World Series 2018--Red Sox vs. Dodgers

Red(s)HawksFan

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it better be Eovaldi for game 3 because that means he would pitch game 7 if needed. He has been a stud in the play offs and not having him on the mound to pitch a game 7 because he pitched the 8th inning with a 4 run lead last night would be criminal.
What about the way Cora has handled his pitching staff would suggest that he would be looking ahead to Game 7 right now? He'll make his decision on Eovaldi or Porcello for Game 3 based on which pitcher he thinks is more ready to make the start. If Porcello isn't needed tonight, he very well may be the choice. That doesn't automatically mean he'd be the starter in Game 7.

Regardless of who starts Game 3 and who starts Game 4, both guys will be available in Game 7. World Series Game 7 is THE all hands on deck situation of all hands on deck situations. But we should realize by now that Cora is going to manage the series to avoid a Game 7 by winning three more games before then by whatever means are necessary.
 

Savin Hillbilly

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The wrong side of the bridge....
What about the way Cora has handled his pitching staff would suggest that he would be looking ahead to Game 7 right now? He'll make his decision on Eovaldi or Porcello for Game 3 based on which pitcher he thinks is more ready to make the start. If Porcello isn't needed tonight, he very well may be the choice. That doesn't automatically mean he'd be the starter in Game 7.

Regardless of who starts Game 3 and who starts Game 4, both guys will be available in Game 7. World Series Game 7 is THE all hands on deck situation of all hands on deck situations. But we should realize by now that Cora is going to manage the series to avoid a Game 7 by winning three more games before then by whatever means are necessary.
Yes to all of this, and also, more practically, it seems highly unlikely that one 16-pitch inning on a Tuesday night would have any impact on Eovaldi's availability on Friday night.
 

ricopetro6

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What about the way Cora has handled his pitching staff would suggest that he would be looking ahead to Game 7 right now? He'll make his decision on Eovaldi or Porcello for Game 3 based on which pitcher he thinks is more ready to make the start. If Porcello isn't needed tonight, he very well may be the choice. That doesn't automatically mean he'd be the starter in Game 7.

Regardless of who starts Game 3 and who starts Game 4, both guys will be available in Game 7. World Series Game 7 is THE all hands on deck situation of all hands on deck situations. But we should realize by now that Cora is going to manage the series to avoid a Game 7 by winning three more games before then by whatever means are necessary.
I don't agree with this..Eovaldi has been dominant..not thinking about future games is foolish. I fully expect Eovaldi on the hill for game 3, and game 7 if needed.
 

DJnVa

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Jeff Passan: Baseball has become self-aware. And possibly less interesting.

For years, the game has barreled toward this moment in which all of its big-data shrewdness, its deification of efficiency, its obsessive granularity converged in one place. Altogether, they have produced the single largest change to baseball since integration. The question – the one that vexes a sport with an aging audience and a bleeding fan base – is whether this fidelity to winning a game is bad for the game.
 

JimD

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I don't agree with this..Eovaldi has been dominant..not thinking about future games is foolish. I fully expect Eovaldi on the hill for game 3, and game 7 if needed.
Aggressively using your pitching resources to win now is not mutually exclusive with planning for a potential game 7. Based on everything we've seen this month, Alex Cora is a meticulous planner - if he's using starters as his 'rovers' in to win games, he certainly has a vision of how he'll use them later in the series, if and when they get there.
 

lexrageorge

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Eovaldi threw 16 pitches on a typical side session day. He's got 2 days off before Game 3. There's no reason why he wouldn't be available Game 3. Flash: Merloni is dead wrong.
 

brandonchristensen

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I 100% agree. I was saying this in the game thread, that the game has slowed down too much because of this.

It’s the same as how the NFL has changed where rules become arbitrary, and flags are thrown constantly. People are afraid of sacking the QB because they might get flagged. DBs can’t make a play on the ball for fear of a flag. Not being an NBA fan, I’m not sure when it happened, but the end of the 4th Quarter being endless fouls is the same thing.

It’s painful to watch it unless your team is in.

I’ve been watching old World Series games on YouTube and the pace of play is incredible. Pitcher gets the ball from the catcher, and then he’s on the mound and ready to go.

Now I can go and wipe my kids butt after a pitch, come back and he’s about to throw.
 

Return of the Dewey

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This should go over well tonight with Fenway fans....nothing like giving fans billboard material:

After the game, Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycutt complained to Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci about the intimate Fenway bullpen setup, which grants fans easy access to opposing players. “Brutal. Pretty brutal,” Honeycutt said. “What I don’t understand is why baseball allows it. You’ve got the rubber right there and people literally standing over you.”
https://weei.radio.com/blogs/alex-reimer/rick-honeycutt-complains-about-fenway-park-crowd-taunting-clayton-kershaw?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 

Light-Tower-Power

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I 100% agree. I was saying this in the game thread, that the game has slowed down too much because of this.

It’s the same as how the NFL has changed where rules become arbitrary, and flags are thrown constantly. People are afraid of sacking the QB because they might get flagged. DBs can’t make a play on the ball for fear of a flag. Not being an NBA fan, I’m not sure when it happened, but the end of the 4th Quarter being endless fouls is the same thing.

It’s painful to watch it unless your team is in.

I’ve been watching old World Series games on YouTube and the pace of play is incredible. Pitcher gets the ball from the catcher, and then he’s on the mound and ready to go.

Now I can go and wipe my kids butt after a pitch, come back and he’s about to throw.
I agree as well. The on-field product has gotten extremely tedious and there is no way I'd watch these games if the Red Sox weren't playing. I don't know what can be done about it outside of a pitch clock but something has to give because baseball will continue to die if the pace of play doesn't improve. I'm not saying every pitcher has to be Mark Buehrle but there has to be some happy medium. I was timing Price in Game 5 and it was like 25 seconds between pitches. That's just unacceptable. Couple that with the high number of pitches thrown per game as Passan points out and the games move at a glacial, uninteresting pace.
 

DJnVa

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I agree as well. The on-field product has gotten extremely tedious and there is no way I'd watch these games if the Red Sox weren't playing. I don't know what can be done about it outside of a pitch clock but something has to give because baseball will continue to die if the pace of play doesn't improve.
  1. Pitch clock (I think it's in article, but saving 4 seconds/pitch saves like 20 minutes)
  2. Coach visit=change
  3. Pitchers that don't get last out of inning must face at least 3 batters
 

Return of the Dewey

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I 100% agree. I was saying this in the game thread, that the game has slowed down too much because of this.

It’s the same as how the NFL has changed where rules become arbitrary, and flags are thrown constantly. People are afraid of sacking the QB because they might get flagged. DBs can’t make a play on the ball for fear of a flag. Not being an NBA fan, I’m not sure when it happened, but the end of the 4th Quarter being endless fouls is the same thing.

It’s painful to watch it unless your team is in.

I’ve been watching old World Series games on YouTube and the pace of play is incredible. Pitcher gets the ball from the catcher, and then he’s on the mound and ready to go.

Now I can go and wipe my kids butt after a pitch, come back and he’s about to throw.
I don't completely agree, but that may be because I'm attracted to the chess match and drama. The one change that I'd them make, which I think would greatly improve the game, is to use technology ("robots" in gamethread speak) for balls and strikes. I think that once you get a consistent strike zone, the nibbling will decrease because pitchers will know that there is no leeway off the plate.
 

Harry Hooper

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Honeycutt pining for the Kingdome's cavernous confines of his playing days.
 

geoduck no quahog

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So yah... That was a bad zone tonight



It sure looked like there were identical pitches thrown last night that were called both a ball and a strike. How do these charts handle 2 pitches thrown to the exact same spot if they're two colors.

(The RHH chart above looks like 2 identical pitches were thrown inside on the black at 2.0 feet. Same with those clusters at 0.5 Horizontal at 2.5 and below )
 

JimD

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  1. Pitch clock (I think it's in article, but saving 4 seconds/pitch saves like 20 minutes)
  2. Coach visit=change
  3. Pitchers that don't get last out of inning must face at least 3 batters
Agree on the first. The second is already being addressed with the limit on mound visits. Forcing batters to stay in the box will also meaningfully improve pace of play.

A vehement 'no' on the third. If you're going there, why not also force a pinch hitter or runner to stay in the game until they bat again at least once? At some point you will start to ruin the game in search of a 'fix'. Let's see how well the pitch clock, eliminating batter step-outs, etc, do before more drastic measures are considered.
 

DJnVa

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Agree on the first. The second is already being addressed with the limit on mound visits. Forcing batters to stay in the box will also meaningfully improve pace of play.

A vehement 'no' on the third. If you're going there, why not also force a pinch hitter or runner to stay in the game until they bat again at least once? At some point you will start to ruin the game in search of a 'fix'. Let's see how well the pitch clock, eliminating batter step-outs, etc, do before more drastic measures are considered.
Pinch runners and hitters don't take up the time multiple pitching changes do. Which is why people aren't complaining about the multiple delays caused by them.
 

Spelunker

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Nothing would help the viewing experience more than a pitch clock. It's insane MLB hasn't actually instituted this yet.
 

geoduck no quahog

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Last night I seem to recall Machado literally standing in the baseline at 2B during a slide. I know it's perfectly legit to try and block the base, but I don't recall ever seeing someone literally block the base (like a catcher). It seems that the typical stance is one foot and a swipe.

Am I wrong?
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Agree on the first. The second is already being addressed with the limit on mound visits. Forcing batters to stay in the box will also meaningfully improve pace of play.

A vehement 'no' on the third. If you're going there, why not also force a pinch hitter or runner to stay in the game until they bat again at least once? At some point you will start to ruin the game in search of a 'fix'. Let's see how well the pitch clock, eliminating batter step-outs, etc, do before more drastic measures are considered.
Not that I'm in favor of drastic measures (big no on requiring substitutes to remain in the game for X batters or innings), but haven't there been initiatives in the last few years like the bolded? I know there was definitely an emphasis put on not allowing batters to step out of the box. The enforcement of it lasted all of a couple months and now it's just as bad as ever.
 

joe dokes

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I 100% agree. I was saying this in the game thread, that the game has slowed down too much because of this.

It’s the same as how the NFL has changed where rules become arbitrary, and flags are thrown constantly. People are afraid of sacking the QB because they might get flagged. DBs can’t make a play on the ball for fear of a flag. Not being an NBA fan, I’m not sure when it happened, but the end of the 4th Quarter being endless fouls is the same thing.

It’s painful to watch it unless your team is in.

I’ve been watching old World Series games on YouTube and the pace of play is incredible. Pitcher gets the ball from the catcher, and then he’s on the mound and ready to go.
Although at least the NFL rules have been (in a non-linear way, to be sure) achieved the desired effect of goosing the offense.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Last night I seem to recall Machado literally standing in the baseline at 2B during a slide. I know it's perfectly legit to try and block the base, but I don't recall ever seeing someone literally block the base (like a catcher). It seems that the typical stance is one foot and a swipe.

Am I wrong?
When Benintendi took second on his single in the first, Machado was kneeling across the bag such that his shin was blocking the whole thing. He was fortunate that Benintendi went in head-first so that he got a hand under his leg (I'm convinced that's why they appealed to replay...thinking he didn't get his hand in around Machado's leg). Had Benintendi gone in feet first, he'd have easily spiked Machado (not that anyone here would shed a tear over it).
 

joe dokes

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Not that I'm in favor of drastic measures (big no on requiring substitutes to remain in the game for X batters or innings), but haven't there been initiatives in the last few years like the bolded? I know there was definitely an emphasis put on not allowing batters to step out of the box. The enforcement of it lasted all of a couple months and now it's just as bad as ever.
Allowing the batter to step out is one thing. Calling time is different. Pitchers have to start throwing more pitches during those step-outs-but-no-time-out moments. Put the burden on the umpire. But that begs the question of whether the pitcher cares about the pace of the game. Sale does. Price doesn't.
 

The Gray Eagle

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I’ve been watching old World Series games on YouTube and the pace of play is incredible. Pitcher gets the ball from the catcher, and then he’s on the mound and ready to go.
There's already a rule on the books that says with the bases empty, pitchers have 12 seconds to throw the ball. Obviously it's never enforced. Enforcing that rule would improve the game immensely. Seems to me that's on the umpires for not enforcing the rules and on MLB for not finding a way to make the umpires enforce the rule.

"8.04 When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball. The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays. The umpire shall insist that the catcher return the ball promptly to the pitcher, and that the pitcher take his position on the rubber promptly. Obvious delay by the pitcher should instantly be penalized by the umpire."

There is no need for any changes to the game or new rules, just for the current rules to be enforced. The umps also need to enforce the rule against batters stepping out that was added a few years ago, enforced occasionally at that time, and now completely ignored.
 

JimD

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Pinch runners and hitters don't take up the time multiple pitching changes do. Which is why people aren't complaining about the multiple delays caused by them.
Then force pitchers to be ready when they enter the game. No warm-up pitches once they are on the mound.
 

DJnVa

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Then force pitchers to be ready when they enter the game. No warm-up pitches once they are on the mound.
Works for me.

I wasn't trying to be snarky--I was just addressing that the issue seems to be mostly with the pitching changes, etc.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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  1. Pitch clock (I think it's in article, but saving 4 seconds/pitch saves like 20 minutes)
  2. Coach visit=change
  3. Pitchers that don't get last out of inning must face at least 3 batters
Yes it was in the article

And so players, knowing the need to focus was greater than ever, took more time to do so. The time between pitches has ballooned to more than 24 seconds, and when there are 297 pitches per game – the biggest number ever, thanks to 3.9 pitches seen per plate appearance, also an all-time high – those add up. If MLB were to institute a 20-second pitch clock and hold players to it, that would, in theory, at this year’s pace and pitches per game, have shaved 19 minutes, 48 seconds. For games that on average run 3 hours, 4 minutes, that haircut would have made for the fastest games since 1985.

The pitch clock would help but I think the real problem with the pace of play is that not enough action is happening. Between all of the pitches and all of the strikeouts (and foul balls) and all of the home runs, there's just too much non-action.

3 balls and 2 strikes would be an easy fix to this. Easy as in simple, not easy as in easy to implement.
 

Sam Ray Not

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Must have been mentioned before, but can we take a moment to savor how much the Red Sox have kicked ass in World Series Openers?

They're now 6-0 in WS Game Ones in my 50-year lifetime, 9-1 in their last ten (the only loss in the last 72 years v. Bob Gibson in '67), and 10-3 overall.

2018: Red Sox 8, Dodgers 4
2013: Red Sox 8, Cardinals 1
2007: Red Sox 13, Rockies 1
2004: Red Sox 11, Cardinals 9
1986: Red Sox 1, Mets 0 (Hurst!)
1975: Red Sox 6, Reds 0 (El Tiante!)
1967: Cardinals 2, Red Sox 1
1946: Red Sox 3, Cardinals 2
1918: Red Sox 1, Cubs 0 (Ruth!)
1916: Red Sox 6, Dodgers 5
1915: Phillies 3, Red Sox 1
1912: Red Sox 4, Giants 3
1903: Pirates 7, Red Sox 3
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Worth pointing out that at the start of the year, MLB did shorten the period between innings to 2 minutes 5 seconds for local telecasts and 2 minutes 25 seconds for national broadcasts. But they did not shorten the post-season breaks, which remain at 2 minutes 55 seconds. So just by virtue of being a post-season game, there's an extra 13-14 minutes of break time automatically built into the broadcasts. For those of us who have watched NESN all year, that is noticeable.
 

geoduck no quahog

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Pace of play is a pretty esoteric thing to be dwelling on during a World Series.

As for batters: here's a guy standing 60' away from a pitcher throwing 90 mph. He should always be given deference if just on the chance that something's in his eye (or other distraction) which could impact his ability to get out of the way. Even if that's only 2% of all step-outs.

There was a piece online recently about savvy ball clubs being hep to pitchers' tendencies depending on the count, the hitter, etc. It's certainly possible that the modern game has signs given to the batter based on charting those tendencies. That could explain some of the stepping out - if a better doesn't recognize the signal.

As for warm-ups - don't be ridiculous. The mound in the bullpen is not the mound on the field (including the landing hole). Pitchers need to warm up on the actual surface they'll be pitching on.

I get that baseball is a timeless game and that it can get tedious over 162 games, but during the playoffs? Really?

So, how about getting rid of foul shots and just awarding the shooter 2 points...
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Yes, and on the other side, I still don't understand why Roberts replaced Urias on the mound.
He'd just given up a double to Benintendi (the lefty he was kept in to face) and was looking at Pearce, Martinez, Bogaerts. Bringing in Baez there makes all the sense in the world.

Unless you're confusing Urias with Baez and don't think the Dodgers should have brought in Wood in that spot.
 

brandonchristensen

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There's already a rule on the books that says with the bases empty, pitchers have 12 seconds to throw the ball. Obviously it's never enforced. Enforcing that rule would improve the game immensely. Seems to me that's on the umpires for not enforcing the rules and on MLB for not finding a way to make the umpires enforce the rule.

"8.04 When the bases are unoccupied, the pitcher shall deliver the ball to the batter within 12 seconds after he receives the ball. Each time the pitcher delays the game by violating this rule, the umpire shall call “Ball.” The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is in the box, alert to the pitcher. The timing stops when the pitcher releases the ball. The intent of this rule is to avoid unnecessary delays. The umpire shall insist that the catcher return the ball promptly to the pitcher, and that the pitcher take his position on the rubber promptly. Obvious delay by the pitcher should instantly be penalized by the umpire."

There is no need for any changes to the game or new rules, just for the current rules to be enforced. The umps also need to enforce the rule against batters stepping out that was added a few years ago, enforced occasionally at that time, and now completely ignored.
Yeah, I agree.
When we played Seattle earlier in the year, I remember watching their closer close out a game against us and he worked SO fast. It was awesome. The game becomes more engaging and not something like football where every pitch has a lead up and becomes an individual event.

The at bats used to be the event, now it’s each pitch.
 
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InsideTheParker

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He'd just given up a double to Benintendi (the lefty he was kept in to face) and was looking at Pearce, Martinez, Bogaerts. Bringing in Baez there makes all the sense in the world.

Unless you're confusing Urias with Baez and don't think the Dodgers should have brought in Wood in that spot.
Yes, I just realized I was confused. Sorry to have wasted your time. I meant Baez, who scared me to death.
 

Tyrone Biggums

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Dewey'sCannon

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1. Enforce the rules on pitch clock and no stepping out. This bugs the hell out of me. Get the fuck in the box.
2. Eliminate warm-up pitches during pitching changes or limit to 3. Or put a clock on the pitching change - if a guy wants to warm up on the game mound, let him jog in.
3. Don't extend the commercial breaks for playoff games. Especially since they are now doing 30 second in-game commercials (like during mound visits).
 

Ramon AC

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What?
All this talk about how the game has slowed ignores how much that improves the game. Go watch the video of WS game 7 from 1952 that someone posted recently. The pace is lightning quick but there is very little of the drama I love about postseason baseball. I vastly prefer what we have now.
 

Max Power

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1. Enforce the rules on pitch clock and no stepping out. This bugs the hell out of me. Get the fuck in the box.
2. Eliminate warm-up pitches during pitching changes or limit to 3. Or put a clock on the pitching change - if a guy wants to warm up on the game mound, let him jog in.
3. Don't extend the commercial breaks for playoff games. Especially since they are now doing 30 second in-game commercials (like during mound visits).
They already do #2. There's a clock for a pitching change and the reliever can take as many warm up tosses as he can before the time runs out.
 

reggiecleveland

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There is no reason for the umps to go on the headset for most replays. Safe/out at first could be handled in 10 seconds. How many times are there multiple "safe" or "out" posts in gamethreads because the replay is obvious tennis does this instantaneously. I see cricket on TV where the replay decision is flashed on the scoreboard, after a few seconds.

Also this change will get closer to robot strike zone.
 

Return of the Dewey

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There is no reason for the umps to go on the headset for most replays. Safe/out at first could be handled in 10 seconds. How many times are there multiple "safe" or "out" posts in gamethreads because the replay is obvious tennis does this instantaneously. I see cricket on TV where the replay decision is flashed on the scoreboard, after a few seconds.

Also this change will get closer to robot strike zone.
Agree. NY should be looking at replays immediately after safe/out call and just ping on-field umps if a call needs to be reversed or if they need more time to further review.

Bottom line, IMO, is if MLB brings more technology into the game, it will help attract fans both with speed of play and fans' experience. For example, I loved the graphic that Fox had last night showing where the IFs were aligned for each AB.
 

OurF'ingCity

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You guys really find the slow pace of play in the postseason to be an issue? I find it adds to the drama/anticipation, even when it isn't the Red Sox playing. In the regular season I get the complaint more, but then again I don't find a random November Rockets-Suns game or whatever particularly compelling either.

The real issue is start times - if the Super Bowl can start at 6 pm Eastern time, World Series games sure as heck can too (I would even take 7, otherwise known as a normal baseball night-game start time).
 

brandonchristensen

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All this talk about how the game has slowed ignores how much that improves the game. Go watch the video of WS game 7 from 1952 that someone posted recently. The pace is lightning quick but there is very little of the drama I love about postseason baseball. I vastly prefer what we have now.
There's a happy medium between 1952 and right now.
We went from the at bat being the event, to each pitch.
 

nvalvo

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You guys really find the slow pace of play in the postseason to be an issue? I find it adds to the drama/anticipation, even when it isn't the Red Sox playing. In the regular season I get the complaint more, but then again I don't find a random November Rockets-Suns game or whatever particularly compelling either.

The real issue is start times - if the Super Bowl can start at 6 pm Eastern time, World Series games sure as heck can too (I would even take 7, otherwise known as a normal baseball night-game start time).
Well, the issue is that people on the West Coast, in a few pretty important markets for the league, are still at work. The Super Bowl is on the weekend.