With A Jimmmitude: Dodgers, Kershaw, Snell
Dodgers win the World Series
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series for the first time since 1988. The last time the Dodgers won I was just over 1 month old. I am personally happy for them since they are team that has been so close so many times recently. Add in the fact they got screwed by facing the Houston Astros a few years ago and they really needed this one.
So happy for Clayton Kershaw
If there was one narrative that needed to die it was about Clayton Kershaw and his performance in the postseason. It was the old can’t pitch in the postseason or he doesn’t have a ring nonsense that was quite tiring. The Dodgers wining the World Series and Kershaw pitching well will go a long way for his legacy. At the end of the day, Clayton Kershaw deserved this.
Blake Snell was pulled too early
The Tampa Bay Rays had a chance to go to a Game 7. Instead a questionable pitching change was made and that didn’t happen. Blake Snell was flat out dominating and Kevin Cash decided to take him out of the game. While their plan was to not let Snell face the lineup for a third time, it is inexcusable for taking him out. The Dodgers couldn’t touch Snell and taking him out did Los Angeles a massive favor.
What this decision will trigger is a discussion about analytics and the intangible aspect of feel. While feel is not something that cannot be quantified with a number, there are plenty of managers who would have left Snell in the game. Why? Because of feel.
There are numbers that say that Snell is not quite the same pitcher at a certain point in the game. The important thing to keep in mind is that numbers are a record of what previously happened and not necessarily something that can predict the future. Sure, they can give you a pretty good idea, but it is far from a lock from actually happening. There are exceptions to the rule and last night was one of them. It’s about understanding the balance between statistics and feel, with last night being a complete failure in that regard.
