The 2021 (and only 2021) Tampa Bay Rays - Page 4

Art Deco · 05-24-2021, 06:33 PM

What a collapse by the Dodgers, who led by 2 games going into the final weekend of the season, could have won the division if they won on the last day but didn't, and now losing the tiebreaker game at home to Arizona. So the two teams who everyone figured would fight for the division instead will fight for a wild card as the Dodgers will host the Padres in a one-game winner-take-all. The Diamondbacks meanwhile will take on the Mets in one NLDS while the Dodgers-Padres winner will start the other in Milwaukee.

Art Deco · 05-24-2021, 06:37 PM

Congrats to Brandon Lowe for leading MLB in RBI.

The final Rays team stats:

Not good to look over at that month-by-month and see that they lost 20 of their last 30 games. Nevertheless there were some obvious bright spots here, as the offense was excellent and getting on base (and were elite in baserunning once they got on) so they were still the second-highest scoring team in the AL. The pitching was pretty good, 3rd in runs allowed, even if they gave out home runs like Halloween candy (which is why their WAR was only 9th). And the defense was outstanding (something I've never had in my long-running Rays save now in 2034).

The final hitting stats:

Basically we were a 3-man offense (Meadows, Lowe, Arozarena) although Franco would have been up there had he played a full season. And man, look at all those strikeouts.

The final pitching stats:

We certainly cycled through a lot of pitchers, but they were effective for the most part. As mentioned earlier, WAR doesn't like them because of all the HRs allowed but I'm thinking more of the homers were solo jobs than typical.

Art Deco · 05-24-2021, 07:23 PM

What a complete collapse by the Dodgers, the defending World Series champs and everyone's favorite to repeat in 2021. Again they were 2 games up in the division with 3 games left and somehow conspired to be out of the playoffs in less than a week. And I guess this was one time Blake Snell didn't mind being pulled early as he got the win going 5 innings. The Dodger debacle was summed up when Corey Seager was thrown out of the game for arguing a called third strike in the 8th inning.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 12:24 AM

It will be the Angels against the Astros in the other ALDS. Toronto looked good early with 4 in the first, but their pitching couldn't hold up and LA eroded the lead and came all the way back. Virtually all of America will be rooting for Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani against the cheating cheaters of Houston.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 12:29 AM

Jacob deGrom was his usual dominant self in leading the Mets to a series-opening win, while Derek Fisher came through big off the Brewer bench to hit a 3-run, 8th-inning homer to give Milwaukee a come-from-behind win in their opener.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 09:43 AM

A tough start for the Rays...

The Rays dropped Game 1 of ALDS at home to Minnesota with all their flaws on display, most notably the pitching staff allowing too many homers and the bats not generating enough offense. Tyler Glasnow started and it was his season in microcosm: too many walks, too many pitches and the home run allowed. As you can see from the box above he had trouble getting the ball over the plate, and although it was a single followed by a homer which did the damage against him in the 5th, all the walks and all the pitches brought him to the point where he was well in the 90s when it happened. Luis Patino came on and was fine, he was kind of unfairly charged with the loss as he departed after giving up a hit and then Brendan McKay was immediately greeted by Jake Cave's homer despite the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Meanwhile only rapping 4 hits is not a recipe for offensive success, but they still could have scored more runs as in the 2nd after the Yandy Diaz RBI single, Ji-Man Choi was stranded at 3rd despite getting there with nobody out. Wander Franco came through in the 3rd with an RBI double and again he was in scoring position with 1 out but couldn't be brought home. And then they basically got nothing after that except for Randy Arozarena, who walked every time up today. Chris Archer will get the ball tomorrow in what's really a must-win game.

Martin Maldonado hit a 2-run homer off Angels closer Raisel Iglesias to overcome a great start from Shohei Ohtani and give Houston a 1-0 series lead while Vince Velazquez shut down the Mets to get Arizona even and Keston Hiura's 2-run homer in the 8th has Milwaukee one win away from the NLCS.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 05:07 PM

Welp...

This game was pretty much over in the top of the first inning when Chris Archer surrendered three homers and a double to put the Rays in a 6-0 hole and despite the best efforts of the offense it was too much to overcome in a 10-6 loss to put them on the brink of elimination from the ALDS down 2-0. Archer settled in after that and made it into the 5th but the bullpen wasn't very good either and gave up four more runs which turned out to be the difference. That's because the offense came to life with the big 3 (Meadows, Lowe, Arozarena) combining to go 8-12 with 3 RBI. Wander Franco's 0-6 sandwiched in between them, though, was a problem. Nick Anderson had to leave in the 9th with a blister after striking out the two men he faced, it's described as "moderate" for 3 more days after today, so he's only going to be used in an emergency in Game 3 and beyond if we're lucky. But right now Minnesota's bats are too much for Rays pitching, and my confidence is low that Ryan Yarbrough can turn the tide in Game 3.

In the other ALDS:

Most of America was happy to see the Angels even up their ALDS with Houston thanks to 7 2-hit innings from Tyler Mahle and three homers including one from Mike Trout, everyone's sentimental favorite to make it to the World Series, and a tiebreaking shot in the 7th from David Fletcher.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 05:20 PM

Brandon Nimmo's 2-run double broke a 9th inning deadlock with Arizona and the Mets took the advantage in their NLDS. Meanwhile the Brewers punched their ticket for the NLCS by sweeping the Padres behind a strong outing from Freddy Peralta. Blake Snell had to leave the game for the Padres with biceps tendinitis, but he now has all winter to recover from it.

Meanwhile, the Rays' AA Montgomery affiliate lost 5-1 to Birmingham tonight meaning there will a deciding Game 7 tomorrow for the AA South (formerly known as the Southern League) championship. We'll have coverage of that in tomorrow's post as well.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 08:15 PM

Embarrassing....

It was 5 months of a great season, but the way the Rays faded down the stretch in September (10-20) ended up foreshadowing their playoff debacle as they were routed again by the Twins 8-1 and swept out of the playoffs. There isn't much to say about this game as for the second time in three games they generated next to no offense, and the pitching was pretty bad as well. Ryan Yarbrough actually hung in there today until the 6th, when Kevin Kiermaier dropped a fly ball to allowed the leadoff man to reach 2nd and then Yarbrough gave up an RBI single and a walk. Pete Fairbanks saw his first action of the postseason and was brutal, with his terrible outing culminating in a 3-run Jake Cave (MVP of the series) homer and an 8-0 Minnesota lead. It was great to make the playoffs for the third straight season, but after last year's run to the World Series, this turned out to be about as bad things get for a team that qualifies for the postseason.

Big win for the Angels, who can finish off the Astros tomorrow. David Fletcher had the big hit again, a 2-run double in the 5th to make it 7-4 after Houston had pulled within in a run. And in the NL the Diamondbacks forced a 5th game back in New York.

The postseason news wasn't all bad in the Rays organization, as congratulations are in order to the AA Montgomery Biscuits:

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 08:43 PM

Sayonara, Astros!

We'll now have a Twins-Angels ALCS. David Fletcher was named Series MVP.

Art Deco · 05-25-2021, 08:58 PM

What an epic!

Jacob deGrom and Jimmy Nelson hooked up in a classic pitchers' duel in the deciding Game 5, and the Mets prevailed 1-0 in the strangest of fashions. As you can see from the box above the Mets had only 2 hits the entire game and neither of them factored in the lone run. Francisco Lindor led off the 5th and reached on catcher's inference by Carson Kelly, and then Nelson hit James McCann and Brandon Nimmo before uncorking a wild pitch to score Lindor. And that was it. We were even treated to the sight of Noah Syndergaard coming on to get the final batter of the game after Edwin Diaz had thrown 38 pitches trying to get a 2-inning save. So the Mets will now take on Milwaukee in the NLCS, who lost their All-Star closer Josh Hader to a strained hamstring for the remainder of the postseason.

Art Deco · 05-26-2021, 05:07 PM

October 16:

Milwaukee overcame deficits of 4-0 and 5-2 to come back and take Game 1 of the NLCS with Omar Navarez's 2-run single in the 7th putting the Brewers ahead to stay.

October 17:

The Angels put 5 on the board in the first which would be all they'd need to take Game 1 of the ALCS in Minnesota with Avisail Garcia's 3-run homer the big blow, while the Mets turned the tables on Milwaukee by coming back on them instead to even up the NLCS. James McCann's 2-run single in the 9th was the game-winner for New York as the absence of Josh Hader made itself felt for the Brewers.

October 18:

The Twins got to Andrew Heaney for 6 runs in the first 2 innings and held on to even up the ALCS. Shohei Ohtani, who pitched and won Game 1 for the Angels, had a monster game at the plate, going 4-5 with a HR and 3 RBI but just couldn't get LA over the top.

Art Deco · 05-27-2021, 06:03 PM

October 19:

Jacob deGrom was dazzling and Dominic Smith supplied the offense as the Mets take a 2-1 series lead.

October 20:

Jared Walsh's RBI double keyed a 4-run 8th as the Angels came from behind to go up 2-1 in the ALCS, while the Mets' experiment of Noah Syndergaard as closer backfired tonight when he allowed 3 runs to Milwaukee in the 9th on a homer from former Met (and 25-rated power hitter) Luis Guillorme, enabling the Brewers to even the series at 2.

October 21:

Lance Lynn and Alex Kirilloff took care of the pitching and hitting for Minnesota as they evened the ALCS at 2 games each.

Art Deco · 05-27-2021, 06:14 PM

This one was special, so it deserved its own post:

Despite the recap in the box above glossing over it, Marcus Stroman threw only the 3rd no-hitter in postseason history after Don Larsen and Roy Halladay, shutting down Milwaukee and putting the Mets one win away from their first World Series since 2015. He threw a hefty 126 pitches but was never in trouble and was backed by homers from JD Davis and James McCann.

Art Deco · 05-28-2021, 01:13 PM

October 22:

Advantage Minnesota as Luis Arraez's 7th inning homer broke a 2-2 tie and the Twins broke a 2-2 series tie with a 3-2 win, also thanks to excellent pitching from Kenta Maeda.

October 23:

The Mets are in the World Series, thanks to a big 3-run homer from Pete Alonso in the 1st and a decent outing from Carlos Carrasco. Michael Conforto was named Series MVP (7-19, 1 HR, 5 RBI).

October 24:

And the Mets will be taking on the Twins in the World Series after Minnesota bludgeoned the Angels 13-5 to take the ALCS in 6 games. Luis Arraez was named Series MVP. Frank Viola and Rick Aguilera should be throwing out first pitches.

Art Deco · 05-28-2021, 11:57 PM

The big news of course is that individual LOB are back in the boxes with today's patch. As for the game the Mets overcame a classic Edwin Diaz blown save (allowing a pair of homers in the 9th) to take Game 1 in extra innings.

Art Deco · 05-29-2021, 12:01 AM

Not sure any pitcher in the postseason has had the swing in outcomes that Marcus Stroman just had. From pitching a no-hitter in the NLCS to having his brains bashed in for 11 runs in 1 2/3 innings, which is a 100-point swing in Game Score from 94 to -6. The Twins can certainly hit, as the Rays (and Angels) found out to their chagrin, and now the Mets are witness as the Series is tied at a game apiece and Minnesota wrests home field advantage from New York.

Art Deco · 05-29-2021, 08:33 AM

Rookie Alex Kirilloff, who made his MLB debut in last year's postseason, continued his playoff tear with a 3-run homer to give the Twins a 4-3 win and a 2-1 series lead as the Series shifted to Target Field. All the scoring came in the 5th inning as Brandon Nimmo hit a 3-run shot in the top of the frame against Lance McCullers Jr.

Art Deco · 05-29-2021, 10:22 AM

The Mets got a big game from their big offseason acquisition, Francisco Lindor, to help even up the World Series at 2 games. Meanwhile, Alex Kirilloff continued his insane postseason with 3 more hits including his 7th homer.

Art Deco · 05-29-2021, 10:26 AM

An epic game saw the expected pitchers' duel of Jacob deGrom and Jose Berrios disintegrate in the 5th when both left after being hit hard, and back-and-forth they went with Luis Arraez singling in a run with two out in the 9th off Noah Syndergaard to tie it up before Brandon Nimmo won it in in the 11th for the Mets, who are now one game away from their first World Series title since 1986 as the series shifts back to New York in two days.

05-24-2021, 06:33 PM	#61
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 4: NL Tiebreaker Game What a collapse by the Dodgers, who led by 2 games going into the final weekend of the season, could have won the division if they won on the last day but didn't, and now losing the tiebreaker game at home to Arizona. So the two teams who everyone figured would fight for the division instead will fight for a wild card as the Dodgers will host the Padres in a one-game winner-take-all. The Diamondbacks meanwhile will take on the Mets in one NLDS while the Dodgers-Padres winner will start the other in Milwaukee. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-24-2021 at 06:35 PM.

05-24-2021, 06:37 PM	#62
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	2021 Final Regular Season Standings & Rays Stats Congrats to Brandon Lowe for leading MLB in RBI. The final Rays team stats: Not good to look over at that month-by-month and see that they lost 20 of their last 30 games. Nevertheless there were some obvious bright spots here, as the offense was excellent and getting on base (and were elite in baserunning once they got on) so they were still the second-highest scoring team in the AL. The pitching was pretty good, 3rd in runs allowed, even if they gave out home runs like Halloween candy (which is why their WAR was only 9th). And the defense was outstanding (something I've never had in my long-running Rays save now in 2034). The final hitting stats: Basically we were a 3-man offense (Meadows, Lowe, Arozarena) although Franco would have been up there had he played a full season. And man, look at all those strikeouts. The final pitching stats: We certainly cycled through a lot of pitchers, but they were effective for the most part. As mentioned earlier, WAR doesn't like them because of all the HRs allowed but I'm thinking more of the homers were solo jobs than typical. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-24-2021 at 06:48 PM.

05-24-2021, 07:23 PM	#63
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 6: NL Wild Card Game What a complete collapse by the Dodgers, the defending World Series champs and everyone's favorite to repeat in 2021. Again they were 2 games up in the division with 3 games left and somehow conspired to be out of the playoffs in less than a week. And I guess this was one time Blake Snell didn't mind being pulled early as he got the win going 5 innings. The Dodger debacle was summed up when Corey Seager was thrown out of the game for arguing a called third strike in the 8th inning. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-24-2021 at 07:25 PM.

05-25-2021, 12:24 AM	#64
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 7: AL Wild Card Game It will be the Angels against the Astros in the other ALDS. Toronto looked good early with 4 in the first, but their pitching couldn't hold up and LA eroded the lead and came all the way back. Virtually all of America will be rooting for Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani against the cheating cheaters of Houston. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 12:25 AM.

05-25-2021, 12:29 AM	#65
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 8: NLDS Game 1 Jacob deGrom was his usual dominant self in leading the Mets to a series-opening win, while Derek Fisher came through big off the Brewer bench to hit a 3-run, 8th-inning homer to give Milwaukee a come-from-behind win in their opener. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 12:31 AM.

05-25-2021, 09:43 AM	#66
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 9: ALDS Game 1 & NLDS Game 2 A tough start for the Rays... The Rays dropped Game 1 of ALDS at home to Minnesota with all their flaws on display, most notably the pitching staff allowing too many homers and the bats not generating enough offense. Tyler Glasnow started and it was his season in microcosm: too many walks, too many pitches and the home run allowed. As you can see from the box above he had trouble getting the ball over the plate, and although it was a single followed by a homer which did the damage against him in the 5th, all the walks and all the pitches brought him to the point where he was well in the 90s when it happened. Luis Patino came on and was fine, he was kind of unfairly charged with the loss as he departed after giving up a hit and then Brendan McKay was immediately greeted by Jake Cave's homer despite the lefty-on-lefty matchup. Meanwhile only rapping 4 hits is not a recipe for offensive success, but they still could have scored more runs as in the 2nd after the Yandy Diaz RBI single, Ji-Man Choi was stranded at 3rd despite getting there with nobody out. Wander Franco came through in the 3rd with an RBI double and again he was in scoring position with 1 out but couldn't be brought home. And then they basically got nothing after that except for Randy Arozarena, who walked every time up today. Chris Archer will get the ball tomorrow in what's really a must-win game. Martin Maldonado hit a 2-run homer off Angels closer Raisel Iglesias to overcome a great start from Shohei Ohtani and give Houston a 1-0 series lead while Vince Velazquez shut down the Mets to get Arizona even and Keston Hiura's 2-run homer in the 8th has Milwaukee one win away from the NLCS. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 10:01 AM.

05-25-2021, 05:07 PM	#67
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 10: ALDS Game 2 Welp... This game was pretty much over in the top of the first inning when Chris Archer surrendered three homers and a double to put the Rays in a 6-0 hole and despite the best efforts of the offense it was too much to overcome in a 10-6 loss to put them on the brink of elimination from the ALDS down 2-0. Archer settled in after that and made it into the 5th but the bullpen wasn't very good either and gave up four more runs which turned out to be the difference. That's because the offense came to life with the big 3 (Meadows, Lowe, Arozarena) combining to go 8-12 with 3 RBI. Wander Franco's 0-6 sandwiched in between them, though, was a problem. Nick Anderson had to leave in the 9th with a blister after striking out the two men he faced, it's described as "moderate" for 3 more days after today, so he's only going to be used in an emergency in Game 3 and beyond if we're lucky. But right now Minnesota's bats are too much for Rays pitching, and my confidence is low that Ryan Yarbrough can turn the tide in Game 3. In the other ALDS: Most of America was happy to see the Angels even up their ALDS with Houston thanks to 7 2-hit innings from Tyler Mahle and three homers including one from Mike Trout, everyone's sentimental favorite to make it to the World Series, and a tiebreaking shot in the 7th from David Fletcher. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 05:14 PM.

05-25-2021, 05:20 PM	#68
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 11: NLDS Game 3 Brandon Nimmo's 2-run double broke a 9th inning deadlock with Arizona and the Mets took the advantage in their NLDS. Meanwhile the Brewers punched their ticket for the NLCS by sweeping the Padres behind a strong outing from Freddy Peralta. Blake Snell had to leave the game for the Padres with biceps tendinitis, but he now has all winter to recover from it. Meanwhile, the Rays' AA Montgomery affiliate lost 5-1 to Birmingham tonight meaning there will a deciding Game 7 tomorrow for the AA South (formerly known as the Southern League) championship. We'll have coverage of that in tomorrow's post as well. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 05:23 PM.

05-25-2021, 08:15 PM	#69
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 12: ALDS Game 3 & NLDS Game 4 Embarrassing.... It was 5 months of a great season, but the way the Rays faded down the stretch in September (10-20) ended up foreshadowing their playoff debacle as they were routed again by the Twins 8-1 and swept out of the playoffs. There isn't much to say about this game as for the second time in three games they generated next to no offense, and the pitching was pretty bad as well. Ryan Yarbrough actually hung in there today until the 6th, when Kevin Kiermaier dropped a fly ball to allowed the leadoff man to reach 2nd and then Yarbrough gave up an RBI single and a walk. Pete Fairbanks saw his first action of the postseason and was brutal, with his terrible outing culminating in a 3-run Jake Cave (MVP of the series) homer and an 8-0 Minnesota lead. It was great to make the playoffs for the third straight season, but after last year's run to the World Series, this turned out to be about as bad things get for a team that qualifies for the postseason. Big win for the Angels, who can finish off the Astros tomorrow. David Fletcher had the big hit again, a 2-run double in the 5th to make it 7-4 after Houston had pulled within in a run. And in the NL the Diamondbacks forced a 5th game back in New York. The postseason news wasn't all bad in the Rays organization, as congratulations are in order to the AA Montgomery Biscuits: Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 08:37 PM.

05-25-2021, 08:43 PM	#70
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 13: ALDS Game 4 Sayonara, Astros! We'll now have a Twins-Angels ALCS. David Fletcher was named Series MVP. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 08:44 PM.

05-25-2021, 08:58 PM	#71
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 14: NLDS Game 5 What an epic! Jacob deGrom and Jimmy Nelson hooked up in a classic pitchers' duel in the deciding Game 5, and the Mets prevailed 1-0 in the strangest of fashions. As you can see from the box above the Mets had only 2 hits the entire game and neither of them factored in the lone run. Francisco Lindor led off the 5th and reached on catcher's inference by Carson Kelly, and then Nelson hit James McCann and Brandon Nimmo before uncorking a wild pitch to score Lindor. And that was it. We were even treated to the sight of Noah Syndergaard coming on to get the final batter of the game after Edwin Diaz had thrown 38 pitches trying to get a 2-inning save. So the Mets will now take on Milwaukee in the NLCS, who lost their All-Star closer Josh Hader to a strained hamstring for the remainder of the postseason. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-25-2021 at 09:03 PM.

05-26-2021, 05:07 PM	#72
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 16-18: LCS Games 1 & 2 October 16: Milwaukee overcame deficits of 4-0 and 5-2 to come back and take Game 1 of the NLCS with Omar Navarez's 2-run single in the 7th putting the Brewers ahead to stay. October 17: The Angels put 5 on the board in the first which would be all they'd need to take Game 1 of the ALCS in Minnesota with Avisail Garcia's 3-run homer the big blow, while the Mets turned the tables on Milwaukee by coming back on them instead to even up the NLCS. James McCann's 2-run single in the 9th was the game-winner for New York as the absence of Josh Hader made itself felt for the Brewers. October 18: The Twins got to Andrew Heaney for 6 runs in the first 2 innings and held on to even up the ALCS. Shohei Ohtani, who pitched and won Game 1 for the Angels, had a monster game at the plate, going 4-5 with a HR and 3 RBI but just couldn't get LA over the top. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-26-2021 at 05:16 PM.

05-27-2021, 06:03 PM	#73
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 19-21: LCS Games 3 & 4 October 19: Jacob deGrom was dazzling and Dominic Smith supplied the offense as the Mets take a 2-1 series lead. October 20: Jared Walsh's RBI double keyed a 4-run 8th as the Angels came from behind to go up 2-1 in the ALCS, while the Mets' experiment of Noah Syndergaard as closer backfired tonight when he allowed 3 runs to Milwaukee in the 9th on a homer from former Met (and 25-rated power hitter) Luis Guillorme, enabling the Brewers to even the series at 2. October 21: Lance Lynn and Alex Kirilloff took care of the pitching and hitting for Minnesota as they evened the ALCS at 2 games each. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-27-2021 at 06:12 PM.

05-27-2021, 06:14 PM	#74
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 21: NLCS Game 5 This one was special, so it deserved its own post: Despite the recap in the box above glossing over it, Marcus Stroman threw only the 3rd no-hitter in postseason history after Don Larsen and Roy Halladay, shutting down Milwaukee and putting the Mets one win away from their first World Series since 2015. He threw a hefty 126 pitches but was never in trouble and was backed by homers from JD Davis and James McCann. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-27-2021 at 06:17 PM.

05-28-2021, 01:13 PM	#75
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 22-?: LCS Games 5 through 7 (if necessary) October 22: Advantage Minnesota as Luis Arraez's 7th inning homer broke a 2-2 tie and the Twins broke a 2-2 series tie with a 3-2 win, also thanks to excellent pitching from Kenta Maeda. October 23: The Mets are in the World Series, thanks to a big 3-run homer from Pete Alonso in the 1st and a decent outing from Carlos Carrasco. Michael Conforto was named Series MVP (7-19, 1 HR, 5 RBI). October 24: And the Mets will be taking on the Twins in the World Series after Minnesota bludgeoned the Angels 13-5 to take the ALCS in 6 games. Luis Arraez was named Series MVP. Frank Viola and Rick Aguilera should be throwing out first pitches. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-28-2021 at 01:19 PM.

05-28-2021, 11:57 PM	#76
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 26: World Series Game 1 The big news of course is that individual LOB are back in the boxes with today's patch. As for the game the Mets overcame a classic Edwin Diaz blown save (allowing a pair of homers in the 9th) to take Game 1 in extra innings. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-28-2021 at 11:59 PM.

05-29-2021, 12:01 AM	#77
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 27: World Series Game 2 Not sure any pitcher in the postseason has had the swing in outcomes that Marcus Stroman just had. From pitching a no-hitter in the NLCS to having his brains bashed in for 11 runs in 1 2/3 innings, which is a 100-point swing in Game Score from 94 to -6. The Twins can certainly hit, as the Rays (and Angels) found out to their chagrin, and now the Mets are witness as the Series is tied at a game apiece and Minnesota wrests home field advantage from New York. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-29-2021 at 12:04 AM.

05-29-2021, 08:33 AM	#78
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 29: World Series Game 3 Rookie Alex Kirilloff, who made his MLB debut in last year's postseason, continued his playoff tear with a 3-run homer to give the Twins a 4-3 win and a 2-1 series lead as the Series shifted to Target Field. All the scoring came in the 5th inning as Brandon Nimmo hit a 3-run shot in the top of the frame against Lance McCullers Jr. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-29-2021 at 08:35 AM.

05-29-2021, 10:22 AM	#79
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 30: World Series Game 4 The Mets got a big game from their big offseason acquisition, Francisco Lindor, to help even up the World Series at 2 games. Meanwhile, Alex Kirilloff continued his insane postseason with 3 more hits including his 7th homer. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-29-2021 at 10:24 AM.

05-29-2021, 10:26 AM	#80
Art Deco Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 7,372	October 31: World Series Game 5 An epic game saw the expected pitchers' duel of Jacob deGrom and Jose Berrios disintegrate in the 5th when both left after being hit hard, and back-and-forth they went with Luis Arraez singling in a run with two out in the 9th off Noah Syndergaard to tie it up before Brandon Nimmo won it in in the 11th for the Mets, who are now one game away from their first World Series title since 1986 as the series shifts back to New York in two days. Last edited by Art Deco; 05-29-2021 at 10:29 AM.