What's new
Fantasy Football - Footballguys Forums

Welcome to Our Forums. Once you've registered and logged in, you're primed to talk football, among other topics, with the sharpest and most experienced fantasy players on the internet.

2020 MLB Spring Training (3 Viewers)

Gurriel inside the line the whole way there, lol.

ETA: (I realize there was no interference or collision)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bregman apologizes for carrying his bat to first. OTOH:

Juan Soto on MLB Network, on mimicking Alex Bregman's bat drop: "I just told it to myself, as soon as I saw that, what Bregman did in the first inning, I was like 'that was pretty cool, I want to do that!'"

Love Soto.  :lmao:

 
In MLB, NBA, or NHL (the article I read also included the NFL for some reason), no playoff series in the history of any of those sports has had a 7 game series where the away teams won the first 6 games of a series.  That's not just finals.  That's ANY playoff series.  That's pretty wild.

I think the slight edge goes to the Nats tonight.  Lots of pressure on the Astros to win against Max.  I still don't think Max will be the Max of old, but who knows.  Maybe this will be his bloody sock moment.  

What scares me most about this game tonight is the Astros bats cooled off again last night.  So did they really break out of their slump?  Or did they just pull off the Enron's Ride of Broken Dreams trajectory?

 
Yes they are. But they are human and will make mistakes. And that Trea Turner call was awful. #### happens.
The play was actually not awful.  There's an actual rule in place that states he's out.

Since the dawn of time, players have run down the first base line on the wrong side trying to "walk the line" of fair and foul, literally.  You want to know what an awful call is?  Swinging at a pitch, missing, and having it called a foul.  Players complain about these types of calls all of the time, but they are in the wrong.  

 
Astros tonight. I don’t take their inability to win 4 games in a row as a negative to their series chances.

Statistically unlikely that the Astros go 0-4 at home to lose the World Series. If the Nationals somehow pull it off, they earned it. 

 
Craziest part of this series is:

The series itself has been amazing as a whole, but individually, the games themselves have been boring.  No drama in game.  

 
In MLB, NBA, or NHL (the article I read also included the NFL for some reason), no playoff series in the history of any of those sports has had a 7 game series where the away teams won the first 6 games of a series.  That's not just finals.  That's ANY playoff series.  That's pretty wild.

I think the slight edge goes to the Nats tonight.  Lots of pressure on the Astros to win against Max.  I still don't think Max will be the Max of old, but who knows.  Maybe this will be his bloody sock moment.  

What scares me most about this game tonight is the Astros bats cooled off again last night.  So did they really break out of their slump?  Or did they just pull off the Enron's Ride of Broken Dreams trajectory?
They faced good pitching. 

Pitching is the key to the series. 

 
My favorite part of the call is all of the tweets from former and current players saying it was a bad call and that the umps messed up.  Then Kate Upton posting a picture of the firstbase path and explaining the rule (correctly).   :lol:

Players hate the rule.  But it IS a rule.  Just because you don't like a rule doesn't mean it's unfair if they use it. 

 
They faced good pitching. 

Pitching is the key to the series. 
Pitching has been the furthest thing from the key to this series.  It's been all about who's got the hot bats.  I know we love to talk about Max, Cole, JV and Stras, but the truth is, these guys aren't unhittable.  They are very good, but they are not automatic wins.  And on top of that, none of them go 9 innings on a regular basis.  

We are in the postseason.  Every team is throwing out good pitching.  To say that a team isn't hitting because the other team's pitching is good is ridiculous.  Each team that has lost so far has had trouble hitting with RISP.  That's been the takeaway.  Players have been crushing moonshots off of these great pitchers.  Both teams.  But what is causing each team to lose is that they can't hit the ball when it counts.

No matter who wins tonight, there's no one who is going to look back on this series and say, "Wow.  Great pitching really determined the outcome of this series."

 
Another thing about a WS G7 is that everyone except Stras and JV are going to be available tonight.  So I wouldn't be surprised to see Cole or Corbin warming up in the bullpen at some point tonight if things are close.  And both Max and Zack are going to be on very short leashes.  I'd imagine the first time Greinke has two men on, you might see Urquidy warming up in the bullpen.  It's all hands on deck.  

 
Another thing about a WS G7 is that everyone except Stras and JV are going to be available tonight.  So I wouldn't be surprised to see Cole or Corbin warming up in the bullpen at some point tonight if things are close.  And both Max and Zack are going to be on very short leashes.  I'd imagine the first time Greinke has two men on, you might see Urquidy warming up in the bullpen.  It's all hands on deck.  
Right. 

Pitching...

 
Another thing about a WS G7 is that everyone except Stras and JV are going to be available tonight.  So I wouldn't be surprised to see Cole or Corbin warming up in the bullpen at some point tonight if things are close.  And both Max and Zack are going to be on very short leashes.  I'd imagine the first time Greinke has two men on, you might see Urquidy warming up in the bullpen.  It's all hands on deck.  
I wouldn't rule out Stras or Verlander either.

 
Another thing about a WS G7 is that everyone except Stras and JV are going to be available tonight.  So I wouldn't be surprised to see Cole or Corbin warming up in the bullpen at some point tonight if things are close.  And both Max and Zack are going to be on very short leashes.  I'd imagine the first time Greinke has two men on, you might see Urquidy warming up in the bullpen.  It's all hands on deck.  
Corbin isn't just going to warm he's probably the first guy to pitch after Max tonight.   Anibal Sanchez could get a couple innings too instead of our turd relievers.  If we get through 6 with the lead I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to finish with Hudson and Doolittle though I'd be nervous about that.  I really wish they wouldn't have used Doolittle last night.

 
Early indications from Vegas showing that more money is coming in on the Nationals than the Astros. Whether this is sharp money or public money, I am not sure.

 
Scherzer is truly the key to me. 

If he is totally healthy he could shut the Astros down. If not and they tee off him it could get ugly. 

 
You seem to keep missing the point, GB.  Pitching plays a part in every game.  What I've been saying is that it's not the overall factor.  It hasn't been for a single game of this entire series.
Watttt?

You don’t think facing Strasburg had anything whatsoever to do with the outcome of that game last night?

 
The play was actually not awful.  There's an actual rule in place that states he's out.

Since the dawn of time, players have run down the first base line on the wrong side trying to "walk the line" of fair and foul, literally.  You want to know what an awful call is?  Swinging at a pitch, missing, and having it called a foul.  Players complain about these types of calls all of the time, but they are in the wrong.  
I am well aware of the rule.....he was not inside the line when he crossed the bag, it did not impair the player at all from attempting to catch an obvious throwing error. In fact the reason it was an awful call was an error was turned into an out. 

The call was awful.

 
Watttt?

You don’t think facing Strasburg had anything whatsoever to do with the outcome of that game last night?
It had almost everything to do with it.

Strasburg is the reason there is a game 7 coupled with some great hitting from the Nationals. 

Strasburg has been the ace for the Nat's this entire post season.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
I am well aware of the rule.....he was not inside the line when he crossed the bag, it did not impair the player at all from attempting to catch an obvious throwing error. In fact the reason it was an awful call was an error was turned into an out. 

The call was awful.
But, in the regular season that make that call with regularity.

It's getting all this attention in this World Series for obvious reason, but runners cheat that line all the time to try and get away with it. Not saying I like it, because I think the rule is dumb.

But I actually think the umps called it properly here. Lucky for MLB Rendon saved their backs on this one. 

 
Maybe that play will give ride to the rebirth of the lefty first baseman, as a lefty could have made that play. (I need something for my fellow lefties with the upcoming death of the LOOGY.)

 
But, in the regular season that make that call with regularity.

It's getting all this attention in this World Series for obvious reason, but runners cheat that line all the time to try and get away with it. Not saying I like it, because I think the rule is dumb.

But I actually think the umps called it properly here. Lucky for MLB Rendon saved their backs on this one. 
The issue I took with it was it is a judgement call. It is not called black and white actually.

The throw was bad. It was going to be a throwing error. And Turner clearly was on line crossing the bag when he hit Gurriels glove.

Crap judgement call IMO. In a huge game.

 
If there’s anybody that should be mad about the call it’s the Astros. It’s a non-reviewable call yet we had to sit with them on the phone to NY for 5 minutes. Will Harris got cold and grooves a pitch that the next guy homers. 

Again @TheIronSheik , it all circles back to pitching. 

 
Strasburg is a cyborg.  

Verlander strangely can't get it done on the biggest stage.  Handing out dingers like Halloween candy. 

 
Not a huge baseball fan, but a Nats fan so I'm watching the series with great interest (as I have with their entire playoff run.

So what was Turner suppose to do?  At what point in his run to first should he have been on, or to the right of (when looking at camera from behind him) the line in order to not be breaking the rule?  It's not in his interest to do anything other than a straight line from where he was when he finished his hit to the bag itself., which he appeared to do. 

What's the purpose of the rule itself?  The 1st baseman can't block the bag, and the runner has a free path to the bag itself.  It was a bad throw that caused all this, so why should a bad throw result in the batter/runner being out?

 
Not a huge baseball fan, but a Nats fan so I'm watching the series with great interest (as I have with their entire playoff run.

So what was Turner suppose to do?  At what point in his run to first should he have been on, or to the right of (when looking at camera from behind him) the line in order to not be breaking the rule?  It's not in his interest to do anything other than a straight line from where he was when he finished his hit to the bag itself., which he appeared to do. 

What's the purpose of the rule itself?  The 1st baseman can't block the bag, and the runner has a free path to the bag itself.  It was a bad throw that caused all this, so why should a bad throw result in the batter/runner being out?
Not to mention Smoltz even said that when he was pitching they were coached to game the system and purposely throw at the base runner in the hopes of getting that call. MLB is grateful today that it didn't cost the Nats the game, else this would be a World Series with an asterisk. They need to fix that rule.

 
The issue I took with it was it is a judgement call. It is not called black and white actually.

The throw was bad. It was going to be a throwing error. And Turner clearly was on line crossing the bag when he hit Gurriels glove.

Crap judgement call IMO. In a huge game.
It doesn't matter if the throw was bad (and it wasn't that bad).  The rule states the runner must run in the running lane until the last stride to hit the bag.  If the runner interferes with the ability to catch the throw and did not run in the running lane he is called out.  The rule does not specify that it is only applicable if it is a good throw.  Just that the runner interferes with the ability to catch the ball.  This is exactly what happened.  The rule was called correctly. 

If Turner runs in the running lane (as he is supposed to do) then it is likely that he is called safe as he would be doing the rule states he should do.  The problem was that he ran where he is not supposed to run.  The running lane is there for this exact scenario.  There is a rule that outlines exactly what the runner is supposed to do.  Turner did not do what he was supposed to do. 

 
It doesn't matter if the throw was bad (and it wasn't that bad).  The rule states the runner must run in the running lane until the last stride to hit the bag.  If the runner interferes with the ability to catch the throw and did not run in the running lane he is called out.  The rule does not specify that it is only applicable if it is a good throw.  Just that the runner interferes with the ability to catch the ball.  This is exactly what happened.  The rule was called correctly.

If Turner runs in the running lane (as he is supposed to do) then it is likely that he is called safe as he would be doing the rule states he should do.  The problem was that he ran where he is not supposed to run.  The running lane is there for this exact scenario.  There is a rule that outlines exactly what the runner is supposed to do.  Turner did not do what he was supposed to do. 
Again, I'm not a baseball guy.  Where, and when, does Turner need to be in that lane?  Immediately after hitting the ball?  Once the ball has been thrown?  When the 1st baseman is attempting to catch it?  And where is that lane?

 
Will Harris got cold and grooves a pitch that the next guy homers. 
Technically it wasn't the next guy as Eaton was the next batter and he popped out.  ;) However, your point is still a good one.  That was an awful long time to be on the phone to get confirmation that it was non reviewable due to it being a judgement call. i think numbnuts brought it up to Smoltz asking why it took so long to read the rule in the book and confirm this. 

I've been on the umps a lot but I think that was a tough call to make.  Turner was inside the line the entire time so that's what umpie sees. Yes, even if he ran in foul territory where hes supposed to for the final third of the distance he'd be in almost the same spot at the time he gets to the bag - and is hit with that throw.  I think, and I'm probably wrong, that if he had been running in the marked zone then hit as he reached the base that it wouldn't have been called interference.  I also think nobody would be complaining if the ball hit him 2 strides sooner, maybe even one. well, the Nats probably would complain but they'd be wrong. Anyway, perhaps the safety bag is a good idea, not only to make this call easier but to save a few ankles.

My guy Rendon :wub: homered and the Astros had no response anyway so no harm, no foul.

 
It doesn't matter if the throw was bad (and it wasn't that bad).  The rule states the runner must run in the running lane until the last stride to hit the bag.  If the runner interferes with the ability to catch the throw and did not run in the running lane he is called out.  The rule does not specify that it is only applicable if it is a good throw.  Just that the runner interferes with the ability to catch the ball.  This is exactly what happened.  The rule was called correctly. 

If Turner runs in the running lane (as he is supposed to do) then it is likely that he is called safe as he would be doing the rule states he should do.  The problem was that he ran where he is not supposed to run.  The running lane is there for this exact scenario.  There is a rule that outlines exactly what the runner is supposed to do.  Turner did not do what he was supposed to do. 
The relevant part of the rule states "In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base, while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three-foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line, and in the umpire's judgment in so doing interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, in which case the ball is dead;"

"In so doing" suggests a need for cause and effect.  Did Turner running outside the running lane cause the interference?  I did not think so.  Interference was caused by the bad throw coming into the lane that Turner needed to be in in order to touch the bag, not by the way that Turner ran.

 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top