Couldn't make it to 10000 posts in this thread, i guess the series was too short Time to move on to the Astros - Nats thread. I've had my fun, now it's time to get serious again. Let's not think this is going to be easy.
What an incredible game. I've said it here before, and I'll probably say it again...I still am in awe that these are my Astros.
The Yankee players are more classy than the Yankee fans. Other than Judge (and only because of Joe Buck), there wasn't any player on that team that personally annoyed me.
Going through those 90's and early 2000's disappointments, hard to believe how easy these guys make it look
I go back even farther than that. Among my very first sports heartbreaks was the 86 NLCS. My grandparents were huge Astros fans, and I really wish they could see what the Astros have become.
I tend to tune out the national announcers during Astros games so I don't remember who said it, but you didn't hear the announcers even once say hitters need to go for contact more? What do you think the announcers think hitters are prioritizing instead of contact?
I don't think they were referring to just making contact with the ball. I think they meant contact vs. a power swing. Trying to take the ball where it is pitched and just put it in play rather than swinging out of your shoes trying to hit the ball 500 ft. I don't know if it was in the same conversation but they talked about the Astros approach at the end of game 4 where they were putting the ball in play and forcing the Yankees defense to make plays (which they didn't always do). My guess is it was in reference to the Yankees having such poor results with RISP (although the Astros were just as bad). With a couple of guys on base players seemed too often to try and drive them all in on one swing rather than just trying to put the ball in play. Brantley and Altuve are usually good at this. Unfortunately for the Astros, AB's with RISP happened way more often with the 8-9 hitters and Alvarez than with the 2-3 hole hitters.
If I'm Yankees I never put Sanchez behind the plate ever again. Solid hitter (except in this series), but he has to be one of the worst defensive catchers I've seen. I think he's just too big, can't move, can't block. I'd put him at DH or trade him. I know this is random just something I've been thinking about. I'm seeing Yankees fans calling him a good defensive catcher and I'm baffled how they would think so. He costs them runs with past balls. Did it this year and in 2017.
Sorry added to my post. It wasn't just this year but I noticed in 2017 too. He lets balls get by him and he costs them runs.
That is what I think as well. Batters go for power (i.e., hit ball hard with an optimal launch angle) because pitchers are amazing, and strike out a lot of batters. Even if batters went for contact, they would strikeout almost as much, but homers would plummet. At least, that's what analytics has told teams. Teams just don't want to spend much to acquire guys like Tony Kemp. When I hear announcers ask for more contact, they are asking guys to hit more like Tony Kemp. I like Tony Kemp more than most, but not over the guys the Yankees were trotting out there. From a non-analytical standpoint, I'd love to see teams try to single JV and Cole to death. It works when Miley is pitching horribly, but then going for fence works, too, when Miley is pitching horribly.
Interesting, he was shaking off Maldy a lot during that at bat, and before the pitch that went over the fence. I wasn't upset with him at all after he gave up that homer. He had saved 3 games in the series already, he was bound to get tagged and DJ put up a TOUGH at bat. Osuna recovered so well and mowed down the next two, kept it tied.
Ive watched so many of the same replays, interviews and fan reactions over and over, and Im still not tired of them. Biding time til game 1.