The World Series that ended wasn’t a great World Series.
Yes, I know, people are talking about how it was one of the best of all time. It wasn’t.
Could it be the most memorable of all time? Now we might be on to something.
See, baseball is a great game. Readers of my blog know I am a massive fan. I won’t say this World Series was awful – it wasn’t. It has some amazing performances. There were great individual and team moments. The two teams with the longest World Series championship drought were battling. But greatest … ? No.
But this World Series isn’t going to be remembered for the play on the field, it’s going to be remembered for the moment that came at the end when the Cubs won the championship for the first time since 1908. That’s a moment. It was a special moment. There are generations of Cubs fans celebrating this championship. And it doesn’t matter to them if it was slick fielding, dominant pitching or something else — all they care about is the end result.
That’s a moment. Moments make for some dramatic times and some great memories. Moments don’t always equate into the best games.
Many might not remember this one – but Game 7 of the 1991 World Series was a great game. Jack Morris (who should be a Hall of Famer) vs. John Smoltz. Amazing. Morris went 10 (yes, 10) innings to win, 1-0.
How crazy is that?
Let’s put that into perspective. Only three times in the 2016 World Series did a starting pitcher reach six complete innings – Corey Kluber twice (games 1 and 4) and Jon Lester (game 5). To me, that means managers overmanaging or there was some awful pitching. For the record, it’s the first choice.
Don’t get me wrong, the World Series was exciting.
But there were as many bad decisions as there were good. There was a full lack in confidence in some players. And seriously … if the World Series comes down to Michael Martinez hitting with the tying run in the bottom of the 10th … and there are no other choices?
I’m a Phillies fan. I know all about Michael Martinez.
In the end, this was very memorable. The Cubs are no longer lovable losers. Both teams could be back again next year.
People will remember the biggest moment in Cubs history when they think of the 2016 World Series. But a great series? Not so much. Most memorable? There’s definitely an argument for that.
Now … how long until pitchers and catchers report?
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Yeah, but, you’re not going to see much, if ever pitchers pitching late into games anymore. With so many specialists, set up guys and closers, the managers don’t have to stretch out a starter for 7 or 8 innings anymore.
I will agree with you that this wasn’t a great series, although when a team falls behind 3-1, then wins the last three, two of which are on the road, that’s a pretty special performance. I loved the slow motion of the last play. The grin on the Cub’s third baseman’s face was priceless. And, for the first baseman to think in the moment, catch the ball and then make sure that ball got put into his back pocket was priceless as well.
This series had a lot to offer and it was one of the few that really had me interested from start to finish. I’m not much of a fan of baseball on TV, but this was fun to watch. Not as fun as the 1975 World Series, but it was fun. I still see Carlton Fisk willing that ball fair.
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Your first part of this is what’s wrong with baseball — because it’s a true statement. There’s no reason pitchers making more money in a year than I’ll make in a lifetime can’t go 7 innings. It’s silly. A couple of these times pitchers were cruising and the managers hit the “let’s go” button to go get them. Why? They are paid a ton of money to pitch. Yes, there are specialists and all that, but as this World Series showed — they aren’t always the best ones. Look at the Cubs and how Maddon would barely touch certain relievers. Why even carry them then? This series will be talked about as one that changed the landscape of baseball, and it’s probably true — but definitely not for the better. I remember when I worked in newspapers and talked to some old-school and legendary pitchers (Bill Monbouquette and Bob Feller mainly) about this stuff and man, they seemed to hate that a starter couldn’t go deep or get themselves out of trouble. It doesn’t help the game with all of this — it jacks up prices because teams have to spend more to get somebody who can get a lefty out, and it also makes games go slower. I know it’s OK for the West Coast, but World Series games starting at 8:08 and ending at nearly 1 a.m. is tough, especially when trying to get kids to be fans of the game.
As for the other points … coming from 3-1 down to win on the road is, indeed, pretty special. But it’s a moment. The games weren’t great. If this had been between the Twins and Brewers, people would have been going to bed and saying it was one of the worst Series of all time. But what it meant in the grand scheme is what makes it memorable and special.
Cubs fans will remember it for a long time. The 104-year old lady who is a season ticket holder getting to see the Cubs win was crazy cool. So many generations saw things wiped out and that’s cool. But the baseball part of it … meh. And I love this game more than any other sport out there. It was a captivating Series … I just would have liked to have seen an amazing performance in Game 7 that would have made this even more legendary in regard to moments.
Who tries a safety squeeze with a 3-2 count? This isn’t high school, the man can hit or he wouldn’t be in the “Show”. I agree about over managing, guy is pitching really well and you take him out in the 5th inning, having only given up one run? I could only stay awake until the tarp went on. I did have a feeling with 2-3-4 up the Cubs had a great chance to score. There are a ton of things I question about the managing of the Cubs through out the Series, but hey, who am I to say anything!
This World Series made me wonder if these men, who are paid so much money, can be trusted for anything in the eyes of somebody over-managing. If you have a guy on cruise control, let him pitch. That saves people like Chapman, Miller, etc. for times when they are really needed — not being a basic middle-relief guy into a closer. Seems silly to me.
yep – Michael Martinez -uggh!
Maybe next year?
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I never thought I would see the day where the World Series came down to Michael Martinez. Ever.