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Where we stand: 13 games in

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Casual fans (and significant others of avid ones like us) tend to remind us it’s so early in the season that it’s hardly worth fretting about our team’s performance here in mid-April. And to some extent, they’re right. Teams go through hot and cold streaks throughout the year and every game counts equally. Still, in the hotly contested American League East, where literally every team is a viable contender, wins matter and losses hurt in the overall March to October.

With an off-day after the club’s first 13 games of the season, I thought we could take a look at we’ve seen from our 2014 Boston Red Sox. What can we learn little more than 8% of the way through the season?

No way around it, a weak start

2014-04-14_16-32-28Even casual fans can’t be impressed with the Red Sox win percentage at this early point in the season. Boston’s 5-8 record is only marginally better than the 4-7 record held by the Royals, the team with the lowest win percentage in the American League. The Cubs, Reds, and Diamondbacks are the only MLB clubs off to a worse start.

Still, we probably can’t take away much from what we’ve seen so far given the early injuries (Breslow, Middlebrooks, Pedroia, Uehara, Victorino) that have kept a consistent Red Sox lineup from appearing on the field.

The Red Sox have used the MLB average of 27 batters over their first 13 games. The Dodgers have used the most (31), the Brewers the least (24). BOS has fielded 26 players (one off the MLB average of 27). The Dodgers have used the most (29), the Brewers the least (24). 13 Red Sox pitchers have made appearances, which is the MLB average. The Dodgers and Indians have used the most (15), the Brewers have used the least (11). [Read more…]


What the postseason is worth

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As fans, our team winning the World Series is worth a lot. But rarely, I think, do most of us put the win in terms of dollars and cents. We realize that players get bonuses for advancing beyond the regular season, but the actual formulae used and the value of progressing through the postseason isn’t really discussed much.

Major League Baseball, however, doesn’t hide any of this and, as a business minded fellow, I find it interesting. Here’s a look at the monetary impact to players of postseason victories.

The whole thing starts with a pool of cash. MLB creates the pool by combining gate receipts of the following games:

  • 50% of gate receipts from the Wild Card Games,
  • 60% from the first 3 games of the Division Series,
  • 60% from the first 4 games of the League Championship Series, and
  • 60% from the first 4 games of the World Series

Add that all up and this year’s pool totaled a substantial $62,683,966.80.

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Unfinished business

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When the Red Sox headed to St. Louis after losing World Series Game 2 at Fenway, I remarked that this 1-1 position was similar to the American League Championship Series after its first two games. But unlike the ALCS, the World Series momentum had shifted to the Cardinals because, while the Tigers won Game 1, the Red Sox dramatically rallied to win in Game 2 and headed to Detroit on that emotional high.

In Detroit the Red Sox won 2 of 3 games and came back to Fenway to finish the Series and become the 2013 American League champs.

The trip to St. Louis was about as good as anyone might reasonably expect. Boston again took 2-of-3 on the road and now return to Fenway in a strong position. With just one win in St. Louis, we were assured that there would be at least one game at Fenway. With the two wins we have the luxury of having two chances to get just one home win.

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World Series tied, but Cardinals grab momentum

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A promising bottom of the 6th inning in Game 2 gave way to a disastrous top of the 7th as the Cardinal came back to tie the World Series at one game a piece. The Series now shifts to St. Louis for the next three games.

I was struck, after the game, at how much this is similar to the first two games of the American League Championship Series with the Tigers. In that series the Red Sox lost Game 1 at Fenway and looked like they were on the way to a loss in Game 2 before David Ortiz‘ grand slam and Torii Hunter‘s now infamous backflip. The Sox headed to Detroit with momentum and took two out of three games there.

Today, however, with a series that fans may struggle to remember is merely tied, the momentum is with the Cardinals, who leave Fenway as the Sox did in the ALCS after Game 2. In Thursday’s game, down by a run in the 6th, and given the historical strength of the Red Sox bullpen, there must be palpable relief to come from behind for the win and then head back home with the wind at your back. [Read more…]


Red Sox and Cardinals:
Long storied histories,
little of it together

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There’s no lack of history when it comes to either of the two storied clubs in this year’s World Series. And as the Wall Street Journal pointed out today, there won’t be a tidy David and Goliath narrative to go with this Fall Classic. Just two excellent teams with long histories and remarkable 2013 seasons. Yet despite being part of baseball from the start, these are two clubs that have spent very little time together.

The St. Louis Cardinals franchise reaches back to 1882. They’ve now played 20,161 games as the Perfectos, the Browns, and the Brown Stockings before taking their present name in 1900. Their all-time record is 10,380-9,629, (.519). Only the Braves (20,539) and the Cubs (20,574) have played more games. The Cardinals have won 11 World Championships, 2nd only to the Yankees’ 27. They own 19 National League pennants. 42 of their own have gone on to be honored in Baseball’s Hall of Fame. [Read more…]