The Most Exciting Inning...

....That I Witnessed Live in a Completely Meaningless Game

I meant to write about this earlier, but never got around to it. However, I believe that what happened in this particular game (which happens multiple times a year) is very relevant given some recent rule changes, so I figured it was time for my semi-once-in-a-while post.

I want to recount what I saw in a game that took place on a cool evening in the Summer of 2013 in San Francisco.  The game was meaningless in every sense of the word. There were no exciting pitchers starting, no milestones to be broken, there wasn't a no-hitter or a batter hitting for the cycle, it didn't mean a lot for the standings...

7 road wins! What are the odds? Not that bad.....

Anyone who watched the recently concluded World Series (congratulations to the Nationals), couldn't help but hear / read / see the constant barrage of media members tripping all over themselves to point out that this was the first time a road team won every game. And the World Series has been an annual (almost!) tradition for over 100 years, so how amazing was this???

Below is just one of many outlets who were already mentioning it after Game 6:

For the first time in World Series history, the road teams sweep Games 1-6.

Game 1: HOU at home; WAS wins
Game 2: HOU at home; WAS wins
Game 3: WAS at home; HOU wins
Game 4: WAS at home; HOU wins
Game 5: WAS at home; HOU wins
Game 6: HOU at home; WAS wins pic.twitter.com/Df0KhUWfjM

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) October 30, 2019

And then of course Washington won Game 7 in Houston as well.

The Red Sox DO NOT need a closer

The "Closers"

I know, I know.

We’ve blown 247 saves just this past month. And at least 89 of those were with a multiple run lead in the 9th inning. Surely if we had a competent closer, such as any of the guys on the left, we’d at least be in striking distance of the Yankees, if not alone in first place.

Wait, some of those numbers above are incorrect you say? My bad, I didn’t look up the exact stats, I was just writing based on what this team’s “fans” whine about on twitter, message boards, sports radio and more. If the numbers aren’t quite accurate, they’re at least a good representation of what has happened this season.

We do have a lot of blown saves and have lost a lot of late inning leads – this fact I’m 100% certain on, without having to google the actual numbers.

But!

Getting. A. Good. Closer. Won’t. Help.

Don’t believe me? Let me explain why:

Playing Pepper 2019 - Red Sox

Will Pedroia be an everyday contributor?

Time for the annual Playing Pepper preview hosted at the Cardinals C70 website, which previews every team. I was again one of the writers asked to answer some questions on the Red Sox. Below are the questions and answers, which are now also up on the C70 site along with what others' prespectives.

Make sure to check there daily for previews of the other MLB teams.

1) What are your thoughts on the offseason?  What was good, what was bad, what else should they have done?

It was good that they quickly resigned World Series heroes Steve Pearce and Nate Eovaldi. There was nothing bad. I was disappointed to see Joe Kelly leave, but his value was probably at an all-time high after the postseason he had. A lot of the fandom is concerned about our lack of a proven closer™, but I think the bullpen will sort itself out.

Playing Pepper 2019 - Crowdsourcing answers

C70 At The Bat
A great blog for St. Louis Cardinals fans

I have again been asked to supply a 2019 Red Sox preview for the C70 At The Bat Playing Pepper series which has been hosting previews of every team before the start of each season for several years now. Here was last year's post.

This year I've been asked the following questions:


1) What are your thoughts on the offseason?  What was good, what was bad, what else should they have done?

2) How has the afterglow of this championship been different than the last three?

3) Mookie Betts had an incredible 2018.  Can he reach those levels again this season?

4) What is your general outlook for 2019?  Where will they finish in the division?

5) What’s the biggest question for this team going into the season and what’s the answer to it?

6) What do you expect will give you the most joy watching this team on a regular basis this season?

I have my thoughts on these, and they will be published on C70 on or around March 12 along with thoughts of other Red Sox writers, but I thought I'd give my audience a chance to give me some input. That way I can start my answers somewhere along the lines of  "Like most fans, I think that..." or "Contrary to most fans I believe...".

So, what say you, Red Sox Nation? Do you have any strong opinions on any/all of the above questions? I'd love to hear from you. Leave your thoughts on the comments below, or reply on twitter, or email me directly at BaseballRuben AT gmail.

Look back here on March 12th for my full post, and make sure to keep checking C70 for daily previews of other teams.