The postseason starts two weeks from tonight (Fri., Sept. 30) with the two ALDS series. Start times are tentatively scheduled for 5:00pm ET and 8:30pm ET.
The two NLDS series will start Saturday, Oct. 1.
5 pm start time on a Friday night ?
I guess it beats 4:30 ...
The Tigers just clinched. They are the first division winners.
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Jimbo said:I thought the Phillies had already clinched ?
45 games over .500 and 11+ games up on their closest opponent ...
If Texas beats out the Tigers for the #2 seed, I can see the start times being 6:00 and 9:30.
The next day (Saturday) will be the most interesting. I read somewhere that TBS wants to televise all four games in a row (if a game runs over the allotted 3.5 hour window, the next game would start on TNT).
That Saturday could look something like this:
NLDS- @ Philly-12:30pm ET
ALDS- @ Detroit- 4:00pm ET
ALDS- @ NYY- 7:30pm ET
NLDS- @ Arizona- 11:00pm ET
The Rays will have first choice of potential tiebreaker scenarios, because their combined 16-10 record against the Red Sox and Angels was the best head-to-head winning percentage of the three teams. So they would have two options:
• Let the Red Sox and Angels play an elimination game Sept. 29 -- then face the winner of that game Sept. 30 on the road, or • choose to play two elimination games, the first at home Sept. 29, and the second (if they win) at home again Sept. 30.
The Rays likely would decide to play just once, naturally. So the Red Sox would get the next choice because their 12-14 head-to-head record was better than the Angels' 6-10 record.
Boston would have the choice of playing both elimination games at home or playing the first at home and the second on the road, and clearly would opt for the two home games.
Meanwhile, there is still potential for a three-way tie in the National League wild-card race among the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. If that happens, the Cardinals get first choice, the Braves second.
What happens in case of two-way ties? They would be decided in a one-game playoff the day after the regular season. Here is how they would work:
• The Rays would host the Red Sox or the Angels;
• Angels at Red Sox;
• Giants at Braves;
• Braves at Cardinals;
• Cardinals at Giants.
Baseball has held eight one-game tiebreaking elimination games since the start of division play in 1969. It has never had to face the mess that a three-way tie would create, but suddenly, that mess could be looming -- as soon as next week.
Bill, you must have bitten your fingernails to the bone with the way the Sox have been playing. I had the same problem with the Mets in 2007 and 2008. Man, has Crawford and Lackey been busts or what? I was watching NESN and they simulcast Dennis and Callahan and they played a clip of Francona really getting mad at someone. I think Francona and the team are frustrated as hell.
Also, there have been some buzz that Francona's job might be on the line. I believe Peter Gammons mentioned it.
Bill, you must have bitten your fingernails to the bone with the way the Sox have been playing. I had the same problem with the Mets in 2007 and 2008. Man, has Crawford and Lackey been busts or what? I was watching NESN and they simulcast Dennis and Callahan and they played a clip of Francona really getting mad at someone. I think Francona and the team are frustrated as hell.
Also, there have been some buzz that Francona's job might be on the line. I believe Peter Gammons mentioned it.
If anybody's job is on the line, it should be Epstein's!
I totally agree. There's very little Francona can do about injuries and lack of consistency. As they send up players from the minors, he is trying to fit them in the line-up without pissing off veterans AND trying to win...not as easy as it looks. Hell, imagine if Boston was in the National League...without the DH rule, the juggling would have been worse! He is trying to make lemonade out of piss water, as the saying goes. I think considering everything that has gone wrong with the pitching, I think he has done a damn good job.
1. Lackey: no way!! He was disaster waiting to happenBill, if you were GM of the Red Sox would you have gotten Lackey, Crawford and Gonzalaz?
I STILL would have made the A-Gon trade, but with Youkilis' recent hip woes, it makes you wonder if keeping him at first (and keeping Beltre at third) would have been better for the team in the long run.
Is there something in the dirt near 3B at Fenway?? First Lowell, now Youk???
No kidding. Maybe Beltre knew something and got out of Dodge!