Major League Baseball: 2021 Season

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros will have no days off until September 27. Ready to begin an extensive stretch, here come the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim ready to play some hardball with the Astros. Here's a series summary:

LAA at HOU (3-game series)
GM1: (10-5; Houston)
GM2: (4-2, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)
GM3: (3-1; Houston)

[GAME 1] You heard of a guy named Shohei Ohtani? Yeah- he was the pitcher the Astros would oppose tonight. When I first followed the game, Jose Altuve banged in an RBI single to tie the game 4-4. Fast forward to the Bottom of the 4th, and the Astros were up 6-4 in the Top of the 4th. Catcher's interference by the Angels as the Astros loaded the bases resulted in a run coming in to make it 7-4. A two-run RBI by Aledmys Diaz led to two more Astros coming home to make it 9-4. Into the Bottom of the 7th, the Astros made it a 10-5 lead thanks to a sacrifice fly by Alex Bregman that brought home Jose Altuve. That was all that was needed to sink the Angels in this game.

[GAME 2] The first score in Game 2 came from the Angels on a deep RBI to make things 1-0 in the Top of the 1st. Despite a second out, the Angels brought home another run in the same inning to make it 2-0, Angels. The Angels went deep right and made it 4-0 in favor of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Astros brought in an RBI despite also recording an out to make it 4-1, Angels in the Bottom of the 4th. A balk by LAA followed by a stolen base led to the Astros cutting the Angels' lead to 4-2 with one out. That was all the Astros could muster as the Angels took Game 2 thanks to Luis Garcia's shaky pitching. Rubber game tomorrow.

[GAME 3] I did not see most of this game or followed the score in any such way, as I was watching football. When I did finally check into Game 3, the Houston Astros were ahead 3-1 into the Top of the 7th. No further scoring happened, and so the Astros won 3-1.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 83-59 on the season. We still have a decent lead in the AL West standings for now of 6.5 games as Oakland and Seattle are tied for 2nd in the AL West with records of 77-66 each.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... back on the road again. This time, we're at the Texas Rangers for a four-game series. It's all about trying to keep up the AL West lead with hard charging Seattle and Oakland.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! With Tropical Storm Nicholas approaching the South and Southeast coastlines of Texas, it's a good thing the Astros will be playing further north in Texas. We'll do our best to take care of ourselves with this advancing tropical system.

 

[Dolph Drago]

The Redlegs have been reeling as of late, losing their series against the Cards today. That makes 6 series losses in a row. Somehow they still hold the 2nd wildcard spot in the NL. I haven't really kept up with the tiebreaker, but mlb.com has them listed over the Padres for the spot. Cincinnati has 1 more win and 1 more loss.

The offense has disappeared. I think getting Winker back soon (hopefully) will help. But there have been some wasted pitching gems. Gray was the unlucky one today. He gave up a 2 run shot in the first. That was it. No more scoring by either team. His 7 innings giving up those pair of runs along with 6 K's and only 1 BB wasn't enough because the Reds put up a big ol' goose egg.

If the Reds are still in it, I will only be able to follow them online the final week of the regular season. As I mentioned in the NFL thread, I'm moving further north into Indiana and and won't be getting the Cincinnati channels. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. At best, I'll probably watch them get knocked out of the playoffs in the wildcard game on FOX or TBS or whatever channel it will be on.

 

[JohnBM01]

The state of Texas has two Major League Baseball teams, and these two competed for state pride one last time. The Battle for the Silver Boot season series concludes in this 4-game set. Here's how the series went this time around:

HOU at TEX (4-game series)
GM1: (15-1; Houston)
GM2: (8-1, Texas)
GM3: (7-1; Houston)
GM4: (12-1; Houston)

[GAME 1] When I first saw this game, the Houston Astros were up 11-1 in the Top of the 6th. WOW! A bases-loaded two-run RBI happened in the Top of the 6th with two outs. So it's now 13-1, Astros. Yordan Alvarez launched a solo homer to make it 14-1. Jose Siri bombs in the Top of the 8th to make it 15-1, Astros. That was the Final.

[GAME 2] Zack Greinke took to the mound for Houston coming off of injury. After an explosive night last night for Houston, it was Texas to have some fun to start the 2nd game of this series. It began with N. Lowe banging a two-run jack to make it 2-0, Rangers in the Bottom of the 1st. Greinke got taken deep AGAIN with ANOTHER 2-run bomb. Now 4-0 in the Bottom of the 3rd. The Rangers drove in another run later in the Bottom of the 6th to make it 5-0 in favor of the Texas Rangers. Same inning, three-run blast, now 8-0 Rangers. Almost like the Astros forgot to bring their Game 1 offense to Game 2. The Astros had to wait until the Top of the 9th to score. It was 8-1, Rangers as the Astros managed to avoid getting blanked in this game. I guess the Texas Rangers didn't take too kindly to getting wrecked, and they decided to do something about it. Rangers won this one 8-1.

[GAME 3] The first score of the game came off of a two-run bomb by Jake Meyers. After getting embarrassed last night, the Astros decided to return the favor to the Rangers with an early 2-0 lead. Marwin Gonzales joined the party with a solo jack of his own in the same inning. Where was THIS last night for Houston? Texas joined the scoring on a sacrifice fly RBI to make it 3-1, Astros in the bottom of the 3rd. With the bases loaded and one out, an RBI brought home two runs to make it 5-1 Astros. More Astros offense made things 6-1 in the Top of the 5th on an RBI. Kyle Tucker had liftoff with a solo homer in the Top of the 8th. The Astros led 7-1 at that point. There was an RBI by the Rangers to make it a 7-2 Astros lead in the Bottom of the 9th. Sweet revenge for the Astros in a 7-2 victory.

[GAME 4] No. 1 on the Astros (Carlos Correa) brought in 3 thanks to a 440+ foot bomb. In the Top of the 4th, it was 3-0, Astros. A couple of RBIs were scored by the Astros with the bases loaded and one out. Now 5-0, Astros in the same inning. Yordan Alvarez hit a deep shot that brought home Jose Altuve to make it 6-0 Astros. Another RBI for the Astros the same inning made things 7-0. Touchdown Astros (with the point after touchdown)! That was all they put up- a seven spot in the Top of the 4. The Astros scored again on an RBI that brought home two Astros. Make that 9-0, Astros in the Top of the 6th. The Rangers managed to bring home a run to make it 9-1, Astros in the Bottom of the 7th. Chas McCormick bombed a two-run homer in the Top of the 8th to make it 11-1, Astros. A ground-ruled double by the Astros led to an RBI. So 12-1, Astros in the Top of the 8th.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 86-60. We still lead the AL West, and our "Magic Number" is now 10.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we are quickly back home for our final Interleague series. The Arizona Diamondbacks are coming to Houston for a three-game set.


Elsewhere...

* I now have some "IN!" teams to report! Let's take a look at who will be in this season's postseason as of the time of this post:

--- In! Teams (as of September 16, 2021) ---
...AL East Champion...
...AL Central Champion...
...AL West Champion...
...AL Wild Card 1 or clinched berth...
...AL Wild Card 2 or clinched berth...
...NL East Champion...
...NL Central Champion...
...NL West Champion...
San Francisco (clinched berth)
Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched berth)

The playoff picture will be clearer as this month progresses and even into the first few days of October.


* I also heard the 2021 Chicago Cubs became the first-ever team in the Modern Era to lose twice in a season when ahead by at least seven runs and to lose by at least 7 runs. The Cubbies ended up getting whacked 17-8 at the Phillies today.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! If your team(s) is/are still in the Playoff hunt, keep playing hard to make the postseason. If already in, sweeten the offer. Keep going!

 

[JohnBM01]

Our final Interleague series of the season is this weekend as we host the Arizona Diamondbacks. A Houston Astros fan knows that the Astros better not stumble to a last-place team or a team very below .500 on the season. Teams with nothing to lose are often the most dangerous. Despite this, baseball has a way of surprises. Let's see if any surprises happen in this one, and let's see if the Diamondbacks can play spoiler to the Astros...

ARI at HOU (3-game series)
GM1: (4-3, 10 innings; Houston)
GM2: (6-4, 10 innings; Arizona)
GM3: (7-6; Houston)

[GAME 1] I only saw the Top of the 1st and then waited until the Top of the 6th to see what happened since. By that point, it was 1-0, Arizona with one out. Arizona struck on a solo home run. We had Madison Bumgarner (MadBum) dealing to the Astros. Apparently when I went to get water and some Greek yogurt, Houston broke up MadBum's no-hitter with Jose Altuve banging a two-run, go-ahead jack to put the Astros up 2-1. Train No. 27 left Union Station. The Top of the 8th saw the Diamondbacks tie things up at 2. Regulation didn't solve anything. We go to Extra Innings. The Diamondbacks knocked in a run in the Top of the 10th to go up 3-2. The Astros tied the game at 3 on an RBI single with one out in the Bottom of the 10th. Chas McCormick got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and the Astros win on a hit-by-pitch. This is now Arizona's 100th loss of the 2021 season. And... we'll take the win!

[GAME 2] On Hispanic Heritage Night here in Houston, it was Cuba's Yordan Alvarez banging a two-run bomb to center right to put the Astros... or Los Astros, up 2-0 in the Bottom of the 1st. An error by the Astros in the Top of the 4th led to the Diamondbacks making it a 2-1 lead for the Astros. Then the same inning, Arizona drew level on an RBI double to make it a 2-2 tie. This inning from Hell continued as the D-Backs took the lead on another RBI blast. 3-2, Diamondbacks now. I usually report scores in my series summaries, but Jose Altuve banged a deep shot to left to get to 850 hits at Minute Maid Park. He's the all-time leader passing the great Lance Berkman, who had 849 hits all time at Minute Maid Park. The Astros tied the game on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-3 in the Bottom of the 6th. Like last night, this one couldn't be decided in regulation. So let's do extra innings! Arizona brought in a run on an RBI in the Top of the 10th. Now the D-Backs regain the lead. They later hit a two-run homer to go up 6-3. The Astros scored an RBI single to make it 6-4, Diamondbacks. The raly fell short, and so they had to settle for a 6-4 loss. Rubber Game tomorrow.

[GAME 3] It was Houston who went out in front, as Carlos Correa launched a three-run bomb to go up 3-0 in the Bottom of the 1st. Fast forward to the Top of the 6th, and it was a 6-4 lead for the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Houston Astros would tie the game 6-6 thanks to a two-run blast by Jose Siri. It was then back-to-back jacks as Chas McCormick hit a solo homer to make it 7-6, Astros. Closing pitching helped preserve the win and series win. And this time, we didn't need extra innings to win 7-6.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 88-61. We still lead the AL West, and our "Magic Number" is now 8.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... we are back on the road for the last time this regular season! First on the docket is a four-game set at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. It is then three games at the Oakland Athletics. But first things first- Astros at Angels for four.


Elsewhere...

* I now have some "IN!" teams to report! Let's take a look at who will be in this season's postseason as of the time of this post (changes made in italics):

--- In! Teams (as of September 19, 2021) ---
...AL East Champion...
...AL Central Champion...
...AL West Champion...
...AL Wild Card 1 or clinched berth...
...AL Wild Card 2 or clinched berth...
...NL East Champion...
...NL Central Champion...
...NL West Champion...
San Francisco
Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee (clinched berth)

The playoff picture will be clearer as this month progresses and even into the first few days of October.


* I also heard the 2021 Chicago Cubs became the first-ever team in the Modern Era to lose twice in a season when ahead by at least seven runs and to lose by at least 7 runs. The Cubbies ended up getting whacked 17-8 at the Phillies today.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! If your team(s) is/are still in the Playoff hunt, keep playing hard to make the postseason. If already in, sweeten the offer. Keep going!

 

[Dolph Drago]

The Reds can't put anything together. Somehow they won game 1 in the Dodgers' series, but it was all downhill from there. The offense that was so strong earlier in the season has gone dormant. Winker finally came back from his stint on the IL with his intercostal strain only to get hit by a pitch in exactly the spot of his injury in his first game back and go right back on the IL. The season is over for Cincy. And to rub salt in the wound, the damn Cardinals are going to get that second wildcard spot.

 

[JohnBM01]

All but one of our opponents remaining this season are AL West teams. Our final road trip of the season begins with a trip to Southern California for a four-game set in Anaheim, California. Let's get it...

HOU at LAA (4-game series)
GM1: (10-0, Houston)
GM2: (10-5, Houston)
GM3: (9-5, 12 innings, Houston)
GM4: (3-2; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

[GAME 1] Late games, baby! When I first followed this game, it was 2-0 Astros in the Bottom of the 5th. A couple of hard-hit balls led to an RBI single for the Astros. It is 3-0 in favor of Houston so far in the Top of the 8th. Martin Maldonaldo launched a three-run bomb to put the Astros up 6-0 at the Angels in Game 1. Marwin Gonzalez REALLY blew it open with a Grand Slam in the Top of the 9th.

[GAME 2] It was 2-0, Astros when I first checked into this game in the Top of the 2nd. Kyle Tucker was responsible for the two-run bomb. Very first pitch I saw afterwards was a solo homer by the Astros to go up 3-0. Apparently, the Astros hit a two-run homer before I saw the Aledmys Diaz homer that put the Astros up 3-0. First pitch of the Top of the 2nd was a solo homer by Jack Mayfield. We're now at 3-1, Astros after that solo shot. Scoring didn't happen again until Jose Altuve took Oliver Ortega deep with a two-run blast to left in the Top of the 5th. It was then 5-1 Astros after the Altuve jack. The bases were loaded with one out, and the Astros brought home two runs on an RBI single. So make that 7-1 Astros now. Martin Maldonaldo banged a solo homer to make it 8-1, Astros. Bases were loaded again for the Astros, but this time, it was a sacrifice fly that led to the Astros leading 9-1 in the Top of the 6th. Trying to pull a double play, an error by the Angels led to the Astros bringing home another run. The new score is 10-1, Astros. The Angels decided to do something about the big deficit in the Bottom of the 6th. So they uncorked a three-run bomb to make the score 10-4, Astros. Shohei Ohtani went deep on Christian Javier to make it 10-5, Astros. That was the final score, as their Magic Number is now 4 after tonight. Houston is now 29 games over .500 and have reached the 90-win mark at long last.

[GAME 3] The Houston Astros jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the Top of the 1st for Game 3. The Angels put a pitcher on the mound with the last name of Junk. Jason Castro touched the sky by launching a solo jack in the Top of the 5th to make it 3-0, Astros. With the bases loaded and one out, the Angels brought home a run on an RBI. Make that 3-1, Astros in the Bottom of the 7th. One more run was added by LAA to make it a 3-2 Astros lead in the same inning. The Angels brought home three runs in the same inning to make it 5-3, Angels on an RBI double. Air Yordan didn't bang a two-run homer, but he did launch a deep shot to send an Astro home on an RBI double. It's now 5-4, Angels now. La Piña (Yuli Gurriel) hit an RBI single to bring big Yordan Alvarez home. Tied at 5 in Anaheim now. This one couldn't be decided in nine innings, so bring on Extras. Astros picked up a run on an RBI single in the Top of the 12th. That's 6-5, Astros as they re-took the lead. Altuve added to the run party with an RBI double that brought home two more Astros to make it 8-5 the same inning with no outs. A sacrifice fly made it 9-5, Astros.

[GAME 4] As I didn't know what network had my Houston Texans playing on, I went from following this game to going over to the Texans' coverage. When I checked in later, the game saw the Angels lead 1-0 in the Bottom of the 5th. Carlos Correa got himself an RBI single to level the game at 1-1 in the Top of the 6th. The Bottom of the 6th saw the Angels bring home two runs on an RBI single to make it 3-1, Angels. When it seemed like the Astros were going to concede trying to sweep a team, Jason Castro ends up banging a solo homer to make it 3-2, Angels with two outs in the Top of the 9th. The Game 4 rally for the Astros fell one run short as they fell 3-2 in Game 4.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 91-62. We still lead the AL West, and our "Magic Number" is now 3.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... Our final road series this regular season commences Friday night. It's three games at the Oakland Athletics for the Houston Astros next.


Let's update the teams that are "IN!" as of the time of this post (changes made in italics):

--- In! Teams (as of September 24, 2021) ---
...AL East Champion...
Chicago White Sox (AL Central Champions)
...AL West Champion...
...AL Wild Card 1 or clinched berth...
...AL Wild Card 2 or clinched berth...
Tampa Bay (clinched berth)

...NL East Champion...
...NL Central Champion...
...NL West Champion...
San Francisco
Los Angeles Dodgers
Milwaukee

The playoff picture will be clearer as this month progresses and even into the first few days of October.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! If your team(s) is/are still in the Playoff hunt, keep playing hard to make the postseason. If already in, sweeten the offer. Keep going!

 

[JohnBM01]

Let's do our final road trip of the regular season! Houston at Oakland. If Oakland loses any game in this series, their AL West title hopes will be dashed. So you know the A's will give the Astros EVERYTHING they can handle (and then some). Oakland play my Astros tough. Will this outing be any different? Let's find out with my series summary:

HOU at OAK (3-game series)
GM1: (14-2, Oakland)
GM2: (2-1, Oakland)
GM3: (4-3, Oakland)

[GAME 1] When I checked into the game, the Houston Astros were ahead 1-0 after the Top of the 1st. Apparently, we scored after two Astros got hit-by-pitch followed by Jose Altuve reaching home on an error. Jose Altuve bombed his 30th jack of the season to make the Astros lead 2-0 in the Top of the 3rd. The Athletics got in an RBI to make it 2-1, Astros in the Bottom of the 3rd. An RBI brought home another Athletic to make it a 2-2 tie in the same inning. Then the A's took a 3-2 lead on a sacrifice fly. An RBI double with one out and bases loaded in the Bottom of the 7th led to the A's bringing home two runs. So it's now 5-2, Athletics. The A's then hit a Grand Slam in the Bottom of the 7th to make it 9-2, Athletics. Nine unanswered runs. It's pretty much get ready for Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon now for the Astros in this series at this point. A bases loaded walk with no outs made it 10-2, Athletics in the Bottom of the 8th. Another RBI made it 11-2, Athletics. A deep shot with bases loaded that didn't clear the wall ended up bringing home three more runs. After that, I stopped watching the game as the A's were up 14-2. The only good news is that 14-2 was the final score with no further damage by the A's. Bad news (obviously) for Astros fans is that the Astros got roughed up back alley style in this one. Also, Seattle defeated the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 6-5 in Anaheim, so the Astros will have to wait to clinch a playoff berth.

[GAME 2] It was a pitcher's duel for most of the game until the Houston Astros hit a solo homer in the Top of the 7th. So it was 1-0, Houston in the Top of the 7th. The Athletics tied things up with a two-out RBI to make it a 1-1 tie in the Bottom of the 7th. A deep shot by the Athletics led to a walk-off RBI win. A's win 2-1.

[GAME 3] First on the board was the Oakland Athletics in the Bottom of the 2nd on an RBI single with two outs. If the Astros want to clinch the AL West, they need to win this game and hope Seattle loses at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. So far, so bad (on the Astros' front). The Astros tied things up on an RBI single to make it 1-1. Alex Bregman bombed a solo jack to put the Astros up 2-1 in the Top of the 6th. An RBI double the same inning made the Astros lead 3-1. An RBI by the Athletics in the Bottom of the 7th made it 3-2, Astros. The A's later tied things up at 3. Astros tried to take home after a base hit in the Top of the 9th, but failed. So it stayed at 3-3. A deep shot with the bases loaded and no outs meant the A's completed their sweep of the Astros with a 4-3 victory. On top of that, Seattle beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-1. So no ground gained for the Astros after this fail.

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 91-65. We still lead the AL West, and our "Magic Number" is now 2.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... after taking Monday off (and doing some soul searching), two home series ends our regular season. Coming to Houston is the defending AL champions, the Tampa Bay Rays for three. That's followed by the Oakland Athletics coming to Houston. Before they think revenge on the A's, got to handle the Rays first.


Let's update the teams that are "IN!" as of the time of this post (changes made in italics):

--- In! Teams (as of September 26, 2021) ---
Tampa Bay (AL East Champions)
Chicago White Sox (AL Central Champions)
...AL West Champion...
...AL Wild Card 1 or clinched berth...
...AL Wild Card 2 or clinched berth...

...NL East Champion...
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
...NL West Champion...
San Francisco
Los Angeles Dodgers

The playoff picture will be clearer as this month progresses and even into the first few days of October.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! If your team(s) is/are still in the Playoff hunt, keep playing hard to make the postseason. If already in, sweeten the offer. Keep going! Congratulations also go to the St. Louis Cardinals, who won their 15th straight game earlier today.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Bittersweet birthday for me today. A day after the Bengals beat on Pittsburgh, the Queen City's baseball team pummeled the Steelers' city counterpart in a makeup game, 13-1. While Cincinnati did reel off their 4th straight win, it was for naught as their slide earlier in the month combined with the Cardinals' 15th straight win have knocked them out of playoff contention. FIFTEEN!! Why?? Why did it have to be St. Louis??? Here's an angry face for each win.

 

[JohnBM01]

First of all, happy birthday, Dolph Drago! And obviously, sadly, the Reds get 86'ed from playoff contention. St. Louis got something cooking seems like.

If my Houston Astros keep failing, we might be contending for a Wild Card ourselves despite the fact we have a decent lead in the AL West. Next two series will NOT be easy- three against Tampa Bay starting tomorrow, then three against Oakland starting on Friday.

 

[JohnBM01]

This homestand will not be easy. Tampa Bay comes to town, followed by Oakland. The quest for survival begins this Tuesday night with the best record in the AL- Tampa Bay Rays. It could be a playoffs preview. So let's see how this one goes...

TB at HOU (3-game series)
GM1: (4-3, Houston)
GM2: (7-0, Tampa Bay)
GM3: (3-2, Houston)

[GAME 1] First to score was Tampa Bay on a two-run bomb to the Crawford Boxes (deep left at Minute Maid Park). The Houston Astros finally woke up thanks to a solo thunderbolt by Alex Bregman to make it 2-1, Rays in the Bottom of the 6th. That run broke up the no-hit bid for the Rays. Jose Altuve bombed a solo jack to make it a 2-2 tie in the Bottom of the 8th. That's 31 homers for No. 27 on the Astros. Tampa Bay then hit a solo homer to make it 3-2, Rays. A bases loaded walk in the Bottom of the 9th with one out led to the Astros tying the game at 3-3. We won on a bases loaded walk! The "Magic Number" is now 1.

[GAME 2] The Astros can clinch the AL West if they win tonight against Tampa Bay, or if the Seattle Mariners lose to the Oakland Athletics. After a three-base error by the Astros, an RBI was scored by Tampa Bay to go up 1-0 in the Top of the 2nd. Then it got worse- a two-run bomb on the very next pitch led to a 3-0 Rays lead. Now in the Top of the 5th, there was a three-run homer by the Rays to put them up 6-0. Now the Astros have to hope Seattle loses to Oakland at this point, pending a miraculous victory by Houston. The Rays' whacking of the Astros continued with an RBI to make it 7-0. Thankfully if not for a clutch play at Home base, it would have 8-0, Tampa Bay. Rubber game tomorrow.

[GAME 3] Three innings had shutout baseball until Carlos Correa had liftoff on a three-run bomb. The Astros were up 3-0 in the Bottom of the 4th. In the Top of the 6th, the Rays launched a two-run homer to make it a 3-2 Astros lead. WE WON THE AL WEST! Closing pitching came through as the Astros preserved the 3-2 win. We in and we win!

The 2021 Houston Astros are now 93-66, and we won our fifth Division title in the last six seasons! Dusty Baker becomes the first head coach to win a Division title with five different teams.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... the final regular season series is against the Oakland Athletics for three here in Houston. Seattle eliminated the Athletics from postseason contention, so this is basically a tune-up for the Playoffs. All the Astros can do now is sweeten their offer to have better playoff seeding.


Let's update the teams that are "IN!" as of the time of this post (changes made in italics):

--- In! Teams (as of September 30, 2021) ---
Tampa Bay (AL East Champions)
Chicago White Sox (AL Central Champions)
Houston (AL West Champions)
...AL Wild Card 1 or clinched berth...
...AL Wild Card 2 or clinched berth...

Atlanta (NL East Champions)
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
...NL West Champion...
San Francisco
Los Angeles Dodgers
St. Louis (clinched playoff berth)

The playoff picture is now even clearer.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! If your team(s) is/are still in the Playoff hunt, keep playing hard to make the postseason. If already in, sweeten the offer. Keep going!


[UPDATE] The 2021 Houston Astros are now 93-66 on the season. Changes made.

 

[Northstar]

The Twins lost to the Royals last night and as a result cemented their last place division finish. At least their lousy play made not being able to watch a vast majority of the games due to Bally being stubborn a little easier to deal with.

 

[JohnBM01]

After taking two out of three from the visiting Tampa Bay Rays, the Houston Astros try to help their playoffs positioning when the Oakland Athletics come to H-Town. This series summary is of the final regular season series of the 2021 season:

OAK at HOU (3-game series)
GM1: (8-6, Oakland)
GM2: (10-4, Houston)
GM3: (7-6, Houston)

[GAME 1] When I first followed the game, it was a 4-1 lead in the Top of the 6th for the Oakland Athletics. A deep Astros shot led to an RBI for the Astros in the Bottom of the 6th. Make that a 4-2 lead for Oakland now. Awful pitching by the Astros in the Top of the 8th by Christian Javier led to the A's bringing in another run. That's 5-2, A's now. Another run scored the same inning to make it 6-2, Athletics. A deep shot later resulted in another Athletic coming home. Now 7-2, Oakland. And... another one comes home as the A's made it 8-2 in the Top of the 8th. Maybe the Astros partied too hard last night to where they forgot there were three games left in the 2021 season. After a crappy Top of the 8th, the Astros got in one run on an RBI to make it an 8-3 Athletics lead. Three-run bomb by Jason Castro made it an 8-6 lead in the Bottom of the 8th. About doggone time, Houston. The rally ended up two runs short. Oakland won this one 8-6. Chicago won at home against Detroit 5-1, so the Astros will still need just one more win to lock in the No. 2 playoff spot.

[GAME 2] Jake Odorizzi got the start for Houston, and that can only provide images of the Astros failing. That prophecy came true in the Top of the 1st as a base hit followed by errors let Oakland lead 1-0. Another deep RBI led to Oakland leading 2-0 in the same inning. Yordan Alvarez was like, "screw it- three-run homer? Let's get it." Three-run blast in the Bottom of the 1st put the Astros up 3-2. Castro had liftoff on a solo jack to put the Astros up 4-2. A bases-loaded RBI in the Bottom of the 2nd saw a second out be recorded, but an Astro crossed home to make it 5-2. Five unanswered runs. Maybe revenge from when the Astros had 14 or so unanswered runs from Oakland. Yuli Gurriel hit a solo jack in the Bottom of the 3rd to make it 6-2, Astros. The A's would later score in the Top of the 5th or so to make it 6-3, Astros. Two-RBI triple by Michael Brantley led to an 8-3 Astros lead in the Bottom of the 6th. Kyle Tucker launched a two-run homer to go up 10-3 in the Bottom of the 7th. Feels great to get some run support for Jake Odorizzi for a change. The A's brought in a run on an RBI to make it 10-4, Astros in the Top of the 8th. That score would hold as they locked up the No. 2 seed in the ALDS. They will host the Chicago White Sox in the 2021 ALDS. As for this series, Sunday afternoon is the Rubber Game.

[GAME 3] Fast-forward to the Top of the 5th. The A's were leading 3-2. Oakland struck first early, then the Astros tied. Ditto after two innings. Kyle Tucker hit a two-run bomb to put the Astros up ahead 4-3 in the Bottom of the 6th. Jose Altuve didn't hit a three-run homer, but he did get a two-out extra base hit RBI to put the Astros up 5-3 in the Bottom of the 7th. Carlos Correa honored his final at-bat of the 2021 regular season with a solo bomb to the deep right corner of Minute Maid Park. 6-3, Astros in the Bottom of the 8th. As the Astros were ready to celebrate before the start of the 9th inning, the Athletics reminded them there's still one more inning left. And how did they do that? Why- with a two-run homer in the Top of the 9th. Now it's 6-5, Astros. Make that a 6-6 tie, now, as another Athletic bombed one into the Crawford Boxes. The Astros walked it off in the Bottom of the 9th on an RBI. 7-6 Astros win.

The 2021 Houston Astros finished the 2021 regular season with a 95-67 record, and once again- American League West Champions.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... Playoffs! Our ALDS opponent will be the Chicago White Sox.


Let's update the teams that are "IN!" as of the time of this post (changes made in italics):

--- In! Teams (as of October 3, 2021) ---
Tampa Bay (AL East Champions)
Chicago White Sox (AL Central Champions)
Houston (AL West Champions)
New York Yankees (AL Wild Card 1)
Boston (AL Wild Card 2)

Atlanta (NL East Champions)
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
San Francisco (NL West Champions)
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL Wild Card 1)
St. Louis (NL Wild Card 2)

The playoff picture is now complete. We begin the Wild Card games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the Playoffs begin proper on Thursday.


Congratulations to all of today's/tonight's winners and recent series winners! If your team(s) made it in, congratulations! If not, better luck next season.

 

[Dolph Drago]

The Reds finished the season with a win and a 83-79 record overall. I wasn't sure what to expect out of the season, and I still don't know what to think of it. At least it was a winning season I guess? Anyway, it started out rough. Then they made a crazy run, at one point looking like they might chase down the Brewers. Unfortunately they fizzled out when it mattered most near the end of the season. And we know what the Cardinals did in the same time period. Ultimately in typical Cincinnati fashion, us fans were strung along and given false hope.

Congrats to the teams that made the postseason, except St. Louis. I don't like the Dodgers because of their ridiculous payroll, but I hope they crush 'em.


Side notes: Despite being on the IL for a few weeks, Castellanos hit his 100th RBI in the finale. Votto, who also was injured for part of the season, finished with 99 after picking up 3 of them today. And I could have easily seen Winker get there if not for his injury. India got hit by a pitch today for the 23rd time this season. He led all NL players in that category (Kyle Farmer finished tied for 2nd with 18) and most among rookies. In fact, he led or was very near the top in nearly every statistical category and will likely be the slam dunk choice for NL Rookie of the Year.

 

[JohnBM01]

The 2021 regular season of Major League Baseball is over. The teams all with a chance to play for the Commissioner's Trophy will battle fiercely to hoist it at season's end. You can't script October.


Did your favorite team(s) make the postseason? Here are the final standings of the regular season:


LEGEND:
! = playoff team
!! = playoff team and division winner


--- 2021 End of Regular Season Standings ---
AL EAST: Tampa Bay!! (100-62), NYY! and BOS! (92-70 each), TOR (91-71), BAL (52-110)
AL CENTRAL: Chicago White Sox!! (93-69), CLE (80-82), DET (77-85), KC (74-88), MIN (73-89
AL WEST: Houston!! (95-67), SEA (90-72), OAK (86-76), LAA (77-85), TEX (60-102)

NL EAST: Atlanta!! (88-73), PHI (82-80), NYM (77-85), MIA (67-95), WAS (65-97)
NL CENTRAL: Milwaukee!! (95-67), STL! (90-72), CIN (83-79), CHC (71-91), PIT (61-101)
NL WEST: San Francisco!! (107-55), LAD! (106-56), SD (79-83), COL (74-87), ARI (52-110)

So there you have it. Best overall record- the Tampa Bay Rays at 100-62! Worst overall record- a tie between the Baltimore Orioles and Arizona Diamondbacks, both with 52-110 records. Yankees and Red Sox did all they could to both capture the AL Wild Card spots. St. Louis joined the playoff party by virtue of their stellar season and their long winning streak late in the season. Also, the defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have to settle for the NL Wild Card match despite winning 106 games on the season. The defending champions may be DONE if they lose to the Cardinals in their series. We may have a new champion if the Dodgers get eliminated.


I appreciate all of you who find some time to talk Major League Baseball in this thread. Regardless of your favorite team(s), it's great to keep putting forth solid sports communities on the fabulous GTPlanet. Once again- congratulations to all of this season's postseason contenders. Hopefully 2022 is a better season if your favorite team(s) didn't get in this season.

 

[JohnBM01]

Congratulations- your team made the Playoffs (as a Wild Card)! Bad news is... your playoff run may last all of one hot day. It's Wild Card Elimination time as the Wild Card teams play one game to determine who stays in and whose season will end. If you play your worst game and end up losing, you're done for the 2021 season. We normally play series anyways so that you could do poorly in one game and then bounce back the next. However, like the Little League World Series, this is a one-game deal where it's "Win or Go Home." Time to set the field. Here is what is on deck for the two Wild Card games:

• AL WILD CARD GAME: #5 NYY Yankees at #4 BOS Red Sox (winner gets TB Rays in ALDS)
• NL WILD CARD GAME: #5 STL Cardinals at #4 LAD Dodgers (winner gets SF Giants in NLDS)

Let's see who all help complete the Playoffs picture starting tonight. The AL Wild Card Game is tonight, and the NL Wild Card game is tomorrow night. Enjoy the action!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Divisional Series begin today! What was a 10-team playoff now is down to eight, as the New York Yankees and the St. Louis Cardinals were eliminated by (respectively) the Boston Red Sox and the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Here are your Divisional Series matchups:

• TB Rays vs. BOS Red Sox
• CHI White Sox vs. HOU Astros
• LAD Dodgers vs. SF Giants
• MIL Brewers vs. ATL Braves

The action begins this afternoon, so enjoy the Divisional Series action!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Tampa Bay Rays are DONE. Boston went walk-off to defeat the defending AL Champions in Boston. Boston will get the winner of the HOU-CHW series in the 2021 ALCS. Tampa Bay seemed very dangerous, but Boston was having none of that. They were the only team in the AL with 100 or more wins. So the Red Sox pulled an amazing series victory.

Tampa Bay is so far the only defeated team in the Playoffs so far. Elsewhere:

• HOU leads 2-1 in series against CHW
• SF leads 2-1 in series against LAD
• ATL leads 2-1 in series against MIL

I'll do my series summary of HOU vs. CHW once it concludes, win or lose.

 

[JohnBM01]

The following is my series summary of the American League Divisional Series match between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros:

CHW vs. HOU (5-game ALDS series)

[GAME 1] The first run of the game was scored by Jake Meyers of the Houston Astros to put Houston up 1-0 in the Bottom of the 2nd. Jose Altuve made it home on an RBI single by Alex Bregman in the Bottom of the 3rd to make it 2-0, Astros. Then in the same inning, a deep RBI double banged in by Yordan Alvarez put the Astros up 3-0. "Uncle Mike" (Michael Brantley) brought home two Astros on an RBI single to make it 5-0 in favor of the Astros. Yordan Alvarez had liftoff on a leadoff 411 ft homer bombed to center right. Houston now leads 6-0 in the Bottom of the 5th. Thank you for flying Air Yordan! The White Sox finally got on the board with an RBI to make it a 6-1, Astros score. That was the final score as the Astros took Game 1.

[GAME 2] Because the game was on MLB Network, I had to follow from radio and from my mobile apps. First time I checked, the Houston Astros were ahead 2-1 in the Top of the 5th. The White Sox would later tie the game on an RBI single. The next check I did saw Houston and the Chicago White Sox tied at 4-4. A later check of the score saw that the game was now 9-5, Astros in the Top of the 8th. That would be the final score- 9-4. Now the series goes to Chicago. The White Sox are pretty powerful at home, so this will not be easy for the Astros to try to close out the series.

[GAME 3] Being down 2-0 in the series and backs against the wall, you know the fans in the South Side of Chicago want to root on their beloved team, and it showed as the White Sox went ahead 1-0 on an RBI single to center. A deep RBI by Kyle Tucker brought home two Astros after back-to-back walks by CHW's Dylan Cease in the Top of the 2nd. So now it's a 2-1 Astros lead. Another Astro crossed home plate to make it 3-1 on a Jake Meyers RBI single. Kyle Tucker bombed a two-run jack to left in the Top of the 3rd to put the Astros up 5-1 on the very first pitch to him. The White Sox hit a two-run bomb of their own to make it a 5-3 Astros lead in the Bottom of the 3rd. It was the first White Sox home run of this series. White Sox re-took the lead on a three-run homer. Now it's 6-5, White Sox in the Bottom of the 3rd. Batting around a bit let the Astros tie things at 6-6 thanks to an RBI in the Top of the 4th. White Sox scored again on an RBI with nobody out to make it 7-6. A controversial play where the ball was hit by a runner to first base on a pitch to home. The end result was an RBI with nobody out to make it 8-6, White Sox in the Bottom of the 4th. This game just seems longer than it really is. Things went from bad to worse as the White Sox plated another run on an RBI to make it 9-6 for the Chicago White Sox. Fast-forward to the Bottom of the 8th, and it's 10-6, White Sox on a deep RBI center-left. Another White Sox player was driven home on an RBI. And by that point, I stopped watching. Final score was 12-6 in favor of the White Sox.

[GAME 4] The first score of this game was by the Chicago White Sox- a solo home run to center in the Bottom of the 2nd. White Sox took at 1-0 lead. Worst of all was Jake Meyers was unable to catch the ball and was slow getting up trying to rob the home run. The Astros took a 2-1 lead on a bases loaded RBI double with two outs in the Top of the 3rd. Carlos Correa smoked the ball to deep left. Martin Maldonado finally cashed in his first hit and RBI of this ALDS match to make it 3-1, Astros. In the Top of the 4th, Alex Bregman hit a deep shot to left-center that brought home two Astros. The Astros' lead at that point was now 5-1. Now remember- the Astros were up 5-1 in Game 3, only to eventually lose 12-6. Let's see what happens this time. The Astros brought home another run on an RBI single by Michael Brantley in the Top of the 6th with two outs. So make that a 6-1 Astros lead at this point. The Astros then went up 7-1 in the Top of the 8th after Jose Altuve reached on an error followed by taking 2nd and then stealing 3rd. When the Chicago White Sox fans were heckling Jose Altuve as he stepped up in the Top of the 9th, he bombed the very first pitch to him to score a three-run homer. It's 10-1, Astros. Heckling failed... BAD. The final score was 10-1, Astros. Basically 10 unanswered runs by the Astros to settle this one.

GM1 CHW at HOU: (6-1; Houston)
GM2 CHW at HOU: (9-4; Houston)
GM3 HOU at CHW: (12-6; Chicago White Sox)
GM4 CHW at HOU: (10-1; Houston)
GM5: CHW at HOU: ~not needed~

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... the ALCS! From the White Sox... to the Red Sox. Boston is very dangerous. Perhaps more so than Tampa Bay. Last time we took on the Red Sox in the postseason, we lost to them, and Boston would later win the World Series. Still nervous about this upcoming series and the firepower the Boston boys can do.


Congratulations to all Division Series winners!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Milwaukee Brewers are DONE. The Atlanta Braves ousted the NL Central-winning Brewers 3-1 in their ALDS series match. It's going to be an east-meets-west 2021 NLCS regardless of whether the San Francisco Giants or the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers win their ALDS match. As of the time of this post, SF leads LAD in their ALDS series 2-1, but LAD leads 1-0 in the current game against SF in Rancho Cucamonga. All congratulations to the Brewers on a great season.

Even though I'm obviously proud of my Houston Astros, also congratulations to the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Chicago White Sox on their respective seasons.

 

[the_boy]

It’s payback from the thrashing we gave the Hawks in the ECF on route to win the Larry O Brian trophy. Good job Braves 👍🏻

 

[JohnBM01]

Tony La Russa will return as manager of the Chicago White Sox next season. The Chicago White Sox won the American League Central division amassing a 93-69 record. The White Sox would be 86'ed from the Playoffs by the Astros by winning 3-1 in their five-game ALDS series.

The St. Louis Cardinals have fired coach Matt Shildt after three seasons. St. Louis was ousted in the 2021 NL Wild Card game by the Milwaukee Brewers. The biggest highlight for the Cardinals was their amazing 17-game winning streak late in the season. Yet somehow... this was not enough to keep M. Shildt? Are the Cards in "win now" mode or something?

Tonight, the Atlanta Braves will learn who their NLCS opponent will be. It will be either the San Francisco Giants or the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 5 of this ALDS match is in San Francisco. LAD will send Corey Knebel to the bump, and SF will counter using Logan Webb.

On a somber note, I'd like to extend my condolences in loving memory of Ray Fosse, who lost his 16-year battle with cancer. He has been a long time broadcaster for the Oakland Athletics. Ray Fosse was 74 years old at the time of his passing.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Atlanta Braves now know their 2021 NLCS opponent, and it is...

...the Los Angeles Dodgers!

So the defending champions are still in the Playoffs. Sadly, San Francisco is no longer in the Playoffs. The Dodgers take their ALDS series 3-2 with a 2-1 win in San Francisco. Your NLCS is now set- Atlanta vs. Los Angeles Dodgers. East meets west. The NLCS begins this Saturday.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Meh. But I guess all that money they spent is working.

I want Boston vs ATL in the World Series.

 

[JohnBM01]

The League Championship Series begin this weekend. Tonight will see the ALCS as the Boston Red Sox meet the Houston Astros. Tomorrow will see the NLCS as the Atlanta Braves will meet the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Four teams remain, but two will advance to the World Series. Let's play ball!

 

[JohnBM01]

The 2021 American League Championship Series (ALCS) is between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox. The winner goes to the World Series, the loser is DONE for the season. Here's how the 2021 ALCS went down:

(BOS vs. HOU - 7-game series)

[GAME 1] I first checked in with the Bottom of the 5th with a 3-1 lead for the Red Sox. There were two outs in the inning with one Astro on 1st base when I first followed this game. I found out Houston led early 1-0 in the Bottom of the 1st. There were three unanswered Red Sox runs afterwards. Jose Altuve was thrown one pitch in the Bottom of the 6th with two outs, and he bombed a two-run jack to tie the game at 3-3. Interesting stat- 11 of 20 of Jose Altuve's home runs have either tied games or given his team the lead. Carlos Correa had liftoff on a solo homer to give the Astros their first lead of the series. Correa kind of pimped his home run blast with a bat flip and a pointing to his wrist to make it 4-3, Astros, Bottom of the 7th. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the Bottom of the 8th, Jose Altuve popped out, but an Astro came home to make it a 5-3 Astros lead. Boston went deep in the Top of the 9th to make it a 5-4 Astros lead thanks to K. Hernandez. No further damage was done by Boston as the Astros won Game 1 by a score of 5-4.

[GAME 2] The Red Sox have won a number of postseason games in succession when they score first. To that end, J.D. Martinez hammers a Grand Slam to right to put the Boston Red Sox up 4-0 in the Top of the 1st. Luis Garcia with horrid pitching to start out Game 2. That would later lead to an injury situation that took him out of the game. Rafael Devers hits ANOTHER Grand Slam, this time to deep right, and this game was now 8-0, Red Sox. It's the first-ever time a team hit multiple Grand Slams. The team I feared would be great is coming into fruition, at least today. Kike Hernandez hit a solo home run to further befuddle the Astros. Now 9-0 for the Boston boys in the Top of the 4th. The Houston Astros finally remembered how to score with an RBI double in the Bottom of the 4th. The Houston Astros made it a 9-1 Red Sox lead now. Then two more Astros scored on an RBI single to make it 1/3 a lead. The score is now 9-3. A seemingly inconsequential homer was hit by Yuli Gurriel to make it 9-4 in the Bottom of the 9th. Jason Castro hit a solo homer with two outs to make it a 9-5 Red Sox lead. The rally ends at two runs in the 9th, as the Red Sox won 9-5.

[GAME 3] When I first checked into the broadcast, the score was 11-3, Red Sox in the Top of the 8th. It's going to be Hell for the Astros in Boston, and my fears were confirmed. I learned the Red Sox bombed ANOTHER Grand Slam in the Top of the 2nd. BOS was up 6-0 at that point. The ownage continued as the Red Sox hammered a solo homer over the Green Monster to make it 12-3 in the Bottom of the 8th. I stopped watching afterwards. Final score- 12-3, Red Sox.

[GAME 4] Early leads mean better chances of winning. So to that end, the Houston Astros struck first in Game 4 on a solo homer over the "Green Monster." 1-0, Astros in the Top of the 1st. Boston being Boston- two-run homer in the Bottom of the 1st puts the Red Sox ahead 2-1. The first pitch in the Top of the 8th saw Jose Altuve bang one over the Green Monster. An offensive stalemate for most of this game, finally the first score since the Top of the 1st goes to the Astros. We're tied at two now. An RBI single by Jason Castro put the Astros up 3-2 with two outs. A bases loaded blast by Michael Brantley led to an RBI double bringing home three Astros. Houston leads 6-2 now. Make that 7-2 when Yordan Alvarez hit an RBI single. Six unanswered runs by Houston. What should have been a routine final out ends up being an error, and an Astro crossed home to make it 8-2. This the 9th inning Nightmare for Boston right now. That nightmare continued as another would-be routine out ends up with the Astros leading 9-2 on an error. Where was this offense by Houston in Games 2 and 3? A 7-run ninth inning gave the Astros the needed cushion to tie the 2021 ALCS at 2-2. Final score in this one- 9-2, Astros.

[GAME 5] Boston has a Green Monster. Well, Houston has a monster of its own, named Yordan Alvarez. "Air Yordan" spooked the Green Monster by launching a solo bomb over it to make it 1-0 for Houston in the Top of the 2nd. Yordan Alvarez hammers a deep one-out RBI double to deep left to bring home to Astros to make it 3-0 in the Top of the 6th. Yuli Gurriel wanted in on the RBI party, so he hammered a deep shot to right to bring home Yordan Alvarez. Astros lead 4-0 in the Top of the 6th after Chris Sale left the game. Chas McCormick of the Astros hit another decent shot to shallow right to make it a 6-0 Astros lead. A shot to shallow center brought Jose Altuve home to make it a 7-0 Astros lead in the Top of the 7th with no outs. Rafael Devers denied the shutout with a solo homer to deep right. Now it's a 7-1 Astros lead in the Bottom of the 7th. Two more Astros came home on a bases loaded RBI with two outs in the Top of the 9th. It is now 9-1, Astros after the Top of the 9th. The final score was 9-1 in favor of the Houston Astros.

[GAME 6] When I first followed Game 6, it was the Top of the 6th with the Astros leading 1-0 with one out. A crazy sequence happened to where a double play happened, but Yordan Alvarez came home to make it 2-0, Houston in the Bottom of the 6th. It was dramatic and tense the Astros lead was. That is.. until Kyle Tucker hit a three-run jack to left to put Houston up 5-0 with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th. That might have taken the wind out of Boston's sails. The Boston Red Sox have NEVER been blanked in a postseason game when facing elimination. That all changed as the Houston Astros won 5-0 and the 2021 AL Pennant.

[GAME 7] ~not needed~

(BOS vs. HOU)
GM1 BOS at HOU: (5-4; Houston)
GM2 BOS at HOU: (9-5; Boston)
GM3 HOU at BOS: (12-3; Boston)
GM4 HOU at BOS: (9-2; Houston)
GM5 HOU at BOS: (9-1; Houston)
GM6 BOS at HOU: (5-0; Houston)
GM7 BOS at HOU:

So the Houston Astros are your new American League champions! Boston, meanwhile, is DONE. We've beaten the White Sox and then the Red Sox this postseason.

Up next for the Houston Astros Baseball Club... the WORLD SERIES! But... will it be the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Atlanta Braves who will be their next opponent? Currently, the Atlanta Braves lead the 2021 NLCS 3-2 after the Dodgers saved their season in Game 5.


Well, half of the 2021 World Series is set. All that waits is whomever wins the NL Pennant.

 

[JohnBM01]

The 2021 World Series is SET! And it is...

The Houston Astros vs. the Atlanta Braves!

The defending champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers, have been ousted 4-2 in the 2021 NLCS. So we're going to have ourselves an all-Southern World Series. The Houston Astros or the Atlanta Braves will be the new champions of Major League Baseball. The 2021 World Series begins on Tuesday.

All congratulations to the Los Angeles Dodgers on an amazing season and an amazing effort to defend their championship. Sadly, it's over, and the Dodgers are DONE.


Tell it, GTPlanet- who wins the 2021 World Series and (optional) in how many games?

 

[JohnBM01]

The final series of the season is the World Series, and the Commissioner's Trophy is on the line. The World Series pits the two best (or luckiest) teams in a best-of-7 series to determine who will be the champions of Major League Baseball. It is a 2-3-2 format: 2 home, 3 away, and 2 back home. The 2021 rendition of the World Series begins tonight in Houston, Texas; as the Houston Astros will take on the Atlanta Braves. So how did we get here?

--- AMERICAN LEAGUE PLAYOFF REVIEW ---
We began with the Wild Card games. The AL side saw the Boston Red Sox at the New York Yankees in the AL Wild Card game. Boston defeated their rival Yankees 6-2 to advance to the ALDS to meet the Tampa Bay Rays. Boston had an amazing run to defeat the highly talented Tampa Bay Rays, who was the only team in the American League with 100 or more wins (TB had exactly 100) 3-1 in their ALDS series. The Houston Astros, meanwhile, defeated the also capable Chicago White Sox 3-1 in their series to advance to the ALCS. Houston and Boston played to a fiercely-contested ALCS. Boston proved dangerous having bombed three Grand Slams total on the Astros. Two Grand Slams in Game 2 in Houston, then one more in Game 3 in Boston. Sadly, Boston fizzled out as the Astros advanced to their third World Series in five years and fourth-ever World Series appearance. Astros took the 2021 ALCS 4-2.

--- NATIONAL LEAGUE PLAYOFF REVIEW ---
The NL side saw the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals compete for a spot in the NLDS. Los Angeles took out the Cardinals 3-1 to advance to a glorified NL West showdown with the San Francisco Giants. The Dodgers downed the Giants 3-2 in their series to stay alive in the postseason. The Atlanta Braves downed the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 in their NLDS series. So the 2021 NLCS is Dodgers-Braves. The Braves ended up knocking out the defending champions 4-2 in their series. Atlanta advanced to their first World Series since 1999.


And here we are- the Houston Astros meet the Atlanta Braves. The Astros' last World Series opponent was the Washington Nationals in 2019, and the Nationals won it all in the full seven-game distance. The Braves' last World Series opponent was the New York Yankees in 1999, and the Yankees won that World Series in a four-game sweep. This is a good old Southern World Series to be played. Both HOU and ATL are fairly powerful and with some great pitching. Dusty Baker (HOU coach) has the most wins of any coach who has not won a World Series. At age 72, D. Baker still has hunger and desire to win it all. Cheating allegations are basically permanently etched in Astros history, so to try to win without even a semblance of cheating or chicanery will be a challenge. Atlanta defeated a rather underrated Milwaukee Brewers along with taming the beast known as the Los Angeles Dodgers. So the Astros and Braves are dead legit. But only one can win this best-of-7 and become the 2021 champions.


Having said all of that, I will post my final summary of the season once the World Series is complete, be it the Astros or Braves winning the championship. Chime in whenever you like- don't wait on my summary. Enjoy the 2021 World Series!

 

[JohnBM01]

Most of you Major League Baseball fans may have heard of the Cleveland baseball team changing its name from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians. Well, there is a roller derby team also known as the Cleveland Guardians; and they recently filed a lawsuit to block the name change. The Cleveland Guardians roller derby team has been around since 2013(?).

Again- my final summary of the season will be when the World Series concludes.

 

[Dolph Drago]

Just rename them to the Spiders already.

 

[Blitz24]

Just rename them to the Spiders already.

It would be easy to do so, but they were never the Spiders. The Spiders were a separate team that ended up contracted from baseball in 1899. The Cleveland baseball team joined the MLB team in 1901 (when the American League was created) and were first the Bluebirds (1901), then the Bronchos (Broncos) in 1902 and were the Cleveland Naps for for 12 seasons before being named the Indians in 1915.