Two over .700 teams meet in early May

Red(s)HawksFan

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Definitely a fluke, I don't remember any teams juggling their rotations to face NY so far.
Yeah, it's rare for teams to even be able to juggle rotations just for a specific team. Not with so few days off and teams reluctant to have pitchers stray too far from their routine. Plus, not every team is going to treat a series with the Yankees any differently than one against anyone else.

The Yankees avoiding LH starters more than most so far this year is mostly down to scheduling in that they've played a few teams with no left-handed starters at all (Baltimore, Minnesota, Cleveland).

Meanwhile, they've faced both of Toronto's lefties (Happ and Garcia) over two series. And in one series against each team, they've faced both of LAA's lefties (Skaggs and Heaney), Tampa's only lefty (Snell), Houston's only lefty (Keuchel), and of course, half of the Red Sox's lefties. They also faced lefties in both their games against the Marlins.

I don't think they've really missed any chances when it comes to seeing lefty starters (maybe Detroit, but that was only one game thanks to rainouts).

And hey, as I type, they get to avoid one lefty but get another instead...Price scratched, Porcello and ERod bumped up a day.
 

Wingack

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Definitely a fluke, I don't remember any teams juggling their rotations to face NY so far.
Speaking of juggling rotations, I was watching the Nats game last night and I counted out the days till wen they play two games next week and it looks like the Yankees will miss both Scherzer and Strasburg, who pitch Friday and Saturday this week.

It's probably better for the Nats to have those two go up against the Dodgers next weekend anyway.
 

Sampo Gida

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Hasn't baseball always had at least one terrible team, like the old Washington Senators or St. Louis Browns, or the 1988 Orioles who went 0-21 to start the season. There was no tanking then. Teams just sucked. The 1960-62 Phillies! Ed Sawyer quit as manager on Opening Day in 1960, saying he was 49 and wanted to live to 50.
Al on pace for 4 -100+ loss teams in a season. Most they ever was 3 and that was only once I believe. In recent years most of the bad teams have been in NL or imported from NL to AL (Houston). AL East has had 4 - 100+ loss teams in the last 11 years and none in AL East.
 

ledsox

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There have been only 2 days this year when both teams have lost. May 11 and 18. I find that pretty amazing.
Updating the win pct. as of this morning...Yanks .690, Sox .674.
 

uk_sox_fan

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There have been only 2 days this year when both teams have lost. May 11 and 18. I find that pretty amazing.
Updating the win pct. as of this morning...Yanks .690, Sox .674.
Actually if you crunch the numbers, it's right about what you'd expect.

In the 53 days since the season began there have been 2 days that neither team played, 12* that only one played and 39* that both teams played. Of those 39, 6 were when they played each other leaving 33 days when both could win or lose.

The Sox and Yankees went 3-3 against each other so their records in games against all other opponents were 29-12 (.707) and 27-10 (.730) respectively. This means that, all things being equal, there would be a (1-.707) x (1-.730) = .079 chance that both teams would lose on a given night that both were playing against other teams.

33 x .079 = 2.61 so you would expect there to be between 2 and 3 nights so far to have had both teams lose.

edit: *I'm counting the Yankee's recent tie with Washington as a day without a game
 
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ledsox

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Actually if you crunch the numbers, it's right about what you'd expect.

In the 53 days since the season began there have been 2 days that neither team played, 12* that only one played and 39* that both teams played. Of those 39, 6 were when they played each other leaving 33 days when both could win or lose.

The Sox and Yankees went 3-3 against each other so their records in games against all other opponents were 29-12 (.707) and 27-10 (.730) respectively. This means that, all things being equal, there would be a (1-.707) x (1-.730) = .079 chance that both teams would lose on a given night that both were playing against other teams.

33 x .079 = 2.61 so you would expect there to be between 2 and 3 nights so far to have had both teams lose.

edit: *I'm counting the Yankee's recent tie with Washington as a day without a game
Well done. Yeah, the more I thought about it (considering the pace) the less amazed I was. ;)
There has just been so little losing. Both teams now over .680 and none other over .625.
 

Idabomb333

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If the Yankees lose tonight, they'll be considered 0.5 games in back of the Sox by normal win/loss counts. Because both teams are above 2/3 in their winning percentages, the fact that the Yankees have played 3 fewer games will mean they still have a better win percentage. So who's considered to be in 1st place? Has this ever happened before?
 

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If the Yankees lose tonight, they'll be considered 0.5 games in back of the Sox by normal win/loss counts. Because both teams are above 2/3 in their winning percentages, the fact that the Yankees have played 3 fewer games will mean they still have a better win percentage. So who's considered to be in 1st place? Has this ever happened before?
I've seen it before, and they've listed the team with the higher winning percentage in first, even though they're 0.5 games back.

EDIT--either things have changed or I'm misremembering, but everyone has the Sox listed in first.
 
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jungleboy

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The same thing is happening at the bottom of the AL Central, where KC is listed last on the MLB At Bat app, half a game behind the White Sox despite a better winning percentage.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Ultimately, does it really matter how they're listed on May 23? Aside from Dan Duquette, no one is counting how many days a team is in first place.
 

jon abbey

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It doesn't matter, but it's really wacky for the 2nd place team to have a half game lead over the 1st place team.
This happens a lot in basketball where the best teams usually are above .700.
 

DeadlySplitter

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bumping.

the Red Sox are 43-19 (.693). The Yankees are about to be 40-18 (.690). They next meet at the end of this month.

Two over .650 teams meet at midseason? sure looking that way. also a collision course in the ALDS feels inevitable right now, WC game super small sample size notwithstanding.
 

bosockboy

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bumping.

the Red Sox are 43-19 (.693). The Yankees are about to be 40-18 (.690). They next meet at the end of this month.

Two over .650 teams meet at midseason? sure looking that way. also a collision course in the ALDS feels inevitable right now, WC game super small sample size notwithstanding.
Is it a certainty we’d meet in ALDS?
 

richgedman'sghost

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So by finshing with the second best record Houston will get to face Cleveland in the ALDS while we would have to face New York? That does not seem fair. I think the team wirh best record should get to chooae its opponent.
 

richgedman'sghost

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My assumption is that the Yankees win the wildcard and then.beat the other wild catd team which will probably be the second place team in the AL West either Anaheim or Seattle.
 

jon abbey

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The wild card started in 1995, the silly coin flip game in 2012, and only one 100+ win team has ever been a wild card under either format, the 2001 A's*. It's looking like it will be 2 after this season, 538 has NY and BOS at 104 and 103 wins currently.

*who NY beat in 5 in the ALDS, the Jeter flip to home to get the non-sliding Jeremy Giambi series.
 

sean1562

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well, ideal scenario, Sox win the WC, Mike Trout is Mike Trout, Ohtani throws 7 scoreless, and we play the Angels in the ALDS. The WC game is one game, anything can happen

edit: I am dumb, meant Yanks. Dont know why i wrote Sox there. ideal scenario Mike Trout single-handedly eliminates the Yanks in the WC game
 
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Adrian's Dome

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well, ideal scenario, Sox win the WC, Mike Trout is Mike Trout, Ohtani throws 7 scoreless, and we play the Angels in the ALDS. The WC game is one game, anything can happen
Nothing about the Sox winning the WC is the "ideal scenario". Division first, if not the division, then deal with whatever you've gotten yourself into.
 

uk_sox_fan

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Ideal scenario is that the Ms somehow hold onto the West and NY and Hou have to face each other in the WC (as they’re slated to do at the moment). The coin flip game goes 28 innings and both teams use 3 starters and all their bullpen. Don’t care who wins it (Judge probably pitches the 28th for the win)
 

BaseballJones

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At their current winning percentage, projected over 162 games:

NYY: 112 wins
Bos: 109 wins
Sea: 104 wins
Hou: 102 wins
LAA: 88 wins
Cle: 87 wins

The Sox could legitimately win like 103-105 games and get blown out in the division. That would be crazy. I don't think we'll see 4 100-win teams in the AL, but we could see 2-3 of them possibly.
 

bosockboy

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At their current winning percentage, projected over 162 games:

NYY: 112 wins
Bos: 109 wins
Sea: 104 wins
Hou: 102 wins
LAA: 88 wins
Cle: 87 wins

The Sox could legitimately win like 103-105 games and get blown out in the division. That would be crazy. I don't think we'll see 4 100-win teams in the AL, but we could see 2-3 of them possibly.
I need another month or so to totally buy in on the M’s.
 

sean1562

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If Paxton can sustain his cliff lee impression, Hernandez rebounds and Seager hits just a little better they could pull it off
 

The Red Industry

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If Paxton can sustain his cliff lee impression, Hernandez rebounds and Seager hits just a little better they could pull it off
All while winning 52 1-run games. I don't see it, but it is possible. Through 67 games they have a +25 diff. I'd say that's all smoke and mirrors.
 

jon abbey

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Seattle is about to play 10 games in a row against BOS and NY (such strange scheduling this season), so we'll see how they look after that stretch.
 

snowmanny

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At their current winning percentage, projected over 162 games:

NYY: 112 wins
Bos: 109 wins
Sea: 104 wins
Hou: 102 wins
LAA: 88 wins
Cle: 87 wins

The Sox could legitimately win like 103-105 games and get blown out in the division. That would be crazy. I don't think we'll see 4 100-win teams in the AL, but we could see 2-3 of them possibly.
We could and the standings are unreal but I'd still put the over-under at 1.0 team winning 100 games, and I might bet the under.

Houston and New York and Boston are very talented, and yes there are some Kansas City A's/St Louis Browns type teams
ready to volunteer losses, but playing at a .590 clip the rest of the way is hard.
 

Murderer's Crow

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We could and the standings are unreal but I'd still put the over-under at 1.0 team winning 100 games, and I might bet the under.

Houston and New York and Boston are very talented, and yes there are some Kansas City A's/St Louis Browns type teams
ready to volunteer losses, but playing at a .590 clip the rest of the way is hard.
Schedules matter and I think NYY has an advantage having finished off many of their tough series already. No more Houston, only 3 vs Cle, a couple series against Seattle, and a very light July & August. Also considering that the AL East is likely to sell off, Boston and NYY have huge advantages in September when they aren't playing each other.
 

bosockboy

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Schedules matter and I think NYY has an advantage having finished off many of their tough series already. No more Houston, only 3 vs Cle, a couple series against Seattle, and a very light July & August. Also considering that the AL East is likely to sell off, Boston and NYY have huge advantages in September when they aren't playing each other.
Agreed, late season the O’s will have dumped Machado and Jones, Toronto Donaldson, Tampa Archer, etc...they will all be more or less 100+ loss defenseless teams. Pretty realistic both Sox and Yankees going north of 100.
 

jon abbey

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Agreed, late season the O’s will have dumped Machado and Jones, Toronto Donaldson, Tampa Archer, etc...they will all be more or less 100+ loss defenseless teams. Pretty realistic both Sox and Yankees going north of 100.
Tampa is only going to get better if they actually bring up some of their youth as they have started to, Toronto maybe too, Baltimore probably not. All in all, I think there is not much difference playing those three teams early in the season or late.
 

Wingack

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During the Yankee game today, Michael Kay said the Yankees are on pace to win 112 games and the Red Sox are on pace to win 110.

One of these teams is going to get screwed.
 

terrynever

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I think we should just enjoy the greatness of both teams on a daily basis, knowing that October will be nuts with Houston still the team to beat.
 

cromulence

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I think we should just enjoy the greatness of both teams on a daily basis, knowing that October will be nuts with Houston still the team to beat.
This would be easier to do if baseball (all major American sports besides MLS and the NHL, really) gave proper recognition to being the best team over the course of the regular season. We all love the playoffs, but it kind of sucks how little most people care about which team was the best over 162 games when in a lot of ways it's a more impressive feat than getting hot for a month in October. It's unlikely that whatever trophy/award you give out would ever be as highly valued as the World Series, but that's fine - it should still be something, and over time, it would hopefully gain more significance.

Anyway, tangent complete. I just really hate the wildcard game.
 
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SoFloSoxFan

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This would be easier to do if baseball (all major American sports besides MLS, really) gave proper recognition to being the best team over the course of the regular season. It's unlikely that whatever trophy/award you give out would ever be as highly valued as the World Series, but that's fine - it should still be something,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidents'_Trophy
 

terrynever

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This would be easier to do if baseball (all major American sports besides MLS, really) gave proper recognition to being the best team over the course of the regular season. We all love the playoffs, but it kind of sucks how little most people care about which team was the best over 162 games when in a lot of ways it's a more impressive feat than getting hot for a month in October. It's unlikely that whatever trophy/award you give out would ever be as highly valued as the World Series, but that's fine - it should still be something, and over time, it would hopefully gain more significance.

Anyway, tangent complete. I just really hate the wildcard game.
We had a lot of boring summers during the 154-game schedule when the Yankees would open up a 10-game lead and coast into October where there was just a World Series to worry about. So baseball did something about it. Now we have playoffs up the wazoo. One game just to keep playing? This is our modern world. No more boring summers. Octobers are nuts. I prefer the modern setup, flaws and all.