204 thoughts on “World Series GAME SEVEN”

  2. If Jeremy wins game 7 of the World Series, does that absolve the Twins from ever losing to him?

      1. I was cuddling with LBR and AJR before I put them to bed and missed the first Royals run and HBP.

    1. (For clarification...slightly greater than zero games on network TV, most playoffs on cable, haven't hooked up TV at the new house, now sitting in a motel room with no place else to go for three hours and nobody to put to bed.)

    2. My wife and the oldest two will be coming back from Faith Formation within a half-hour.
      I should have the dishes done by then. I haven't started. I'm a bad example.

      1. Well...one will leave before the other, probably.

        Because if Jeremy Guthrie of all people pitches a complete game to win a World Series game 7, I'm like 99% sure that's a sign Ragnarok is upon us.

      2. Yeah, that tag was weird. The camera panned over to him and it seemed like he started and wasn't entirely sure that he had left at the right time.

  13. So far, by my count, there's only been one fewer pitch thrown 97 mph+ today than the Twins threw all season.

  14. Buck says Jeremy has never pitched in the second inning in the majors.
    He must have been awful when he was a starter.

  16. According to Harold Reynolds, in the past 10 pitches (spanning that long bottom of the second inning), Jeremy Guthrie went from having no changeup to having a "great feel" for his changeup. I miss McCarver...

      1. It's sort of shocking to me, but I think Joe Buck has been really good this fall. He's been excited at the right times, really insightful, and shown a good sense of humor.

        1. I'll admit I'm biased.
          I've only also seen him for this series.
          And he lets Reynolds say whatever.

        2. I agree. I think his voice is just not pleasant, but his enthusiasm and professionalism has definitely taken an uptick

        3. I haven't specifically had a problem with Buck this postseason. He hasnt been great, but he hasmt made me want to mute the TV and listen to Run the Jewela. I'm as surprised as anyone.

          Reynolds on the other hand? Ugh.

  17. Did anybody see the sign in the stands yesterday that said: "Hunter Pence and creepy Rob Lowe are BFFs"? I think that the Hunter Pence signs meme is the greatest...

    1. Also, if I made one, I think it would say "Hunter Pence thinks the 1977 White Sox had style"

    5. That's one of the best Hunter Pence signs yet, and I'm a big fan of that meme in general.

      2. Now that you've mentioned it and the stat has sat in my brain a bit, I wonder how many of those three CS are legit caught stealing and how many are botched hit-and-runs or pick offs.

          1. Crawl through game logs to find dates, then cross-reference with newspaper arrives and MLB.com game recaps.

            Actually, I call dibs on this for my next day off.

  21. Reynolds describing a ballplayer as someone who can do anything...hitting, fielding, throwing, running... so not describing himself.

  22. Who was it a few years ago for the Twins that had to get a new belt passed thru the chain link fence from the bullpen in Houston?

  25. MadBum? Noooo!!!!
    Please let him be rusty. Please let him be rusty.
    Also: If Bochy was gonna pitch him, Bochy should have started him.

  26. Normally, I'd say "play for one, that's all you get", but the Royals would like one here, I think.

    Also, normally, I'd throw on some Puig Destroyer now.

      1. Managers haven't completely figured out how much the count changes things. Once the bunt is on, that's it, a bunt is happening.

  32. Welp, that's it I think. I figure three, maybe four, innings for Bumgarner. That leaves the ninth and maybe the eighth for the Royals to score. Not that I would mind extra innings.

    1. If they get back to Aoki with MadBum still in, I would say yes. Otherwise, not likely.

      1. Really?
        Jeremy relieved, came into the game with his team tied, and left with his team winning.

        1. You might be right. If Affeldt had come in with the lead already, I know it's scorer's choice to give it to the most effective reliever who didn't get a save

    1. And, hello, Harold Reynolds. Isn't your job as color man to debate the strategy of using a pinch-hitter here?

        1. He just said that, outside of the Escobar bunt, there wasn't a single decision that could be second-guessed today.

          1. Just because he didn't think of it doesn't mean it shouldn't be debated. Of course, he's not going to go back and call himself out for not commenting on it at the time.

  43. If Bumgarner finishes the game and gets the save, it will break the postseason record for innings in a save. Current record is four, shared by six pitchers.

    2. what's the regular-season record for innings in a save?
      Do you agree with my interpretation of who would get the win?

      2. Buck just said it would be a save.
        He also said Jeremy had never pitched the 2nd inning, so that's not def.

        1. I would need to check the box to be sure, but I tentatively agree with your assessment of who gets the win and loss.

  46. Does anyone think that even if the Royals can get back in the 9th and win this that MadBum shouldn't be MVP?

      1. I believe that Jeremy is the winning pitcher per the rules.
        Via Frightwig (wgom-er-in-exile)

        10.17 WINNING AND LOSING PITCHER
        (a) The official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher that pitcher whose team assumes a lead while such pitcher is in the game, or during the inning on offense in which such pitcher is removed from the game, and does not relinquish such lead, unless
           (1) such pitcher is a starting pitcher and Rule 10.17(b) applies; or
           (2) Rule 10.17(c) applies.
        [...]
        (c) The official scorer shall not credit as the winning pitcher a relief pitcher who is ineffective in a brief appearance, when at least one succeeding relief pitcher pitches effectively in helping his team maintain its lead. In such a case, the official scorer shall credit as the winning pitcher the succeeding relief pitcher who was most effective, in the judgment of the official scorer.
        Rule 10.17(c) Comment:
        The official scorer generally should, but is not required to, consider the appearance of a relief pitcher to be ineffective and brief if such relief pitcher pitches less than one inning and allows two or more earned runs to score (even if such runs are charged to a previous pitcher). The official scorer generally should, but is not required to, consider the appearance of a relief pitcher to be ineffective and brief if such relief pitcher pitches less than one inning and allows two or more earned runs to score (even if such runs are charged to a previous pitcher).

      2. You have to understand where I'm coming from. I think the pitcher (win|loss|save) are all stupid. I cheer for ironic or otherwise amusing applications of the rule. Like Wes Littleton saving a 30-3 game. Bumgarner getting the save instead of the win fits on a metaphorical level so well that I have to cheer for it. Whoever gets the win is irrelevant to me. Having a Jeremy get the win and another Jeremy get the loss is pleasing symmetry.

    2. Bumgarner is a lefty so wouldn't see him going. They're pitching Perez up in the zone, making it harder for Posey to tag him.

      1. I was thinking about that, but maybe that makes it obvious? I dunno. I think they had a better chance of scoring a run by theft than by solid contact.

        I was hoping for a wild pitch or an infield hit.

        1. Thing with that is even when you know they're stealing you can't stop them.
          Or maybe it flusters MVPMB and he walks Perez or something.

          1. The flustering thing is a solid point. If they think there's a chance that they're going to try to steal home (and there's zero point in pinch running there if you're not going to try it), they'd stop with that high ball, leading to maybe more breaking balls, which maybe leads to wild pitches?

            Either way, they still had a better shot of getting home that way than lucking into a hit.

    2. That would've meant more, I think.

      Either way, best postseason performance (for the series and keeping in mind the 2 days rest, pissibly the game) that I've ever seen.

      1. That would've meant more, I think.
        I agree.

        Also "WP: Jeremy, LP: Jeremy" would have been great for wgom lore.

        Jeremy A interview. He's got a future in announcing.
        Now breaking up a bit.

    3. Be Upset no more! It's been fixed!
      On MLB.com's scoreboard page:

      W: Affeldt (1-0, 0.00)
      L: Guthrie (1-1, 5.40)
      SV: Bumgarner (1)

      WP: Jeremy
      LP: Jeremy
      As prophesized in the ancient scrolls of Stichinballe!

    2. Because Yost is a moron, thus proving that the Twins' search for a manager is relatively meaningless. Yost basically lost this series when he panicked and pulled his starter with a 4-2 lead. Somehow he forgot his middle relievers weren't very good. The Giants scored the next 14 runs of the series. After that game, it was a shutout by Bumgarner in Game 5 and five shutout innings of relief by him in Game 7. I find it odd that Bochy wouldn't start Bumgarner in Game 5 on three days' rest (and thus have him available on short rest again to start Game 7) but would have him throw five innings on two days' rest in Game 7 instead.

  65. Somewhere out there, Jack Morris is arguing that Madison Bumgarner is already a HOFer.

    1. according to my sports section this morning, Morris thinks Bum should have started, and could have gone 12 innings. Uh huh.

      2. I think the results bear out my theory that if Bochy was willing to pitch MadBum that long, he should have started him.
        Although I can understand Starting him on regular rest for Game 5 and then on two days for Game 7 rather than short rest for both starts.

        In more retrospect, the Royals should have had Guthrie pitch Game 1 opposite MadBum (not Vargas because Vargas is a better hitter). Then Shields vs Peavy and Ventura vs Hudson. Each got two starts, but the pairings were optimal for the Giants because Madbum beats Shields maybe 75% of the time, but Guthrie only 85% of the time.

  67. Harold Reynolds saying that we'll never see anything like this again because of pitch counts and whatnot.

    Dude. We saw it JUST NOW in an era of pitch counts and relief specialists. The reason we won't see it again is because it was an unbelievable performance - one that hasn't happened since well before pitch counts.

      1. right. And this year, it seemed that was the case for both pennant winners.
        But the Royals had Shields, who was effective, just not as much as the guy he was paired against.

    2. The only reason we haven't seen it before is because Sandy Koufax did one better and pitched a shutout on 2 days' rest, so he didn't need any help from the other pitchers at all.

      1. 24 innings pitched, 1 earned run. Yeah, I'd say his performance was slightly better, but more or less equally amazing.

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