Musings
As we head to the Wild Card Game, we already know that we are going to see an epic pitching matchup between Madison Bumgarner and Noah Syndergaard. Presumably, this game is going to be won and lost on which pitcher blinks first and allows a run. It is going to be a daunting task for both offenses.
In Bumgarner’s career, he has made six starts against the Mets going 5-0 with a 1.86 ERA and a 1.025 WHIP. In four starts at Citi Field, Bumgarner is 4-0 with a 0.62 ERA and a 0.828 WHIP. Bumgarner faced the Mets twice this year with very different results.
On a May 1st game at Citi Field, Bumgarner earned the win pitching six shutout innings allowing six hits and three walks while striking out seven. On an August 18th game at AT&T Park, in what was supposed to be a pitcher’s duel against Jacob deGrom, both pitchers struggled. Bumgarner still got the win despite allowing six hits, four runs, four earned, and three walks with six strikeouts over just five innings.
With that in mind, looking at the recent history, the Mets do have something to build their confidence against Bumgarner as they head into Wednesday’s game. There’s reason for confidence because the healthy Mets on the 40 man roster have actually fared well against Bumgarner:
Presumable Starting Lineup
- Jose Reyes 3-9
- Asdrubal Cabrera 3-7, 2 RBI, K
- Yoenis Cespedes 3-10, 2B, RBI, 3 BB, 3 K
- Curtis Granderson 0-3, BB, K
- Jay Bruce 3-23, HR, 4 RBI, 6 K
- T.J. Rivera 2-3
- Lucas Duda 0-1
- Rene Rivera 2-3, 2B, HR, 5 RBI
- Noah Syndergaard 0-2, K
Bench:
- Eric Campbell 1-5, BB, 3 K
- Michael Conforto 0-3, 2 K
- Travis d’Arnaud 0-4, 2 BB, 3 K
- Kelly Johnson 7-20, 5 K
- Ty Kelly 1-2, BB
- Juan Lagares 1-9, K
- James Loney 2-13, 2B, RBI, BB, 5 K
- Kevin Plawecki 1-3
Have Never Faced Bumgarner (2016 against LHP):
- Gavin Cecchini 1-3, 2B, RBI
- Alejandro De Aza 8-41, 3 2B, RBI, 5 BB, 13 K
- Brandon Nimmo 2-7, BB, K
- Matt Reynolds 8-27, 6 2B, HR, 6 RBI, BB, 6 K
Look, anytime you face Bumgarner in an elimination game, you should not feel comfortable. In the 2014 Wild Card Game, Bumgarner pitched a complete game, four hit, one walk, 10 strikeout shutout. In Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, Bumgarner came out of the bullpen on two days rest to throw five shutout innings to give the Giants their third World Series title in five years.
Once again, this is an even numbered year, and the Giants are once again sending Bumgarner out to the mound to begin the run to another World Series. Standing in his way is 60’6″ postseason Syndergaard and a collection of Mets bats that have hit him well. The Mets have a good chance to win this game.
Editor’s Note: this was first published on Mets Merized Online.
The IBWAA Rollie Fingers Award is given to the best relief pitcher in the American League. In the history of this award, there has been no easier choice as to who should win the award:
1st – Zach Britton
All Britton did this year was have probably the best season a reliever has probably ever had in major league history. His 2016 season was better than any year Mariano Rivera had. It was better than Dennis Eckersley‘s 1992 Cy Young and MVP season for the Oakland Athletics.
Consider for a second that Pedro Martinez‘s dominant 200 season garnered him the second highest ERA+ ever recorded at 291. This narrowly trailed Tim Keefe‘s 1880 season where he recorded a 293 ERA+. Britton’s ERA+ this season is 827. No, that’s not a typo. It is actually that high. It should be noted that Britton does not have enough innings to qualify to have his ERA+ recorded as the highest ever. Still, it speaks to just how dominant Britton was.
Among major league relievers, he has the lowest ERA (.054) and the highest WAR (4.3), and it wasn’t particularly close in either category. On the season, Britton made 69 appearnces going 2-1 with 47 saves, a 0.836 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 827 ERA+, and a 1.94 FIP. This has now become the gold standard upon which all reliever seasons will be judged.
2nd – Brad Brach
Britton’s season completely overshadowed his own teammate’s incredible season. The irony is Brach’s season actually helped Britton put up some of the dominant numbers he put up this season by locking down the eighth inning.
In 2016, Brach made 71 appearances pitching 79.0 innings. He wouldn’t lead the majors or the American League in holds because quite frankly, the Orioles starting rotation wasn’t good this season. As a result, the Orioles starters would hand the bullpen either deficits or tie games to the bullpen. Brach would do his job to turn these scenarios into victories. In his 71 appearances, Brach earned a eye-popping 10 wins out of the bullpen. For the season, he was 10-4 with two saves, 24 holds, a 2.05 ERA, 1.038 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 216 ERA+, and a 2.92 FIP. Overall, it was either him or Addison Reed as the best set-up man in the major leagues.
3rd – Sam Dyson
Not only did Britton overshadow his teammate, he also overshadowed another dominant closer who had a breakout season. Dyson had about as dominant a season you will see any closer have in baseball. However, if he was looking to get noticed, he had his great season the wrong year.
In what has been Dyson’s first season as a closer, he has gone 3-2 with 38 saves, a 1.223 WHIP, 7.0 K/9, 186 ERA+, and a 3.62 FIP. For a Rangers team that won almost all of their games by a razor thin margin, Dyson’s job as the closer was made all the more important. His 38 saves and 2.9 WAR would have been the best for a closer in the American League this season. However, he happened to have this great year at the same time Britton had his otherworldly season.
The Mets entered the month completely out of the NL East race and 1.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. The Mets had an easy schedule the rest of the way, but they did not have an easy ride. Disaster would strike the Mets rotation, and tragedy would affect the Marlins, the Mets, and all of baseball. The Mets were able to fight through all of this to not only make it back to the postseason, but also get the Wild Card Game at Citi Field.
Bear in mind, these grades are on a curve. If a bench player gets an A and a position player gets a B, it doesn’t mean the bench player is having a better year. Rather, it means the bench player is performing better in his role.
Position Players
Travis d’Arnaud (C-). It was another poor month offensively for d’Arnaud and another strong month of pitching framing and defense. As the Mets enter the postseason, he will only see himself starting one game out of every four should the Mets advance past the Wild Card Game.
Kevin Plawecki (Inc.) Plawecki was a September call-up, and he got to play in a few games down the stretch. Unfortunately, Plawecki showed no progress as a hitter in that limited sample size.
Rene Rivera (B+). Yes, Rivera was horrible at the plate during the final month of the season. However, he was entrusted by Collins to mentor and catch a couple of young pitchers who the Mets desperately needed to step up in order to get the Mets to the postseason. Rivera succeeded. His mentoring and calming influence behind the plate is a large reason why the Mets are back in the postseason.
Lucas Duda (B). Duda gets credit just for being able to step onto the field. The fact that he was able to hit and play a good defensive first base was even better. If he can play, he is going to be the Mets first baseman this postseason.
James Loney (C). Loney did break his second half slump by hitting three pretty big homers for the Mets. Still, he did not hit much, and his defense at first leaves a lot to be desired. His ability to play in the postseason largely hinges on Duda’s availability.
Neil Walker (Inc). Walker couldn’t play in the final month of the season as he had to have season ending back surgery. It’ll be interesting to see how the Mets proceed as Walker was well on his way to justifying a qualifying offer and a contract offer to return next season.
David Wright (Inc.). It was strange to see the Mets celebrate making the postseason but not seeing them there to celebrate. His teammates have requested he be there on Wednesday, which goes to show you how much he means to them.
Asdrubal Cabrera (A+). He was the best hitter in baseball over the final month of the season.
Wilmer Flores (B). Flores was having another terrific month in what was a career year until he got injured. Yes, Collins should have pinch ran for him, and no, Tim Teufel should not have sent him. With that said, none of them told him to slide into home head first leading to him suffering a season ending wrist injury.
Eric Campbell (B). Campbell returned, and he reminded everyone why the Mets seem more infatuated with him more than anyone else in baseball. He was an effective pinch hitter that could draw an occasional walk. He also played good defense at the corner infield positions while being able to play up the middle in a pinch.
Matt Reynolds (A). Not only was Reynolds able to hit well in the final month of the season, he was able to effectively spell Cabrera here and there. By Reynolds being a solid player, he was able to allow Collins to steal a couple of innings here and there to keep his infield fresh for the postseason.
Ty Kelly (B). Kelly had a solid month as a pinch hitter and pinch runner for the Mets. Given his switch hitting ability and defensive versatility, he at least played his way into the conversation for one of the last few postseason roster spots. Even if he is left off the roster, it is a testament to him that he was able to put himself in the conversation.
Michael Conforto (B). When he got a chance to start, he hit. As the month progressed, he showed he could be a valuable pinch hitter. It’ll be interesting to see what the Mets plans are for him in the postseason.
Yoenis Cespedes (C-). Cespedes finally struggled this season with his worst offensive numbers as a Met. It is puzzling to see Cespedes struggle this much when he was seemingly healthy for the month. He did hit some homers down the stretch. Hopefully, he snaps out of it because the Mets are going to need him.
Curtis Granderson (A+). We finally saw the Granderson of 2015 re-emerge, and it was not a moment too soon. He put up his best numbers of the year while hitting an astounding eight homers. Always one to do whatever the Mets need, he shifted to center field to allow Bruce to play. If Granderson can repeat his 2015 postseason, the Mets can make a run.
Juan Lagares (B). It was a shock that he was activated from the Disabled List considering he was unable to play in any minor league rehab games. As the final weeks progressed, Lagares was finally able to swing a bat putting him in play for a postseason roster spot. He didn’t get a hit in his nine games, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is he is still a Gold Glover out there, and his glove will be needed in the late innings of the postseason.
Alejandro De Aza (B+). De Aza finished up a bizarre 2016 season with an impressive month as a bench player. He got on base, and he played a decent center field. During the month, he solidified his spot on the postseason roster.
Kelly Johnson (D). Johnson’s impressive run with the Mets finally hit a snag. He struggled in the final month of the season, and despite the injuries to Walker and Flores, he still couldn’t hold down the second base job. Still, he had a strong season, and he has shown the Mets he can be a valuable pinch hitter.
Brandon Nimmo (A). Nimmo had some terrific pinch hitting appearances down the stretch. Due to the Mets glut of outfielders, he will not be a candidate for a postseason spot. However, with the way he played this season, he has shown the Mets he can be a part of their future.
Jose Reyes (C). Reyes came back down to Earth in the final month of the season putting up his worse offensive numbers. This grade would be lower, but he did get a HUGE game tying home run that staved off a four game losing streak late in the season.
T.J. Rivera (A). With the injuries, Rivera was able to earn the second base job. He played a better than advertised defensive second base, and he sprayed line drives all over the field.
Justin Ruggiano (Inc). Once he was put on the 60 day disabled list, his season was over. Strangely enough, with the Mets facing Madison Bumgarner and the Giants in the Wild Card Game, he will actually be missed.
Jay Bruce (B+). Bruce went from people wondering aloud if he would be left off the postseason roster and whether the Mets would pick up his option to becoming the Mets hottest hitter in the final couple of weeks of the season. It is fair to say the Mets may not have won the Wild Card if not for him stepping up.
Gavin Cecchini (Inc). Cecchini did not get into many games despite being a September call-up. When he did get to play, Cecchini showed the Mets he has the ability to hit major league pitching. He just might have put himself in the second base conversation for 2017.
Pitchers
Matt Harvey (Inc). As the Mets embark on the postseason, his ability to pitch in the big games is sorely going to be missed.
Jacob deGrom (Inc). deGrom made one start in the final month of the season. Time and again, he tried toughing through injury, but he just couldn’t do it. Eventually, he was forced to elect season ending surgery over another postseason run.
Noah Syndergaard (B). Syndergaard had a good, but not great final month of the season. While he had a clunker against the Braves, he did rebound to have a tremendous start in an emotionally filled game against the Marlins. Right then and there, he put the Mets back on track, and he allowed them to re-focus on the postseason.
Steven Matz (Inc). Like deGrom, Matz tried to pitch through injury, but he just couldn’t do it. Matz would not make a September start, and he eventually elected for season ending surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow.
Bartolo Colon (C). Colon struggled in the final month of the season, and he really struggled in the game against the Marlins that Jose Fernandez was supposed to pitch. Whether it was his foot, the emotions of the game, or being a 42 year old pitcher wearing down at the end of the season, Colon did not finish well. He has to rebound as the Mets desperately need him in the postseason.
Logan Verrett (B-). After struggling most of the season, Verrett was not in the conversation to make a start despite all the pitcher injuries. As a result, Verrett was relegated to mop up duty where he did acquit himself fairly well. Still, mop up duty is mop up duty.
Jeurys Familia (A). He finished the season being as dominant as he has ever been. He looks ready to have another great October run.
Addison Reed (A). He pitched in the final month of the season like he pitched all season long.
Jim Henderson (A). There were spots he showed his velocity was back on the rise, and as a result, he had a 1.80 ERA in limited duty. Overall, one of the great unanswered questions of the 2016 season is going to be what might’ve been if Collins didn’t abuse his arm in April.
Hansel Robles (A). After getting some much needed rest, Robles returned to his dominant form. With the addition of Salas, he is back to the role he is best suited for which is the Mets version of the Swiss army knife. He can got three innings if needed or he can come in for the one big strikeout. He’s an important arm that’s pitching like it.
Jerry Blevins (F). His peripherals finally caught up to him, and he lost his magic with inherited runners. Down the stretch, Collins leaned a little more heavily on Smoker in what would traditionally be spots for Blevins. Ultimately, Blevins is back to being a LOOGY, and that may not be such a bad thing after all.
Rafael Montero (F). With the starting pitcher injuries, Montero was given his last last chance with the Mets. He proved he couldn’t do it thereby forcing the Mets to go with Johnny Wholestaff whenever the fifth spot came up in the rotation.
Sean Gilmartin (D). He struggled again for the Mets in the final month of the season. He made one spot start, and he couldn’t get out of the first inning. It ended a disappointing season for him where you were left questioning whether the Mets should have used Gilmartin and Verrett in the roles they were successful in last season as opposed to needlessly flip-flopping them this year.
Erik Goeddel (D). It was more of the same from Goeddel who really struggled with the Mets this season.
Seth Lugo (A). He was terrific in the final month of the season. He was given his opportunity to start, and he made the most of it. If the Mets win the Wild Card Game, he is going to get a postseason start. It’s incredible when you sit down and think about it.
Jon Niese (Inc). He didn’t pitch after having had season ending knee surgery. Given his struggles this season, this was probably the best for all involved.
Robert Gsellman (A+). Like Lugo, Gsellman wasn’t supposed to be here. However, he wound up making six starts for a team fighting for the Wild Card. He got stronger each start, and he had a 2.06 ERA for the month. Like Lugo, he’s getting a postseason start should the Mets advance.
Gabriel Ynoa (C-). Montero’s failures led to Ynoa’s opportunity. Unlike Lugo and Gsellman, he was unable to take full advantage. A large part of the reason why could be his having gone so long without a start before Collins going back to him to take over the fifth starter’s role.
Josh Edgin (B). Edgin actually had a good month while learning to adapt to his decreased velocity. He might’ve showed the Mets that he still needs to be considered part of their future plans.
Josh Smoker (C+). Smoker showed the Mets he has the ability to pitch an inning, get both lefties and righties out, and get the big strikeout. He also showed he cannot be trusted for more than an inning. If he’s used in limited duty, he’s great. If you extend him, he’s going to get hit, and hit hard.
Fernando Salas (A). The Mets added him right before the waiver trade deadline, and he became this year’s version of Reed. He made the most appearances out of the Mets bullpen allowing Reed and Familia to rest. He also locked down the seventh inning to allow Blevins and Robles to return to the roles in which they flourish. You simply could not have asked for more from him.
Terry Collins (A). This grade overlooks several of his puzzling decisions and his putting players in position to injure themselves (Flores). All of his issues this month gets overlooked due to the class and dignity he comported himself, and his leadership in the wake of Jose Fernandez’s death. He was really able to reach out to both the Marlins to offer sympathy, and he was able to reach his players to have them show both the proper reverence while still getting them to compete.
With the addition of John Olerud and the emergence of Rick Reed, the 1997 Mets made a tremendous leap forward going 88-74 to be a factor in the Wild Card race. However, they would eventually lose out to a Florida Marlins team that was literally built to win the World Series that one season.
After that season, the Marlins disbanded because, as we were first learning out, that’s what the Marlins do when they win. The Mets were one of the main beneficiaries of the the offseason sell-off with them obtaining Al Leiter and Dennis Cook. Then the real boon came when the Marlins had swung a deal with the Dodgers to obtain Mike Piazza to unload a bunch of big contracts. With the Mets struggling, due in large part to Todd Hundley‘s elbow injury, the Mets moved quickly and added Piazza. With a week left in the season, the Mets won to go to 88-68. All the Mets needed to do in the final week of the season was to win one more game to at least force a playoff with the San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs for the Wild Card. They didn’t. Once again, finishing the year 88-74 was not good enough for the Wild Card.
Entering the final game of the 2016 season, with the Mets having already clinched the Wild Card, the Mets needed just one more win to finish the year at 88-74.
There was a version of me 20 years younger that wanted to see the Mets get that win to erase some of the bad feelings that an 88-74 record created. It was going to be a difficult task because the Mets objective wasn’t to win this game. The sole objective was to just get through it with everybody healthy so as not to compromise the team for the winner-take-all Wild Card Game this Wednesday at Citi Field.
For starters, it was Gabriel Ynoa who took the mound instead of Noah Syndergaard. Terry Collins would also give an at-bat a piece to Curtis Granderson, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Yoenis Cespedes. Jay Bruce would get two. T.J. Rivera, Jose Reyes, Rene Rivera, and Travis d’Arnaud would not play. This was a full-on keep people fresh and don’t get anyone injured operation.
Ynoa would acquit himself well even if he couldn’t go five. He would only throw 52 pitches in 4.2 innings allowing five hits, one run, one earned, and one walk with two strikeouts. Collins would lift him for Jerry Blevins, who is probably the one Mets reliever who could’ve used some work, to get out of the fifth. At that point, the Phillies were only up 1-0 on a third inning Maikel Franco RBI single.
The Mets would eventually go ahead in this game making the 88-74 season a reality. In the sixth, Matt Reynolds doubled, and he would score on an Alejandro De Aza RBI singles. In the seventh, Kelly Johnson hit a leadoff single, and he would score on a Kevin Plawecki two out RBI double.
The lead would not last long as the Phillies went to work against Erik Goeddel in the bottom of the seventh. After an Andres Blanco single, an Aaron Altherr walk, and a Lucas Duda throwing error, the Phillies loaded the bases with no outs. Cesar Hernandez brought home the first two runs on an RBI single, and then Jimmy Paredes knocked in the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly. That Paerdes sacrifice fly was an extra base hit if anyone other than Juan Lagares was manning center field. Lagares once again reminded everyone that he is the best fielding center fielder in baseball, and that if he can at least manage one at-bat per game, he needs to be on the postseason roster.
The Phillies then added a run in the eighth off Jim Henderson to make the game 5-2. That would be the final score of a game where both teams reached their primary objective. The Phillies were able to provide a fitting send-off for Ryan Howard removing him from the game in the eighth so he could leave to a standing ovation. The Mets just got through the game without suffering any injuries, and also got much needed reps for Duda and Lagares.
The Mets weren’t able to get that final win to erase the angst of the past when 88 wins just wasn’t good enough for the postseason. Ironically, 87 was good enough this year. With those 87 wins, the Mets put the capper on a mostly frustrating season. However, in the end, they were able to go to make consecutive postseason appearances for only the second time in their history. When viewed through that prism, this was a successful and enjoyable season.
On this episode of the Amazing Metscast, I discuss Jose Fernandez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jay Bruce, Noah Syndergaard and more.
You can listen by clicking here.
Happy Wild Card Clinching Day!
Back on September 25, 2004, everyone was reminded how the bottom division clubs love to play spoiler, and how the teams that seemingly have nothing to play for are the most dangerous of all.
Entering the final week of the regular season, the reigning National League Central Division Champs, the Dusty Baker led Chicago Cubs, had a two game lead in the Wild Card standings and a fairly easy schedule in front of them to close it out. First, it was the 90 loss Mets followed by the 90 loss Reds, and then finally a Braves team that would have clinched and have nothing to play for in the final week of the season.
That 2004 Mets team simply wasn’t good. It was a mixture of players like Mike Piazza, who was past his prime, and players like David Wright, who were not quite ready to become the stars they would eventually become. They were lead by a manager in Art Howe, who had become a lame duck manager that was going to be fired at the end of the season. However, that didn’t mean that 2004 Mets team didn’t have anything to play for in the final days of the regular season.
Naturally, you would have expected the Cubs to roll over this Mets team because the Cubs had everything to play for, and this Mets team was playing out the string. That certainly seemed true as the Cubs carried a 3-0 lead into the bottom of the ninth against the Mets. At that point, the Mets who had something to play for began to go to work. Eric Valent and Jason Phillips, both of whom were trying to show they could be everyday major league players drew walks against Ryan Dempster necessitating Dusty Baker to bring on his closer LaTroy Hawkins. Hawkins was rudely greeted by Chicago native, Victor Diaz, who was a Cubs fan growing up.
The Mets had acquired Diaz in 2003 in the Jeromy Burnitz trade. The Mets organization was understandably excited about player that was nicknamed “Baby Manny” after Manny Ramirez. On this day, Diaz would show everyone how he got that nickname as he launced a game tying three run opposite field homer off Hawkins. In the bottom of the 11th, the Mets would again shock the Cubs when Craig Brazell, an interesting power hitting first base prospect, hit a walk off home run against Kent Merker.
That Mets win would begin a Cubs downward spiral that saw them finish the year 2-7 and two games behind the Giants for the Wild Card. The Cubs were beat by a group of Mets players that still had something to play for in what was a lost Mets season. This is a good reminder for a Mets team heading into Philadelphia to face what could be a dangerous Phillies team.
The Phillies are already talking tough with catcher Cameron Rupp saying, “his is the last time all these guys in this clubhouse will be together. Just go out and finish hard. A lot can happen in four days. We can ruin somebody else’s season.” (Philly.com).
The Phillies have the right mindset showing they can be a dangerous team this weekend. They’re going to start young pitchers with something to prove in Alec Asher and Jerod Eickoff. They have Ryan Howard who continuously hits long home runs against the Mets. They even have Tyler Goeddel, who would probably love to stick it to his older brother Erik Goeddel. Lastly, the Phillies have a manger in Peter Mackanin, who is trying to make a case that he should continue to be the Phillies manager.
Believe it or not, the Phillies have lot to play for this weekend. The Mets cannot take them lightly. Starting with Bartolo Colon, the Mets have to go out there and just crush what Rupp has indicated could be a feisty Phillies team. The Mets are better, and they just need to take care of business. If they don’t, they may fall victim to their own Diaz and Brazell homers, and they still could find themselves on the outside looking in come this postseason.
Last night, Yadier Molina hit a game winning walk-off double scoring Matt Carpenter from first base to keep the Cardinals Wild Card hopes alive and well. There was just one teensy little problem. The umpires blew the call. Molina’s double hopped the bench and hit the back wall meaning the umpires should have ruled it a ground rule double and ordered Carpenter to go back to third base. Now, this is exactly the type of play that should be reversed on replay. It wasn’t, and we learned about a number of issues related to replay.
Understandably, the Major League Replay Rule states, “A challenge to a play that ends the game must be invoked immediately upon the conclusion of the play, and both Clubs shall remain in their dugouts until the Replay Official issues his decision.”
Makes sense, doesn’t it? If the play is going to end the game, why do you need to wait to hear from your team’s replay official to challenge the play? You shouldn’t. If your team is definitively going to lose on that play, you, as the manager, have to get out there and challenge the play. There is no disincentive for asking for the replay in that spot. It is managerial malpractice not to immediately ask for replay in that spot.
As an aside, with the replay rule, we have lost some of the fire and brimstone fans loved from their managers. When there was a bad call like that, before the play was over, you would see managers like Earl Weaver and Lou Piniella, jumping out from the dugout and hopping mad. They knew the play was wrong, and the umpires were going to have to hear about it IMMEDIATELY! Now, with replay, managers are more timid and reserved. They can’t just act out of pure emotion. They have to be measured and get word from their replay team as to whether or not a challenge would be successful.
But that’s the culture that has been created, and that’s exactly what Bryan Price was doing in that situation. Like Pavlov’s Dog, his inclination on a play that was questionable was to reach for the phone rather than pop out of the dugout. It was regrettable because, under the rules, he needed to challenge the play immediately. He didn’t, and by the time he figured out he should challenge, the umpires had already left the field. Keep in mind, the umpires left the field, thereby making the call stand and ending the game, despite getting the call wrong on the field. At the end of the day, the timing aspect of the replay rules were subservient to the spirit of the replay rules, which is to get the call right so a bad call doesn’t change the outcome of the game.
When the spirit of the rule is violated by a technicality of the rule, it is time to seek out solutions on how to balance the two. Here, the solution is simple. Since a challenge for the last play of the game is required to be immediate, why not just automatically review the final play of every game?
On the Molina play, the replay officials could have been reviewing the play right away, and they could have alerted the umpires that the call should have been overturned. The call would have been right, and a game that had far reaching implications in the National League Wild Card race wouldn’t have been decided on a technicality. Again, the purpose of replay is to get the call right, not to get the call right only if it is challenged by a certain time.
In fact, like the NFL with touchdowns and turnovers, the immediate replay rule should be further expanded. Major League Baseball should institute an automatic replay on every home run and end of game situation. Like the NFL, the home plate umpire can be given a buzzer that goes off alerting them to the fact that the play is under review sending the umpires to the the phones. If done properly, this will actually reduce the amount of time wasted on replays. If done properly, the calls will be right rather than subjecting everyone to hand-wringing over whether the challenge was actually done in a timely fashion.
By the way, it will also save managers like Price, and Terry Collins from earlier in the season, from having egg on their faces when they didn’t challenge a call that automatically ended the game.
When I first heard about the show Pitch, I have to admit I was rooting for the show to succeed. I’m a baseball junkie, and I like everything about baseball. While I don’t have an overt interest in the sport’s popularity, anything that helps increase the profile of the sport and draws more fans to it is a good thing. When I found out Zack Morris was going to star in the show, I really wanted the show to succeed. After hearing some negative reviews, I watched the first episode with some trepidation.
For starters, let’s note that this show has a greater chance to succeed because it is on Fox. Due to Fox’s relationship with MLB, you get to have more bells and whistles than other shows. Additionally, with their Fox Sports Network personalities, you get to have real sports talkers offer sports opinions like they would on their own shows. It’s also called cross-promotion. Right off the bat, we get snippets from Colin Cowherd and Katie Nolan giving their monologues about Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury). Reactions to her first start would be woven through the show.
With it being on Fox, you also get John Buck and John Smoltz announcing her first ever game. One thing I noted, aside from Buck’s and Smoltz’s reactions being really forced, wasthis seemed like an unusually subdued Fox coverage of the game. As someone who watches baseball incessantly, I was expecting to see Kevin Burkhardt leading MLB Whiparound with Frank Thomas and Dontrelle Willis. I expected to see Ken Rosenthal with a pink bowtie (fundraising for breast cancer) interviewing the manager Al Luongo (Dan Lauria) or the All Star catcher, face of the franchise Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). I understand this is a TV show, but if you want the hardcore fan like me to buy it as a baseball show, these are the bells and whistles that are expected. In reality, this show isn’t for the diehard baseball fan. This show really uses baseball and having the first female in a men’s professional sport as a vehicle to draw people to watch a drama.
That really became clear when you saw Baker throw her first pitch. Her pitching ability was vastly similar to Tony Danza in Angels in the Outfield or Gary Busey in Rookie of the Year; that is, it wasn’t good. The difference between those movies and this series was the baseball is supposed to be believable. With her rotation, it just wasn’t.
You can normally brush that aside, but they really went out of their way to make it believable. There was Fox rolling out Buck and Smoltz to do the broadcast. There was a scene with her father telling her she needed to learn the screwball because no woman could compete with men without learning a trick pitch. Most baseball fans would have assumed a woman would need to throw a knuckleball, but having watched John Franco‘s career, I could buy a woman succeeding in the majors with a screwball. What I couldn’t buy was someone with her pitching motion succeeding in the major leagues.
That means that ultimately this show is going to rise or fall as a drama. That was a mixed bag.
Instead of an agent, we see Baker going with a publicist (played by Ali Larter) over a superagent like a Scott Boras. First off, this was another hit to the credibility of the show. Secondly, the interactions Larter had with team brass and the like seemed slightly over the top. As did the flirting between her and the general manager (Mark Consuelos).
Where the show settled in was the baseball interactions. There was a funny exchange with Lawson regarding whether or not a teammate can slap her on the butt like they would any other teammate. There was the team owner giving Baker the number 43 because it was one higher than Jackie Robinson‘s 42. There was the discussion among the manager and the front office about this being a sideshow. There was also the discussion in the clubhouse about not letting Baker’s call-up be a distraction and letting the team go out there and win some games. Finally, there was the Bull Durham type moment between Baker and Lawson on the mound in her second start. Overall, while the baseball part of the show failed, the talk surrounding the baseball played worked well.
Where the show truly worked was the interactions between Baker and her father (Michael Beach). Like most Dads, he wants to see his son become a professional athlete. With him having failed in the minors as a pitcher, he wants his son to be a big leaguer. When he quickly realizes his son doesn’t have it, he pours all of his attention into making his daughter a major league pitcher. You see flashbacks with him fighting to get her a shot and with him driving her to become a better athlete. Watching the show reminded me of the interactions Mike Piazza described having with his dad growing up in his autobiography Long Shot.
In sum, Pitch worked as a drama using baseball as a vehicle so long as you did not have to watch any of the baseball being played. Ultimately, while I was disappointed with different aspects of the show, there was enough there to justify tuning in for the second episode. Hopefully, it will go as well as Baker’s second effort did against the Giants.
With the Mets off tonight, it might be a good opportunity to catch Pitch as its second episode airs tonight at 9:00 on Fox.