Major League Baseball: 2024 Season

[Fezzik]

Yankees have clinched a postseason berth and are within touching distance of the AL East pennant and number 1 seed. The Orioles have put up a great fight but seem to be falling away at the last minute.

Of course the team has been in the playoffs practically every year for the last decade and still no championship. It's been a barren 15 years - we're turning into the Cubbies! This is our year though, while we have Judge & Soto in tandem. I have no hope we'll hang on to Juan long term.

 

[JohnBM01]

More changes, huh? Then, let's update the Postseason picture (changes in italics:

--- "IN!" Teams (as of the time of this post) ---
...AL East Champions...
...AL Central Champions...
...AL West Champions...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...
...AL Wild Card 3...
New York Yankees, Cleveland (clinched playoff berth)
...NL East Champions...
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
...NL West Champions...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...
...NL Wild Card 3...

Eliminated: CHW, OAK, LAA, WAS, MIA, CIN, PIT, SF, COL


This Playoff Picture is going to change quite a lot between now and the end of the regular season. Hopefully your beloved team(s) still have a chance and are still pushing towards making the postseason. Better luck next season if they're done for 2024 playoff hopes, though.

 

[JohnBM01]

Shohei Ohtani made history today. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to knock down 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. As of the time of that moment, the Los Angeles Dodgers were leading at the Miami Marlins 14-3 in the Top of the 7th with two outs. My congratulations go out to perhaps the finest player in MLB today. It's Sho-Time!

When the LAA at HOU series is complete, I'll have my summary of that. But again- congratulations, Shohei-San!

 

[Eggstor]

Shohei Ohtani made history today. He became the first player in Major League Baseball history to knock down 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season. As of the time of that moment, the Los Angeles Dodgers were leading at the Miami Marlins 14-3 in the Top of the 7th with two outs. My congratulations go out to perhaps the finest player in MLB today. It's Sho-Time!

When the LAA at HOU series is complete, I'll have my summary of that. But again- congratulations, Shohei-San!

To put it another way, nobody from 1920 (when the RBI became an official statistic) until yesterday had, in their entire careers:

• A game with 10+ RBI
• A game with 6+ hits
• A game with 5+ extra-base hits
• A game with 3+ home runs
• A game with 2+ stolen bases

I'll forgive him for getting thrown out trying to stretch one of those doubles into a triple.

 

[Omnis]

We might be watching the greatest baseball player of all time.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Houston Astros swept the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Anaheim, then lose the series at the San Diego Padres. Their string of California games (no relation to the old video game) ends this weekend when the Angels visit Houston for a four-game set. They'll be hoping to get enough wins to ensure they win the AL West. If the Astros fail, then the next series against Seattle will be critical for Houston's postseason hopes and their postseason positioning. Houston still has to hope Seattle stumbles just enough to help make their AL West clinching a bit easier. It's time to see whether the Astros win, lose, or split their series against the eliminated Angels...

* LAA Angels at HOU Astros (4 games)

[GAME 1] Los Angeles Angels are spoilers for this series, and they already made Yusei Kikuchi's life tough with a solo jack to left. Angels up 1-0 early. The Astros have been 8-0 in games Yusei Kikuchi starts. And right now, that record is in jeopardy. The Astros finally tied things up 1-1 in the Bottom of the 4th on an RBI single. A bases-loaded single by Jon Singleton was the go-ahead for Houston up 3-1 in the Bottom of the 8th. The Houston Astros won today, but so did Seattle. The Magic Number to clinch the AL West is now 5.

[GAME 2] With Justin Verlander starting, there is concern among Astros' faithful for Game 2 of this series. The first score I saw for this game was 8-6, Astros heading into the Bottom of the 5th. So a lot of offense in this one so far. Kyle Tucker took Roansy Contreras deep to right-center for a solo jack. The Astros lead 9-6 thanks to King Tuck. First pitch of the Top of the 7th sent to left. Angels cut the lead to 9-7. That's all the Angels could do this Friday night. The Astros win a slugfest 9-7. As the Seattle Mariners hammered the Texas Rangers 8-2, the defending Champions have been eliminated from postseason contention.

[GAME 3] Happy birthday (September 21), Yainer Diaz! The first score in this game came from the Astros on an RBI double in the Bottom of the 1st by Kyle Tucker. Astros up 1-0 early in this one. The Astros mis-played a deep shot to left, letting an Angel cross home plate in the Top of the 2nd. We're tied at 1-1 now. A series of hits with nobody out led to the Astros taking a 2-1 lead in the Bottom of the 2nd. It was later a 3-1 lead that inning on a groundout double play. Victor Caratini bombed one to left, bringing home three Astros and going up 6-1 in the Bottom of the 3rd. The Astros later scored on a ball that skipped away from the Angels as José Altuve ran home from 1st base. Astros ahead 7-1 now still in the Bottom of the 3rd. The Angels got a solo jack to center in the Top of the 4th. This homer cut the Astros lead down to 7-2. With the bases loaded in the Bottom of the 4th, the Astros bang in a run to make it 8-2. Yordan Alvarez launched a solo bomb to center to put Houston up 9-2 in the Bottom of the 7th. Kyle Tucker hit his own bomb to deep right the same inning to extend the Astros' lead to 10-2. With the bases loaded and nobody out in the Top of the 9th, the Angels banged in an RBI to cut the Astros' lead to 10-3. A groundout RBI brought the deficit down to 10-4. That was the final: 10-4. Houston pounded out 20 hits in this one.

[GAME 4] Happy birthday (September 22), Jeremy Peña! The only real action I saw was when Houston was up 4-0 in the Bottom of the 6th. Since then, the Angels tied and eventually led. Astros failed today, falling 9-8. It would have been a great day today, considering Texas beat Seattle on this same day. But... I guess you can't have everything...

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (3-1; Houston)
GM2: (9-7; Houston)
GM3: (10-4; Houston)
GM4: (9-8; Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)

RESULT: HOU wins series 3-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: vs. SEA Mariners (3 games, starting Monday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 85-71 on the season, still leading the AL West by 5 games over Seattle at the time of this post.

It's obvious the Astros got to handle business when the Seattle Mariners come to Minute Maid Park for the final home series of the 2024 MLB season. That's what is going to happen for the Astros' next series. The Astros must sweep this series in case of a tie-breaker. Currently, Seattle leads the season series 6-4. At least one win in this series assures the Astros the AL West crown.


Do we have any updates on the postseason? Let's find out:

--- "IN!" Teams (as of the time of this post) ---
...AL East Champions...
Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
...AL West Champions...
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...
...AL Wild Card 3...
New York Yankees, Baltimore (clinched Playoff berth)
...NL East Champions...
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
...NL West Champions...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...
...NL Wild Card 3...
Philadelphia, Los Angeles Dodgers (clinched Playoff berth)

ELIMINATED: TOR, CHW, TEX, OAK, LAA, WAS, MIA, CHC, STL, CIN, PIT, SF, COL

I accidentally deleted my "IN!" list and had to make a new one. That's an advantage to pre-typing posts in a text editor.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the next series goes better for you.

 

[Blitz24]

The Mets take 3 of 4 from the Phillies in what might be their final home games of the year. Their path forward is pretty clear now. If they win 2 games or more vs. the Braves, they clinch a playoff spot. If they win 1 game against the Braves and sweep the Brewers, they clinch a playoff spot. Anything else will require help from other teams.

 

[JohnBM01]

A few notes to pass along...

* The 2024 Chicago White Sox tied the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in any season since 1900 today. The White Sox lost 4-2 at the San Diego Padres today, and the White Sox's record is now 36-120 on the season. The White Sox have six games remaining on the season. This includes three games vs. the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and then three games at the Detroit Tigers. The best they can do right now is 42-120; the worst they can do is 36-126. If the White Sox lose one more game this season, they will have the most losses in a season of Major League Baseball since 1900. The all-time worst record is still held by the 1899 Cleveland Spiders, who finished 20-134. More information on this story: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41386496/white-sox-tie-record-most-losses-1900-120 .

* The Cincinnati Reds have fired coach David Bell. D. Bell lasted six seasons with Cincinnati. Bench coach, Freddie Benavides, will serve as the interim manager. The Redlegs are currently 76-81, 4th in the NL Central. Their latest result was a 2-0 fail hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday afternoon. More info on this story: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/41390092/cincinnati-reds-fire-manager-david-bell .


The end of the 2024 regular season is near. There's still time to make that playoff push if you are still in it, so keep rooting your team(s) to victory!

 

[Dolph Drago]

* The Cincinnati Reds have fired coach David Bell.

Heh. Had no idea this happened. I really thought we would contend this season, but injuries played a large role with how the season went - not something Bell could do anything about. The backups played remarkably well all things considered. Still, we did not play up to expectations. Along with the injuries, I believe inconsistency and the lack of presence from a true veteran on the team (Votto may have played a bigger role in than we know, even if he did not contribute much in the way of offense last year) were issues. I've mentioned it before - this team is very young. It wouldn't hurt to grab a player who's been in the league a while to help guide the team and bring some discipline, as well.

While I am not totally surprised Bell is gone, I figured they would at least let the final 5 games of the season play out. I'm interested to who ends up being the next skipper. The ESPN article mentions Skip Schumacher. I seem to remember him beating Cincy around when he was with the Cards. David Ross is also named. He spent some seasons behind the plate for the Reds so would be familiar with the organization.

 

[Joey D]

The Tigers are likely going to make the playoffs and I'm absolutely floored by it. Apparently, Javier Baez was the problem because they went on an absolute tear once he blew out his hip. I don't expect the Tigers to make it far, but given how god-awful they've been for the past decade, I'm here for it.

 

[Blitz24]

The Tigers are likely going to make the playoffs and I'm absolutely floored by it. Apparently, Javier Baez was the problem because they went on an absolute tear once he blew out his hip. I don't expect the Tigers to make it far, but given how god-awful they've been for the past decade, I'm here for it.

I've spoken to friends who are Tiger fans and they said they would happily pay Baez to never play for the team again.

Heh. Had no idea this happened. I really thought we would contend this season, but injuries played a large role with how the season went - not something Bell could do anything about. The backups played remarkably well all things considered. Still, we did not play up to expectations. Along with the injuries, I believe inconsistency and the lack of presence from a true veteran on the team (Votto may have played a bigger role in than we know, even if he did not contribute much in the way of offense last year) were issues. I've mentioned it before - this team is very young. It wouldn't hurt to grab a player who's been in the league a while to help guide the team and bring some discipline, as well.

While I am not totally surprised Bell is gone, I figured they would at least let the final 5 games of the season play out. I'm interested to who ends up being the next skipper. The ESPN article mentions Skip Schumacher. I seem to remember him beating Cincy around when he was with the Cards. David Ross is also named. He spent some seasons behind the plate for the Reds so would be familiar with the organization.

Can you trade us Alexis this offseason please?

 

[Dolph Drago]

Can you trade us Alexis this offseason please?

Actually, this is very tempting. Edwin not working out for ya, or did you just want both brothers on the team? Occasionally Alexis will have a dominant 1-2-3 inning, but usually he makes it a bit too interesting, therefore raising our blood pressure.

 

[Blitz24]

Actually, this is very tempting. Edwin not working out for ya, or did you just want both brothers on the team? Occasionally Alexis will have a dominant 1-2-3 inning, but usually he makes it a bit too interesting, therefore raising our blood pressure.

We want both brothers lol.

 

[Omnis]

So good.

 

[JohnBM01]

Dolph Drago, look away... Today is a not-so-happy anniversary for the Redlegs. On this day (September 23) in 2023, the Cincinnati Reds were leading 9-0 against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates. A score like 9-0 will win you a baseball game most of the game. Not this one, though, as the Pittsburgh Pirates staged an epic rally to defeat the Reds 13-12. This hurt the Reds' NL Wild Card chances that game.

I brought this up because I mentioned this in my Facebook Memories, and Facebook reminded me of what I posted on September 23. Again- this is unreal to come back and win a baseball game after being down nine runs.


I'll post results of the SEA at HOU series when it concludes. Houston needs to win just one game in this series to secure the AL West Championship for 2024. If they sweep this three-game set, they'll win the season series and the tie-breaker between these two.

 

[JohnBM01]

Tonight begins the final home series this season for the [current] Oakland Athletics, as they'll go transition over to being the (hypothetical) Las Vegas Athletics. The A's will host the Texas Rangers for three games. Then, they will end the 2024 regular season at the Seattle Mariners.

The 36-120 Chicago White Sox have tied the 1962 New York Mets for the most losses in a season since 1900. They host the Los Angeles Angels for three followed by ending their season in a three-game set at the Detroit Tigers. Chicago White Sox basically have to be perfect to avoid being all alone for most losses in a season of modern MLB. The LAA at CHW series begins tonight.


Speaking of the Mariners from earlier, I'll have my SEA at HOU summary when that series concludes.

 

[JohnBM01]

It's simple for Houston- win one game this series, and you're AL West Champions for 2024. If the Houston Astros sweep this series, they will have the tie-breaker in case Houston and Seattle are tied at season's end. This is a critical series for Houston. Will they come out competing or concede? Let's see what happens with this three-game series in Houston with a desperate Seattle Mariners team trying to save their postseason hopes...

* SEA Mariners at HOU Astros (3 games)

[GAME 1] Yordan Alvarez left Sunday's game vs. the Angels with a knee contusion. So therefore, he would not be available for this series. I completely missed this game. The end result was 6-1, Seattle.

[GAME 2] Seattle decided to put Logan Gilbert on the mound to counter Houston's Framber Valdez. Logan Gilbert historically is an Astros' killer. Alex Bregman took only one pitch in the Bottom of the 1st with two outs, and he ends up blasting a "Breggy Bomb" to center. Astros' finally lead at any time in this series going up 1-0 early in this one. I went to the bathroom after the 1st inning, and when I returned; Seattle hit a solo homer to left, tying the game at 1-1 in the Top of the 2nd. Three straight hits with nobody out in the Top of the 3rd let Seattle take the lead at 2-1. The Top of the 2nd would end with Seattle leading 3-1. Kyle Tucker brought the Astros closer with a solo homer to deep right in the Bottom of the 4th. The Mariners' lead is now cut to 3-2. Jason Heyward made a wild catch that punched out a hole in the out-of-town scoreboard in the Top of the 5th. Despite this, he had enough energy to bomb one out of the park to right in the Bottom of the 5th. Astros re-take the lead at 4-3. They won the AL West tonight with a 4-3 victory! Fourth straight Division title and seventh straight season winning the AL West Championship. WE... ARE... IN!!! We finally figured out how to defeat Logan Gilbert (was 37-0 against him when Gilbert and SEA score at least 3 run in a game). Rubber Game tomorrow afternoon, but we handled our business tonight.

[GAME 3] The first score I saw of this series finale of Mariners at Astros saw a 6-1 lead for the Mariners. It was the Top of the 9th at that point. Once Seattle hit a two-run homer to left-center, I stopped watching. So the Astros finally lose a game that Yusei Kikuchi starts after Seattle finally loses a game when Logan Gilbert starts. Actually, Yusei-San got a No Decision. Astros lose this one, but this game felt more like a Consolation Prize for Seattle on missing out on the AL West Championship.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (6-1; Seattle)
GM2: (4-3; Houston)
GM3: (8-1; Seattle)

RESULT: SEA wins series 2-1

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: at CLE Guardians (3 games, starting Friday)

The 2024 Houston Astros are now 86-73 on the season, 2024 AL West Champions!

Well, so much for a possible 90-win regular season. Seattle takes the series, but we take the American League West Championship. We know we're going to be the 3-seed in the Playoffs, but this is an incredible accomplishment after one of the most atrocious starts to the season. We now can relax some of our players and get ready to go for a Playoffs run. One more series to go- the Cleveland Guardians await us in Cleveland starting on Friday.


Let's find out who's in the Postseason now:

--- "IN!" Teams (as of the time of this post) ---
...AL East Champions...
Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
Houston (AL West Champions)
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...
...AL Wild Card 3...
New York Yankees, Baltimore (clinched Playoff berth)
Philadelphia (NL East Champions)
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
...NL West Champions...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...
...NL Wild Card 3...
Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego (clinched Playoff berth)

ELIMINATED: TOR, CHW, TEX, OAK, LAA, WAS, MIA, CHC, STL, CIN, PIT, SF, COL

I accidentally deleted my "IN!" list and had to make a new one. That's an advantage to pre-typing posts in a text editor.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! If your team split or lost a series recently, hope the final series goes better for you.


[UPDATE] Yusei Kikuchi got a No Decision in Game 3 of this series.

 

[JohnBM01]

MLB Musings...

* The Seattle Mariners are DONE postseason-wise. Wins by the Tigers and Royals helped sink Seattle's hopes even as they lost the AL West Championship after leading by over 10 games.

--- "IN!" Teams (as of the time of this post) ---
...AL East Champions...
Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
Houston (AL West Champions)
...AL Wild Card 1...
...AL Wild Card 2...
...AL Wild Card 3...
New York Yankees, Baltimore (clinched Playoff berth)
Philadelphia (NL East Champions)
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
...NL West Champions...
...NL Wild Card 1...
...NL Wild Card 2...
...NL Wild Card 3...
Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego (clinched Playoff berth)

ELIMINATED: TOR, CHW, SEA, TEX, OAK, LAA, WAS, MIA, CHC, STL, CIN, PIT, SF, COL

* The Chicago White Sox decide now to play winning baseball to avoid being on the wrong end of history. They swept the Los Angeles Angels by winning today 7-0. Their final series of this season is at the Detroit Tigers. If the White Sox sweep this series, they will not surpass the 1962 New York Mets for most losses in a regular season since 1900; instead will tie.


Assessment time.

The 2024 Houston Astros are 86-73, winners of the AL West. The resolve from starting 12-24 to coming back roaring to win the AL West is commendable. Joe Espada and Dana Brown were being loathed as (respectively) the coach and owner just about all season long. Despite the atrocities committed all season long, Houston found ways to win. Houston's postseason effort this season will have to be about taking a much harder road towards being a Championship winner. They almost basically are underdogs in this postseason. No Yordan Alvarez for this postseason, as he's out with some knee issues. Kyle Tucker kind of been coming up hot since returning from injury. I'm sure if Alex Bregman plays his final season with the Astros this season, I'm sure he wants to leave on a high by helping his team try to make a World Series run. The real noise makers for Houston have been Yusei Kikuchi pitching and the bat of Jason Heyward. Houston will have to play in the Wild Card series. Right now, it looks like the Houston Astros will face Joey D's Detroit Tigers. The Wild Card series winner of this match will meet the 2-seed Cleveland Guardians in one of the two ALDS series. There isn't much faith among Astros fans that the team will go far this postseason. However, the Astros will do what they can to prove doubters wrong this upcoming postseason.


That's all. Enjoy the final weekend of the 2024 regular season![/I]

 

[Fezzik]

Yankees - AL East win secured after stumbling a bit over the line. Now just need to stay ahead of Cleveland for number 1 seed. That way we can avoid our old nemesis (hello Houston!) in round 1 of the playoffs, should they get through the wild card games.

Judge watch - homers in the last 5 games, up to 58 now. He has a shot at another 60 HR season - only McGuire and Sosa have ever done it multiple times and that was in the bad old juicing days.

Looking over at the NL, I'm hoping Philly make another run. Them or the Brewers. Or the Padres. Basically anyone but the Dodgers, though the TV people are probably praying for a NYY-LAD World Series.

 

[JohnBM01]

My Houston Astros will begin their final series of the 2024 regular season, but I wanted to touch up on a game that was completed earlier today. The Chicago Cubs defeated Dolph Drago's Cincinnati Reds 1-0 in Chicago. The key tidbit I wanted to mention is that this game took 1:48:00.000 to complete. Funny enough, this is not the first time the Reds and Cubs played such a quick game. It took 1:48:00.000 to complete a game one other time back in 2001. But that time, the 2001 meeting was in Cincinnati.

Since Major League Baseball implemented rules to speed up games, a lot of matches have ended quicker than normal. The game I mentioned from today are the quickest games since 2010, when the (then) Cleveland Indians lost at the Detroit Tigers 3-0 in a game that lasted 1:44:00.000 to complete. This was the game where Armando Galarraga was robbed of a Perfect Game.

Enjoy this weekend's games!

 

[Dolph Drago]

Funny enough, this is not the first time the Reds and Cubs played such a quick game. It took 1:48:00.000 to complete a game one other time back in 2001. But that time, the 2001 meeting was in Cincinnati.

Did the Reds lose 1-0 in that one, too? It's been frustrating watching the pitchers (especially Martinez) throw gems lately and still take a loss because we keep getting shut out or score a lone run. Also, the 4 straight losses are annoying. At least there are only 2 games left in the season. With the Reds' season basically ending a couple weeks ago, I was looking forward to the Bengals season. Unfortunately, they can't find a win.

 

[JohnBM01]

Did the Reds lose 1-0 in that one, too? It's been frustrating watching the pitchers (especially Martinez) throw gems lately and still take a loss because we keep getting shut out or score a lone run. Also, the 4 straight losses are annoying. At least there are only 2 games left in the season. With the Reds' season basically ending a couple weeks ago, I was looking forward to the Bengals season. Unfortunately, they can't find a win.

On May 24, 2001, the Cincinnati Reds lost 3-0 to the Chicago Cubs. This, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

 

[JohnBM01]

[BAD] HISTORY MADE! The 2024 Chicago White Sox officially have the most losses of any Major League Baseball team since 1900. They had to sweep the Los Angeles Angels AND the Detroit Tigers to prevent being on the wrong end of history. However, MoTown wasn't having none of that! The Tigers won 4-1 tonight to give the 2024 White Sox an atrocious record of 39-121 after Friday night.

As for the Detroit Tigers, they have made the Postseason for the first time since 2014 by clinching a Wild Card spot. Detroit's Magic Number heading into tonight was 1. They needed to either win this game or have the Minnesota Twins lose. The former happened, and now the Tigers can get themselves ready for some postseason baseball, possibly against my Houston Astros.

 

[Fezzik]

Some fun matchups in the first round of the playoffs.
In the American League I'll be rooting for the Tigers over the Astros and the Royals over the Orioles.
Over on the senior circuit things have still to be completely decided, but I hope the Brewers and Padres progress from their eventual matchups.

 

[Joey D]

I'm so excited to be able to watch the Tigers in the post season again. It's been way too long. I don't expect them to make it far, but at this point I don't really care.

 

[Fezzik]

I'm so excited to be able to watch the Tigers in the post season again. It's been way too long. I don't expect them to make it far, but at this point I don't really care.

Skubal is so good these days that should make you guys favourite for game 1, though Valdez will be tough on your lefty hitters. The other game(s) might be tough.

 

[JohnBM01]

Just because the Houston Astros are in the playoffs doesn't mean they can simply relax. While this upcoming series means nothing, they still want to make a statement before their Wild Card round match. So let's see if the Houston Astros Baseball Club can make one last statement heading into the Playoffs...

* HOU Astros at CLE Guardians (3 games)

[GAME 1] Light rain impacted this Friday night game early on in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. A sacrifice fly by Houston put them up early 1-0 in the Top of the 1st. Fast-forward to later in the game, and it's 5-0, Astros in the Bottom of the 8th but with Cleveland loading the bases. Cleveland was being one-hit and shut out. That is, until the Guardians plated one on an RBI in the Bottom of the 9th. So it's a 5-1 Astros lead now. A groundout the same inning led to a 5-2 lead for the Astros as Cleveland continued to rally late. Cleveland, however, did no further damage, as the Guardians fell 5-2.

[GAME 2] Houston scored first in the Top of the 1st on an RBI single. Astros went up 1-0 early in this one. José Ramirez bombed one to right in the Bottom of the 1st to bring home two runs off of Justin Verlander. Guardians never led at all yesterday, now they take a 2-1 lead. Cleveland walks in an Astros run in the Top of the 2nd to tie the game at 2-2. What should have been a side-retiring out that same inning ends up being an error that brought home two Astros. Astros re-take the lead 4-2. A sacrifice fly in the Bottom of the 3rd brought home a Guardian. The Astros' lead became truncated to 4-3. No further scoring happened since as the Astros win this series 4-3.

[GAME 3] Final regular season game! I didn't really see this game because I knew we'd be in the Playoffs. This game was delayed by rainy weather. The game was eventually cancelled for Sunday because of inclement weather.

--- REVIEW ---
GM1: (5-2; Houston)
GM2: (4-3; Houston)
GM3: -cancelled-

RESULT: HOU wins series 2-0

--- UPCOMING ---
NEXT: 2024 MLB Playoffs - Wild Card Series! vs. DET Tigers (3 games, starting Tuesday)

The 2024 Houston Astros finished the regular season 88-73 on the season, 2024 AL West Champions!

The road to a possible eight straight ALCS will have to start in the Wild Card round. These are not the Astros who breezed through most of their opposition. This is the Astros that had to endure a 12-24 start to come back and win the AL West. Now, these Astros will aim to go as far as they can in the postseason despite all the odds against them. That journey begins with the Wild Card series agaisnt the Detroit Tigers.


Elsewhere...

* GOOD NEWS, Chicago White Sox fans... this season is over! No further pain of 2024! And... you head into 2025 on a two-game winning streak! Now the BAD... As mentioned previously, the 2024 Chicago White Sox officially has the most losses in a season by any team since 1900. Their 4-1 fail at the Detroit Tigers on Friday night in Detroit encapsulated this team's woes all season long. They now finish 2024 with a record of 41-121.


Congratulations to all recent series winners and today's/tonight's winners! And congratulations to all who made the Postseason! Better luck next season if your team(s) failed to advance to the Postseason.

I will make a separate post regarding all of the Playoff teams.

 

[Blitz24]

The game was eventful and an instant classic, but the New York Mets have clinched a playoff spot by winning 8 to 7 over the Atlanta Braves. The Mets will be traveling to.... nobody knows. If they win the 2nd game, they go to San Diego. If they lose the 2nd game, they go to Milwaukee.

 

[Dolph Drago]

It took until the 10th inning of the last game for Cincy to score a run against the Cubs in their final series. Yes, they went 27 straight innings failing to push someone across home plate. Even then, it looked like that streak would continue through that inning, as Marte, the free runner in extras, got picked off 2nd base after the first pitch. Luckily, Elly came through with a clutch, two RBI triple after Maile singled and India walked. Stephenson drove him in to make it 3-0, and the score would stick.

Pitching was great (for the most part) to finish out the season, even with many backups taking the mound. Hitting fell of a cliff, though. The last 6 games saw them score 0, 1, 2, 0, 0, and 3 runs. They nearly ended the year with 6 straight losses.

Cleveland series:
Game 1: 6-1 Cleveland
Game 2: 5-2 Cleveland

Cubbies series:
Game 1: 1-0 Chicago
Game 2: 3-0 Chicago
Game 3: 3-0 Cincinnati

The Redlegs finished the season with a 77-85 record, 4th in the NL Central and 1 game ahead of the Pirates to avoid being in the basement. Disappointing, as there was much optimism going into the season. I will say, they were plagued by injuries throughout the season. Hunter Greene was the only starting pitcher from the opening day roster to make a start in the final two weeks of the season. That almost didn't happen, as he came back from an extended IL stint to make his final two starts, including last night. The entire offense was hurt at one point, except maybe Elly. Inconsistency was an issue. I mentioned these points several times throughout the year, so I need not continue. I don't know what to expect next season right now.

 

[JohnBM01]

The Postseason picture is mostly complete, and what happens after the time of this post w. Let's put it together:

--- "IN!" Teams (as of the time of this post) ---
New York Yankees (AL East Champions)
Cleveland (AL Central Champions)
Houston (AL West Champions)
Baltimore (AL Wild Card 1)
Kansas City (AL Wild Card 2)
Detroit Tigers (AL Wild Card 3)
Philadelphia (NL East Champions)
Milwaukee (NL Central Champions)
Los Angeles Dodgers (NL West Champions)
San Diego (NL Wild Card 1)
Atlanta (Wild Card 2)
New York Mets (Wild Card 3)

ELIMINATED: TOR, CHW, TEX, OAK, LAA, WAS, MIA, CHC, STL, CIN, PIT, ARI, SF, COL


Here are your Playoff Matchups:

--- WILD CARD (BEST OF 3) ---
AL WILD CARD 2: #5 KC Royals at #4 BAL Orioles
AL WILD CARD 1: #6 DET Tigers at #3 HOU Astros
NL WILD CARD 2: #5 ATL Braves at #4 SD Padres
NL WILD CARD 1: #6 NYM Mets at #3 MIL Brewers

--- DIVISION SERIES (BEST OF 5) ---
ALDS 1: (KC/BAL winner) vs. #1 NYY Yankees
ALDS 2: (HOU/DET winner) vs. #2 CLE Guardians
NLDS 1: (ATL/SD winner) vs. #1 LAD Dodgers
NLDS 2: (NYM/MIL winner) vs. #2 PHI Phillies

--- CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (BEST OF 7) ---
ALCS: (ALDS 1 winner) vs. (ALDS 2 winner)
NLCS: (NLDS 1 winner) vs. (NLDS 2 winner)

--- WORLD SERIES (BEST OF 7) ---
WS: (ALCS winner) vs. (NLCS winner)


Time to see who will hoist the Commissioners' Trophy at season's end. Congratulations to all who made it this far! We start the playoff action on Tuesday. Predict if you like, offer thoughts if you like, or just let the remaining 12 teams all play to become Champions of the 2024 season.