The Official World Baseball Classic Thread

[disarcina]

AngelsLakersFan -- well, things have come a long way since the day when players needed to take off-season jobs to make ends meet.

Bob Gibson, one of the greatest pitchers of all time IMO, went to Creighton University on a basketball scholarship -- he was a great basketball player. Once he signed with the Cardinals and started staring down hitters with one of the intimidating stare downs from the mound of all time -- during the office season he signed to play professional basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters (with a full schedule of games vs. their perennial nemesis, the Washington Generals)......Augie Busch, the somewhat thrifty owner of the Cards with his GM (might have been Bing Devine at the time) wouldn't pay Bob Gibson an extra piddly sum ($25,000 or so) by today's standards -- so Gibson suited up for the Globetrotters for about two seasons or so -- finally GIBSON, who with each season showed the type of form that made him one of the best starting pitchers of all time -- was asked by Busch -'how much are they -- the Globetrotters - paying you?"  "$25,000" Said Gibson.  Busch said here's $30,000 extra per season NOT to play basketball.

I don't blame owners with  today's million dollar contracts for thinking the same way Augie did about $30,000 and Bob Gibson back when.

[disarcina]

hey -- it's almost time for SELECTION SUNDAY SHOW !!!!

 

[WeatherWonk]

27 minutes ago, Vladdylonglegs said:

So when the US can't beat Canada and there are 3 teams with 1-2 records what is going to happen?

The Canadians are terrible. We SHOULD beat them. The tie-breaker is clearly explained in a link by Monkey, above.

[WeatherWonk]

Really, the biggest player in this game was another Angel. Jean Segura.

[Troll Daddy]

USA dismantling Canada 

[WeatherWonk]

Well, this is embarrasing.........for Canada. Looks like the US will advance. I think Canada would have to score ten runs (and win) to win the tie-breaker with the US. That assumes that the US doesnt score any more.........which is a big assumption.

I believe this tie-breaker only decides who plays in a play-in game, to face the DR.

[Troll Daddy]

16 minutes ago, WeatherWonk said:

Well, this is embarrasing.........for Canada. Looks like the US will advance. I think Canada would have to score ten runs (and win) to win the tie-breaker with the US. That assumes that the US doesnt score any more.........which is a big assumption.

I believe this tie-breaker only decides who plays in a play-in game, to face the DR.

The more I watch these games ... the more I miss Trout in a USA uniform. It would of been exciting to see him represent the USA and the Angels. A feather in Arte's hat. 

[WeatherWonk]

No kidding. He's pretty much the epitome of the All American boy in baseball. 

I have to think that he has a clause in the contract that prevents him from playing. Has anyone heard a reason why he isn't?

[Troll Daddy]

31 minutes ago, WeatherWonk said:

No kidding. He's pretty much the epitome of the All American boy in baseball. 

I have to think that he has a clause in the contract that prevents him from playing. Has anyone heard a reason why he isn't?

He did mention he would play next time. 

I doubt there's a clause prohibiting him from playing. All the great player from America are playing for their respective country. 

[Troll Daddy]

I was wondering what happened to Jose Mota. 

[AngelsLakersFan]

All the previews for the game have Venezuela listed instead of Mexico... what happened??

[Homebrewer]

Mexico edges Venezuela but out of Classic

Pool D tiebreaker to pit Italy vs. Venezuela

In a wild game with huge implications for Pool D of the World Baseball Classic, Mexico held off Venezuela in an 11-9 victory on Sunday night at Estadio de Beisbol Charros de Jalisco.

As a result, Mexico, Venezuela and Italy all finished with records of 1-2 in pool play. Under Classic tiebreaker rules, the two teams with the fewest runs allowed per defensive inning among the teams tied during the tournament play a tiebreaker, and the other is eliminated.

Major League Baseball announced that Venezuela (1.11 runs allowed per defensive inning) and Italy (1.05 runs allowed) will play tonight at 9 p.m. ET to determine which team from Pool D joins Puerto Rico in the second round. Mexico filed a protest after the game.

The razor-thin margin that decided the tiebreaker is reflective of how three evenly matched these 1-2 teams are. And given the fact that they all lost to Puerto Rico and allowed at least a run per inning in the games against the other two, no team had an obvious case for advancement.

 

 

[AngelsLakersFan]

Not sure how they messed that up in the telecast? They had Mexico with fewer runs per inning. 

It would've been far easier to follow if they just used run differential.

[AngelsLakersFan]

Buried in that article is the bit that describes where the confusion happened. Wow...

Quote

Mexico finished with 1.12 runs allowed per defensive inning, edged out by the slimmest of margins by Venezuela (1.11) with Sunday's head-to-head outcome. Even though Mexico gave up five runs in the ninth inning of a loss to Italy on Thursday, only eight defensive innings were counted from that game toward the calculation because an out was never recorded in the ninth.

 

[m0nkey]

I've got tickets to the US-DR game saturday night at Petco.  Pretty stoked 

[Troll Daddy]

Altuve benched for Odor

[Ordos]

Hey all, got a free 4 pack of tix to Friday's game at Petco available. Wife intended to buy a 4 pack for my birthday, accidentally purchased 4 tix for 4 different days.

Send me a PM if interested.

[JAHV76]

2 hours ago, Troll Daddy said:

Altuve benched for Odor

That stinks

[Richard]

On 3/12/2017 at 2:04 PM, disarcina said:

it seems the 'Buster Posey' rule for catchers is not in effect for the WBC.

Catchers actually get to block the plate --

What a refreshing change -- REAL baseball again.

 

A few days late on this one, but the Official MLB rules state catchers are allowed to block the runners path if the umpire rules the catcher was making an attempt to catch the ball or if the catcher already has the ball. In this case the throw lead Castillo up the line and he made an incredible catch and tag all in one motion. 

 

Unless the catcher is in possession of the ball, the catcher cannot block the pathway of the runner as he is attempting to score. If, in the judgment of the umpire, the catcher without possession of the ball blocks the pathway of the runner, the umpire shall call or signal the runner safe. Not withstanding the above, it shall not be considered a violation of this Rule 6.01(i)(2) (Rule 7.13(2)) if the catcher blocks the pathway of the runner in a legitimate attempt to field the throw (e.g., in reaction to the direction, trajectory or the hop of the incoming throw, or in reaction to a throw that originates from a pitcher or drawn-in infielder). In addition, a catcher without possession of the ball shall not be adjudged to violate this Rule 6.01(i)(2) (Rule 7.13(2)) if the runner could have avoided the collision with the catcher (or other player covering home plate) by sliding. 

[Troll Daddy]

3 hours ago, JAHV76 said:

That stinks

worked out nicely for Venezuela

[disarcina]

that Mexico OUT on the questionable tie -breaker analysis is really awful.

So if they get an out in the inning where Italy has the five run walk off inning - that changes the calculation because it counts as an inning --- but if the pen is so pathetic they don't record a single out while the opposing team scores five runs --you're rewarded because there's no inning to record the runs against.

kind of like saying giving up 5 runs with no outs gives the pitcher an INFINITY ERA which is lower than everyone else's -- huh?

And bad for the WBC because not only was Mexico's team good -- they would have packed the house in San Diego -- which is good because the WBC doesn't seem to be getting much attention in the US newspapers and media-- other than MLB channel.

 

[disarcina]

I have yet to see a WBC box score in the newspaper and they're hard to find even on-line.  MLB's AT BAT app which I have, lists all the Spring Training box scores but not for the WBC games........

you know, I don't need a lot of commentary and stories about baseball games -- just print the box score and it tells me everything I need to know.

newspapers and other media seem to be downplaying the incredible importance and the amount of information contained in box scores. It's sad, really.

[Sam Sanchez]

the at bat should have all the scores. they're just mixed in among the spring training scores. 

[Troll Daddy]

Tough way to go down for Segura against his teammate to end the game. 

[Troll Daddy]

Simmons now battling .462