Well that was not a good way to end the biggest series in the history of the biggest and oldest rivalry in baseball. I think by now almost everybody agrees Wilmer Flores did not swing on that pitch. Yes, we all know the probability he was going to hit a 2-run walkoff HR or a game-tying double was extremely low, but hey! We've all seen him do it and more than once! We were not given a fair chance to see if that could happen.
On top of that outrage, there were more questionable and inconsistent ball-strike calls throughout the game, more of which seemed to favor the Dodgers. Ball-strike calling was a problem throughout the series. Once again, if the electronic strike zone is the gold standard, it should be used as it is for line calls in tennis. If it's not, then it should not be shown in TV broadcasts or used to educate and grade umpires. Oh, and managers should by able to ask for replays of check swing calls with the usual limits. If it's the last out of the game and it's a questionable call, it should be a no-brainer.
The best team won the series. The Dodgers were the superior team on paper and on the field, although we all know the best team does not always win a series. The number of pitchers Gape Kapler could rely on dwindled down to about 2+ by the end of the series while the Dodgers had a seemingly endless supply of elite pitching. In the end, that was the difference in the series, not the umpiring.
Logan Webb RHP clearly established himself as a star in the league and a big game pitcher. Barring injury of course, we get to enjoy watching another great career unfold in front of our eyes.
Gabe Kapler deserves to win NL Manager of the Year and it's not a close call. I do have a quibble with his management in the 9'th inning, though. Camilo Doval RHP did not have his best command from the get-go. The HBP on Turner was a huge red flag and may have contributed to his decision to rely almost exclusively on the slider which he also had shaky command of and which requires respect for the fastball to be most effective. If Kap was going to go to the trouble of warming Alex Wood LHP up in the pen, he should have been the guy facing Gavin Lux and Cody Bellinger. Possibly not Lux but definitely Bellinger. Not only is Wood a lefty but he has extensive big game experience both as a starter and reliever. I mean, his performance in relief for the Dodgers last year was the whole reason FZ signed him in the first place!
This was a fantastic season that was must-watch incredibly entertaining baseball from Opening Day to last night. I honestly don't remember a season like this and I've been following for 55 years now. I am grateful for the experience.
Well, that's it for me. I have pretty much zero interest in the rest of the postseason. I'll start putting together ideas for offseason posts and keep them coming as I get the inspiration. I'll probably post most days but am not going to feel obligated.
Thanks to everybody for reading and commenting over the course of the season.
Thanks for the posts. I've been an avid G's watcher since 1962 playoffs, so I got ya by a few years.
ReplyDeleteAgree with many of these thoughts. I personally thought that the bullpen & rotation was not solid enough to make a sustained run to the WS championship, but the Giants certainly got the most mileage out of the roster this year.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of electronic balls/strikes is an intriguing one. I favor the DH too, but I'm sure the controversy will continue.
Welp.. it was a great run for how long it lasted! Agree that the number of reliable pitchers down the stretch was dwindling. Also, besides the home run outburst in game 1, the offense was largely dormant and did not give the team the best chance at winning.
ReplyDeleteIt will be an interesting offseason to observe how FZ will assemble the starting rotation after Webb. Thanks for the posts DrB. Been a longtime lurker of your blog since 2010.
Thanks Dr B -- your blog is widely appreciated. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your posts this season Doc! They were fun to read. I'm so proud of what this team accomplished this year, 107 wins and a Western Division title! it's a bummer the season had to end, but looking forward to 2022! Yeah, what a horrible way for an umpire to end a great series. Kap should win manager of the year hands down.. it's interesting how it seems like Kap doesn't seem to pay much attention to RHP vs LH hitter matchups when it comes to Tyler Rogers and Camillo Doval. Kap seems to like bringing them in games and he has a longer leash with them. I'm sure they appreciate Kap for showing a lot of confidence in them. Should have brought in Alex Wood there. I wondered if Jake McGee ran out of gas, coming off the injury list. Too bad Tony Watson got hurt and Johnny Cueto wasn't stretched out enough to contribute.
ReplyDeleteThis still feels like a bummer today, but I remember feeling a lot worse in 1993 when the Giants won 103 games, and missed the playoffs, since the wildcard didn't exist back then.
For me at least the loss is easier to take knowing the Giants got everything we could reasonably ask out of the season. It was getting tougher with each game to visualize them getting past another 7 game series. I feel like they and we can enjoy the offseason without any regrets or apologies.
DeleteAgree Doc, the Giants have a lot of free agents & lots of money to spend so it should be a fun off-season. On Logan Webb, Marcus Stroman said on Twitter that he thinks Webb will be a top 5-10 SP in the league saying pitch ability and movement are more important then velocity. Will be interesting to see where Webb is ranked in fantasy next year.
Delete