Clinch Week/KTE

[Frayed Knot]

* Mon: Williams faces Clarabell (or whatever his name is) Sanchez - coming off his no-hit game vs 'Zona
Philly = off day

* Tues: Oliver (the boy who wants more) Perez vs NL ERA leader Josh Johnson
Philly @ Atlanta: Wolf vs Davies

* Wed: Glavine vs Olsen - that highly emotional lefty who almost got into it w/his 3rd baseman earlier this year.
Philly @ Atlanta: Leiber v Hudson

* Thurs: Off day for us
Philly & Atlanta finish up with Moyer & Chuck James (or we can reverse his formal/informal names and call him Charles Jimmy)



- Taking two of three eliminates both the Marlins & Braves no matter what happens in Georgia.
- A sweep clinches at least a tie
- Two wins + two Brave wins sews it up

Would slightly suck to "clinch" while the team is sitting on their collective asses on Thursday - but I'm sure they'll take it.
The clincher's almost certain to come on the road anyway so the stadium crew gets a reprieve one way or the other.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

I think the Mets have been lucky that all four of their previous division clinchers have become official at the moment that a Mets victory ended.

I know it happened that way in 1986 and 1988 and I'm pretty sure it happened that way in 1969 and 1973.

But even if the Mets win on the day they clinch, it's possible that the division will be wrapped up before their game ends. For example, if the Phillies lose and their game ends while the Mets are still in the 7th inning.

Today's a day off for the Phillies, so the lowest the magic number can be after today is 3.

I wonder how many clinchers work out as perfectly as the Mets first four did? Have the Mets defied steep odds to get four ideal clinchers in a row?

[Willets Point]

I've always wondered -- and perhaps this is happened -- what if a team's magic number was 2, the team won their game at home, but their division rival was still playing elsewhere and they had to wait 20/30/40 minutes until that game finished in a loss. Would the fans be able to watch that other game on diamondvision? Would the players wait in the dugout and storm the field to celebrate after it's all official? Or would it be rather anti-climactic?

[Guest Edgy DC]

I think, in such cases, the players watch in the clubhouse, celebration-ready, and the fans are on their own.

[Willets Point]

Edgy DC wrote: I think, in such cases, the players watch in the clubhouse, celebration-ready, and the fans are on their own.

...in the parking lot getting really drunk and throwing bottles around.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

Willets Point wrote: I've always wondered -- and perhaps this is happened -- what if a team's magic number was 2, the team won their game at home, but their division rival was still playing elsewhere and they had to wait 20/30/40 minutes until that game finished in a loss. Would the fans be able to watch that other game on diamondvision? Would the players wait in the dugout and storm the field to celebrate after it's all official? Or would it be rather anti-climactic?

IIRC, that situation took place in Oakland a couple of years ago. The players sat around on the field watching the Anaheim game, and I'm pretty sure the fans stuck around also.

On Edit - this was the game.

[Willets Point]

Cool!

[Farmer Ted]

It will be Sunday in Pittsburgh because I'll be there dammit.

[Frayed Knot]

The '69 & '86 clinchers were "clean" so to speak.
But the '73 one was certainly unique, especially since it came - like the WC in '99 - a day after the season was supposed to be over.

If I recall everything correctly, the Mets had clinched a tie but still had a DH against the Cubs remaining (one or both were makeups). The Cards were a full game behind but had finished their sked, while Pittsburgh was 1-1/2 games out with a makeup against (I think it was) San Diego which no one thought was going to need to be played but was because of the theoretical 3-way tie for the division that was still possible.
So the last-place Padres had to be dragged back from what they thought was the start of their off-season (bet they were REAL happy 'bout that) while the Mets played a week-day (Monday?) DH against the Cubs in ... a steady rain!

The upshot was that the Mets won game 1, eliminating both the idle Cards plus the Pirates whose game was still going on. But the kicker was that no one seemed to know whether the 2nd game of the DH was to be played. The division was decided but, because a game was still scheduled to be played, the policy was to play it. So the team is celebrating in the clubhouse but no alcohol is out yet. Thankfully, the umps called game 2 on account of the rain (probably didn't take much convincing) and the party was on.