Major League Baseball - Get ready for '08!

[mr_pikachu]

If you want to see something freaky, check out the home/away records of Minnesota and the Chicago Sox (standings in the first post of this thread!).

[Pokemaster Ash]

Heh heh heh. For the first time in 102 years, BOTH Chicago baseball teams are headed to the postseason. The White Sox win a pitcher's duel 1-0 with a home run by Thome and some awesome fielding plays. Let's see what happens now...

[MToolen]

If you want to see something freaky, check out the home/away records of Minnesota and the Chicago Sox (standings in the first post of this thread!).

That's trippy. Next thing you know they'll all have the same shoe sizes or something.

[Number1ChanseyFan]

That's trippy. Next thing you know they'll all have the same shoe sizes or something.

Before that game, both teams also had the same record against Central Division opponents. (43-29)

So yeah, that was hard to watch... especially a 1-0 game with Jim Thome providing the only run... it doesn't get much worse for a Cleveland fan. XD Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, we all failed to stop them.

[mr_pikachu]

I love watching favorites go down in flames. It's even better when that favorite is the Chicago Cubs using their ace at home.

Just two games to go! I've never rooted for the Dodgers harder than I am now.


EDIT: One of two things is going to happen in the Cubs-Dodgers game tonight. Either Zambrano will shut down the Dodgers and bring new life to the team, or he'll get lit up and leave them on the cusp of elimination.

If the former happens, Dodgers in 4. If the latter occurs, Cubs in 5. That's my call.


EDIT2: TBS aired a stat earlier tonight that said only 7 of 54 MLB teams in history who have fallen to a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series have come back to win.

This is interesting, sure, but misleading when you apply it to the Cubs (should they lose tonight). After all, only one of those seven teams lost those first two games at home: the 2001 Yankees had to steal Games 3 and 4 in Oakland before winning the series back in New York.

Furthermore, 4 of those 7 teams didn't have to win a single game on the road! The format for best-of-five series used to minimize travel, giving one team home field advantage for the first two games and the other team the edge for the last three. So the '81 Dodgers, '82 Brewers, '84 Padres, and '95 Mariners probably weren't so worried when faced with the task of winning three in a row... all at home.

To summarize this little stat:

1981 NLDS: Dodgers d. Astros (Games 3-5 at home)
1982 ALCS: Brewers d. Angels (Games 3-5 at home)
1984 NLCS: Padres d. Cubs (Games 3-5 at home)
1995 ALDS: Mariners d. Yankees (Games 3-5 at home)
1999 ALDS: Red Sox d. Mariners (Games 3-4 at home)
2001 ALDS: Yankees d. Athletics (Game 5 at home)
2003 ALDS: Red Sox d. Athletics (Games 3-4 at home)

The only team in history to come back from an 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series after dropping the first two at home was the 2001 Yankees. Every other team in history has failed.

Are the Cubbies feeling the pressure? You bet.

(Thanks to these sources.)


EDIT3: The Cubs are down 5-0 in the second, and Joe Torre just went into the clubhouse to start packing for the NLCS. He just doesn't know whether he's preparing to go to Philadelphia or Milwaukee yet.