2018 mlb

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Wow, congrats Boston. What a year.

And if one guy on that team could be the hero, I'm ok with it being an ex-Jay.

[direwolf]

Congrats to the Red Sox.

[jayswin]

Congrats to David Price, what an incredible playoffs from him. No wins in his career to three straight wins including the clincher. Narrative over.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Steve Pearce for the MVP! Awesome!

[holden]

Congrats, for sure. One of the only reasons I watch sports is for moments like what happened for Price.

Oh, and f the Sox

[browna]

Originally Posted by fleury

Ahh. Sometimes things work out in the new team but nobody's backing up any truck for Steve Pierce for regular production.

Well, the Jays paid him $13m to replace EE.

Good for him though, he won the last 2 games basically for Boston.

[Machiavelli]

Yeah, I hate the Sox but very happy for Price and Pearce.

[Karl]

Facts:

Clayton Kershaw didn't throw a single fastball over 92 MPH tonight and the two 92 MPH fastballs he threw were officially 91.6 MPH.

Kershaw also has not thrown a fastball this entire 2018 season over 93 MPH (he had shown the ability to hump his fastball up to 97 MPH on more than just rare occasions until this year) and his average fastball has dipped in each of the last 3 years, dipping down from 93 MPH and a bit in 2017 down to about 91 MPH this year.

His fastball velocity has dipped into the low 90s, and his slider has taken on the characteristics of a cutter. But he is still recording outs at a dominant rate, with an ERA (2.42) and WHIP (0.98) that rank seventh among those with at least 130 innings. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts credited Kershaw's "open-mindedness to information," but he couldn't help but laugh about the "long process" of getting Kershaw there.

Kershaw's average fastball velocity has dropped each of the past four years, from 94.2 mph in 2015 to 91.5 mph in 2018. He has continually used the heater less (40.9 percent of the time in 2018, down from 53.6 percent of the time in 2015) and instead relies more heavily on his slider (41.3 percent in 2018, up from 27.9 percent in 2015).

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/2...e-remain-elite

https://www.beyondtheboxscore.com/20...sults-averages

[Strange Brew]

Congrats to the Red Sox. It was hard to watch with my Astros out of it but that team is deserving. Sure wish we had another crack at them.

[CrazyCaper]

I've been a Sox fan since I was 10yrs old(1986). Had alot of disappointment between then and 2004. I've been spoiled since. Man I love this team and so proud of what they've accomplished!! Go Sox!!

[nik-]

#### the Red Sox

[habernac]

I don't think I've ever been less interested in baseball as I was this year. The Osuna thing started it. They need a cap, too. Tired of the same teams outspending everyone else.

[Iggy_12]

Originally Posted by browna

Depending how the rest of this game now ends, Blue Jays may have traded away the WS MVP for a minor league prospect a few short months ago.

As I type this Price gives up a dinger to the first hitter on the first pitch.

Fun fact, they actually paid the Sox to take him. 1.5 mil if i recall

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by habernac

I don't think I've ever been less interested in baseball as I was this year. The Osuna thing started it. They need a cap, too. Tired of the same teams outspending everyone else.

I think that's not really correct. Salary caps have not stopped the NHL, NBA, or NFL from constantly having the same teams in the finals every year. It's actually worse in these sports than the current MLB system.

Phillies
Yankees
Giants
Cardinals
Giants
Red Sox
Giants
Royals
Cubs
Astro's
Red Sox

Is that list any worse for duplication than what we see in other sports?

Cubs/Astros/Red Sox largely won the last three coming out of rebuilds and collecting home frown talent. Giants are not a welfare team but they we more the home grown pitching of Bungarner/Cain/Lincecum getting them there.

Blue Jays suck because their drafting has been bad and they paid Tuluwitzki and Martin 40 million to do very lititle this past season.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I think that's not really correct. Salary caps have not stopped the NHL, NBA, or NFL from constantly having the same teams in the finals every year. It's actually worse in these sports than the current MLB system.

Phillies
Yankees
Giants
Cardinals
Giants
Red Sox
Giants
Royals
Cubs
Astro's
Red Sox

Is that list any worse for duplication than what we see in other sports?

Cubs/Astros/Red Sox largely won the last three coming out of rebuilds and collecting home frown talent. Giants are not a welfare team but they we more the home grown pitching of Bungarner/Cain/Lincecum getting them there.

Blue Jays suck because their drafting has been bad and they paid Tuluwitzki and Martin 40 million to do very lititle this past season.

Not to mention that when the Jays won their 2 world series, they were the highest payroll team in the majors, and i dont think anyone was complaining about that back then.

Its just part of the sport. Draft well and, if not more importantly, be the best at coaching and development. You will compete in cycles, but it will happen.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I think that's not really correct. Salary caps have not stopped the NHL, NBA, or NFL from constantly having the same teams in the finals every year. It's actually worse in these sports than the current MLB system.

Phillies
Yankees
Giants
Cardinals
Giants
Red Sox
Giants
Royals
Cubs
Astro's
Red Sox

Only one small market team in this group, and the Royals' stay at the top was brief.

[TheAlpineOracle]

Originally Posted by troutman

Only one small market team in this group, and the Royals' stay at the top was brief.

Yup. That is the list of the largest spenders in baseball outside of Kansas.

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I think that's not really correct. Salary caps have not stopped the NHL, NBA, or NFL from constantly having the same teams in the finals every year. It's actually worse in these sports than the current MLB system.

Phillies
Yankees
Giants
Cardinals
Giants
Red Sox
Giants
Royals
Cubs
Astro's
Red Sox

Is that list any worse for duplication than what we see in other sports?

Cubs/Astros/Red Sox largely won the last three coming out of rebuilds and collecting home frown talent. Giants are not a welfare team but they we more the home grown pitching of Bungarner/Cain/Lincecum getting them there.

Blue Jays suck because their drafting has been bad and they paid Tuluwitzki and Martin 40 million to do very lititle this past season.

Point taken. The other three sports have the same teams year after year for a variety of reasons. Canadian teams have done poorly in the NHL due to, I think, poor management more than anything else. The NBA I don't really watch or care about. The NFL, again, is more about poor management.

I'd just like to see a baseball league where the top spending team doesn't have a total salary that's more than 3 times the bottom team. The luxury tax does nothing.

The Jays certainly don't help their own cause by spending poorly.