I feel as a Dodger fan, that I can rest on their laurels. The last two titles have been so unexpected, I know what all other teams' fans will say to that, but we had no pitchers in 2024 and no hitting in 2025, so this year I won't be too disappointed even if we lose in the divisional round. It's been such a lovely run. But, I would love to see Mookie lead us to the WS! :)
Isn't every MLB team inconsistent, even the Brewers and the Rockies? Some days they win, some days they lose. It doesn't get much more inconsistent than that.
And aren't all the players inconsistent? Take Jacob Misiorowski. He's had two games giving up five earned runs in four or five innings, nine games with zero, and so his ERA is 1.86.
And...why is "consistent" even on the list of attributes for a baseball player or team? "Good" seems much more important.
My initials are PBS. I wonder if my parents wanted me to go into public broadcasting? Also, I watched the Teoscar Hernandez game. He was out at third on the force. The Padres broadcast had a perfect shot. I don't know why the MLB replay booth got it wrong.
the economics of baseball were an issue there. No way he was being traded to the Yankees and everybody knew what the contract was going to need to be. Left a market of one team who could acquire and pay him. Not a lot of leverage for the Sox in that deal.
Sure, it was a straight salary dump. But the return was still light. For a similar deal, you could compare it to the Juan Soto to NYY deal with the Padres getting Michael King plus some others. Heck, in Shea Langeliers, the A's got more for Matt Olson than did the Sox for Mookie.
I was also surprised by that. I went to baseball reference and quick glance, it looks like 24 of his 34 starts he had 0 or 1 earned run.
I guess the big factor is innings pitched. I wonder how many of Gibson's starts he allowed 1 or more runs after say inning 6, because I doubt Shlittler is pitching past 6 innings too many times.
In 1968 Gibson pitched in 34 games and 304 2/3 innings
This year Shlittler has pitched in 33 games and 193 2/3 innings.
DOH! I should have thought about the IP. It is an obvious answer. Still, Schlittler has had an amazing season, not so very different from the Wiz, but with less flash. With a rotation of Schlittler, Cole, and Rodon, I think the Yankees are a threat in a short series (sorry about that).
Schlittler pitched at least 7 full innings in 7 of his starts this year.
Gibson didn't have a single start in 1968 with less than 7 innings. He only had 8 starts with less than 9 innnings and 3 of those were complete games. He threw more than 9 innings on 5 times. It was a different world.
Although that might also say something about his manager. Red Schspellingerrornst infamously let him bat in the 8th inning of G7 of the World Series with the Cards down 3-0. Gibby K'ed, then allowed another run to the Tigers in the top of the 9th. The Cards rallied for 1 run in the bottom of the frame, but Lolich finished them off there. I think that was when Red was quoted after the game as saying something like "I was committed to his heart."
That quote about Gibson is actually from then-manager Johnny Keane, after he left Gibson in to (successfully ) finish out Game 7 in 1964, despite giving up two ninth-inning homers.
Gibson hit 24 home runs in his career and had one in the WS, but still his OPS in 1968 was only .456. A pinch hitter was likely to do better.
I feel as a Dodger fan, that I can rest on their laurels. The last two titles have been so unexpected, I know what all other teams' fans will say to that, but we had no pitchers in 2024 and no hitting in 2025, so this year I won't be too disappointed even if we lose in the divisional round. It's been such a lovely run. But, I would love to see Mookie lead us to the WS! :)
I experience a Mookie-like joy when you mention The Big Train in a column!
I share the love for Mookie. And think of going from great right fielder to great shortstop!
Isn't every MLB team inconsistent, even the Brewers and the Rockies? Some days they win, some days they lose. It doesn't get much more inconsistent than that.
And aren't all the players inconsistent? Take Jacob Misiorowski. He's had two games giving up five earned runs in four or five innings, nine games with zero, and so his ERA is 1.86.
And...why is "consistent" even on the list of attributes for a baseball player or team? "Good" seems much more important.
Joe's not going to talk about Bijan Robinson comparing Stefanski to MLK?
Am I the only one who has had his fill of Mookie Betts related content in this Blog? The guy is just not that interesting.
Good lord, then who do you find interesting?
Plenty of things, including Mookie Betts the first two dozen times Joe wrote about him.
Almost everyone does, indeed, call him Mookie. Jackie Bradley, Jr., called him Marcus.
My initials are PBS. I wonder if my parents wanted me to go into public broadcasting? Also, I watched the Teoscar Hernandez game. He was out at third on the force. The Padres broadcast had a perfect shot. I don't know why the MLB replay booth got it wrong.
I will never forgive Chaim Bloom for the truly atrocious return he got from the Dodgers. He was absolutely fleeced.
the economics of baseball were an issue there. No way he was being traded to the Yankees and everybody knew what the contract was going to need to be. Left a market of one team who could acquire and pay him. Not a lot of leverage for the Sox in that deal.
Sure, it was a straight salary dump. But the return was still light. For a similar deal, you could compare it to the Juan Soto to NYY deal with the Padres getting Michael King plus some others. Heck, in Shea Langeliers, the A's got more for Matt Olson than did the Sox for Mookie.
How many zero or one run games did Bob Gibson have in 1968? With a 1.12 ERA, it seems like almost all of his starts must have been zero or one.
I was also surprised by that. I went to baseball reference and quick glance, it looks like 24 of his 34 starts he had 0 or 1 earned run.
I guess the big factor is innings pitched. I wonder how many of Gibson's starts he allowed 1 or more runs after say inning 6, because I doubt Shlittler is pitching past 6 innings too many times.
In 1968 Gibson pitched in 34 games and 304 2/3 innings
This year Shlittler has pitched in 33 games and 193 2/3 innings.
That is a stark contrast!
DOH! I should have thought about the IP. It is an obvious answer. Still, Schlittler has had an amazing season, not so very different from the Wiz, but with less flash. With a rotation of Schlittler, Cole, and Rodon, I think the Yankees are a threat in a short series (sorry about that).
Schlittler pitched at least 7 full innings in 7 of his starts this year.
Gibson didn't have a single start in 1968 with less than 7 innings. He only had 8 starts with less than 9 innnings and 3 of those were complete games. He threw more than 9 innings on 5 times. It was a different world.
Also, IIRC in 1968 Gibson was never relieved during an inning. Not once.
Although that might also say something about his manager. Red Schspellingerrornst infamously let him bat in the 8th inning of G7 of the World Series with the Cards down 3-0. Gibby K'ed, then allowed another run to the Tigers in the top of the 9th. The Cards rallied for 1 run in the bottom of the frame, but Lolich finished them off there. I think that was when Red was quoted after the game as saying something like "I was committed to his heart."
That quote about Gibson is actually from then-manager Johnny Keane, after he left Gibson in to (successfully ) finish out Game 7 in 1964, despite giving up two ninth-inning homers.
Thanks!
Different world? Yep. For all that pitching, Gibson was still only 3rd in the NL and 4th in MLB in IP!
I like the SouthSiders' chances in the playoffs.
That's a sweet guitar Mookie is receiving.
I feel the exact same way about Ronald Acuña Jr.
I strange, but when you put in "Mookie", I'm like "Which one?".
As a 62 year old Red Sox fan, both Mookie's have played a big role.