NYY 75 55 --- BAL 72 58 3.0The Orioles have allowed 44 more runs than they have scored (548-592). You would expect a team with those numbers to have a 60-70 record. Baltimore is 12 games better than that.
One reason is their astounding record in close games. The Orioles are 24-6 (.800) in one-run games and 22-12 (.647) in two-run games. Combined: 46-18, .719. (They are also 56-0 when leading after seven innings; Boston is 53-7.)
Only three teams in modern baseball history have won at least 70% of their games decided by one or two runs: the 1906 Chicago Cubs, 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates, and the 1954 Cleveland team.
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It seems as though over his career Buck Showalter gets put down more than he is on a pedestal among managers.
ReplyDeleteIf he is not the AL manager of the year, that would be a travesty.
He has built some decent programs, and changed the culture in Baltimore in a very short time.
Orioles win 6-1.
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