Dodgers vs Giants

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Go Giants!

GIANTS!!!

I'm sure Lance is there representing the zone.

GO GIANTS!!!

Yes indeed.

I just saw the last three innings and that was fun.

The Dodger pitcher Tyler Rogers has a very unusual delivery. The commentator guy called it nasty.

Well Judit, you really need to do a little homework.

Tyler Rogers pitches for the Giants.

Thank goodness.

Damn, THAT was fun.

I kept thinking about the first game I went to this year, where there were less than 3,000 people in the park.

There were a few more there tonight.

DAMN, that was fun.

One down, but the Dodgers are great and they aren't going away.

Two more boys.

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Young Arms + Old Bats = BEAT LA...

Oh man, Lance, how could I make such a gaffe? The answer is that I don't know many players or remember their names unless they really strike (not a pun) me. Tyler Rogers struck me! And I think Buster Posey is still the most perfect baseball name.

I haven't been following baseball in recent years. Tennis has got me, and I've got the Tennis Channel.

I apologize to all Giants fans.

Well Judit, we'll let it slide, this time, but don't let it happen again.

I mean, confusing a Giant to a Dodger? Ewwwwwwwwww!

In other good news from last night's game...

THERE WERE BEER VENDORS IN THE STANDS!!!!

The last time I heard "Cold beer! Ice cold beer here!" in the stands at a Giants game I was a young man. 

That was a LONG time ago.

It was great just from an esthetic standpoint, but it saved so much time as well.

They didn't pop multiple bottles open and poor multiple beers at the same time like in the old days, but after all these years it was a shock to see it, and it was great.

It's the little things.

Getting ready to head up for tonight's game.

GGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great game last night, let's do it again tonight!

>>>>THERE WERE BEER VENDORS IN THE STANDS!!!!

 The last time I heard "Cold beer! Ice cold beer here!" in the stands at a Giants game I was a young man. 

That was a LONG time ago.

It was great just from an esthetic standpoint, but it saved so much time as well.

 

 

 

 Now I have to go back to SF ballpark. 

Thanks for the reporting Lance.

Have a great game.

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!

Well, not so good tonight for the good guys, but I made sure to enjoy it all anyway.

I had a damn good time with a bunch of good guys in my area, and then a bunch of young sailors in town for fleet week showed up and were WHOOPING it up, and there was quite a party going on at the splash cam.

I got to see the Blue Angels raging around before the game, and I CAUGHT A FOUL BALL!

Snagged it during the top of the 9th, hanging out against the brick wall along the right field line, where I will go at times to watch the final inning or two of a smack-down like today was, closer to the exit.

The ball sliced in low in front of me, bounced off an empty seat and came right at me, an easy grab. Pretty cool.

I gave it to a kid, a Dodgers fan, but it was his 12th birthday and he seemed like a nice kid.

A guy came up and said the Giants would win the series because of that good karma. I tend to doubt that sort of thing, but what the hell.

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bare handed catch or did you have a glove ?  Making a kid's day,, good job Lance.

You both will be glowing about that for the rest of your lives.

Well we knew they weren't going to lie down for us.  I probably would have left Gausman in longer, but it might not have mattered.  Pretty sure we won more at that blue place than they did this yr so,    Go Giants!!!!!!!!!

>>>Bare handed catch or did you have a glove<<<

Bare hand, but I must admit that it wasn't a clean catch. I was holding a beer in my left hand and reached out with my right as the ball rebounded toward me. It ricocheted off the heal of my hand into my body, where I held on.

Even in little league I was never able to properly judge a curving baseball, and in fairness I wasn't really ready for it as the ball was slicing lower than where I was leaning against the wall and I had to react quickly. I watched it again today and the ball didn't hit a seat, it bounced in the isle and bounded hard & low, just to my right. Still, I made the play, getting my hand on it and bringing it in.

It's the third foul ball I've gotten over the years so it was easy to give it up. The first one I got while seeing double at Candlestick many years ago, I caught that one clean and still have it. The second one was easier, I was sitting right next to the field down the right field line, close to where I was last night. The ball was a ground ball that went foul past first base and Bad Vlad Guerrero was playing right field. He scooped it up and just tossed it into the stands, right at me. I gave that one to a kid as well.

Giving a foul ball to a kid is sort of a rule IMO, at least after the first one.

I never sit in the bleachers so I've never had a chance at a home run ball. If I ever did get one, that would be tough to give up, and I would NEVER throw it back, no matter how much yapping came from the home fans. I think that's a foolish thing to do, except maybe at Wrigley, where I believe that bit first started. 

If I did sit in the bleachers regularly I might do what they do in Chicago, bring a beater ball to throw back to keep the crowd happy while keeping the real ball.

Smart fans, those Chicago peeps.

Now, down to LA we go. Oh boy.

GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

N e story Tom! I caught my first foul ball at the Padres game last Saturday. Machado hit it....and the Padres went down n to win, but I got a ball!

 

Rough game for the Giants yesterday....

I got one a couple yrs ago at Oracle before the nets were extended. Reached behind my seat as it bounced by and snagged it up.    Kuiper said "I think he pulled that one out of his beard".  Krukow "I think he did."  Gave it to a friend who was dying of cancer.  I think his son has it now.

Let's go Giants!

Great win by the Giants tonight to reclaim the home field advantage.  Hopefully, they won't need it.

That was a classic pitcher's duel, with some great defense.  

YAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a win!

Good lord, my heart.

My neighbors ALL know what happened tonight.

And my poor dog.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As we Giants fans have been saying all season long......

Who ARE these guys????????

They beat Schurzer!

AGAIN!

And the bullpen, oh my.

And the bullpen...

OH MY!!!!!!!!

I love these guys.

GO GIANTS GO GIANTS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Really a great game all around. Except maybe for that home plate ump. I can't say enough about this Doval kid. And it turns out (like it has so many times this yr), that Kap made the right moves. And the play(s) by Crawford and the rest of the defense. Wow.

Good stuff.  It's great to be a Giants fan.

Go Giants!!!

 

Yes Tom. My dog knows what you mean.

 

I must say it again....

I love these guys.

No matter what happens, this team, this season has been what ANY fan hopes for.

Keep it going boys.

LET'S GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Torture time is back.

Yes guys. My cat and neighbor both know what you mean!!

Excellent game. Wow

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!

BTW Mark, at the time I thought Kapler was taking Wood out too soon.

And going with his best guys too soon.

But it worked.

Oh my, oh my.

He managed it, and managed it right, because his guys made it work.

Oh my.

It worked.

One more to go.

Always the toughest one to get.

LET'S GET IT GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st game i've been able to watch....

 

Torture...

Never an Easy Win(d)

At least you got a good game Turts.  Able to watch tonight?

Well, I can't say that last night was surprising, one because the Dodgers are a great team that isn't going to just lay down, and two because this Giants team never does things the easy way.

So now I get to go to another Giants/Dodgers game. They go into tomorrow's game tied with total wins at 109 and also tied against each other for the season, so tomorrow's game will decide their season one-on-one battle, and one team will have won 110 games and will move on, the other will go home with 109. It should be a hoot.

What a season.

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It'll be a good one fer sure.

I'll be watchin', till I can't keep my eyes open any longer, and with a 9:07 east coast start time, that'll be around the 6th or 7th,  I'm snoring hard by 11:30. I haven't made the end of a WS game in I can't remember how long, even if the yanks are playing. You west coasters get all the good big game start times. 7pm for us easties you network fucks.

Enjoy the whole game !

yeah, got the game 4 markd!

glad we got rid of machado and got mookie. much more likeable of a superstar. mookie took  j. garcia deep. he he... :)

envious you get to see game 5 lance, what a treat.

wish muncy was healthy. 

good stuff. should be rockin'.

you guys got.a hell of a defense.

let's go dodgers, let's go!...

 

 

>>>and also tied against each other for the season, so tomorrow's game will decide their season one-on-one battle<<<

Actually, now that I think about it that's not the case. The Giants still have a one-game lead in their now meaningless season head-to-head games, so if the Dodgers win tomorrow the two teams will tie for the season, but of course only one gets to 110 and continues on.

It would be nice if the Giants won.

Giants scratched and fought like their socks were on fire all year to avoid that game 163, winner take all game against their neighbors. 

Despite their exhaustive, historic effort... they're facing that exact moment in the face tomorrow. 
At least they're playing at home.  We'll see if Webb can strike lighting twice in a bottle this series...

At a minimum for baseball fans, it's must see TV...  best team wins.  Reality finally surfaces manana...

 

>>>Never an Easy Win(d)

 

Jansen

Hit Jansen in the seats

Jansen

Hit Jansen in the seats

I doesn't matter if you swear

Just as long as you hit square

 

 

That's all I got (sorry).

GO GIANTS!

Lance, have a great time at the game tonight. So cool you get to go. I bet that's one hot ticket in town. Enjoy. Hope the Giants win. 

Go Giants!

GAME 5!!

 

los lobos.jpeg

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Hell yes, go GIANTS!!!!!!

Going to be a hell of a game, no matter what.

Get another foul Lance!

Can't Wait FOR THIS GAME ! _________ May The Best Team Win !

You said it Plf!!!!

Enjoy the game!

GO GIANTS!!!!!!

 

WOOHOO Again All Baseball Game 5 !!

And awaaaaaaaay we go

My team is on extended winter break, so it is good to have some GREAT baseball to watch with no skin in the game!

SF is the sentimental GD fav....

I'll just quote Cannonball Run here.

"Not a very sporting way to win".

"I'd say it's a shitty way to win!"

It is what it is, too bad for the Giants, and too bad that a first base umpire decided that one...

It clearly wasn't a swing.

That ump will be fine.

Great season for the Giants, kind of predictable that it would end in some bizarre way.

That said, congratulations to LA. Hard fought game and season for both teams.

First time in a long time I watched a game start to finish. It's a bummer a classic game had to end that way. Two teams with 109 wins each down to the wire. Another story in the Giants-Dodgers rivalry.   

Go Dodgers!  

Loving this bag that my sister gave me. The Giants are always winners even when they lose.

Dodger bag.JPG

Rough finish to a good, long season.

It was cool to see the place full & rocking again, but I couldn't help thinking that most of those folks were just showing up now.

Where was everyone in April, May, June, July?

Personally, I loved that they all stayed away until the end, as the empty stadium made for a great four/five months of very special and unique personal baseball experiences.

Friggin' weekenders.

As for this series, the best team won. Umpires can't be blamed. The Giants had their chances and didn't capitalize, the Dodgers had theirs and did.

The Dodgers were clearly the "better" team, it's amazing that the Giants pushed them this far.

At least I get some significant money back on my credit card for the next series of games I bought.

On it goes.

Very nice season Giants. You gave it all you had.

GO GIANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah, it was a horrible call, but they were done anyway. I mean if it came with runners in scoring position, then it would be something else.

Like I said awhile back, my goal was the Division. I am happy and grateful that we had such a phenomenally good season. I mean, these guys had a salary $ 100,000,000.00 higher than the Giants.  And we tied them head to head and won the Division. 

It has been a long, fun, torturous season.  Every game has had playoff intensity for what seems like months.

I'm ready for a break.   

I mean sure, I would rather win the world series than not,  but sey hey,  it's been a good yr.

 

Gonna be an interesting off season.

 

 

Get that ump some glasses, that was not even close to a swing.

How about the pregame commentators promoting online gambling on the game ? WTF. MLB pushing the gambling lessens the sport, may as well let Rose in the hall. Everything is broken. Nice to see Pedro finally apologize for the Zimmer incident, took ya long enough.  Pedro took the under

Sorry Giants Fans, ya got ripped off. Now you know how it feels to be a Raiders fan

what mark said.

anyways, not how anyone wants to see it end.

and yeah, you got some value on the cheap, congrats...that's amazing.

giants got the same call to help win the division. win some, lose some.

yeah the online betting promotion is something, ain't it? like the logos superimposed on the mound?

one thing i hate more than all the pads/giants teams are the cards and the braves. we can all agree on that, right? :)

bellinger still a baller.

 

 

As a Red Sox  - Giants fan who was taught at a young age to hate all LA sports teams it was particularly painful to see Betts destroy the Giants last night, just because the Red Sox billionaire owner got tired of all the winning in Boston and his other team in Liverpool. Crappy strike zone all night too, because fans really want to see low scoring games. Umps just asking to be replaced by the robots. 

Yea that's why the giants lost.

I'd love to hear markd's fishing tales.

Teams like the Indians + Redskins, not to mention local high schools,  are being coerced into changing their names to be politically correct,, but not the Braves.

And that chant their fans do during the game makes me want to hit every one of em in the face with a brick. That college football team from Florida too.

I hate the fucking Braves

During Saturday's game a friend and I were commenting about why a self-professed Dodger fan might be allowed to umpire a Dodger game.
The reason it came up was this entry in Wikipedia (at the time) for Gabe Morales, last night's first base umpire:
“Gabriel Morales (born June 21, 1984) is an American Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire.
A native of Santa Clara, California, Morales began umpiring Minor League Baseball games in 2009. He is a lifelong Dodgers fan.”
Today, his Wikipedia entry has been edited with the addition of last night's controversial call. The reference to "lifelong Dodgers fan" has also been removed.
After last night's game, I thought it to be possibly the understatement of the year. Of course, now it's not even there.
Besides the obvious, don't believe everything in Wikipedia, mainly we discussed how other upms could have favorites teams and still maintain impartiality, etc.
Bottom line for me was, what was mostly an exciting series ended rather poorly. Kind of like a good concert and then someone pulls the plug just as the encore is starting.
All in all, the Giants needed to do better and could not deliver. Personally, while I enjoy watching good anything, baseball is still just another game.
Good luck to whoever from here on out. It might be nice to see my fellow high school alumnus, Dusty Baker, finally get a WS ring as a manager. Especially, if he can "Beat L.A.!" or his other old team, the Braves, but I'm not a fan of the Astros, either.
 

 

yeah the online betting promotion is something, ain't it? like the logos superimposed on the mound?

The online betting thing is ridiculous and superimposing ads on the mound is really lame.

Calling a game 5 on a check swing that didn't go all the way was a bitter way to end what was otherwise a great season. it is what it is, but geez! Anyway, it was a fun season, I made it to 10 games and now I'll turn my attention to basketball and football as i am not fans of any of the remaining teams. Growing up the NYC area I was a Yankee fan and so I hated and Boston Teams and being a Bay Area transplant for 35 years ingrained the "Beat LA" mentality. Can't root for any teams from Texas and not a fan of Atlanta.....

>>>Now you know how it feels to be a Raiders fan<<<

There's no crying in baseball. Keep those whiny Raiders tears in a football/Raiders thread.

As for the umpires, as much as they annoy me/piss me off at times, I don't believe they favor any team and they try their best to do their job well.

The check swing call is a tough one for them and has always been a personal irk of mine, as I feel hitters should be allowed some leeway with those and a strike should only be called when blatantly obvious. It seemed to me that it was called more often this season than in the past, but who knows. Just hit the ball and it's not a question.

The electronic zone is coming for sure, as all the modern technology on TV exposes the umps inconsistences (incompetence?) more & more. It has always bugged me that every ump has their own "interpretation" of the strike zone, but in a way I've always admired them a bit for that as well, giving the bronx cheer to the league and the rule book as written. The problems are the inconsistences and laziness, the same pitch sometimes going one way and sometimes completely another.

In my old age I've found myself wanting the electronic zone more & more, and at this point I think many if not most fans agree, but we should be careful what we wish for. If the zone is EXACTLY the same every pitch, every game, hitters are going to absolutely lock in and games will routinely be 13 - 11, 12 - 9, 16 - 14.

Is that what we really want? 

From the stands, last night's final call was tough to form an opinion on, and I have no desire to go back and look at it now. Ultimately, whether it was ticky-tack or just plain wrong it didn't win or lose that game. The Giants not getting a hit when they had multiple opportunities to score is what lost the game, and the Dodgers getting the hit they needed is what won it. 

The Giants struggled all season to get hits with RISP, relying on home runs for the bulk of their scoring, and that's not a good way to win in the post season, as HRs tend to dry up for even the best bombers. Their weakness was exposed, which is what's supposed to happen in post-season sports.

So it goes.

I don't care who wins now. There's a lot to like about that Dodgers team. They overcame lots of injuries this season, Mookie is such a brilliant player, Trea Turner as well, Kershaw is such a classy guy who is likely nearing the end of his career, and there's nothing to hate about Dave Roberts either.

Of course that doesn't mean I'll be rooting for them. Let's not get carried away.

Ultimately I suppose I'll be rooting for Dusty. It would be very cool to see him finally get the ring as a manager, and it would also be OK with me if the Astros could prove they're good even without the silly cheating.

Anyway, good luck to all who care.

^^^ "Is that what we really want?"  What I really want is when a pitcher throws a strike, it is called a strike. Everytime. And when a pitcher fails, he is not rewarded by incompetence or dishonesty. Or by someone's interpretation at the time.

 

And yes, the game was won/lost by execution.  On this day, the better team won. The checkswing issue will not be going away anytime soon. I don't know how they would even approach it as there is no"Checkswing" in the rulebooks. It is all about the umpires opinion, or honesty.....

From here on out, I don't really care. I don't like any of the teams left. 

It's Hot Stove time.

Go Giants 2022!!

 

And Hall, what do you mean by myopic? Please esplain.

 

From SI. Thanks Gary.

How We Should Remember the Epic Dodgers-Giants NLDS

Matt Martell

Last night’s thrilling season finale between the Dodgers and Giants was a captivating display of everything that’s great about baseball. It was a win-or-go-home playoff game between the two best teams in the majors, who are also MLB’s two oldest rivals. It was decided by a single run, after the NL West standings were decided by a single win.

It pinned the defending champs against the team few thought would contend, and it demonstrated two different ways to succeed today. San Francisco starter Logan Webb delivered one of the greatest postseason pitching performances in recent years (7 IP, 1 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 7 K), less than a week after his even better outing in Game 1 (7 ⅔ IP, 0 R, 5 H, 0 BB, 10 K). Los Angeles went with two one-inning relievers to open the game, before bringing 20-game-winner, lefthanded starter Julio Urías, out of the bullpen to begin the third inning. The Dodgers then went with closer Kenley Jansen in the eighth inning and ace Max Scherzer, the favorite to win the NL Cy Young award this year, to pitch the ninth.

Max Scherzer

Neville E. Guard/USA TODAY Sports

It showcased four former MVPs (Mookie Betts and Cody Bellinger for the Dodgers; Buster Posey and Kris Bryant for the Giants), who went a combined 8-for-16. It also featured Darin Ruf, a former big league castoff who spent three seasons playing in Korea, who hit a 452-foot home run to dead center field.

And yet, this game also presented two of the more pressing problems that baseball needs to address—one way or another—in the near future: replay review and the role of human umpires. Both of these are very much connected, but they are not the same issue, and therefore, they will require two different solutions.

Replay review is going to get far more attention in the coming days because its limitations directly ended the game. Wilmer Flores was behind in the count, 0–2, against Scherzer with two outs, a runner on first base and the Giants down a run. Scherzer threw a low-and-away slider and Flores started his swing. Home plate umpire Doug Eddings appealed to first base umpire Gabe Morales, who punched him out. Replays showed clearly that Flores didn’t swing, but check swings are not reviewable. There was no way for San Francisco to appeal Eddings’s appeal to Morales. Game over.

Let’s be frank here. If check swings were replay-reviewable, and the umpires looking at the play at MLB headquarters made the correct decision and overturned Morales (which is never guaranteed), it probably wouldn’t have mattered. Scherzer was almost certainly going to strike out Flores, or at least retire him, anyway. But, the exposure that such a controversial ending receives does allow us to consider the flaws of the league’s replay rules. Among some of the other nonreviewable plays: fair/foul calls that are at or in front of the first- and third-base umpires; infield fly calls; foul tips; possible trap plays that occur in the infield; ball-and-strike calls. Some of these are considered subjective calls—like check swings, infield flies and the strike zone.

But, replay was implemented to overturn the egregiously incorrect calls on the field in the most consequential moments. I get that there aren’t definitive answers for these judgment calls—could an infielder make this catch with reasonable effort, even if he’s in the outfield? Did the batter actually swing at that pitch? What is a swing, anyway?—but the replays for plenty of reviewable calls aren’t conclusive, either.

This brings us to the other of the two dilemmas: the role of human umpires. Typically, the case for replacing them applies only to implementing an automated strike zone. People will still make all the other umpiring decisions. But in the Atlantic League, where they’ve experimented with so-called "robo-umps," there have been problems because the computer’s calls aren’t always accurate.

Fans and baseball writers alike point to the strike-zone boxes superimposed on broadcasts or charted on game feeds as evidence that baseball needs automated strike zones, or just to vent their frustrations that a human made another mistake. But these graphic representations of the strike zone, along with the location of the pitches, aren’t completely accurate—and not all tracking systems register pitches the same way. Which automation would the league use?

So, what the heck is baseball to do? Here are some possible solutions:

Make all calls reviewable, even if they are considered subjective.

Don’t tell the umpires back in HQ what the call was on the field. Let them make the call as they see it based on all the slow-motion replays and various camera angles they’re watching. These replay umpires shouldn’t be tasked with deciding whether the various videos they’re examining contain enough evidence to overturn a call from one of their comrades. They should just use the additional tools at their disposal to make the call as they see it.

Automatically review all walk-off hits or final outs. This is like what the NFL does for scoring plays or turnovers. Almost all of these calls will not be overturned, but this adds an extra safety net just in case.

Let managers appeal balls and strikes. Give them two challenges that they can use during games, but don’t allow them to call a replay coach for input. If the ball-strike call is so bad that it warrants a review, the skipper should be able to see that from the dugout. Because managers won’t be on the phone waiting for another coach to watch the play before deciding to use a challenge, this shouldn’t hold up play unless the manager actually appeals a call and it is actually reviewed.

With that in mind, just get rid of the whole call-to-coach-for-input thing altogether. This just causes unnecessary delays to the game, and it should help limit the reviews of whether a player’s foot or hand dislodged from the base for a microsecond while the tag was still on him. The fewer arguments over the “Spirit of the Rule!”—the better off baseball will be.

Proposal No. 4 would’ve prevented another set of woeful calls from last night that perhaps had an even greater impact on Game 5 than the check-swing debacle. But they didn’t draw as much ire because they came in the fourth inning. Brandon Crawford led off with a single to left field against Urías, who fell behind in the count 2–0, facing Bryant. Eddings then called the third pitch a strike, even though it was obviously low and inside. The next pitch was called a ball. The fifth pitch of the AB was called a strike as well, even though it too was clearly low. Bryant then swung through the sixth pitch for strike three. If managers could challenge called strikes or balls, Gabe Kapler probably would’ve asked for a review of the third pitch. The call would’ve been overturned, pushing the count to 3–0, and Bryant would have walked on the fourth pitch to set up first and second with nobody out.

Screenshot via MLB.com

In these situations, teams on average score 1.373 runs before the end of the inning (though the specific run expectancy varies depending on the run scoring environment), according to FanGraphs. Before Bryant’s strikeout, the Giants had a run expectancy of 0.84, according to the FanGraphs play log. That dropped to 0.50 after the K.

There were plenty of reasons San Francisco lost this series that had nothing to do with bad umpiring, the most obvious one being that its lineup didn’t score enough runs: The Dodgers outscored the Giants, 18–10, across the five games. (Granted, Los Angeles was shut out in both of the games it lost.) So let’s not let a few bad calls take away from the epic series.

Instead, this is how I’m going to remember this game, this series and this season of Dodgers-Giants. When it was all over, the scoreboard read: Dodgers 2, Giants 1. That score might as well have been Dodgers 110 wins, Giants 109 wins. It was that close, that enthralling, all the way to the finish.

Gabe Morales, who punched him out <<<<

A VERY Bad Call.