World Series time

October 26, 2017 12:00 PM

It's World Series time! The LA Dodgers are playing the Houston Astros, and for the undecided, there are good reasons to root for each. For the Dodgers, I submit the ever-entertaining comparative veteran Yasiel Puig, whose bat-licking ways are memorialized with a colorful design shaved into his hair (with a matching one for his baby omg), and who's fun to watch even when he's declining to swing at a pitch. For the Astros, how about all-star hitter and fielder Jose Altuve, who's also super fun to watch and who might be the best hitter in baseball this season, despite being -- at 5'5" -- the shortest player in the game.
posted by LobsterMitten (32 comments total)

Come watch with us tomorrow and the following nights on Fanfare too!
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:04 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

So far it's shaping up to be a great series -- the first game was a pitcher's duel and the second was full of wacky extra-innings reversals.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:06 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Hoping the Dodgers win because I live in the Bay Area and I feed off of having my co-workers be furious about sports things.
posted by Space Coyote at 12:06 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

I have four cans of good beer wagered on an Astros series victory, but no rooting interest beyond that; I can't even imagine how crazy and tense last night's game must have been for actual fans of L.A. and Houston.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:14 PM on October 26, 2017

I feel asleep during the commercials between the 8th and 9th innings last night. Doh!
posted by COD at 12:20 PM on October 26, 2017

I guess if your team doesn't have more important things to do tonight...
posted by kjs3 at 12:20 PM on October 26, 2017

I was watching the game at a friend's house, but left after the end of the 10th inning (12:10 AM local time) because I had to bike home and get at least a decent-ish night's sleep. I told my friend to "text me if anyone scores," and when I got home 25 minutes later there were many texts waiting for me, one of which was "This game is lunacy."
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:22 PM on October 26, 2017 [5 favorites]

These games have been nutso so far. Unfortunately I can't manage to stay up late enough to watch them all the way through, but on the other hand, I'm thankfully not too invested in either team (although I'm rooting for Houston).
posted by uncleozzy at 12:24 PM on October 26, 2017

Amazing roller coaster of a game last night. Grew up in SoCal and bleed Dodger blue; have been living in Houston for the past twenty years. Whoever wins I'm going to be ecstaticrushed.
posted by Standeck at 12:25 PM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]

At least the Yankees didn't make it. That's a win for me.
posted by Sphinx at 12:26 PM on October 26, 2017 [18 favorites]

I am rooting for the Dodgers because of Farhan Zaidi.
posted by something_witty at 12:38 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

Fun Fact: the Astros are the only team (so far) to ever represent both the National League and American League in the World Series.
posted by Navelgazer at 12:42 PM on October 26, 2017 [6 favorites]

Shortened from the fanfare post, but relevant:

I can't believe this is the first season in thirty years that I haven't been in Houston for minimum one (more like 20, usually) games.

Go 'stros.
posted by Seeba at 12:52 PM on October 26, 2017

Everybody with good taste, Socca, that's who.

We've got enough reversion to the 50s in our politics, we don't need it in our baseball too.
posted by stevis23 at 12:54 PM on October 26, 2017 [5 favorites]

Sorry, but fuck the Dodgers.

I can hold my nose and root for Houston only because they transitioned from the National League recently enough to still have players on the team who know how to play baseball.

Go Giants!
posted by chavenet at 12:57 PM on October 26, 2017 [6 favorites]

I love California vs. Texas showdowns.

Let's go Dodgers!
posted by hwyengr at 1:07 PM on October 26, 2017

obviously as a giants fan i have to root for the astros because fuck the dodgers, but grant brisbee also lays out some other good reasons to root for houston

also i've just always had a weird soft spot for the astros since their insanely, hilariously, joyfully bad 2013 season
posted by burgerrr at 1:10 PM on October 26, 2017 [5 favorites]

The playoffs as a whole have been a joy to watch, but this face-off of two 100+ win teams built around young superstars (or emerging superstars), supplemented with solid role players, and helmed by two of the more tactically sound managers in the game is about the best a fan could ask for. "On paper" the Astros have the more potent lineup while the Dodgers have the better starting staff and bullpen, and last night's crazycakes Astros win means that the Dodgers have to take at least one of three in Houston, where the designated hitter spot will make the Astros offense even more formidable.

Yu Darvish really needs to earn his money tomorrow night, and Lance McCullers, while very good, is prone to losses of control that can sink the team early and force the not-great bullpen to pitch a lot of innings.

Meanwhile, the Yankees and Joe Girardi parted ways -- it's not clear which side motivated that decision, but it's certainly a shocker. I can't think of many MLB managers I'd want more in that situation.
posted by tonycpsu at 1:58 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

The Giants have won 3 World Series titles in the last 10 years, and as a lifelong Dodger fan, and Los Angeles resident for all of those titles, I don't recall a lot of knee-jerk Giant hating during those series. There may have been headlines along the lines of Ranking the funniest ways the Dodgers can fail in the postseason, but I don't recall seeing them. The impression I get is that Giants fans still have a Thing about the Dodgers, and for the most part Dodger fans don't care any more.

Last night was a great game. The Dodgers lost, but they really made the Astros work for it. I was happy to see Granderson off the roster for the WS in favor of Pederson and/or Culberson (not sure who really got whose spot), and that's really paying off. Dave Roberts really earned last year's Manager of the Year, and it wouldn't surprise me if it happened again.
posted by curiousgene at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

(Actually, MLB Trade Rumors suggests it was the Yankees deciding to move on, which is simply baffling.)
posted by tonycpsu at 2:15 PM on October 26, 2017 [1 favorite]

Also as a Red Sox fan, I'm delighted to see Dave Roberts doing so well. He's fab.
posted by LobsterMitten at 2:20 PM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]

The Yankees did great in the postseason until I started watching them. You're welcome.
posted by 4ster at 4:56 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

That game 2 was crazy. This is one of those times where being on the West Coast is an advantage, because it still ended well before midnight. My wife is particularly looking forward to Darvish starting in Game 3. (She was hoping for Yankees instead of Astros so she could potentially see a Darvish/Tanaka matchup).

The impression I get is that Giants fans still have a Thing about the Dodgers, and for the most part Dodger fans don't care any more.

This is also true for the SF/LA "rivalry" (People in SF often have a thing about LA, people in LA mostly don't care).
posted by thefoxgod at 4:57 PM on October 26, 2017

I live in Houston. A lot of people looked tired at work today because that game kept us up late.

And as a Houston sports fan since 1985, anyone who tells you they *knew* they'd pull that off is fucking lying. I nearly turned the game off when they lost that two run lead needing just one out. It just would have hurt too bad. But I stuck with it. Glad I did.

The prevailing sports chatter has been that if they do win this, it will be all the more epic having gone through three "Classic" World Series teams, so...

Go 'Stros.
posted by Cyrano at 7:15 PM on October 26, 2017 [5 favorites]

I saw Altuve make a catch in the last game that meant he leapt into the air easily over half his own height. That little fireplug of a man can bat, run, catch, throw and he's having the BEST TIME POSSIBLE while doing it. It's been a joy to watch him.

Also, I didn't want a Dodgers/Yankees series because fuck the Yankees.
posted by hippybear at 9:00 PM on October 26, 2017 [2 favorites]

The impression I get is that Giants fans still have a Thing about the Dodgers, and for the most part Dodger fans don't care any more.

I'm as FTG as the next Dodger fan, but yeah it's definitely one sided. You can hear the chants of "Beat LA" at AT&T Park when the Giants are playing frickin' Arizona.

The end of this clip from Mad Men kinda explains the relationship.
posted by sideshow at 9:22 PM on October 26, 2017

Like the saying goes, "people in San Francisco love to hate Los Angeles, while Los Angeles loves Los Angeles" ...
posted by xtine at 10:19 PM on October 26, 2017 [3 favorites]

I'm rooting for the Dodgers because my kid was Rich Hill's pitching partner on his last rehab stint. What a great story that kid is and pretty inspiring. If you get to the show through independent league, you deserve everything you get. Oh, and yeah, fuck Texas.
posted by sfts2 at 2:30 AM on October 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

I have enjoyed every minute of the series, but part of me wonders if the constant parade of dingers is too much of a good thing. I saw someone say that there have been two games in all of MLB history where the win probability changed 25% or more five times in the game, and they were both in this series. It may be true that the series has just been magical, or it may be that the home run environment has gotten so crazy that the win probability calculations need to be re-done to expect teams to take turns holding 3, 4, 5 run leads on their way to a final score that looks like it belongs to an NFL game.

Also sucked to see Kershaw get his face caved in. Rooting for the 'Stros to win, but really wanted him to do well. Fortunately the Dodgers look like a team that could give him several shots at redemption in the coming years.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:14 AM on October 30, 2017 [2 favorites]

SI: Historic World Series Home Run Rate may be Result of Slicker Baseballs
posted by tonycpsu at 11:50 AM on October 30, 2017

My son, who is 9, is very invested in baseball in general and is a Dodger fan. Last night was Halloween, and Game 6, and this was something of a dilemma for him. He decided that we would go out with his friends for a couple hours, but then come home for the last few innings. After about 90 minutes of trick-or-treating (in the company of not one, but two little Justin Turners (Justins Turner?)), we found a house with a screen in the front yard, showing the game.

We showed up at the end the 5th, so we caught all of the Dodger runs, and since the scoring started right after we showed up, the consensus was that we were not allowed to leave.

In some guy's front yard, my son, a bunch of his friends, their parents, and half the neighborhood watched the Dodgers win. Little Justins Turner, and Coreys Seager, and Yasiels Puig rolled in the grass, and cheered the Dodgers, and booed Yuli Gurriel, and it was about the most fun I've ever had watching a Dodger game.

God I love baseball.
posted by curiousgene at 10:49 AM on November 1, 2017 [7 favorites]

Third time in four years we get a WS Game 7. Noice.
posted by non canadian guy at 2:43 PM on November 1, 2017