AL 1st Round Playoffs

[Frayed Knot]

Starts Tuesday, Best of Three, No days off, all games at stadium of higher seed



#1 vs #8 -- Jays @ Rays



#2 vs #7 -- ChiSox @ A's



#3 vs #6 -- Astros @ Twins



#4 vs #5 -- Yanx @ seriously, I just used a racist word when I really meant "Guardians"







Exact schedules yet to be announced ... except that the Yanx and Tom Brady will get all the prime time slots.

[bmfc1]

Are there any rooting interests in these games? TOR and TB both seem OK; Reinsdorf is an asshole but the Athletics won the '73 WS; Minnesota, obviously; Cleveland, obviously. So, ???, ???, MIN, CLE.

[kcmets]

I'll initially go for MIN and CLE.

[MFS62]

Anybody but the MFYs, with the AL winner losing in the WS.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

Indians for all the obvious reasons.

Rays because they're the best team, and because they beat up the MFY during the season, and because the Rays/Jays survivor will face the NYY/CLE winner



And then Twins & A's just for a change of pace since they'd face each other in the next round so ONE OF THEM would finally advance to the ALCS

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

I'm OK with the A's, Indians, Jays or Chisox; don't mind the Rays or Twins that much.



In summary, it's important the MFYs and Astros get swept

[G-Fafif]

So delighted the Twins did not draw their traditional tormentors in the first round.



C'mon Tribe. Do us a solid.

[Frayed Knot]

- The Twins last won a playoff series in 2002 when they beat that other star-crossed AL post-season team, the A's, 3 games to 2 in the first round.

They then won Game 1 of the ALCS vs eventual champs Anaheim, but lost the next four straight



- In 2003 they beat the Yanx in Game one of the ALDS ... and then lost the next three straight

- In 2004 they beat the Yanx in Game One of the ALDS ... and then lost the next three straight



They've since lost 13 consecutive post-season games, the last ten of which were to the Yanx:

- three straight to Oakland in '06

- three straight to the Yanx in '09

- three straight to the Yanx in '10

- the 2017 WC play-in game to the Yanx

- and then three straight to the Yanx in 2019



So that's ten straight post-season losses to the Yanx and 2-19 in six series over the last 17 seasons

Overall they have 13 straight playoff losses and are 3-23 in all post season games since their lone 21st century series victory

Their previous victory prior to that was their win in the 1991 WS, aka: the Morris/Smoltz game

[Chad ochoseis]

As usual, I root for my new home team once my old home team is eliminated. No matter that as far as I know, they're made up of Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana, a fast guy named Oscar, and 27 other players who I understand are in the major leagues.

[ashie62]

White Sox and Twins. White Sox to the WS.

[Frayed Knot]

Tuesday's sked:



-- Astros @ Twins: 1400 EDT on ABC (I guess they're pre-empting soap operas for this?)



-- ChiSox @ A's: 1500 on ESPN (so that's noon local time)



-- Jays @ Rays: 1700, TBS



-- Yanx @ Indians: 1900, ESPN

[LWFS]

I can't see the Indians giving up the number of home runs in bunches that it'll take to keep the MFYs in their series.

[ashie62]

Giolito perfect through five.

[Frayed Knot]

A's get a lead-off single to start the 7th and break up the perfecto.

3-0 ChiSox

[Frayed Knot]

Twins & Astros have somehow turned 7 innings of a 1-1 game into three-plus hours.

Houston batting in top 8 w/a man on.

[vtmet7]

I would like the Rays or the Jays to make it to the World Series, it's a shame that they have to eliminate one of them in the first round...if they don't make it, I would love to see the Astros knockout the Yankees if both advance that far...

[Frayed Knot]

The Twins bad luck/play continues.

With two outs in top 9, an error extended the inning. A bases-loaded walk and two-run single followed and Mini-Soda is down 4-1 in bottom 9



Giving away post-season games is bad enough ... doing it in a best-of-three is deadly.

[Frayed Knot]

And the two early games end within a minute of each other with the home teams losing 4-1 in both.

[vtmet7]

Where is the Rays Jays game being played?

[vtmet7]

I am watching but I can't tell where. SanDiego?

[vtmet7]

Kind of funny...TBS has the Rays offensive rankings in the AL for the season up on the board...it shows that the Rays were 21st in AL Rankings for batting average. I didn't realize that the AL had 21 teams.

[vtmet7]

=vtmet7 post_id=47701 time=1601418766 user_id=80]
I am watching but I can't tell where. SanDiego?

[Frayed Knot]

As per the opening post in this thread, all games in the opening round will be played at the home park of the higher seeded team.

After that the series in both leagues head for bubbles, one in SoCal, the other in Texas.

[whippoorwill]

Indians are my sons favorite team

[vtmet7]

Frayed Knot wrote: As per the opening post in this thread, all games in the opening round will be played at the home park of the higher seeded team. After that the series in both leagues head for bubbles, one in SoCal, the other in Texas.

Now that you pointed it out, I see it....so that means all of the Yankees games are road games...nice

[vtmet7]

=whippoorwill post_id=47707 time=1601422026 user_id=79]
Indians are my sons favorite team

[vtmet7]

Yeah...the imaginary runner on 2nd in extra innings doesn't happen in the playoffs

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Who is this shit announcer on the MFY game. I'm doing a better job calling this game in my head

[Frayed Knot]

=whippoorwill post_id=47707 time=1601422026 user_id=79]
Indians are my sons favorite team

[vtmet7]

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Who is this shit announcer on the MFY game. I'm doing a better job calling this game in my head

I watch these network telecasts with the sound muted and closed captioning turned on. And I don't watch Yankees games unless it is on delay and I know that they are going to lose.