October 21, 2022

Padres Fans Cannot Rap As Phillies Lead NLCS 2-1
With His Team Down 0-2, Boone Says: "I Feel Great"


I cannot decide which of the four remaining teams two National League teams I want to win the World Series. 

I'm leaning towards San Diego, but I don't know. Should I let these Padres fans and their "song" dissuade me? . . . I mean, it's brutal. . . . Anyway, the Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the NLCS after beating the Padres 4-2 on Friday night.

The Phillies were 1-for-19 with two outs in the first two games. In Game 3, they were 6-for-13, with three runs scored. They stood at 1-for-22 in the fourth inning on Friday, but came through with three straight hits (Alec Bohm: single, Bryson Stott: double, Jean Segura: single).

The Astros are 5-0 in the postseason, winning their games by the slimmest of margins: 8-7, 4-2, 1-0 (18), 4-2, 3-2. How's about a blowout on Saturday, Houston? The ALCS has been only two games, but the Astros pitchers have struck out 42.9% of opposing (MFY) batters. The highest percentage in a postseason series of five or more games? 36.1%, by the Nationals in the 2019 NLCS.

Chris Kirschner, The Athletic, October 20, 2022:
"I think the roof open kind of killed us," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after a 3-2 loss in Game 2. "I think it's a 390 (foot) ball. I think it was like 106 (mph)." . . .

[Excuse me. JoS here. I have to drop this tweet right here: "Yankees play in a ballpark smaller than Williamsport and they're lamenting not getting cheap homers on the road. Amazing."]

Statcast showed Judge's flyout would have been a home run in just one ballpark — yes, that's right — Yankee Stadium. But New York did not fall down 2-0 to the Astros in this series because of an open roof, the direction of wind gusts or because Judge's ball was hit 106 mph instead of 107 mph. The Yankees have to win four of the next five against Houston to advance to the World Series. They struck out 30 times across two games, lineup changes have come up short and the Yankees are getting virtually no offensive production from any part of the lineup when they do make contact. The Yankees' first four hitters are a combined 5-for-29 and the bottom half of their order is 4-for-36.

In short, nothing the Yankees have tried so far at the plate against the Astros has worked. . . . [Harrison] Bader did his job by getting on base twice but no one brought him home. Boone dropped Anthony Rizzo down to the No. 4 spot; he went 0-for-4 . . . Kyle Higashioka replaced Jose Trevino . . . [and] struck out three times. . . . Oswald Peraza made his postseason debut and . . . struck out twice. Matt Carpenter was called upon to pinch hit in the top of the ninth but struck out to end the game, his seventh strikeout in seven at-bats.

It's hard to win any game when a team can't make much contact. . . . The Astros have only struck out eight times to the Yankees' 30. . . .

[Aaron Boone said:] "[I] feel great. That's the thing."
Boone feels great!

That's actually the article's headline: "Aaron Boone Still Feels 'Great' As Yankees Head Back Home Down 2-0 In ALCS".

Well, good for him. Imagine how awesome he'll feel when his team's down 0-4!

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