World Series 2022 -- Houston Astros vs Philadelphia Phillies

The ugly reality of the expanded-playoffs era is that to history, October matters more than the six months that precede it. All-time greats have had their career accomplishments ignored in favor of a listing of playoff failures. Others we remember as legends because they got the big hit, the big strikeout, the big double play. Barry Bonds over here, David Ortiz over there. Alex Rodriguez over here, Derek Jeter over there. No stats, just vibes.

Tonight, Justin Verlander’s career gets sorted, for good, into one of those groups.

I don't know if Bonds is exactly over there: some struggles with the Pirates, historic Series with the Giants, marred by the finish. Mixed bag.

"Too jaded"--I could counter that with some of Posnanski's column today, but I'm trying hard not to.

(Sheehan's exclamation marks are not working their magic on me.)

Lifetime postseason OPS:

Derek Jeter: .838
Alex Rodriguez: .822

Who is here and who is there exactly?

I'm not even sure what the point is with Verlander either. He almost single-handedly pitched the Tigers past the A's in two division series. He was the MVP of the 2017 ALCS. He's been bad in the WS, but he's hardly been a postseason bust during his career.

Drifted off during the fifth.

Has Trumplander's effort been called gutsy yet?

Looks like Verlander is going to get that monkey off his back after all

oooo they comin

Or maybe not, who knows at this point. This has been a good game

it's Schwarbin' time

What an out

Was really hoping the Phillies would tie it up thre

Great play...this should be a fun bottom of the ninth.

Didn't get home till the bottom of the fifth, so I missed the first half. Am I reading correctly that Verlander worked his way out of a couple of jams? Starting pitchers sometimes do that?

Great play, I thought it was gone

oh my god so close

Kissinger needs to die right now so Castellanos hits this out of the park

...

Damn

Man, that was a catch.

The Great Mancini

Where is Karl Malone? This thread needs some levity that even my old-man wrong opinions cannot provide.

can’t speak for KM but there is something about your team being bounced from the playoffs prematurely that makes me a bit more distant come World Series time. It’s a long haul until the re-start.

i’m the opposite! what happens to me is i instantly become a fan of the team that bounced me. weird psychology at play there maybe

“Own me, daddy,” - TH

lol apparently

i dunno

part of it is just getting to know these dudes

obviously i would never with the yankees

I want a Game 7

I do too...but I started the series divided, and now I want Houston to win, so tonight would be fine.

This can go one of two ways, 1) Valdez dominates again and is named WS MVP when the Astros win the series tonight, 2) The Phillies go homer happy again and set up an all-time unpredictable, anything can happen Game 7.

The latter. I kinda dont want baseball to end this year!

Yes agree, this years playoffs have been a lot of fun even if my beloved Giants weren't in.

Great turn by Altuve--don't know how he hung in there.

If the Astros win and Valdez only gives up a run or two, I suppose he would win MVP. Short of that, though--or Javier winning a G7--Pena will win.

Love seeing a huge classic curveball--you hardly ever do anymore.

Valdez settling in

I want a game 7 because I can’t watch tonight and also I want the phils to win.

i don't really care who wins the series, but i *would* like a Brad Lidge Moment tonight

I want everyone to tell me--and tell me before it happens--the exact moment when they should take out Valdez.

(Left myself wide open there: "How about we tell you the exact moment when we take out you instead?")

tell us -- before it happens -- the exact moment at which you will no longer be impressed by his performance

There it is

(Not talking about current conversations in this thread)

Yeah--it wasn't me who gushed about his curveball.

(It amuses me that after a decade of being ridiculed by ILX's patron saint as a wide-eyed naif, you've decided I'm jaded because I wasn't thrilled three relievers pitching three hitless innings.)

No way he leaned into that.

Wow

Ditto...I think Alvarez has only been so-so since the Mariners HR, but what a flair for the dramatic.

I want everyone to tell me--and tell me before it happens--the exact moment when they should take out Valdez.

Just needling...not sure your post was necessary in the middle of this great inning.

Don’t needle if you don’t like getting it back. Also, don’t read ilx during the game if you get annoyed at being replied to while play is happening?

Oh my goodness--you sound far angrier than any of my posts.

My basic point was that everybody decided pulling Verlander was the right move after he gave up the two runs. No one posted beforehand. So I was saying, "Okay, this time tell me beforehand." Twice Thomson has removed his starter this series and had it blow up. In G5, Baker left Verlander in to get out of a couple of jams, and that time it worked.

It's baseball--anything can happen, and there's no right answer.