The Big Story – Sox Miss Playoffs Again: It took a 27-39 post-All Star-break collapse after a promising first half, but your Boston Red Sox finished exactly where they started, at an even .500, at 81-81. It left them four games out of the wild card to make it four times in the five years since Dave Dombrowski was fired by owner John Henry six months after winning a franchise-best 108 games.
The glass-is-half-full side is that, with 14-game-winner Brayan Bello, dynamic Ceddanne Rafaela and Triston Casas here already and two of baseball’s Top 5 prospects and four of its Top 35 on the way, the future offers some real enthusiasm.
The half-empty side is since they were killed by brutal relief pitching and a thin starting staff, it won’t be realized unless owner John Henry opens the checkbook for the pitching help they desperately need.
Sports 101: Name the team that was in first place for an entire year only to lose the pennant by dropping to second in the season’s final game.
News Item – Ohtani’s Year for the Ages: Sorry, Aaron Judge, as great as your near triple crown year has been, with 411 total bases, 38 doubles, seven triples and 54 homers, 130 RBI, 59 steals and an even closer triple crown miss (by four points) the Japanese star was even more dynamic. An astonishing season.
News Item – Five Big 2024 Baseball Team Stories:
1. Yanks win AL East while trying to win first WS in 15 years. 2. Houston roars back from 10 games back to win AL West. 3. Dodgers win their 11th NL West Crown in 12 years. 4. Choke of the year goes to Minnesota, who were a wild card lock before finishing 2-8 and four games out. 5. Going into Monday’s delayed doubleheader between the Mets and Braves with a possibility of a three-way tie for the final NL wild card spot between those two and the D-Backs.
The Numbers:
34 – majors-leading homers given up by Kutter Crawford after surrendering one while taking his MLB-worst 16th loss in Saturday’s 7-2 loss to Tampa Bay.
58 & 144 – homers and RBI for MVP-to-be Aaron Judge.
… Of the Week Awards
Player of the Week – Jaden Daniels: My friend Dick Lombardi the insurance magnate/college football savant was right that the rookie from LSU was the must-take guy on draft day. Exhibit A came in Week 3 when he set a rookie completion record (91.3) going 21-23 for 254 yards with 39 rushing yards as he accounted for 3 TDs in Washington’s 38-33 win over Cincy. Exhibit B came via his 26-30 for 233 and one-TD day in Sunday’s rout of Arizona while tacking on 47 more rushing yards and another TD.
Play of the Week – SD Padres: Wonder what the Vegas odds were the Padres would keep a 4-2 lead when faced with two on, no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Ohtani on deck and the playoffs on the line.
Well, Ohtani never even got up! Dastardly Manny Machado turned a hard grounder into a wild-card-clinching 5-4-3 triple play that ended the game.
Anti-Ted Williams Award – Luis Arraez: For, unlike in TW’s final day quest to hit .400 in 1941, weaseling his way to the batting crown (.314 to .310) by leaving the final game after doubling to create a gap Ohtani couldn’t make up without a couple of outs by the San Diego chicken.
That’s All She Wrote Award – Oakland A’s: After 54 years the A’s played their last game in Oakland. They’re headed for a temporary stay in Sacramento before joining Oakland’s football team in Vegas.
Random Thoughts
Good riddance to Kenley Jansen, a $34 million waste of money.
Interesting that Cleveland and Houston lost soon-to-be-Hall of Fame managers in Terry Francona and Dusty Baker and still won their divisions, with Cleveland improving by a whopping 15 wins, reminding everyone: it’s the players, stupid.
Sports 101 Answer: In what’s known as “The Phold,” the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies lost their season-long first-place perch by blowing a 6½-game lead with 12 to play to let the Cardinals win the NL pennant on the final day.
Final Thought – Thumbs Down – Tommy John: The ex-Dodger and Yankees lefty is the latest nitwit to claim his support of Donald Trump has kept him out of the Hall of Fame. Earth to Tommy, you retired in 1989 and have been eligible since 1994. That means in the 22 years before you had a chance to support him you didn’t make it. With 281 career wins you have a legit argument for inclusion. But voters probably think that was helped by lasting until you were 46. Thus you’re not in ’cause they don’t think the body of work was quite good enough and DT has nothing to do with that.End of story.
Email Dave Long at [email protected].