Author Topic: 2021 MLB Playoffs  (Read 13876 times)

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Offline PatrickRox80

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2021 MLB Playoffs
« on: October 03, 2021, 06:52:10 PM »
No MLB talk throughout the regular season? Odd.  :P

Here's where we finish after 162 games.

National League:
#1. San Francisco Giants (NL West winner)
#2. Milwaukee Brewers (NL Central winner)
#3. Atlanta Braves (NL East winner)
#4. Los Angeles Dodgers (NL Wild Card host)
#5. St. Louis Cardinals (NL Wild Card visitor)

American League:
#1. Tampa Bay Rays (AL East winner)
#2. Houston Astros (AL West winner)
#3. Chicago White Sox (AL Central winner)
#4. Boston Red Sox (AL Wild Card host)
#5. New York Yankees (AL Wild Card visitor)

The Yankees and the Red Sox finished with identical records, but the game will be held at Fenway because the Red Sox have the better head-to-head record. Their game kicks off the postseason on October 5.

The National League Wild Card game between the Dodgers and the Cardinals will take place October 6. The 106-56 Dodgers this season broke the record for most wins for a second place team. They have the benefit of the Wild Card which many of the past teams they beat did not have.

ALDS (Starts October 7):
Astros Vs. White Sox & Rays Vs. Yankees/Red Sox

NLDS (Starts October 8 ):
Braves Vs. Brewers & Giants Vs. Dodgers/Cardinals

My Wild Card picks are Boston and the Dodgers.

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #1 on: October 04, 2021, 02:18:59 AM »
The Braves overcame a lot of adversity to make it to the NL East title and to October, but I honestly don't see them getting past Milwaukee. They've had the Braves' number this season and are honestly the better team. It should be Milwaukee vs. the Dodgers in the NLCS.
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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2021, 02:12:58 PM »
Dodgers are a 3:1 favorite to win the World Series. St. Louis is the long shot at 20:1.
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Offline SeaBreeze341

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2021, 07:10:51 PM »
Dodgers are a 3:1 favorite to win the World Series. St. Louis is the long shot at 20:1.

Imagine if the Cards knock off LA.  Of course, until the Dodgers finally won in 2020, St. Louis sorta had their number.  Should be a great series, but it's not a meaningful game until Joe West injects himself into the game


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No MLB talk throughout the regular season? Odd.  :P


PatrickRox: I actually considered starting a baseball thread at the beginning of the season.  I klnda knew it wasn't gaining any traction.  Plus, I was too involved in the Final Four and the Masters.  Of course, I figured this thread would've been created before I arrived to start it in case it wasn't LOL!

Say what you will about the Wild Card segment of the postseason.  However, I cannot wait for the Yankees to knock off the Red Sox AL Wild Card game.  After nearly a decade of it, definitely the biggest and most important game.  The game might still be going on (in regulation) when I'm up at 6 AM Eastern, but if there was a season to make the Wild card a best of 3, it probably will not be off of a Sox loss to New York or a NY loss to Boston
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Offline mellongraig

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2021, 08:43:18 PM »
I think as a Toronto and/or Seattle fan, you have wonder this question - could you have played differently to win these games you shouldn't have lost, especially when one, two, or more of them are so crucial and also get the help that you need from other teams to get into the playoffs? We could have seen a Toronto-Seattle matchup in the AL Wild Card rather than New York-Boston, or even tiebreakers to decide it. I do have a feeling that these teams will be in the postseason for 2022 if they can play well like 2021 but play even better.

On the other hand throughout the regular season, there were some historic firsts that involved female broadcasting and the usage of all-female broadcast announcers in baseball. Some examples were the Orioles-Rays on YouTube, Cubs-White Sox on MLB Network, and Padres-Dodgers on ESPN. I'm not necessarily going to say that they have any talent, but I do think this is going to continue for 2022 if there is a 2022 season (and likely see the usage of all-female broadcasts increase).

If there was going to be any changes in the postseason like adding the number of teams that make it in as I think 10 is too low out of a 30 team league (and especially when the NHL and NBA allow 16 teams to make it in), they'd have to do it off season and vote on it. This also goes true when the Dodgers won 106 games and yet they still didn't win the NL West. If the Dodgers somehow lose the Wild Card game, I think that might put increased pressure to change the rules for 2022.

Offline therealcu2010

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2021, 11:44:00 PM »
Honestly, I think the postseason format is fine as it is... even the single elimination wild card game. It makes winning the division that much more important. In the NHL and NBA, so many teams (at least half) get in the postseason that the divisional standings might as well not matter, because every team has to win the same number of games to win the title...and since there is no real home advantage to teams unlike in baseball, it's basically just wiping the standings clean and starting over.

MLB, however, is perfect. If you don't want to play that one game playoff, win your division. The Dodgers may have won 106 games, but if they lose the single wild card game, then the only argument should be that they should have won the division to avoid the game to begin with.

And this is coming from someone whose team just lost the Wild Card Game...
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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #6 on: October 06, 2021, 08:20:32 AM »
A simulation of the postseason using the game The Show 2021 has Atlanta winning the World Series. It has them defeating Milwaukee in the DS in four games, The Giants in the LCS in six games and Boston in the WS in seven. Take with a grain--nay, a handful of salt, the same simulation had the Yankees going to the DS and beating Tampa Bay.
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Offline SeaBreeze341

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #7 on: October 06, 2021, 02:18:39 PM »
A simulation of the postseason using the game The Show 2021 has Atlanta winning the World Series. It has them defeating Milwaukee in the DS in four games, The Giants in the LCS in six games and Boston in the WS in seven. Take with a grain--nay, a handful of salt, the same simulation had the Yankees going to the DS and beating Tampa Bay.

Oh, I’m definitely taking that with a grain of salt.  To be fair to Atlanta, I haven’t watched that many of their games, and they are good enough to win the title this year.  I just can’t see them beating any of the other four NL teams 4 times before they lose four times.  Of course, they could slide past the Brewers, but that’s it.  I’m also a bit bias.

Honestly, I think the postseason format is fine as it is... even the single elimination wild card game. It makes winning the division that much more important. In the NHL and NBA, so many teams (at least half) get in the postseason that the divisional standings might as well not matter, because every team has to win the same number of games to win the title...and since there is no real home advantage to teams unlike in baseball, it's basically just wiping the standings clean and starting over.

MLB, however, is perfect. If you don't want to play that one game playoff, win your division. The Dodgers may have won 106 games, but if they lose the single wild card game, then the only argument should be that they should have won the division to avoid the game to begin with.

And this is coming from someone whose team just lost the Wild Card Game...


I’m old enough to remember that you had to win your division just to get into the postseason.  Similar to the Hall of Fame, the highest honor, or in this case, the level of play should be prestigious.  It should be for the best of the best (of the best).  Too many teams add revenue and adds more to that level.  I’m not going to shake my head on one earning more money, but teams used to have to work and earn it.

As mentioned, there’s no sympathy for New York or anyone else (including Los Angeles) getting booted from the 2021 MLB season in a winner take all one-game playoff, because if they’d won their division, it would be an issue.

They’re not going to change the format despite the Yankees losing or if the Dodgers lose (despite my joke earlier).  The conspiracy of them doing so wouldn’t occur when Boston and St Louis are involved.  Maybe it would if Oakland or Pittsburgh had been the team to win a one-game playoff over a big market team.

One thing I’ll admit is that it does suck if you win a ton of games but end up playing the wild card game, while two other teams with fewer wins get a series against each other.  Still teams have an idea how things will go down
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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2021, 04:09:18 PM »
Atlanta and Milwaukee split their season record at 3-3, but I see Milwaukee prevailing through their bats. Atlanta has some talented pitchers (Morton, Fried, Ynoa, Anderson) but they tend to make mistake pitches that cost them. Their bullpen has question marks as well.

Max Scherzer starts for the Dodgers in tonight's NL wild card. I like Big Blue here.
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Offline PatrickRox80

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #9 on: October 07, 2021, 12:29:07 AM »
It'll be the Dodgers facing the Giants in that half of the NLDS. Chris Taylor with the walk-off homer.

My LDS Picks are San Francisco in 4, Milwaukee in 3, Tampa Bay in 5 and Houston in 3.
« Last Edit: October 07, 2021, 12:31:46 AM by PatrickRox80 »

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #10 on: October 07, 2021, 08:18:13 AM »
Taylor's homer was the fifth walk-off homer in postseason history and the first Dodger walk-off in a deciding game since 1978 in game 7 of the NLCS (Bill Russell off of Phillies' Tug McGraw).
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Offline SeaBreeze341

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #11 on: October 07, 2021, 03:10:06 PM »
I'm probably going to go with the same exact picks that PatrickRox went with (even down to the game total, though I think San Francisco will not drop a game while Chicago might win a game).  That way, I can be thankful if it's accurate or I can be held responsible if it's the opposite of accurate.  I think there will definitely be a new champion, mainly when LA is going to try to repeat without Kershaw & Muncy.


BTW, I was surprised that it's the first ever meeting between the NL West teams, but that surprise lasted only a second, especially given my comment on division winning teams only making the playoffs until 3 decades ago when the postseason expanded.  Still you'd think they would've crossed paths at least once.  To add to why it's a first, until 2012, there was a rule that you couldn't face your division rival off the bat in the first round
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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #12 on: October 08, 2021, 03:54:10 AM »
Tampa Bay and Houston draw first blood in their ALDS games, winning decisively. Let's see what happens in the NLDS contests.
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Offline SeaBreeze341

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #13 on: October 08, 2021, 07:44:27 AM »
Tampa Bay and Houston draw first blood in their ALDS games, winning decisively. Let's see what happens in the NLDS contests.

Especially Los Angeles & San Francisco.  Totally looking forward to that game & series, but I wonder if the former might get pounded like Boston did.  Both the Red Sox & Dodgers started the postseason with emotional, memorable wins.  Maybe it affected Boston, and maybe it'll affect LA.  It's a division rival for the Dodgers so they might be okay.  Of course, the Red Sox and Tampa have history as division foes.  The Bosox were one swing away from pulling to within 1.  At the very least, they could've made it close.  It didn't really matter.  The Rays were dominant last night.

Meanwhile, no emotions from Chicago.  They're just awful.  Of course, their division isn't that great and someone had to win it!
"Times change; people change" -- Casey Affleck

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Re: 2021 MLB Playoffs
« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2021, 08:19:26 AM »
Walker Buehler (16-4, 2.48 in regular season) starts for the Dodgers while Logan Webb (11-3, 3.03) takes the hill for the Giants. On paper, Buehler seems the better pitcher, but Gerrett Cole was that for the Yankees and he crashed and burned after two innings against Boston Tuesday night. Everyone is 0-0 when the postseason starts.
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