit, taking each loss in stride. As I’ve mentioned previously, he went to Game 3 of the Wild Card round in 2022 and though gloomy, was nowhere near the fire breather he was three years prior to that. Maybe it was the stakes of the game last night. Maybe it was how the game unfolded. Maybe it was the thought of a series defeat after working so hard to get that point. THAT Matthew returned last night, but in a different way. He was more measured and though there was an outburst, it was limited to a couple of words. He did send out a very long text to our group chat, letting us all know what he thought of the Brewers, their fans and the fact he wasn’t alive the last time the Brewers made the World Series.

And then…..

Pete Alonso took control. His three run home run sent us into a frenzy. Again, the mild mannered wife showed emotion, this time of a different kind. And Matthew repeated “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness” about 20 times in succession while jumping up and down repeatedly. He was reminded that it was late and his grandmother was sleeping downstairs. He would later tell us he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Matthew was over the moon and I couldn’t have been happier for him. He and his team deserved to play another series. I think while watching the final out he was thrilled but also relieved. Who knows what kind of teasing he would have gotten from his Yankee friends at school had the Mets lost.

Back to me. I will admit that I got nervous once the Brewers took the lead. I thought manager Pat Murphy would go to Devin Williams to get the final six outs. You know, bring in your best guy immediately to close the deal. Instead, Freddy Peralta retired the Mets in order in the 8th and Williams was summoned for the 9th. Let this be the final lesson to all Major League managers. You are going to get burned when you continuously play Reliever Roulette. It very nearly happened on Tuesday when the Tigers removed Tarik Skubal after six dominant innings. It struck Pat Murphy and the Brewers last night.

As for the Lynch House, these next seven days will be………….challenging.

New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals: Back to the (Really) Old Days

I must have been on to something. On June 11 of this year, I wrote (you can read here) about the baseball rivalry that I missed. Well, it turns out that I am getting what I wished for. The Kansas City Royals will be taking on the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series after dispatching the Baltimore Orioles in two straight games. With the way baseball is now, it is hard to imagine these two teams meeting in the playoffs four times in five years. However, one thing this series will have in common with the others is that it is a best of five round.

Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt, Jr revive a dormant rivalry. Photo from NY Post.

The years were 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1980. The three series that took place in the 70’s were won by the Yankees while the 1980 affair was a Royals’ sweep. Not only were there great players up and down both teams, but each series had at least two memorable moments or games that made this rivalry special. Unfortunately for me, I am not quite old enough to say, “I remember the Chris Chambliss series ending homer” in 1976 or, “Did you see the Nettles-Brett brawl at third base last night?” in 1977. The only memories I have are from 1980 which saw (A) George Steinbrenner leaving in disgust after Willie Randolph got thrown out at home plate in Game 2 and (B) George Brett‘s moonshot off Goose Gossage in Game 3 to finally slay the Yankee dragon. It’s interesting to note is that while the teams largely remained the same through all four series, many big name players missed one or more clashes. Reggie Jackson didn’t get to the Yankees until 1977, Goose Gossage in 1978. Ron Guidry didn’t pitch in 1976 while Willie Wilson was a bit player in 1977. Dan Quisenberry did not get into the KC bullpen until 1980. Tragically, Thurman Munson did not live to 1980.

Maybe because of color TV and better sound quality, watching highlights from that era doesn’t seem that far removed. However, when you look at the years and then do the math, you realize that their first meeting was 48 YEARS AGO! Who are this year’s comparable players? Bobby Witt is George Brett. Aaron Judge is Thurman Munson. Juan Soto is Reggie Jackson. Seth Lugo is Dennis Leonard. Will this year’s games match the intensity from another era? Tune in for a rivalry renewed, 44 years in the making.

No Party Like a Lynch Baseball Party

It took all the way until game 161 but all three teams in the Lynch household have made the playoffs. The New York Mets’ incredible 8-7 victory against the Atlanta Braves in Monday’s opening game was one for the ages. It is too bad I was stuck at work missing arguably the most exciting game of the year (thank goodness for MLB At Bat). For the second time in three years, it will be a playoff party in our house with the Mets, New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies all playing in the postseason. Though the Mets lost early two years ago, Matthew was lucky enough to attend game three with my sister, Kathleen. Despite the loss, he called it the greatest sporting event he has witnessed. Playoff baseball does that to you.

Francisco Lindor‘s 9th inning home run made it a Lynch Playoff Party. Photo from SI.

This isn’t going to be about predictions. Instead, I am going to gauge the confidence of the kids in the house on how they feel their respective teams are going to do over these next six weeks.

Yankees: I don’t think Ryan is very confident about this group. There have been too many scars from playoffs past to change his mind about 2024. He expects the same same script as 2022: no clutch hitting. We both agree the American League is set up for the Yanks to make the World Series. Anything less than a World Series appearance this year would be a huge failure, one that I haven’t seen in at least a decade. It might be on par or surpass the 2010 ALCS loss to the Texas Rangers. Though Ryan has seen plenty of playoff series for the Yankees, they have never gotten back to the heights of the 2017 ALCS, a Game 7 loss……..pre Aaron Boone.

Mets: I don’t know how you can top what we saw in Atlanta. I kept getting texts from Matthew that shows the emotion baseball can provide. He went from running around the living room with joy in the top of the 8th inning, calling Edwin Diaz a bum in the bottom of the 8th inning to having no words after Francisco Lindor’s home run in the 9th inning. But he has also been educated in the woes that comes with the territory if being a Mets’ fan. He does think they will beat the Milwaukee Brewers in three games. I think that will give him great joy and he will call it a successful season. Of course, a series win over the Brewers sets up an NLDS match with…..the Phillies.

Phillies: The Hunt for Red October makes its third consecutive appearance. Caitlyn’s big fear is this: the Phillies lose in the NLDS this year after making the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS in 2023. The National League is so much harder than the American League in that any one of the six teams has a chance to win it all. She is a Nervous Nelly during regular season games; with playoff games she paces around enough to complete a marathon. There will be lots of talking to the TV and out loud to anyone who will listen (usually me). As far as her confidence level goes, she believes this is the year it all comes together.

The Atlanta Braves: the Common Enemy

If it’s a Sunday in September, then you know it’s an important day on the baseball calendar. It is September 29, so it is the final day of the regular season. The final two playoff positions come down to three different teams so it will be indeed a wild day. Two of our three teams, the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies are comfortably in the playoffs. The third team, the New York Mets, are limping into Game 162 as one of those three teams fighting for the last two postseason berths. What most likely awaits them is a trip on Monday to visit one of the other teams they are fighting and the team both Caitlyn and Matthew can’t stand: the Atlanta Braves.

Matt Olson and the Atlanta Braves: Public Enemy #1. Photo from Sports Illustrated

Yes, the Braves. I don’t think there is a Mets’ fan in the world that believes the trip down south is going to end well. It seems like forever that the Braves have continually haunted the Mets. Even Matthew, despite being 13, knows the scars. After all, it was 2022 when the Mets needed to win only one game in Atlanta to win the National League East. Instead they were swept and then proceeded to lose the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres. It was earlier this week when Atlanta’s Spencer Schwellenbach sent New York into a possible, fatal tailspin by throwing seven innings of one run ball. In 2022, Matthew actually went to Game 3 of that Wild Card round and though that was a bitter loss, the constant pounding of the Mets by the Braves has worn the kid down.

As for Caitlyn, you would think she looks down on Atlanta. The Phillies have beaten down the Braves in both the 2022 and 2023 divisional round. I actually think she dislikes them even more than Matthew does. Perhaps it starts with the fact that despite beating the Braves that last two years in the playoffs, Atlanta has finished ahead of them in the division. There is also Marcell Ozuna whose checkered history includes a battery and aggravated assault charge for allegedly hitting his wife as well as his DUI arrest. Of course, the Braves also employ Orlando Arcia, the man who, after Game 2 of last year’s NLDS mocked Bryce Harper with the immortal phrase, “atta boy Harper’. I do believe she is nervous about potentially facing that team a third consecutive season in the playoffs, all the more reason for her dislike towards them.

As for Ryan, the Braves mean nothing to him. There is no Yankees-Braves rivalry until they potentially meet in the World Series. But since his brother and sister don’t like them, he is not a fan, either. A Lynch nightmare scenario does exist in 2024. The Braves can prevent the Mets from making the playoffs, beat the Phillies in the National League playoffs and beat the Yankees in the World Series. If that scenario plays out, the Lynch family won’t be taking a road trip to Atlanta any time soon.

Xavier Edwards and His Magical Night

It’s amazing to me that some things that should get more attention are overlooked. Take triples. To me, the triple is is the most exciting play in baseball. It is also by far, the rarest. In 2023, Bobby Witt Jr led all of baseball with a whopping 11 three baggers. Witt and Corbin Carroll (10) were the only two players to have double digits in triples last season. By contrast, 243 players connected for ten home runs or more in 2023. One would think that because of the rarity and excitement of the triple, we would see more highlights of this special play. The home run is glamour but the triple is the heart and soul of excitement.

Xavier Edwards made baseball history with three triples in a single game. Photo from AOL.com

Xavier Edwards of the Miami Marlins had three triples Friday night, leading his team to a 15-5 drubbing over the Toronto Blue Jays. Edwards is the first player to have three triples in one game since Yasiel Puig did it on July 25, 2014. Edwards is having a really good season for the Marlins, hitting .327 in 257 at bats and is tied for 16th in all of baseball with 31 stolen bases. The 25-year old shortstop is receiving his first extended Major League playing experience and is a building block for the Marlins who are once again starting over at the bottom of the National League East. 2024 is showing us that Xavier Edwards is here to stay and will be providing more excitement for us. After all, he plays in the same division as the Phillies and Mets so we will be seeing a lot more of him in the coming years.

I don’t know what kind of career Xavier Edwards is going to have. It is starting out well. His historic night should be more celebrated. The highlights on MLB’s Quick Pitch certainly didn’t help. We did not hear the call of his second triple which took place in the 4th inning. You can bet if it was a three home run outing all three would have been viewed, complete with the Marlins’ broadcast calls on each shot. There have been less than 50 players that have had three triples in a single game. There have been literally hundreds of times a player has hit three home runs in a game. Give it up for Xavier Edwards as he entered one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball history.

Can the New York Mets Get Off the Floor One More Time?

Well, that game stunk. Matthew lost faith quickly and though I tried to be positive, the effort seemed futile. The New York Mets dropped the first game of their critical three game series against the Atlanta Braves by a score of 5-1. Luis Severino did not have it, pitching with traffic all game and surrendering four runs in four innings. At one point, Mathew called him a bum, an understandable but clear overreaction to a guy who has given the Mets plenty of solid outings in 2024. With five games to go and the playoffs not a guarantee, can the Mets rebound one last time in 2024?

Carlos Mendoza will not let the team be the same old Mets. Photo from NY Post

Despite being one game in front of the Braves, New York faces a daunting five days. First, they must find a way to beat the best pitcher in baseball on Wednesday. Chris Sale is 18-3 and on his way to the National League Cy Young Award. He faced the Mets once already this season, on July 25, pitching 7 1/3 innings and allowing two runs. The Mets would win in 10 innings by a score of 3-2. He has pitched 24 innings in September and has allowed only three earned runs. Yikes. If the Amazins’ can’t win on Wednesday, they will be tied with Atlanta going into Thursday’s game which, if the weather holds true, will be rained out. So that means they will be tied with the Braves heading into a weekend series in Milwaukee against the Central Division champion Brewers. Meanwhile, Atlanta gets to host the free-falling Kansas City Royals. If the two teams are tied for the final spot after Sunday, guess what? Game 163 against one another with a second showdown in five days with Chris Sale. Not appetizing to say the least.

If this is truly not the same old Mets, the Mets that would have been buried by July 1, then they will find a way to beat Chris Sale and the Braves to go back up by two games. Nothing about 2024 has screamed LOL Mets. At 11 games back they rallied, after the brutal loss on that August Sunday in San Diego, they dusted themselves off and kept winning. Even the recent injury to MVP candidate Francisco Lindor hasn’t slowed them down. However, should they fall short of the playoffs, this season will almost feel like a waste. It really would be the same old, LOL, lovable loser Mets. That’s not happening. I feel like the page truly has been turned for the organization with an owner that will spend money and stability at the top of the front office.

Prediction for Wednesday, September 25: New York Mets 6 Atlanta Braves 3

What My Kids (And Everyone Else) Should Know About the Oakland A’s

The New York Yankees are playing a series in the Oakland Coliseum against the A’s for the last time in the Bay Area. After the 2024 season, the A’s will begin the process of moving to Las Vegas by first, stopping in Sacramento for the next three years. By the time the organization plays a regular season game in Vegas, we will again be talking about a Presidential election. The move represents the first time in 20 years that a Major League Baseball team changes addresses, the last being the Montreal Expos morphing into the Washington Nationals. This is a sad chapter in the history of baseball as MLB officials presided over an ownership group that treated Oakland like second rate citizens. With bitter feelings still present, I would like my kids, and everyone else, to understand that although the A’s did not have the best of ownership in Oakland, they certainly were one of the premier organizations for much of the last 50 years.

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The one and only Rickey Henderson. Photo from ESPN.

Disclaimer: This isn’t the first time the A’s have been on the move. They were born in Philadelphia in 1901 and left for Kansas City after the 1954 season. They lasted only 13 years in KC before moving further west . For the purposes of this post, I will stick to the organization’s time to Oakland. Their time in Philadelphia featured some of the biggest names in MLB history such as Jimmie Foxx, Frank “Home Run” Baker and Al Simmons. But that is for another day.

Where to begin? How about a little secret? You have been regaled endlessly about the tales of the 1977-78 Yankees. I know you have heard the name, “Big Red Machine” when referring to the 1970’s Cincinnati Reds. Neither was the team of the decade. It was the A’s. In fact, from 1972-1974, Oakland accomplished what no other organization in the 120 plus years of the World Series has done with the exception of the Yankees: win three consecutive championships. One of those titles came against the Big Red Machine, and they won it without Reggie Jackson, the team’s best player and future Hall of Famer. They won five consecutive AL West championships and very nearly had a sixth in 1976. Because of owner Charlie Finley’s insistence on not paying his players as well as wanting to sell them for cash, a bizarre set of circumstances left Oakland without Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi and Vida Blue for 12 games. They went 7-5 during that time and missed the division title by only 2.5 games.

Fast forward about a decade later and a new era of winning baseball took place for the organization . The A’s would win the 1989 World Series, and three consecutive pennants from 1988-1990. Since then, no other team besides the Yankees (who else?) has won three straight pennants. In fact, when the Yankees were winning three straight World Series titles from 1998-2000, the team that gave them the hardest time was the 2000 A’s. Though the club has not won it all since 1989, they certainly have had their fair share of winning teams. From 2000-2006, Oakland made the playoffs four times while the other two seasons produced 91 and 88 victories, a pair of second place finishes. Later on, they twice made three consecutive playoff appearance, first from 2012-2014 and then from 2018-2020. All of this success throughout the years has come despite chronically low payrolls courtesy of the various ownership groups that have owned the team at different times.

The success of the A’s because of their low payrolls caught the attention of best selling author Michael Lewis. He wrote a great book on those early 2000’s A’s titled, Moneyball. The book was later turned into a movie starring Brad Pitt. It focused on the use of analytics and how the organization, specifically General Manager Billy Beane, would use them to apply unconventional methods to secure talent and win games despite having one of the lowest payrolls in the game. Speaking of true stories, MLB Network has done their fair share of documentaries on the club and its players, beginning with The Swinging A’s, which chronicled their 70’s glory days. Reggie Jackson. Dennis Eckersley. Rickey Henderson. Billy Martin. All of them may have played and managed (in Martin’s case) in other locales but a significant part of each of their careers came in Oakland. Here’s another little tidbit: Reggie won more championships (and an MVP) with the A’s than the Yankees.

And so a glorious, and sometimes frustrating era in baseball history comes to a close. The green and gold uniforms will look out of place in the desert. Although I missed the early 70’s dynasty, I am glad I got to see the A’s celebrate a World Series title. From their time in the Bay Area until now, only the Yankees (again) have won more World Series titles than the A’s. (The Red Sox and Cardinals have also won four over that time). I hope that thousands of future baseball fans will read up on those great teams that called Oakland home.