Major League Baseball: 2020 Season

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Recently wrapped up...

The Houston Astros eliminated the Minnesota Twins today from the postseason. Series summary:

GM1 HOU at MIN: (4-1; Houston)
GM2 HOU at MIN: (3-1; Houston)

So we'll get out to Los Angeles to meet the winner of the Oakland vs. Chicago White Sox series in the ALDS. The Twins' postseason futility resumes. I think they are now at... 17 or 18 straight game losing streak, and now 9 straight series losing streak.


Elsewhere...

* It was scoreless for 13 innings between Cincinnati at Atlanta, but it was the Atlanta Braves who scored a walk-off RBI for the Braves to win 1-0. It was Freddie Freeman who scored the walk-off hit. It wasn't all bad for the Redlegs, though. Trevor Bauer had an awesome day at the office, striking out 12 Braves in just over 7 innings of work. Sadly, the Reds lost on a lovely day in Atlanta.


Congratulations to all other teams who advance to the Divisional Series!
 
Typical Cincinnati professional sports team postseason play. They should have won easily. 13 left on base. 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position.
It ruined what was otherwise an incredible start for Trevor Bauer: 7.2 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 12 strikeouts (an MLB postseason record). In fact, Reds' pitching combined for only 2 walks, 21 (TWENTY ONE!) strikeouts, and crucially, one (game-losing) run.

Some fun play-by-play stuff:

Reds' batting in the 11th inning:
Strikeout. Strikeout. Load the bases. Strikeout.

12th inning:
1st and 3rd, no outs. Strikeout. Strikeout. Strikeout.

13th inning:
Strikeout. Load the bases. Strikeout. Groundout (hey, not a strikeout!).

Actually, it could have ended earlier if they were in any way, shape, or form competent. Check out the 1st inning:
Only 3 pitches into the game, 1st and 3rd, no outs. Then Groundout. Lineout. Groundout.

How hard is it to hit just ONE ball into the outfield with a runner on 3rd?

Anyway, new playoffs, same old Cincinnati. I think I need a drink...
 
Just wrapped up...

The Cincinnati Reds are DONE. It was a 1-0 defeat in extra innings yesterday, and a 5-0 defeat of the Reds today. It was about 1-0, Braves in the Bottom of the 6th thanks to an RBI single. What happened later in the game was a a pair of two-run jacks to blow this one open. Not even a non physically-distanced crowd in Atlanta could contain their excitement. Atlanta won their first postseason series in over 19 years (I believe). So... the Redlegs have been ousted, and they don't even get a single run in this best-of-3 series with the Atlanta Braves.

The Miami Marlins at Chicago Cubs game today has been postponed to tomorrow due to weather.


Other games played on the card for today/tonight include the Chicago White Sox at the Oakland Athletics (1-1 series tie), the Milwaukee Brewers at the Los Angeles Dodgers (LAD leads series 1-0), and the St. Louis Cardinals at the San Diego Padres (STL leads 1-0).


[UPDATE] There were separate 2-run jacks by Atlanta, not a three-run and solo homers as previously said.
 
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Yep, another round 1 fail for a professional Cincinnati sports team...

And more records were set due to the Reds' futility. From mlb.com:
"Braves pitchers held the Reds scoreless through all 22 innings of their National League Wild Card Series victory, meaning Cincinnati surpassed the 1921 Giants (20 innings) for the most consecutive scoreless innings to begin a postseason series. The Braves are also the first team to win a multigame postseason series (excluding the Wild Card Game) without surrendering a run. The Yankees previously held the low mark after allowing just one total run to the Rangers in back-to-back three-game sweeps of the 1998 and ’99 ALDS."

Yay. :rolleyes:
 
Today begins the 2020 Divisional Series. It begins with the ALDS matches today, and the NLDS begins tomorrow. Here are the ALDS matches for today:

* HOU Astros vs. OAK Athletics (at Dodgers Stadium in Rancho Cucamonga, CA)
* NYY Yankees vs. TB Rays (at Petco Park in San Diego, CA)

And in the NLDS...

* SD Padres vs. LAD Dodgers (at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX)
* MIA Marlins vs. ATL Braves (at Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX)

The HOU/OAK series could be fierce considering it was ex-Astros pitcher Mike Fiers being the whistleblower for the Houston Astros' cheating scandal in 2017. Now Fiers is on the Athletics roster. Oakland has had Houston's number all season long, so this could make most Astros fans squeamish in hoping Houston can advance to the ALCS.


I also hear this will be potentially five straight days of baseball if any Divisional series goes the full five-game distance. We set up the Championship Series once the Divisional Series matches conclude. So enjoy the baseball action to come!
 
The Miami Marlins are DONE. The Marlins are sleeping with the fishes for the 2020 Major League Baseball season after getting swept by the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are in the NLCS for the first time since 2001. Atlanta hopes to be World Series Champions again- just like the 1995 Atlanta Braves.


Current scores so far as of the time of this post:
* OAK Athletics vs. HOU Astros (11-4; Houston, Top of the 8th)

Games to be played:
* TB Rays vs. NYY Yankees (TD leads best-of-5 series 2-1)
* LAD Dodgers vs. SD Padres (LAD leads best-of-5 series 2-0)


Congratulations to the Atlanta Braves and to all other winners!
 
Recently wrapped up...

Astros ADVANCE! For the fourth successive season, the Houston Astros Baseball Club has advanced to the American League Championship Series (ALCS). They did so today with an 11-6 thrashing of the Oakland Athletics. They took this best-of-5 series 3-1. Oakland has had Houston's number all regular season, having won the AL West Division. However, the A's couldn't stop the No. 6 seed Houston Astros. Houston will meet the winner of the Tampa Bay vs. New York Yankees series (TB currently leads this best-of-5 series 2-1). I take nothing from Oakland- they are some talented dudes. However, the Oakland Athletics are DONE.


[UPDATE] 4th straight, not 3rd.

[OMISSION] The Houston Astros are the 5th ever team to make the LCS in four successive seasons.
 
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So the Marlin's narrative is gone. Atlanta has to avoid their's, and the Asterisks have at least two to defeat... maybe one narrative and the general distain.
 
I heard today that of Atlanta's 5 postseason wins this season, 4 of them have been shutouts. So I don't feel QUITE as bad about the Reds' inability to score. The Marlins went 18 or 19 innings straight without a run to finish off their season. Mad props to Atlanta pitching.
 
Everything was all helter skelter for me with my last post, having to update it constantly. Anyhow, I forgot to post a series summary of the Houston Astros' ALDS series with the Oakland Athletics. So here is the summary of the Houston Astros advancing:

GM1 OAK vs. HOU: (10-5; Houston)
GM2 OAK vs. HOU: (5-2; Houston)
GM3 HOU vs. OAK: (9-7; Oakland)
GM4 HOU vs. OAK: (11-6; Houston)

The Houston Astros will get the winner of the Rays/Yankees series in the ALCS. The 2020 ALCS will take place at Petco Park in San Diego, California. The ALDS between TB and NYY is tied at 2-2.

At present, the Astros, Braves, and Dodgers have advanced to the LCS.
 
GTPlaneteers, we have our 2020 League Championship Series! The Tampa Bay Rays defeated the heavily-favored New York Yankees 2-1 to take the best-of-5 ALDS 3-2. After tonight's result, get ready for these LCS matches:

2020 ALCS: Houston Astros vs. Tampa Bay Rays (Petco Park; San Diego, CA)
2020 NLCS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves (Globe Life Field; Arlington, TX)

The 2020 ALCS begins this Sunday, and the 2020 NLCS begins this Monday.


Congratulations to the remaining four teams!
 
...and then, there were four. Today begins the 2020 League Championship Series. On the AL side, it is the Houston Astros vs. the Tampa Bay Rays played in San Diego, CA. On the NL side, it is the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Atlanta Braves to be played in Arlington, TX. The winners of the respective LCS matches will meet in the World Series. Basically, the NLCS winner won't have to travel far, because the 2020 World Series will be at the Texas Rangers' ballpark in Arlington, TX.

Enjoy the ALCS and NLCS!
 
I am sad to learn that former Astro and longtime Red, Joe Morgan, has died today at the age of 77. I usually remember Joe Morgan as being the analyst alongside Jon Miller on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. My condolences go out in loving memory of all who known and loved Joe Morgan.


On a lighter note, today begins the 2020 National League Championship Series (NLCS). Game two of the ALCS is today also, with Tampa Bay ahead in the series 1-0 after they won 2-1 yesterday against the Houston Astros.
 
Crazy. In a 10 day period, we lose Bob Gibson, Whitey Ford and now Morgan. Sad day as a Reds fan. I have to say I'm jealous my dad got to see him play with the Big Red Machine.
 
The Houston Astros are down 0-3 to the Tampa Bay Rays. One more loss for Houston, and the 2020 season will be over. This almost seems as if the Los Angeles Dodgers have a chance to bounce back themselves, right? Well... no. The Atlanta Braves are up 2-0 in the 2020 NLCS. So Dodgers Nation has to see their boys make a comeback after all the whining they've done about not being able to win the Big One in recent years.

Again- Astros and Dodgers both currently in trouble in the LCS. If neither turns things around, we might have an all-Southern 2020 World Series with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves.
 
Half of the 2020 World Series is set! After the 2020 American League Championship Series (ALCS) wrapped up, and with this series summary, it's the end of the 2020 season for...

GM1 HOU vs. TB (2-1; Tampa Bay)
GM2 HOU vs. TB (4-2; Tampa Bay)
GM3 TB vs. HOU (5-2; Tampa Bay)
GM4 TB vs. HOU (4-3; Houston)
GM5 TB vs. HOU (4-3; Houston)
GM6 HOU vs. TB (7-4; Houston)
GM7 HOU vs. TB (4-2; Tampa Bay)

...the Houston Astros. So this was good while it lasted. Then too... we were a No. 6 seed. Who's to say we could best the top-ranked No. 1 AL seed as well as have to deal with constant heckling and such? Astros did all they could, but even as villainized as they've become, it's now all over for the Astros. If they advanced, this would have been the third time in four seasons they'd make the World Series. But now, they'll have to settle for next season. Houston Astros are DONE.

The other half of the 2020 World Series will be determined by whether the Atlanta Braves or Los Angeles Dodgers can make play for it all.


Congratulations to the overall champion of 2020. Great shame it won't be my Houston Astros winning it all despite their best efforts to stay in it.
 
We have our 2020 World Series! As the NLCS concluded, we're going to have...

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

The 2020 World Series fun begins this Tuesday. The Los Angeles Dodgers have a chance to finally win the World Series without having to worry about my Houston Astros trying to disrupt things. Twitter absolutely 🤬 on my Astros after they lost on Saturday. Want an example? Look at this article on Yahoo! Sports: https://sports.yahoo.com/baseball-t...-elimination-after-game-7-loss-044544300.html

So GTPlanet... who wins the 2020 championship and (optional) by how many games? Tell it!
 
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May as well be blunt about it, I'd like to see the Rays win. That staff and those players deserve it. I can't recall a disastrous season since Maddon, and so many thought he was the reason they were good. If they do win, they should up their payroll and try for two, even a small percentage more would help.

On the other side are the Dodgers who just won't die. They beat down teams until the end, then somehow get bested at the end, if I was more cultured I'd make a horror movie reference. And to an extent, it has been a series of movies for Dodgers faithful, but ultimately it's the monster vs. the last survivor.

If it's not obvious, I'm not rooting for Jason. The Asterisks loss can be justified, the Boston loss less so, the Nationals should have been a snack, but you just beat Atlanta in a "does anyone actually want to win this?" series and have reverted to long ball or bust strategy. If you don't win it now, you need to retool if not rebuild management.

I want to see Tampa win. I'll say 6 games...might try to go to a game. God knows this is as close as the Rangers will get for another 20 years.

After searching for tickets: Welp, 🤬 that. Not paying that much.
 
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I stopped following the 2020 MLB postseason once my Houston Astros were eliminated. If you've been following the 2020 World Series, we're at a 2-2 tie at this point with Game 5 to come. Here's the summary so far...

GM1 TB vs. LAD: (8-3; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM2 TB vs. LAD: (6-4; Tampa Bay)
GM3 LAD vs. TB: (6-2; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM4 LAD vs. TB: (8-7; Tampa Bay)
GM5 LAD vs. TB: ???
GM6 TB vs. LAD: ???
GM7 TB vs. LAD: ~if needed~

A Game 5 of a series tied 2-2 can provide the psychological advantage to whomever wins Game 5 of a 7-game series. One team will be one step closer to celebrating with the Commissioner's Trophy based on who wins Game 5. So enjoy the action as it happens!
 
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We have a winner! Here's your winner... and NEWWWWW Major League Baseball Champions...

...the Los Angeles Dodgers!

So justice finally served, methinks. The world's a happier place now, methinks. They finally reached the top of the MLB mountain. First title since... 1988(?). That ends this unusual 2020 season of Major League Baseball.

2020 World Series Summary:
GM1 TB vs. LAD: (8-3; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM2 TB vs. LAD: (6-4; Tampa Bay)
GM3 LAD vs. TB: (6-2; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM4 LAD vs. TB: (8-7; Tampa Bay)
GM5 LAD vs. TB: (4-2; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM6 TB vs. LAD: (3-1; Los Angeles Dodgers)
GM7 TB vs. LAD: ~not needed~

Congratulations at long last, Los Angeles Dodgers. You finally got the justice and closure you've longed for. Just one thing... be ready to defend in 2021, because the other 29 teams (including my Houston Astros) want what you got and will battle fiercely and bravely to be Champions! 🤬 happy now, Dodgers?


With that said, the 2020 Major League Baseball season is over. Care to reflect? Care to look ahead to 2021? DISCUSS!
 
Amid the exhilaration of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the championship in 2020, the big story has been about the Dodgers' Justin Turner being out on the field after having tested positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus. J. Turner was seen without a mask on as well as getting out on the field to celebrate with his teammates. I don't know what penalties could be assessed from this, but I doubt there will be anything like stripping LAD of their title and giving to Tampa Bay or anything.
 
JohnBM01
Amid the exhilaration of the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the championship in 2020, the big story has been about the Dodgers' Justin Turner being out on the field after having tested positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus. J. Turner was seen without a mask on as well as getting out on the field to celebrate with his teammates. I don't know what penalties could be assessed from this, but I doubt there will be anything like stripping LAD of their title and giving to Tampa Bay or anything.
Click to expand...

Given that they let the Astros get away with blatant cheating, I'm not surprised the Dodgers didn't get any sanctions. Turner himself may be another story, however.

In other news, I have yet to receive my refund from mlb.tv for the missed games even though they were supposed to be issuing them starting July 31st It's looking increasingly likely that mlb.tv will not be receiving any more of my dollars in the future.
 
BobK
Given that they let the Astros get away with blatant cheating, I'm not surprised the Dodgers didn't get any sanctions. Turner himself may be another story, however.

In other news, I have yet to receive my refund from mlb.tv for the missed games even though they were supposed to be issuing them starting July 31st It's looking increasingly likely that mlb.tv will not be receiving any more of my dollars in the future.
Click to expand...
Dodgers AND Turner should both get penalties for this, Dodgers for ignoring MLB policy and Turner's should be on a sliding scale based on if this becomes a superspreader event.

New York Mets have a new owner as billionaire Steve Cohen has officially purchased 95% of the team from the Wilpon family for north of $2 billion. He is also MLB's richest owner, valued at over $14 billion.

Chicago White Sox have decided to travel back in time as they have hired 76 year old Tony La Russa as their new manager.
 
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Apparently, Major League Baseball will NOT punish Justin Turner for getting out on the field after defying COVID-19/Coronavirus protocols. So if you felt the MLB didn't have to stones to strip my 2017 Houston Astros of their World Series championship, they also didn't feel enough was eminent to punish Justin Turner and/or the Los Angeles Dodgers.
 
The 2020 Cy Young winners were announced recently.

* The American League Cy Young winner for 2020 was Shane Bieber of the Cleveland Indians. Shane Bieber was a unanimous pick for the AL Cy Young. He had an ERA of 1.63 in the 2020 season. Bieber is the first unanimous AL Cy Young winner since Justin Verlander in 2011.

* The National League Cy Young winner for 2020 was Trevor Bauer of the Cincinnati Reds. T. Bauer becomes the first pitcher in Reds history to win this award. Bauer had an ERA of 1.73. He was third in the league with 100 strikeouts.


Must be a great day for Ohioans when both Ohio MLB teams won the Cy Young. Congratulations to the Cy Young winners as well as those who won other awards recently for 2020.
 
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Blitz24
And that good might leave via free agency.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that sucks. Doubt we'll have the cash to keep him around. The other good thing is the rest of the rotation was pretty damn good this season too, so there is still hope. Now if we can get the offense to do something...
 
Dolph Drago
Yeah, that sucks. Doubt we'll have the cash to keep him around. The other good thing is the rest of the rotation was pretty damn good this season too, so there is still hope. Now if we can get the offense to do something...
Click to expand...
Groundball to third base. End of the inning.
 
The Twins have broken ties with their AAA affiliate the Rochester Red Wings and the popular rumor is the St. Paul Saints will take their place. It would be pretty cool if it happens as the Saints only play about 15 minutes from Target Field.
 

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