04/25/24
October 30, 2014
Giants Win World Series: The San Francisco Giants are World Series champions for the third time in five seasons after defying the odds for a road team in Game 7 and beating the Kansas City Royals 3-2 at Kauffman Stadium. Michael Morse gave the Giants that lead with a fourth-inning single and the San Francisco bullpen, most notably Madison Bumgarner, pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings to deliver another parade.
Win, save, whatever the case, Bumgarner was THE pitching staff for the Giants, period. It's actually better if he is credited with a save because we can now view him as the Giants' best starter and reliever. He is the entire reason they won this series because no other pitcher on their staff would have done the job in this game.
posted by dyams at 05:44 AM on October 30, 2014
Pfft! Beginner's luck.
posted by NoMich at 07:02 AM on October 30, 2014
If the initial starter is ineffective, doesn't the official scorer have discretion to choose any reliever he or she feels contributed most to the win, even if it was not the pitcher of record when the final lead was taken? I thought it was originally a win, they even mentioned it on air in like the 8th or 9th after Joe Buck mentioned the 5 inning save and corrected himself shortly after. So why did it turn it from a win to a save a while later?
The relief pitcher of record who enters the game needs to be deemed ineffective by the scorers in order for them to pick someone else as the winner. Affeldt was the pitcher of record when they scored the 3rd run and had thrown 2.1 scoreless innings which doesn't qualify as being ineffective.
There are degrees of judgment involved, but Affeldt did a solid job and deserved the win, while Baumgarner deserved the save. I think the scorers got a bit caught up initially in the romance, which to be fair, I would too.
posted by dfleming at 07:53 AM on October 30, 2014
Affeldt really was an unsung hero this postseason - 11 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, 7 holds, and two key wins - the other being the complete bailout job he did for Santiago Castilla that preserved the lead before Ishikawa hit the big home run against St. Louis.
posted by dfleming at 07:57 AM on October 30, 2014
Postseason memories I can tell to my grandkids from my porch rocker:
I saw Gibson in '67, Lolich in '68, Hershiser in '88, Johnson in '01, Bumgarner in '14...
posted by beaverboard at 08:03 AM on October 30, 2014
dfleming is correct. The "most effective" rule only applies if the lead is gained during the starter's short outing as per 10.17(b), or if the technical relief pitcher or record is deemed ineffective:
10.17(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.
Regardless - what a performance by Bumgarner. Something for the ages.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:16 AM on October 30, 2014
... if people could root against a 19-0 Patriots season or any more success from the Sox simply out of spite/jealousy, I'm free to root against any other dynasties as well.
I rooted against the Patriots perfect season because they kept crushing my hopes, week after week, and it was a pretty thrilling run. If I had known they'd actually lose the Super Bowl I might have done things differently.
The Giants are one of the great modern dynasties now. Credit to them for that. I was worried for the Royals when Kung Fu Panda was so loose before his first at-bat that he winked at the camera.
I hated Yost's decision to sacrifice bunt Escobar in the fifth with Infante on first and no outs. I know that has been Royals baseball, but it gave Bumgarner a free out when he had just come in and wasn't in his groove yet.
posted by rcade at 08:18 AM on October 30, 2014
Also, I wonder what happened in the parallel universe where Ned Yost doesn't bunt the runner over. Bumgarner was struggling with location against those first few batters, and giving up an out there seemed to make it easier for him to get out of the inning.
On edit, what rcade said.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 08:19 AM on October 30, 2014
While Bumgarner was easily the World Series MVP, this poor Chevy executive is the World Series LVP (Least Valuable Pitchman):
That was just about as bad a TV appearance as you can get.
posted by grum@work at 08:20 AM on October 30, 2014
If, you're like me, you wonder to yourself....
"What was Barry Bonds doing after SF won the World Series?"
posted by grum@work at 08:28 AM on October 30, 2014
Here is the statcast of Gordon running around the bases in the 9th inning. From this, you can pretty much tell that he didn't really have an option of trying to score on the play, despite the misplay by Blanco and the bobble by Juan Perez. Even if he's running full out from 2nd to 3rd, Crawford's throw would have beaten him by 20 feet or so.
Given how Bumgarner was pitching, and how Sal Perez was hitting, maybe you take that chance anyways and hope for a bad throw/catch....
posted by grum@work at 08:36 AM on October 30, 2014
If, you're like me, you wonder to yourself.... "What was Barry Bonds doing after SF won the World Series?" Well, here is your answer.
That's pretty cool.
posted by NoMich at 08:48 AM on October 30, 2014
Given how Bumgarner was pitching, and how Sal Perez was hitting, maybe you take that chance anyways and hope for a bad throw/catch....
Man, an in the park homerun to tie game 7 of the World Series would have gone down as an all-time classic play! I'm not sure that you could even fault the 3rd base coach for making the wrong call (given the likelihood of an out) and sending Gordon--though that should by no means be construed as me saying he should have done that. This may be the rare situation where either choice was the right decision.
posted by bender at 10:40 AM on October 30, 2014
I'm not sure that you could even fault the 3rd base coach for making the wrong call (given the likelihood of an out) and sending Gordon
If he's safe, or out on a bang-bang play, then it's a good call by the 3rd base coach/player.
If he's out by 10+ feet, then you wear the goat horns on your head for the rest of your life, just like this idiot did when he made the final out in the World Series by getting caught stealing 2nd base! Nobody can ever fix their reputation after something like that happens. Seriously, it's all he'll ever be remembered for...
posted by grum@work at 10:49 AM on October 30, 2014
Bonds looks good. Things seem right. His head is smaller now - back down to Pirate size.
I watched with the sound off, so I don't know whether the talking heads gave the Bochy-Righetti combo some of the same kind of love that they used to lavish on Cox-Mazzone and LaRussa-Duncan. Hopefully so.
posted by beaverboard at 10:57 AM on October 30, 2014
Nobody can ever fix their reputation after something like that happens. Seriously, it's all he'll ever be remembered for...
I understand that, but if you say, "Bumgarner has gotten 14 outs in a row, and they already bobbled the ball twice on the play and the crowd is going nuts so maybe that puts more pressure to make a bad throw, so I decided it was worth a shot.." I'm not saying that I could have made that call, but I'd understand.
posted by bender at 11:09 AM on October 30, 2014
Chevy pitchman Rikk Wilde was just the capper of a typically weird Series-winning festivities. It seemed reporters and players alike were on the verge of tears, and I'm sorry MLB, but presenting the trophy in a small closet to the team's owners in front of no one just looks bush league. Give me the Stanley Cup presentation any day. At least Bud Selig didn't try to steal Erin Andrews' mic this time.
posted by geneparmesan at 11:56 AM on October 30, 2014
bender: My comment about not fixing their reputation or being remembered for only that was a bit of satire, considering who it was that got caught stealing in 1926...
I get the feeling that if they had sent Gordon home, he might have made it because of the crazy KC karma that had carried them from not making the playoffs to making them to coming from behind in the wild-card game to getting them past "better" teams like the Angels and Orioles, to pushing it to Game 7...
I kind of wish they had tried. There have been many amazing "rolling the dice" chances that have created epic playoff moments:
- Using gimpy Kirk Gibson as a pinch-hitter in 1988
- An injured Pedro Martinez in comes in as a reliever in 1999
- The proto-Bumgarner-move, Randy Johnson, World Series Game 7 closer on *0* days rest, in 2001
posted by grum@work at 12:23 PM on October 30, 2014
this poor Chevy executive is the World Series LVP (Least Valuable Pitchman)
Erin Andrews is staring a hole in Rikke Wilde*, thinking, "If he would just listen to me about probiotics!"
* Is that his Chippendale's name or something?
posted by yerfatma at 12:32 PM on October 30, 2014
Yeah, I clicked on the Babe Ruth link and was confused, since that was clearly the joke, but the first part seemed genuine. I guess I need to recalibrate the sarcasm detector.
Rikk Wilde! HA! I hadn't noticed that the first time.
posted by bender at 01:44 PM on October 30, 2014
Erin Andrews is staring a hole in Rikke Wilde*, thinking, "If he would just listen to me about probiotics!"
* Is that his Chippendale's name or something?
Taking a look at him...I'm guessing "no".
Though maybe he was in Motley Crue for a little bit.
Edited: apparently, SpoFi rejects umlauts. Good to know.
posted by Bonkers at 02:08 PM on October 30, 2014
If only Erin had asked Rikkk for his phone number -- then they would have had to call in the cardio squad and hustle him out of there horizontally.
No umlauts? It's still Oktoberfest for one more day. Bitte fixen sie, Herr Kaleu.
posted by beaverboard at 02:58 PM on October 30, 2014
Mynd you, møøse bites Kan be pretti nastï
posted by yerfatma at 03:58 PM on October 30, 2014
Great performance by Bumgarner, but agree with the bunting thing in the 5th. It's not that you necessarily play for the big inning, it's that you make Bumgarner work for it.
posted by holden at 03:58 PM on October 30, 2014
The plot for this alternate timeline where Yost doesn't bunt in the 5th would be interesting - he plays against the data for an entire season which gets them to game 7 in the World Series, then get hit by lightning/a heaved, massive burrito off a bridge/a Motley Crue drumstick at a concert, and when he wakes up is equipped with an entirely different analytical framework.
Because as you all know, if you change it at any other point, who knows what happens in the rest of the timeline. Perhaps he takes up swing dance because that's what the ladies in grade 11 were into.
posted by dfleming at 04:17 PM on October 30, 2014
Baumgartner's effort is somewhat similar to that of Pedro Martinez in the 1999 ALDS. Pedro had left game 1 with back soreness, but came out of the bullpen in game 5. The Red Sox were down 8-7 after overcoming a 5-2 Cleveland lead, and then seeing Cleveland chase Derek Lowe who himself was on in relief of starter Bret Saberhagen. Pedro went 6 innings of no-hit ball, and he earned the win on the strength of Troy O'Leary's home run.
dfleming has the scoring rule correct. Had Affeldt allowed a tying or go-ahead run, then Baumgartner would have become the pitcher of record and would have earned the win. Still, a 5-inning save with a performance such as Baumgartner gave is not exactly chopped liver.
posted by Howard_T at 08:51 PM on October 30, 2014
he plays against the data for an entire season which gets them to game 7 in the World Series
That is certainly one way of looking at it. Another would be: he stops touching the stove right before his hand gets burned badly.
he earned the win on the strength of Troy O'Leary's home run.
Your memory is going: Troy O'Leary's two homes runs (generating 7 RBI).
posted by yerfatma at 08:55 AM on October 31, 2014
Your memory is going
That's no surprise, it never was much longer than a certain part of my anatomy. I was only counting the last one that put them ahead for good.
posted by Howard_T at 06:40 PM on October 31, 2014
Congrats to San Franciso, although I was rooting for underdog KC so we could get a champion who hasn't won recently. Besides, if people could root against a 19-0 Patriots season or any more success from the Sox simply out of spite/jealousy, I'm free to root against any other dynasties as well. :)
I still don't fully understand Bumgarner getting a 5-inning "save". If the initial starter is ineffective, doesn't the official scorer have discretion to choose any reliever he or she feels contributed most to the win, even if it was not the pitcher of record when the final lead was taken? I thought it was originally a win, they even mentioned it on air in like the 8th or 9th after Joe Buck mentioned the 5 inning save and corrected himself shortly after. So why did it turn it from a win to a save a while later?
Could use some Howard_T wisdom on this...