OT: 2021 Blue Jays/MLB season

[bellagiobob]

I think it's still stupid, but it makes slightly more sense in a 82 game season. But 162 games? That's a helluva lot of games played to come to a result, only to finalize it by playing one game.

The only scenarios where one game playoffs make sense to me are in a schedule where there aren't a lot of games played in the regular season (like the NFL), or in a short tournament knockout system where everything takes place over a month (like the World Cup).

I guess on the flipside, if you're a really good team, you have 162 games to not put yourself in the position of having to play a tiebreaker.

 

[North]

Montoyo disfigured my baseball soul this year.

I’m with you. Montoyo left so many points on the field with his decision making.

 

[tardigrade81]

Looking for any particularly savage memes/gifs to send to a buddy who happens to be a jays fan.....

Lol that’s so mean.

 

[Dynamic]

Lol that’s so mean.

He had no problem sending me stuff after 2017 vs the ducks and of course last year after the sweep. He is very deserving.

 

[Cloned]

I guess on the flipside, if you're a really good team, you have 162 games to not put yourself in the position of having to play a tiebreaker.

Eh, the Dodgers won over 100 games this season and have to play a one game WC. That sucks.

 

[bellagiobob]

Eh, the Dodgers won over 100 games this season and have to play a one game WC. That sucks.

Still think it’s better than the old system that had just one wildcard team. But a best of three would be fine.

 

[bellagiobob]

Always found it odd that baseball teams celebrate getting into the wildcard game with champagne and a big party. That’s like a hockey team doing the same just for making the playoffs.

 

[rboomercat90]

Still think it’s better than the old system that had just one wildcard team. But a best of three would be fine.

Or the system before that. 4 divisions and only the winners make the post season. Some years you had teams winning 100 games but finishing second and missing the post season altogether.

 

[The Head Crusher]

Or the system before that. 4 divisions and only the winners make the post season. Some years you had teams winning 100 games but finishing second and missing the post season altogether.

You also get for example 1994 AL West Champs the Texas Rangers going 52-64 but making the playoffs because the division was just that bad.

 

[The Head Crusher]

I made this post back in 2020 in support of the expanded 16 team format they went with last year. I stand by my position that we should expand to this system. It is a long post....

How is that any worse then what they did in 1994 when they finished 52-62 and made the playoffs as the AL West Champs even though they were worse then all 10 of the AL East and Central Teams? You can get that to happen no matter the format.

As a Jays fan I would be greatly in favor of this new system, especially since we are stuck in the Same division as the Yankees and Red Sox. Since the 93 world series we have only made the playoffs twice.

I did an examination of to see how this new system might have impacted the American League (in particular the Jays) over those 26 years. First lets look at the actual playoff appearances.

	Record	Div. Titles	WC	Years in AL	Playoff %
AL East	Baltimore	2	3	26	19.2%
	Boston	6	7	26	50.0%
	New York	15	7	26	84.6%
	Tampa Bay	2	3	22	22.7%
	Toronto	1	1	26	7.7%
AL Central	Chicago	4	0	26	15.4%
	Cleveland	10	2	26	46.2%
	Detroit	4	1	26	19.2%
	Kansas	1	1	26	7.7%
	Minnesota	7	1	26	30.8%
AL West	Houston	3	1	7	57.1%
	Los Angeles	6	1	26	26.9%
	Seattle	3	1	26	15.4%
	Texas	8	1	26	34.6%
	Oakland	6	4	26	38.5%
Other	Milwaukee	0	0	4	0.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Parity in the AL East is extremely lacking compared to the other divisions. The Yankees and the Red Sox account for 74.5% of the total playoff appearances from the AL East teams. That includes a dominance over the wild card spot with 14. That is more than the entire AL Central and West combined over those 26 years. Now how different would it look if we had adopted this back in 1994.

Playoff Teams from 1994-2019

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
2019	Houston	New York	Minnesota	Oakland	Tampa	Cleveland	Boston	Texas
2018	Boston	Houston	New York	Oakland	Cleveland	Minnesota	Tampa Bay	Seattle
2017	Cleveland	Houston	Boston	New York	Minnesota	Los Angles	Tampa Bay	Kansas
2016	Texas	Cleveland	Boston	Toronto	Detroit	Seattle	Baltimore	New York
2015	Kansas	Toronto	Texas	New York	Houston	Minnesota	Los Angles	Cleveland
2014	Anaheim	Baltimore	Detroit	Kansas	Oakland	New York	Seattle	Cleveland
2013	Boston	Oakland	Detroit	Cleveland	Tampa	Texas	Kansas	New York
2012	New York	Oakland	Detroit	Texas	Baltimore	Chicago	Tampa Bay	Los Angeles
2011	New York	Texas	Detroit	Tampa	Los Angles	Cleveland	Boston	Toronto
2010	Tampa	Minnesota	Texas	New York	Chicago	Oakland	Boston	Toronto
2009	New York	Los Angles	Minnesota	Boston	Texas	Detroit	Seattle	Tampa
2008	Los Angeles	Tampa Bay	Chicago	Boston	Minnesota	Texas	New York	Toronto
2007	Boston	Cleveland	Los Angeles	New York	Detroit	Seattle	Toronto	Minnesota
2006	New York	Minnesota	Oakland	Detroit	Los Angles	Toronto	Chicago	Boston
2005	Chicago	New York	Los Angeles	Boston	Oakland	Cleveland	Minnesota	Toronto
2004	New York	Minnesota	Anaheim	Boston	Oakland	Chicago	Cleveland	Texas
2003	New York	Oakland	Minnesota	Boston	Seattle	Chicago	Toronto	Kansas
2002	New York	Oakland	Minnesota	Los Angeles	Boston	Chicago	Seattle	Toronto
2001	Seattle	New York	Cleveland	Oakland	Minnesota	Boston	Chicago	Toronto
2000	Chicago	Oakland	New York	Seattle	Cleveland	Boston	Toronto	Los Angeles
1999	New York	Cleveland	Texas	Boston	Oakland	Chicago	Toronto	Seattle
1998	New York	Cleveland	Texas	Boston	Los Angeles	Chicago	Toronto	Baltimore
1997	Baltimore	Seattle	Cleveland	New York	Los Angeles	Chicago	Detroit	Milwaukee
1996	Cleveland	New York	Texas	Baltimore	Seattle	Chicago	Boston	Milwaukee
1995	Cleveland	Boston	Seattle	New York	Los Angles	Kansas	Texas	Baltimore
1994	New York	Chicago	Texas	Cleveland	Baltimore	Oakland	Kansas	Toronto

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Some notes that I have highlighted:
2018: Minnesota got the 6th spot as the AL west's #2 team even though the 9th seed Angles finished with a higher record.
2013 & 2016: Yankees gets 8th seed due to tie breaker.
2010: Oakland gets 8th seed due to tie breaker.
2008: Texas got the 6th spot as the AL West's #2 team even though the 9th seed Cleveland finished with a higher record.
1999: Chicago got the 6th spot as the AL Central's #2 team even though the 9th seed Baltimore finished with a higher record.
1994: Texas and Oakland claimed the two AL West playoff spots even though they both has a worse record then the entire AL East and Central.

As a Jays fan I am seeing their name popping up more and more often using this system. Now they aren't great positions (generally 7th or 8th) but it gets us into the playoffs. Heck we would have made the playoffs 12 times between 1999 and 2011. In fact everyone benefits from this new system with more appearances and that means more profits. Plus as we saw with The jays 2 playoff appearance in 2015 and 2016, when your team makes the playoffs the fans will come.

	Record	Total Appearances	Years	Playoff %	Difference
AL East	Baltimore	8	26	30.8%	11.5%
	Boston	21	26	80.8%	30.8%
	New York	26	26	100.0%	15.4%
	Tampa Bay	9	22	40.9%	18.2%
	Toronto	15	26	57.7%	50.0%
AL Central	Chicago	15	26	57.7%	42.3%
	Cleveland	19	26	73.1%	26.9%
	Detroit	9	26	34.6%	15.4%
	Kansas	7	26	26.9%	19.2%
	Minnesota	14	26	53.8%	23.1%
AL West	Houston	4	7	57.1%	0.0%
	Los Angeles	16	26	61.5%	34.6%
	Seattle	13	26	50.0%	34.6%
	Texas	15	26	57.7%	23.1%
	Oakland	15	26	57.7%	19.2%
Other	Milwaukee	2	4	50.0%	50.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Now I know this is not the most popular opinion and the purist will fight me to the death, but in my opinion this is good for baseball.

 

[bellagiobob]

I made this post back in 2020 in support of the expanded 16 team format they went with last year. I stand by my position that we should expand to this system. It is a long post....

How is that any worse then what they did in 1994 when they finished 52-62 and made the playoffs as the AL West Champs even though they were worse then all 10 of the AL East and Central Teams? You can get that to happen no matter the format.

As a Jays fan I would be greatly in favor of this new system, especially since we are stuck in the Same division as the Yankees and Red Sox. Since the 93 world series we have only made the playoffs twice.

I did an examination of to see how this new system might have impacted the American League (in particular the Jays) over those 26 years. First lets look at the actual playoff appearances.

	Record	Div. Titles	WC	Years in AL	Playoff %
AL East	Baltimore	2	3	26	19.2%
	Boston	6	7	26	50.0%
	New York	15	7	26	84.6%
	Tampa Bay	2	3	22	22.7%
	Toronto	1	1	26	7.7%
AL Central	Chicago	4	0	26	15.4%
	Cleveland	10	2	26	46.2%
	Detroit	4	1	26	19.2%
	Kansas	1	1	26	7.7%
	Minnesota	7	1	26	30.8%
AL West	Houston	3	1	7	57.1%
	Los Angeles	6	1	26	26.9%
	Seattle	3	1	26	15.4%
	Texas	8	1	26	34.6%
	Oakland	6	4	26	38.5%
Other	Milwaukee	0	0	4	0.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Parity in the AL East is extremely lacking compared to the other divisions. The Yankees and the Red Sox account for 74.5% of the total playoff appearances from the AL East teams. That includes a dominance over the wild card spot with 14. That is more than the entire AL Central and West combined over those 26 years. Now how different would it look if we had adopted this back in 1994.

Playoff Teams from 1994-2019

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
2019	Houston	New York	Minnesota	Oakland	Tampa	Cleveland	Boston	Texas
2018	Boston	Houston	New York	Oakland	Cleveland	Minnesota	Tampa Bay	Seattle
2017	Cleveland	Houston	Boston	New York	Minnesota	Los Angles	Tampa Bay	Kansas
2016	Texas	Cleveland	Boston	Toronto	Detroit	Seattle	Baltimore	New York
2015	Kansas	Toronto	Texas	New York	Houston	Minnesota	Los Angles	Cleveland
2014	Anaheim	Baltimore	Detroit	Kansas	Oakland	New York	Seattle	Cleveland
2013	Boston	Oakland	Detroit	Cleveland	Tampa	Texas	Kansas	New York
2012	New York	Oakland	Detroit	Texas	Baltimore	Chicago	Tampa Bay	Los Angeles
2011	New York	Texas	Detroit	Tampa	Los Angles	Cleveland	Boston	Toronto
2010	Tampa	Minnesota	Texas	New York	Chicago	Oakland	Boston	Toronto
2009	New York	Los Angles	Minnesota	Boston	Texas	Detroit	Seattle	Tampa
2008	Los Angeles	Tampa Bay	Chicago	Boston	Minnesota	Texas	New York	Toronto
2007	Boston	Cleveland	Los Angeles	New York	Detroit	Seattle	Toronto	Minnesota
2006	New York	Minnesota	Oakland	Detroit	Los Angles	Toronto	Chicago	Boston
2005	Chicago	New York	Los Angeles	Boston	Oakland	Cleveland	Minnesota	Toronto
2004	New York	Minnesota	Anaheim	Boston	Oakland	Chicago	Cleveland	Texas
2003	New York	Oakland	Minnesota	Boston	Seattle	Chicago	Toronto	Kansas
2002	New York	Oakland	Minnesota	Los Angeles	Boston	Chicago	Seattle	Toronto
2001	Seattle	New York	Cleveland	Oakland	Minnesota	Boston	Chicago	Toronto
2000	Chicago	Oakland	New York	Seattle	Cleveland	Boston	Toronto	Los Angeles
1999	New York	Cleveland	Texas	Boston	Oakland	Chicago	Toronto	Seattle
1998	New York	Cleveland	Texas	Boston	Los Angeles	Chicago	Toronto	Baltimore
1997	Baltimore	Seattle	Cleveland	New York	Los Angeles	Chicago	Detroit	Milwaukee
1996	Cleveland	New York	Texas	Baltimore	Seattle	Chicago	Boston	Milwaukee
1995	Cleveland	Boston	Seattle	New York	Los Angles	Kansas	Texas	Baltimore
1994	New York	Chicago	Texas	Cleveland	Baltimore	Oakland	Kansas	Toronto

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Some notes that I have highlighted:
2018: Minnesota got the 6th spot as the AL west's #2 team even though the 9th seed Angles finished with a higher record.
2013 & 2016: Yankees gets 8th seed due to tie breaker.
2010: Oakland gets 8th seed due to tie breaker.
2008: Texas got the 6th spot as the AL West's #2 team even though the 9th seed Cleveland finished with a higher record.
1999: Chicago got the 6th spot as the AL Central's #2 team even though the 9th seed Baltimore finished with a higher record.
1994: Texas and Oakland claimed the two AL West playoff spots even though they both has a worse record then the entire AL East and Central.

As a Jays fan I am seeing their name popping up more and more often using this system. Now they aren't great positions (generally 7th or 8th) but it gets us into the playoffs. Heck we would have made the playoffs 12 times between 1999 and 2011. In fact everyone benefits from this new system with more appearances and that means more profits. Plus as we saw with The jays 2 playoff appearance in 2015 and 2016, when your team makes the playoffs the fans will come.

	Record	Total Appearances	Years	Playoff %	Difference
AL East	Baltimore	8	26	30.8%	11.5%
	Boston	21	26	80.8%	30.8%
	New York	26	26	100.0%	15.4%
	Tampa Bay	9	22	40.9%	18.2%
	Toronto	15	26	57.7%	50.0%
AL Central	Chicago	15	26	57.7%	42.3%
	Cleveland	19	26	73.1%	26.9%
	Detroit	9	26	34.6%	15.4%
	Kansas	7	26	26.9%	19.2%
	Minnesota	14	26	53.8%	23.1%
AL West	Houston	4	7	57.1%	0.0%
	Los Angeles	16	26	61.5%	34.6%
	Seattle	13	26	50.0%	34.6%
	Texas	15	26	57.7%	23.1%
	Oakland	15	26	57.7%	19.2%
Other	Milwaukee	2	4	50.0%	50.0%

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Now I know this is not the most popular opinion and the purist will fight me to the death, but in my opinion this is good for baseball.

Nice effort, and great charts and info, but just too many teams for me.

 

[OfCorsiDid]

Looking for any particularly savage memes/gifs to send to a buddy who happens to be a jays fan.....

No memes, but enjoy the warning points.

 

[GOilers88]

Now that the initial disappointment has been slept off, I'm not as down as I was yesterday. They have a very bright future assuming they're willing to fork out some cash this summer to retain an arm or two, and possibly Semien. Really hope he sticks around as he seems like the epitome of a blue collar player. He puts in the work everyday and is a great guy to look to on that bench. I don't see him just falling off a cliff in a year or two so I'd be okay with a frontloaded deal if he wants 4 or 5 years.

Replacing Ray won't be easy so ya gotta hope he comes back too. Ryu/Ray/Berrios/Manoah is a pretty solid rotation with potential for Pearson, unless he's kept in the pen.

Romano/Cimber/Mayza I thought earned it this year. End the Merryweather experiment and find a couple of strong relievers and this team is set imo.

They're so very close, and whether you want to blame Montoyo or not, I think he's earned another season to show what he's learned now that he has an actual full season under his belt. Without all the injuries to the pen and Springer missing half the season I think they easily make the playoffs and most of the grumbling about him takes a back seat.

Looking forward to a very motivated Jays team next season. Hell of a year.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Now that the initial disappointment has been slept off, I'm not as down as I was yesterday. They have a very bright future assuming they're willing to fork out some cash this summer to retain an arm or two, and possibly Semien. Really hope he sticks around as he seems like the epitome of a blue collar player. He puts in the work everyday and is a great guy to look to on that bench. I don't see him just falling off a cliff in a year or two so I'd be okay with a frontloaded deal if he wants 4 or 5 years.

Replacing Ray won't be easy so ya gotta hope he comes back too. Ryu/Ray/Berrios/Manoah is a pretty solid rotation with potential for Pearson, unless he's kept in the pen.

Romano/Cimber/Mayza I thought earned it this year. End the Merryweather experiment and find a couple of strong relievers and this team is set imo.

They're so very close, and whether you want to blame Montoyo or not, I think he's earned another season to show what he's learned now that he has an actual full season under his belt. Without all the injuries to the pen and Springer missing half the season I think they easily make the playoffs and most of the grumbling about him takes a back seat.

Looking forward to a very motivated Jays team next season. Hell of a year.

Agree with pretty much everything here. Except that i’m still feeling pretty down and we disagree on Montoyo.

They really are so close to being a WS contender IMO. The lineup only needs some small tweaks if they can retain/replace Ray and Semien.

C: Jansen/Kirk
1B: Vlad
2B: Semien
SS: Bichette
3B: Espinal
LF: Gurriel
CF: Springer
RF: Hernandez

Jansen/Kirk
Biggio/Valera
*4th outfielder
*Utility infielder

Ray
Berrios
Manoah
Ryu
Pearson/Stripling

Romano
Mayza
Cimber
Richards
Pearson/Stripling
XXX
XXX
XXX

Need to find a way to dump Grichuk and replace him with someone more cost effective, maybe they even resign Dickerson. Then acquire at least 2 back end of the bullpen type arms and they are looking really solid. I’d also look into trading Kirk for an upgrade elsewhere and sign a stop gap until Moreno is hopefully ready.

 

[Juxta Position]

Always found it odd that baseball teams celebrate getting into the wildcard game with champagne and a big party. That’s like a hockey team doing the same just for making the playoffs.

it's a hold over from when only the divison winners made the playoffs, which was only 4 teams. so if you made the playoffs it meant that you were immediatly playing for the League championship.

 

[GOilers88]

Agree with pretty much everything here. Except that i’m still feeling pretty down and we disagree on Montoyo.

They really are so close to being a WS contender IMO. The lineup only needs some small tweaks if they can retain/replace Ray and Semien.

C: Jansen/Kirk
1B: Vlad
2B: Semien
SS: Bichette
3B: Espinal
LF: Gurriel
CF: Springer
RF: Hernandez

Jansen/Kirk
Biggio/Valera
*4th outfielder
*Utility infielder

Ray
Berrios
Manoah
Ryu
Pearson/Stripling

Romano
Mayza
Cimber
Richards
Pearson/Stripling
XXX
XXX
XXX

Need to find a way to dump Grichuk and replace him with someone more cost effective, maybe they even resign Dickerson. Then acquire at least 2 back end of the bullpen type arms and they are looking really solid. I’d also look into trading Kirk for an upgrade elsewhere and sign a stop gap until Moreno is hopefully ready.

Agree with Grichuk. I'd take Dickerson back to fill his spot. I like Grichuk but his stick is just way too inconsistent.

Not sure how I feel about Kirk. I think he's only going to get better at the plate, and if he can do what Vladdy did and trim up a bit I think he's alright with Jansen. Jansen is who kinda scares me cause his stick leaves you wanting but defensively he's awesome.

Edit: I'm also still really high on Biggio. I think the coaching staff wanted him to open up at the plate more and it totally f***ed with him this year. Fully healthy, and going back to what was working for him, I think he could still be a big part of the team

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Agree with Grichuk. I'd take Dickerson back to fill his spot. I like Grichuk but his stick is just way too inconsistent.

Not sure how I feel about Kirk. I think he's only going to get better at the plate, and if he can do what Vladdy did and trim up a bit I think he's alright with Jansen. Jansen is who kinda scares me cause his stick leaves you wanting but defensively he's awesome.

Edit: I'm also still really high on Biggio. I think the coaching staff wanted him to open up at the plate more and it totally f***ed with him this year. Fully healthy, and going back to what was working for him, I think he could still be a big part of the team

You can do a lot worse than Grichuk as a 4th outfielder but yeah his bat is too inconsistent and is overpaid as a 4th outfielder. He might have some value to a rebuilding club as someone who has 25 home run power and can play all three OF positions.

Even before this season started i’ve always thought the perfect place for Biggio is a super utility role. Someone who might play nearly every day due to their versatility but might not be in the starting lineup if everyone is in. Great base runner, left handed bat with a little pop. But he needs to get his eye back at the plate though. Pitchers have keyed in on him and his troubles hitting high heat, so he’s screwed if he doesn’t get his plate discipline back IMO

 

[GOilers88]

You can do a lot worse than Grichuk as a 4th outfielder but yeah his bat is too inconsistent and is overpaid as a 4th outfielder. He might have some value to a rebuilding club as someone who has 25 home run power and can play all three OF positions.

Even before this season started i’ve always thought the perfect place for Biggio is a super utility role. Someone who might play nearly every day due to their versatility but might not be in the starting lineup if everyone is in. Great base runner, left handed bat with a little pop. But he needs to get his eye back at the plate though. Pitchers have keyed in on him and his troubles hitting high heat, so he’s screwed if he doesn’t get his plate discipline back IMO

Couldn't agree more with your assessment of Biggio.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[FlameChampion]

Sucks for Jays and their fans. That division is rough and Baseball playoffs are pretty tough in comparison to the other major leagues.

 

[Juxta Position]

Agree with Grichuk. I'd take Dickerson back to fill his spot. I like Grichuk but his stick is just way too inconsistent.

Not sure how I feel about Kirk. I think he's only going to get better at the plate, and if he can do what Vladdy did and trim up a bit I think he's alright with Jansen. Jansen is who kinda scares me cause his stick leaves you wanting but defensively he's awesome.

Edit: I'm also still really high on Biggio. I think the coaching staff wanted him to open up at the plate more and it totally f***ed with him this year. Fully healthy, and going back to what was working for him, I think he could still be a big part of the team

agree completely on Biggio. it seemed to me that the coaching staff got in his head a bit, told him to be more aggresive, and he ended up being in-between alot this year at the plate. hes a guy who will probably hit .240-.250 but will have a .370-.390 OBP, that's a very valuable player with the mashers the Jays have in this line-up. he got away from being uber patient at the plate and ended up guessing to much and swinging at pitches he normally never swung at before.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[The Head Crusher]

We knew numbers would be down due to limited seating capacity, so this isn't exactly shocking.

 

[Stoneman89]

Well, the finale to the season was crazy, and heart stopping for a lot of fans from different teams. Pretty amazing when you think about it.

Congrats to the Jays for their awesome offensive season, with bright spots on starting pitching as well. Breakouts for a lot of guys, and a bunch of career years. Relievers killed them this year though.

Now.........on to the playoffs and in particular, the wild card games tomorrow night, and predictions.

Yankees/Sox - Cole starting for the Yanks on 5 days rest, which should be more than sufficient. But which Cole will they get? The one that showed moments of brilliance at spotty times in the year? Or the one that got the crap kicked out of him by the Blue Jays a few days ago, in what was, at the time, the biggest game of the year?

The Yankee bats seem to have found a bit of a groove against the Sox, so they have a chance. Not sure it matters much, because the winner will get pounded by the best team in the AL in the next series.

As for the Dodgers, I think they win, and move on to play an epic series against the Giants. I still haven't figured out how SF did it this year. A whole whack of guys had career years, the rookies played like seasoned vets, and their pitching was insane. Never a big long ball team, they led the NL this year, and it wasn't close.

And then the Dodgers add Scherzer this year, who's usually the top dog by a large margin on almost any other team, but on the uber talented and deep Dodgers, he's probably number 3.

Still think the Dodgers win this, and move to have yet another exciting WS with the same 2 teams as last year.

 

[MuzzaFuzza]

Well, the finale to the season was crazy, and heart stopping for a lot of fans from different teams. Pretty amazing when you think about it.

Congrats to the Jays for their awesome offensive season, with bright spots on starting pitching as well. Breakouts for a lot of guys, and a bunch of career years. Relievers killed them this year though.

Now.........on to the playoffs and in particular, the wild card games tomorrow night, and predictions.

Yankees/Sox - Cole starting for the Yanks on 5 days rest, which should be more than sufficient. But which Cole will they get? The one that showed moments of brilliance at spotty times in the year? Or the one that got the crap kicked out of him by the Blue Jays a few days ago, in what was, at the time, the biggest game of the year?

The Yankee bats seem to have found a bit of a groove against the Sox, so they have a chance. Not sure it matters much, because the winner will get pounded by the best team in the AL in the next series.

As for the Dodgers, I think they win, and move on to play an epic series against the Giants. I still haven't figured out how SF did it this year. A whole whack of guys had career years, the rookies played like seasoned vets, and their pitching was insane. Never a big long ball team, they led the NL this year, and it wasn't close.

And then the Dodgers add Scherzer this year, who's usually the top dog by a large margin on almost any other team, but on the uber talented and deep Dodgers, he's probably number 3.

Still think the Dodgers win this, and move to have yet another exciting WS with the same 2 teams as last year.

I’m rooting for the Yankees to beat the Sox and set up a re-match with Tampa, that would be another awesome series. I hate to even say it but heck, I might even cheer for the Yankees to make it out of this side of the bracket. Something about the Rays really just rubs me the wrong way.

On the NL side I agree it looks that the Dodgers are favourites again but I really hope San Fran can continue to prove everyone wrong and make it past them should they beat St Louis.

Side note but you were right about the Padres, I was convinced they would be a top team this year but they just could not at all put it together. Another Very disappointing season for that club.