With Winter Meetings just around the corner, and the Hot Stove heating up, it’s time to talk about the Baseball Hall of Fame, specifically the eight players on the Classic Era Ballot. This year, six former major league all-stars and two Negro League legends are up for enshrinement. Each of the position player candidates has won an MVP, and the two major league pitchers combined for over 500 career wins at the big league level, not to mention stellar postseason performances. These are players who remained on the writers ballot for many years, if not the full fifteen in some cases, and they’ve been under consideration in prior ‘Veteran’s Committee’ selections. They are all worthy candidates, but the committee members can only vote for three players. As is often the case on these committees, only one or two of these great players may get inducted this year, and the others will have to wait years to get another shot. Here are this year’s selections for the Classic Era Ballot:

• Dick Allen - 1B/3B for PHI & CHW, 1972 AL MVP, 1964 NL ROY, 7X AS

• Ken Boyer - 3B for STL, 1964 NL MVP & WS, 11X AS, 5X GG

• John Donaldson - LHP/1B in ’10’s & ’20’s, 400+ W & 5,000 K

• Steve Garvey - 1B for LAD & SDP, 1974 NL MVP, 10X AS, 4X GG

• Vic Harris - Player-Manger for the Homestead Grays, greatest Negro League team

• Tommy John - LHP for CHW, LAD, NYY, 288 W, 4710 IP, redefined injury recovery

• Dave Parker - RF for PIT, CIN, 1978 NL MVP, 7X AS, 3X GG

• Luis Tiant - RHP for CLE, BOS, 229 W, most by any Cuban born player

Results of the committee will be announced on Dec 8th. In my opinion, all of these candidates are deserving, and I would have no complaints about any of them being selected. I personally would vote for Dick Allen (who missed by just one vote last time), Luis Tiant (who we sadly lost this year), and Ken Boyer (who was brilliant at an underrepresented position). Who would you pick, and who do you expect to make it in?

As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 World Series Game Five - Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Yankees

We head into game five with the Dodgers just one win away from their eight World Series title, and what a ride it has been. Freddie Freeman has been the catalyst for the offense, homering in each game so far (and a record six straight World Series dating back to ’21) and driving in 10 runs, just two away from tying the record set by NYY 2B Bobby Richardson in 1960. Shohei Ohtani appears to be significantly hampered by his shoulder injury, but the offense keeps rolling thanks to contributions from Mookie Betts, Tommy Edman, and both of the Hernández brothers*. The LA starters have strung together solid outings, while the bullpen has carried things the rest of the way. When it has mattered, manager Dave Roberts has pushed all the right buttons, which was not something you could say about him in previous playoffs. They weren’t able to get the sweep in game four, but they aim to finish the job here in the Bronx tonight. They know they’ll be flying home to LA, and they hope it’s with the World Series trophy in hand.

The Yankees avoided elimination in game four, thanks in large part to a go-ahead grand slam from young shortstop Anthony Volpe, but if they’re going to extend the series any longer, Aaron Judge must step up. He has been downright awful in these playoffs, but it has not really hurt the Yanks until the World Series. With everything on the line, we’ll see if he can find some redemption. It will be ace Gerrit Cole on the mound for Bronx Bombers. The $300 million dollar man was excellent in game one, but the bullpen coughed up the lead and the game. Expect manager Aaron Boone to ride his horse as long as he can. On the other side, the Yankees will get a second crack at LA righty Jack Flaherty, who cruised through game one until he got beat by the long ball. Flaherty has been known to struggle the more times he sees an opponent. Will that trend hold?

These Yankees are talented, and these games have actually been close. In fact, the differential in this series is just a single run. Part of the reason the Yanks are trailing right now? Fundamentals. There have been misplays, base-running gaffes, mental errors, and even lack of hustle on display for New York. And up against a team as talented as these Dodgers, it’s at the margins where a series can be decided. The Yankees cannot afford any more lapses, or else they’ll see their best season in 15 years come to an abrupt end.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

LAD Radio 570 AM - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday

NYY Radio WFAN - John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman

FOX postgame - Kevin Burkhardt

As always shout out to Baseball Reference for statistics, boxscores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 World Series - Los Angeles Dodgers @ New York Yankees

Games Three and Four @ Yankee Stadium

The Dodgers head into the Bronx leading the series two games to none, taking care of business in their home ballpark against the Yankees. It took an incredible walk-off grand slam, courtesy of Freddie Freeman, and then a dominant performance from Yoshinobu Yamamoto to get Los Angeles in to this position, but they’ll certainly take it. Freeman has been the star so far, with another homer in game two. Tommy Edman and Teóscar Hernández added home runs in game two as well, but the rest of the offense has not been humming like it was in the NLCS. To add to that worry, Shohei Ohtani dislocated his shoulder attempting a steal, and while he’ll be in the lineup, it’s unclear how that injury may affect him. On the mound for Dave Roberts in game three will be Walker Buehler, who has been lights out in his previous World Series starts. The Dodgers will certainly need some length from the. Kentucky-born righty, as game four is slated to be a bullpen game.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is under fire after the questionable game one decision to bring in Nestor Cortes, who surrendered the walk-off grand slam. It has been characterized as indefensible by many (rightly so in my opinion); however, there were other letdowns and misplays that put the Yankees in that position. You can nitpick and criticize bullpen management all you want, but if your offense isn’t putting up enough runs, especially against these Dodgers? You won’t stand a chance. Perhaps the most concerning for the Yankees faithful is the continued slump of Aaron Judge. He has been a dead spot in the order, and quite simply he needs to turn it around, or he may face the wrath of a fanbase that adores him. You can expect the Bronx Zoo to cheer for him loudly when he first steps to the plate, but if the strikeouts and weakly hit balls show up with him, do not be shocked by a chorus of boos for the MVP.

On the pitching side, Aaron Boone will turn to Clarke Schmidt in game three, and then Luis Gil in game four. Given the stakes, the leash on the two young righties will be quite short. Expect heavy usage from the likes of Tim Hill, Tommy Kahnle, Clay Holmes, and Luke Weaver. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in a World Series, and no team has even forced a game five since the 1970 Cincinnati Reds. If the Yanks go down in game three, it may just be the death knell on their season.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

LAD Radio 570 AM - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday

NYY Radio WFAN - John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman

FOX broadcast - Joe Davis and John Smoltz

As always shout out to Baseball Reference for statistics, boxscores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 World Series - New York Yankees @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Games One and Two @ Dodger Stadium

Here we go. For the first time since 1981, the Yankees and Dodgers will face off in the Fall Classic. It will be the twelfth matchup between these storied franchises, and the Yankees have certainly had the advantage in the past. The Bronx Bombers have taken eight of the previous eleven series, though the Dodgers have split the last six. On baseball’s biggest stage, we have the game’s biggest stars ready to shine.

The Dodgers have already walloped a New York team this postseason, dispatching the Mets in six games behind an historic offensive performance. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts were outstanding, but it was midseason pickup Tommy Edman who took home NLCS MVP. With star first baseman Freddie Freeman hobbled with an ankle injury, Edman stepped into the cleanup spot and boy, did he clean up against Mets pitching. With a few days off heading into the series, Freeman is expected to return to the lineup, though how he’ll be feeling is unknown. The Dodgers have been able to piece together effective innings with solid enough starting and nearly untouchable bullpen arms. LA kid Jack Flaherty (13-7 3.17 ERA 162 IP) will get the ball in game one. It has been a Jekyll and Hyde postseason for the righty, so who’s gonna show up? For game two, it will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-2 3.00 ERA 90 IP). The Japanese ace had an awful postseason debut, but has been pretty good since, albeit in limited innings. Things have gotten a little shorter in Dave Robert’s bullpen, as Evan Philips went down with an arm injury; however, he gets reliable lefty Alex Vesia back after he missed the NLCS. We’ll see how Roberts navigates the late innings without one of his key arms.

On the surface, the Yankees have been rolling this postseason, dropping just two games heading into the Fall Classic. Digging a little deeper, it has not been as dominant as their record has demonstrated. Every game against Kansas City was close, and it took incredible heroics from Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto to escape from Cleveland in just five games. The bullpen was dominant early, but it has struggled lately. And of greatest concern, Aaron Judge has looked completely lost at the plate, apart from a pair of home runs. The Yankees will need him to refine his MVP form to have a shot in this series. Ace Gerrit Cole (8-5 3.41 ERA 95 IP) will get the start in game one. The reigning AL Cy Young has had to labor through his playoff starts, but he’s found a way to be effective. In game two, lefty Carlos Rodón (16-9 3.96 ERA 175 IP) will get the ball once again. He’s had one brilliant start and two mediocre outings so far. Manager Aaron Boone will definitely be hoping for the former, as his options in the bullpen are certainly thinner than his LA counterpart’s. In the past, these two teams have delivered on tension and drama, and this series should be no different.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

LAD Radio 570 AM - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday

NYY Radio WFAN - John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman

FOX broadcast - Joe Davis and John Smoltz

As always shout out to Baseball Reference for statistics, boxscores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 National League Championship Series

Games Three, Four, and Five @ Citi Field - Queens, New York, NY

Game Six @ Dodger Stadium - Los Angeles, CA

Heading to New York, the series is tied at a game apiece. The Dodgers pummeled the Met in game one, but the Mets responded with a 7-3 win behind a leadoff Francisco Lindor homer and a Mark Vientos grand slam. The fans at Citi Field is raring to cheer on their beloved Mets, but the Dodgers big bats will look to silence the raucous crowd early. Shohei Ohtani has yet to have a hit with the bases empty, but he’s doing plenty of damage with runners on base. Dating back to the regular season, he is 16 for his last 19 with runners in scoring position… that’s just absurd. Mookie Betts and Max Muncy continue to swing hot bats, and with Freddie Freeman hobbled with an ankle injury, it will be Tommy Edman of all people stepping into the cleanup spot. This is a deep lineup that grinds out at bat after at bat, exhausting their opposing pitchers and forcing mistakes. The pitching plan is always a bit nebulous for manager Dave Roberts, who lacks reliable starting pitching, but has numerous quality options out of the pen. Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Michael Kopech, Anthony Banda, and others have strung together zeroes across multiple games, though they will need at least something from their starters. Buehler will get the ball in game three, Yamamoto in game four, Flaherty in game five, and likely a bullpen game if it gets to six back in LA. It will take a team effort to bring the Dodgers back to the World Series, and these guys will live up to that task.

The Mets are feeling good heading into game three, as they should on this magical run they’ve been on. Carlos Mendoza will send Luis Severino to the mound for game three, then José Quintana for game four, and likely David Peterson for game five. If they can extend the series, they will be quite confident with their ace Sean Manaea on the hill, with either a shot to clinch the series or force a decisive game seven. But if the Mets aim to win this thing, the bats are gonna need to step up. Apart from the six run outburst early in game two, the Mets have been befuddled by the Dodger bullpen (just like San Diego). With a trip to the World Series on the line, we shall see whether the Mets will continue to conjure up playoff magic, or if the Dodgers can find a way to break it.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

LAD radio 570 AM - Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday

NYM radio WCBS - Howie Rose and Keith Raad

As always, shout out to Baseball Reference for statistics, boxscores, background information, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 American League Championship Series

Games Four and Five @ Progressive Field - Cleveland, OH

The Guardians avoided going down three games to none thanks to the heroics of Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry, who respectively hit game-tying and walk-off home runs off of the Yankees relief aces. There’s a ton of excitement in the Land, but there are some ominous signs for Steven Vogt’s ball club. The starting pitching has not given length nor has it been very effective so far, and Cleveland will call upon the unproven Gavin Williams (3-10 4.86 ERA 76 IP) in game four and bring back Tanner Bibee (12-8 3.47 173 IP) on short rest for game five. More worrisome is the fact that the Yankees have been able to do damage against Emmanuel Clase, who is regarded as the best closer in the game. And with stalwarts Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis having been used heavily to boot, the strategy of reliever carousel might not be so sound. If the Guardians are going to pull this off, they will have to bring the bats as they did in game three. That means much better production from José Ramírez and Josh Naylor, as well as frankly any production from the catching tandem of Bo Naylor and Austin Hedges. We know the Guardians will not go down without a fight, but do they have enough to contend with the Yankees onslaught.

Game three was a whirlwind finish for Aaron Boone’s squad, coming back in the eighth with back-to-back homers, but then unable to get the final out despite just being a strike away from a likely insurmountable 3-0 lead. Still, the Yankees are in good position in this series, and they will look to press their advantage as they seek their 41st AL pennant. They send rookie Luis Gil (15-7 3.50 ERA 150 IP) to the mound in game four, who was incredible to start the year, but seemed to hit a wall in the second half. Then for game five, Carlos Rodón (16-9 3.96 ERA 175 IP) will get the ball again, looking to replicate his outstanding game one start. The bullpen has shown its first cracks the postseason, with Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver coughing up the lead in game three. This is no worry with the offense, however, as Giancarlo Stanton continues to just hit home runs nearly every game, Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto get on base in about half of their at bats, and Aaron Judge has finally shown some life. They are a dangerous lineup, and if the Guardians continue to gift them opportunities with runners in scoring position, the Yankees will make you pay. Tune in to a competitive finish to this exciting ALCS.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

TBS Broadcast - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and Jeff Francoeur

CLE Radio WTAM - Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus

NYY Radio WFAN - John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman

As always, shout to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, boxscores, background research, and much, much more.

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 American League Championship Series

Game Three - New York Yankees @ Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians return to Cleveland with their backs against the wall, having lost the first two game of the ALCS to the Yankees in the Bronx. Steven Vogt’s team finds themselves in a 2-0 series hole due to a mix of sloppy defense, shaky pitching, and shoddy hitting. There’s a lot that this club will have to shape up in short order if they want to avoid being down three games to none. These guys were pushed to the brink against Detroit in the previous series, and they responded with aplomb. If they’re to have any chance against the Yankees, they’re gonna need to do the same tonight.

The Yankees are just two wins away from returning to the World Series for the first time in 15 seasons. They haven’t been perfect so far, but there has been little to complain about. The pitching has been outstanding, particularly Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver at the back end. They’ve gotten contributions up and down the lineup, with Torres and Soto setting the table and Stanton cleaning up. Aaron Judge may finally be breaking out of his postseason slump, homering in game two. But there is still work to do, and manager Aaron Boone is well aware of how quickly fortunes can change in the playoffs.

Game three will feature a matchup between Cleveland lefty Matthew Boyd and New York righty Clarke Schmidt. Boyd has been effective so far, but his outings have been short by design. With no Cleveland starter having completed five innings to this point and with a bullpen that’s been taxed, how many outs can the Guardians get from the lefty. The 28 year old righty for the Yankees was good, but unspectacular in his first postseason start. Boone will likely have a quick hook to set up his powerful back-end arms, but their heavy usage could be cause for concern. Tune in to one of the best playoff games of the past deade.

Audio clips from MLB.tv

CLE radio WTAM - Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus

CLE radio ESP - Rafa Hernández-Brito and Carlos Baerga

NYY radio WFAN- John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman

TBS broadcast - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and Jeff Francoeur

Catch you next time,

P.C.O.

2024 American League Championship Series

Cleveland Guardians @ New York Yankees - Games One and Two @ Yankee Stadium

Could this finally be the year that the World Series returns to the Bronx? By nearly every measure, the last fifteen years of Yankee baseball has been a success. A winning record every year, multiple deep playoff runs, an MVP, a Cy Young, a Rookie of the Year, the list could go on. But they are missing the only accolade that matters to those who don the pinstripes, a World Series title. Never mind that they already own 27 Commissioner’s trophies, and 13 additional AL pennants. The standard is a World Series, anything less a complete and utter failure. So there will be no excuses for manager Aaron Boone, in his seventh season, which he hopes will be his first advancing past the ALCS. No excuses for Aaron Judge, who will almost certainly win his second MVP, but has scuffled in the playoffs to date. No excuses for Gerrit Cole, the $300 million dollar ace and reigning Cy Young who has battled injuries this year. No excuses for Juan Soto, the hitting savant on the brink of free agency. There won’t be any excuses for these Yanks, especially with their path to the World Series clear of their recent foes, the Houston Astros. So, can they take AL pennant number 41 and vie for World Series number 28?

Standing in the Yankees way are the scrappy Cleveland Guardians. Behind the heroics of David Fry in game four and Lane Thomas in game five, Cleveland was able to eke past the Detroit Tigers despite not having a single starting pitcher complete five innings in the series. Stringing together 27 outs and keeping the powerful Yankees bats silent will be a tall task for manager Steven Vogt, but he has lots of confidence in his big four (Smith, Gaddis, Herrin, and Clase). Beyond them, however, it can get dicey. As is often the case, championship series baseball will test your mettle, an interesting challenge for such a young and relatively inexperienced ball club (and manager). The Yankees have been battle-tested, though this core has yet to advance past this round. Will the Guardians be able to block them again?

Game one will be a duel between veteran starters lefty Carlos Rodon for New York and righty Alex Cobb for Cleveland. Rodon had a great beginning to his start against Kansas City, but he quickly ran out of gas in the fourth inning. He’ll look to manage his adrenaline and energy more effectively in this one. Cobb is a wily craftsman, but he’s had his struggles against the middle of the Yankees order, particularly vs. Juan Soto. Game two will be a matchup between number one starters Gerrit Cole and Tanner Bibee. Both right handers have had mixed results from the two previous playoff starts, but the edge certainly leans toward the more experience Cole. After these two games, we will head to Cleveland for games three, four, and five* (if necessary).

Audio clips from MLB.tv

NYY Radio WFAN - John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman

CLE Radio WTAM - Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus

TBS broadcast - Brian Anderson, Ron Darling, and Jeff Francoeur

As always, shout out to Baseball Reference and SABR for statistics, box scores, background information, and much, much more.