baseball
Sabermetric analysis of all things baseball - on-and-off the field. Barry Bonds fan club.
MLB July 2022 Review
The month of July always sees the first half of the Major League Baseball season come to a close, and it's followed by the Midsummer Classic, aka MLB's All-Star Game. After the festivities take place, the second half begins, and that's when the paces are really set in the pennant races. The room for error decreases once August hits, and with that said, here are the key moments that took place in July.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB 2022 National League 1st Half Recap
The National League, Major League Baseball's senior circuit, also has its share of intriguing storylines and surprises. Much like the American League, these developments are a result of the new postseason format, which now allows three Wild Cards in each league. The National League picture does look quite interesting entering the break, and the storylines and standings are as follows:
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB 2022 American League 1st Half Recap
The 2022 Major League Baseball season is at the halfway point, and what a first half it has been. It didn't seem like we'd get a season due to the lockout that affected spring training, but we did get one and it's been amazing to this point. The All-Star Break is a pivotal point in three of North America's four main sports leagues (the NFL doesn't have a break, as the Pro Bowl takes place a week before the Super Bowl), but it is immensely emphasized in baseball. It is always important to be in a good place by the All-Star Break, and regarding the American League, it has seen a lot of surprising teams on the verge of breaking through. Here's how things stand in baseball's junior circuit entering the break.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB June 2022 Review
June is a pretty vital month in the Major League Baseball season, even if it is early in the year. The month of June is the final month before baseball's All-Star Break, which is a pivotal point of the season, as it pretty much determines who has a shot at the postseason, who will win their divisions, and who needs to do a lot to cross the playoff line. While all of that is still down the line, the month of June was quite memorable. Here are the key occurrences.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB May 2022 Review
The 2022 MLB season is closing in on the summer months, and that means the All-Star break is getting closer and closer. While the month of April serves as an introductory portion of the season--not as vital but important enough to give fans an idea of how each of the 30 teams will perform, the month of May serves as a tone-setting month. How each team stands after May is important, as June is the last full month before the all-important All-Star break. But that's down the line. Here's a look at a few teams that drew some attention in the month of May.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
MLB April 2022 Review
Hard to believe that earlier this year, there was a possibility that we wouldn't have baseball in April. A lockout had enveloped the sport for over three months until things ended up settled, leading to the season starting only a week later than originally planned. The return also brought new wrinkles to the sport: the permanent universal DH, the "ghost runner" extra inning rule ending after this season, nine-inning doubleheader games, and an expanded playoff format that features 12 teams (six in each league) and the best of three Wild Card Series opening the postseason.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
A Look at Major League Baseball's Many Changes as the Lockout Ends
It's over. The latest Major League Baseball lockout finally came to an end just one day short of the 100-day mark, with a tentative CBA agreement. The collateral damage was minimal; spring training was lost, and Opening Day ended up pushed back a week--from March 31 to April 7. Despite the later start, a full 162-game season is the plan, with the regular season set to end on October 2, 2022. This work stoppage is the first one since 1994, and that one saw the remainder of that season canceled, as well as that year's postseason and World Series. It also resulted in the 1995 season starting late and containing 144 games, and that season ended with the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Six: Party Like it's 1995
Here's what I remember about 1995. I was only ten years old. Seinfeld's popularity increased in its time on NBC's Thursday night lineup. Saturday Night Live was celebrating 20 years. The Simpsons' seventh season began with the surprising revelation that baby Maggie Simpson shot Mr. Burns. In the sports world, the Houston Rockets won their second straight NBA championship, the New Jersey Devils won their first of their three Stanley Cups, and Major League Soccer and the WNBA didn't exist yet. Regarding the Atlanta Braves, they won the World Series with a shutout victory in Game Six. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Five: No Home Runs, No Problem
As a sports fan, I always love when the World Series just happens to coincide with a football Sunday. It brings me back to 2009, when Game Four of that Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies took place in the "City of Brotherly Love," which also hosted an early NFL game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. Regarding this Sunday, which was also Halloween, the city of Atlanta was busy, as the Falcons were at home, as well as Game Five of this year's World Series.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Four: On the Verge
The Atlanta Braves' first home World Series game in 22 years was a victorious one, and was almost a historic one, as the Braves nearly no-hit the Houston Astros. Even with the no-hit bid gone, the Braves went on to take a 2-1 lead in the Fall Classic, and 24 hours later, the two teams faced off in Game Four.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Three: Historic Proportions
The city of Atlanta has not had a great sports history. It was in 1966 that the Braves moved for the second and most recent time, relocating from Milwaukee to Atlanta, and it was that same year that the Atlanta Falcons were established. Two years later, Atlanta received the NBA's Hawks, who had previously played in St. Louis for 13 seasons and won a championship in 1958. In 1972, Atlanta joined the NHL with the establishment of the Flames, but after eight disappointing seasons, six playoff appearances, and only two playoff games won, the team relocated to Calgary in 1980, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in 1989. They tried again with the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999, but lasted 11 seasons and only made the playoffs once before moving to Winnipeg and becoming the second Jets team.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
World Series Game Two: Astros' Pitching Leads the Way
Game One of the World Series was dominated by the Atlanta Braves' pitching, as well as timely home runs by Jorge Soler and Adam Duvall. For the Houston Astros, they needed to strike back in order to salvage something in the first two games in their park. Game Two started off on the right foot for the Astros; an Alex Bregman sac fly in the first inning to put the Astros up 1-0. The top half of the second inning saw Travis d'Arnaud tie it up with a solo shot; the Braves' third HR of the Series, but after that, the Astros exploded with four runs in their half of the second inning, resulting in a 5-1 lead for the Astros after two innings.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
