Baseball is back! I’m a little late to the party with these predictions, but if I happen to nail an obscure pick, I’m sure you won’t accuse me of deliberately waiting until a week into the season to post said predictions! Sorry, life simply gets in the way sometimes! Here we go………..
American League East:
New York (1)
Baltimore (4)
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Boston
American League Central:
Detroit (3)
Minnesota
Cleveland
Kansas City
Chicago
American League West:
Seattle (2)
Houston (5)
Texas (6)
Los Angeles
Oakland
NOTE: numbers in parenthesis denote playoff seeding
AL MVP: Juan Soto (New York)
AL Cy Young: Luis Castillo (Seattle)
AL Playoffs:
Texas over Detroit 2-0
Baltimore over Houston 2-1
Seattle over Texas 3-2
New York over Baltimore 3-1
American League Championship Series:
New York over Seattle 4-2
National League East:
Atlanta (2)
Philadelphia (4)
Miami
New York
Washington
National League Central:
Chicago (3)
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Pittsburgh
Milwaukee
National League West:
Los Angeles (1)
Arizona (5)
San Francisco (6)
San Diego
Colorado
NOTE: numbers in parenthesis denote playoff seeding
Who saw this one coming? Seriously, did anyone predict this matchup? Personally, I used both teams’ late season struggles against them when I was making my postseason picks. That said, it is refreshing to see two clubs who haven’t sniffed this stage in at least 12 years make it this far. Ratings may be low (think MLB was rooting for a Houston-Philly rematch?) but I will be watching.
Offense:
Once again, a tale of two different offenses. One who specializes in beating opponents into submission and one who is revitalizing the old school style of timely hitting and speed. If Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte were not on your radar three weeks ago, they certainly are now. The D-Backs also feature two other breakout players in catcher Gabby Moreno, outfielder Alek Thomas, and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, while veterans Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Tommy Pham, and Christian Walker round out the lineup. It’s a lineup that cannot mash with the Rangers but plays an exciting brand of baseball.
Speaking of mashing, is Adolis Garcia’s star shining bright now, or what? This guy has been unworldly this postseason and has the personality and charisma to make him an October legend. And it doesn’t stop there. The Rangers feature another October hero in Corey Seager, as well as Marcus Semien, Mitch Garver, and Nathaniel Lowe. Throw in youngsters Evan Carter and Josh Jung, and Texas can bludgeon opponents to death.
Slight Edge: Texas
Starting Pitching:
The starting pitching matchup is razor thin close. When you compare each team’s top two, it’s close to a wash with Arizona coming out of the gate with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, while Texas counters with Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery. While I would lean toward giving the Rangers the slightest of edges if the comparison stopped there, given Eovaldi’s growing legacy as an October beast, it’s in the third spot in the rotation that the Diamondbacks at the very least close the gap. Brandon Pfaadt has pitched superbly in enough consecutive playoff games to dispel the notion of a fluke, while Max Scherzer has struggled with rust after making his way back from injury. I understand it becomes a game of throwing whomever out there to get through a potential short outing by a starter, and no doubt someone like a Joe Mantiply for Arizona or Andrew Heaney for Texas might pitch key innings. That said, Pfaadt gives the D-Backs a Big Three.
Slight Edge: Arizona
Bullpen:
Here is where I believe one team has a decided edge over the other. Arizona’s relief corps have been lights out during the postseason. Closer Paul Sewald and set-up men Kevin Ginkel and Ryan Thompson form a trio that has been shutting teams down for 3 to 4 innings once the Diamondbacks have the lead. Ginkel, specifically, has been filthy in the seventh and eighth innings. If youngster Andrew Saalfrank can throw strikes consistently, the Snakes will boast a true Core Four in the back end.
Meanwhile, Texas’ pen has sprung a few leaks this postseason. While closer Jose Leclerc has, for the most part, been solid, one doesn’t really know what they are getting out of Aroldis Chapman at this point, and it is difficult to trust Will Smith. Manager Bruce Bochy is going to have to piece it together, which we will go into soon. My worry for the Rangers here is that the bullpen can flip the script of an otherwise winnable game with an implosion.
Edge: Arizona
Manager:
David vs Goliath? Maybe not quite that much of a disparity, but Bochy has earned the respect he receives by how he can manage a big ballgame. Anyone remember how he brought Madison Bumgarner in relief for Game 7 of the 2014 World Series? It’s not as if D-Backs skipper Torey Lovullo is a slouch. It’s just that he lacks the big game experience of Bochy. However, he is certainly proving he can do the job, as evident by his team’s rise to the Fall Classic
Edge: Texas
The Winner:
This will be a classic series that will come down to whether the Texas bullpen can hold onto the leads it is handed. I’m betting it coughs up one or two of these games and makes the difference. I’m not betting against the Snakes again.
And then there were four. The major league baseball postseason is down to its Final Four. Two best-of-seven series to decide who will participate in the 2023 Fall Classic. Let’s make some predictions on who that will be.
National League
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Philadelphia Phillies
I must apologize to the D-backs, the city of Phoenix, the state of Arizona, and the entire desert as a whole. I totally disrespected Torey Lovullo’s crew. In actuality, whether they play out west or whatever it is, I have most recently learned how much fun one can have watching this team play. Corbin Carroll should now be a household name worldwide and not just within a 25-mile radius of Chase Field. Katel Marte, Christian Walker, and Gabriel Moreno help form a formidable lineup that has gotten hot at the right time. Meanwhile Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly create a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
On the flip side, I already know how enjoyable it is to watch the Phillies play baseball. A lineup that boasts Nick Castellanos batting seventh speaks volumes given the postseason tear he is on at the moment. That lineup also consists of Trea Turner, JT Realmuto, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, as well as big moment stars in Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, the latter becoming a modern-day Mr. October. Not just a slugging bunch of merrymen, Philadelphia is built for playoff success in large part because of their rotation, which comprises of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, and Michael Lorenzen. Add in a complete bullpen and one can see why the Phillies have been my pick since spring training to win the whole thing.
The Phillies are nearly impossible to beat at Citizen’s Bank Park and they have home-field advantage in this series. The Diamondbacks are impressive, but the Phils are more experienced and better.
The Pick: Phillies in 6
American League
Texas Rangers vs Houston Astros
Break out the cowboy hats and the barbeque! We have an all-Texas American League Championship Series. Bruce Bochy versus Dusty Baker. A group of fun-loving upstarts against the defending champs making their seventh (!) consecutive trip to this stage.
Texas is two seasons removed from a 100-loss season. A plethora of moves, plus coaxing Bochy out of retirement has the franchise four wins from the World Series. Yet another pleasurable team to watch, the Rangers can score plenty of runs with a lineup that consists of Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Adolis Garcia, rookie Josh Jung, and newcomer Evan Carter. Nathan Eovaldi and Jordan Montgomery head the rotation, with the former carving out a reputation as a big-game pitcher. Meanwhile the bullpen, a question mark heading into the postseason, has been lights out through it’s 5-0 start to the second season.
Benn there, done that. That’s the story of the Houston Astros. It’s hard to pick against this team in October. Despite a lineup that boasts Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yordan Alverez (another Mr. October), and a rejuvenated Jose Abreu, it’s the pitching depth that is the separator from Houston and the majority of its opponents. Baker can roll out Justin Verlander, Framber Valdez, Cristian Javier, and Jose Urquidy and sit back, well aware Bochy or any other manager in the game doesn’t have that luxury.
I love the Rangers and I think they will be a headache for the Astros in this series. But for me, it comes down to the starting pitching, and the Astros have more.
The Orioles have their pitching lined up thanks to the week of rest, but will it be enough? I’ll take the Rangers hitting a bunch of home runs to overpower Baltimore and end the Birds’ magical season.
#2 Houston over #3 Minnesota 3 games to 1
Who wasn’t happy for the Twins as they ended an 18-game postseason losing streak and won their first playoff series since 2002? Well, maybe Blue Jays faithful. That said, Houston, who at times was sleepwalking through the regular season, have found their groove.
National League:
#4 Philadelphia over #1 Atlanta 3 games to 2
I am so looking forward to this series. The Braves have been the class of the sport all season, but I’ve been picking the Phillies for a while now. Why stop now when they are looking so strong?
#2 LA Dodgers over #6 Arizona 3 games to 1
The Diamondbacks are fun to watch and should give the pitching-depleted Dodgers a tussle. But that LA lineup……..
The Rays have been littered with injuries, but still feel like the more complete team over the Rangers, who have been maddingly inconsistent over the past month or so.
#6 Toronto 2 #3 Minnesota 1
At least the Twins will break their 18-game playoff losing streak.
Divisional Round
#4 Tampa Bay 3 #1 Baltimore 2
I love the Orioles but can’t get past their lack of starting pitching.
#2 Houston 3 #6 Toronto 1
Who had the Astros written off a week ago?
American League Championship Series
#2 Houston 4 #4 Tampa Bay 2
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. The Astros are going to the World Series.
National League
Wild Card Round
#4 Philadelphia 2 #5 Miami 0
The Marlins are a nice story, but as you are about to see, I’m a believer in the completeness of this Phillies group.
#3 Milwaukee 2 #6 Arizona 0
Pitching, pitching, pitching.
Divisional Round
#4 Philadelphia 3 #1 Atlanta 1
No, the Phillies will not sneak up on the Braves this time, but I struggle with how Atlanta will get past Philly considering the injuries to its starting rotation. This is the worst draw for the Braves.
#3 Milwaukee 3 #2 LA Dodgers 2
Again, a patchwork rotation will do in a favorite. The Dodgers will slug their way to a couple of victories, but it won’t be enough.
National League Championship Series
#4 Philadelphia 4 #3 Milwaukee 2
This will be a fun series, but the Brewers don’t have enough offensive juice to move forward.
World Series
Philadelphia 4 Houston 2
In a World Series rematch, the Phillies get revenge. Nick Castellanos wins series MVP honors.
The Major League Baseball trade deadline has come and gone. Here are my team predictions for the rest of the 2023 season:
American League East:
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Toronto
Boston
NY Yankees
Will the Orioles have enough starting pitching to hold off the Rays? Jack Flaherty will help, but my money is on Tampa to take the East. Toronto made a couple of decent moves, getting Paul DeJong and Jordan Hicks. Meanwhile, will heads roll in New York when the Yankees (albeit with a winning record) finish last?
American League Central:
Cleveland
Minnesota
Detroit
Chicago WS
Kansas City
Let’s just say the Guardians win this lousy division and move on.
American League West:
Houston
Texas
LA Angels
Seattle
Oakland
The defending champion Astros seemed to have been flying under the radar all season, however, that may change with the acquisition of Justin Verlander on Tuesday. The Rangers will be a tough out, while the Angels did the only thing they could do with the greatest two-way player in the world and go for it while they have him.
Playoff Teams (Seeded 1 through 6):
Houston
Tampa Bay
Cleveland
Texas
Baltimore
Toronto
National League East:
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Miami
NY Mets
Washington
The Braves are running away with it again, but I really like the way the Phillies are built, especially with the acquisition of Michael Lorenzen. A nice season in Miam ends on the outside looking in, while the Mets, as disastrous as this season has been, picked up some interesting prospects in their trades this past week.
National League Central:
Milwaukee
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Pittsburgh
Another weakish division in the Central, with the Brewers edging out the surprising Cubs (is anyone talking about them?) and Reds, who may be the NL team most on the rise.
National League West:
LA Dodgers
San Francisco
San Diego
Arizona
Colorado
The Dodgers, like always, are the cream of the crop here. That said, this has been a nice bounce back season for the underrated Giants. Meanwhile, aren’t the Padres too talented to miss out on the postseason? They’re right there.
Playoff Teams (Seeded 1 through 6):
Atlanta
LA Dodgers
Milwaukee
Philadelphia
San Francisco
San Diego
World Series:
In a rematch of last year’s Fall Classic, the Astros, behind their dominant pitching, take out the Phillies in six games. Framber Valdez wins two games to capture the series MVP award. Dusty Baker’s troops go back-to-back.
On July 11, 1782, British Royal Governor Sir James Wright, along with several civil officials and military officers, flee the city of Savannah, Georgia, and head to Charleston, South Carolina. As part of the British evacuation, a group consisting of British regulars led by General Alured Clarke traveled to New York, while Colonel Thomas Brown led a mixed group of rangers and Indians to St. Augustine, Florida. The remaining British soldiers were transported to the West Indies aboard the frigate HMS Zebra and the sloop of war HMS Vulture.
Wright had been the only colonial governor and Georgia the only colony to successfully implement the Stamp Act in 1765. As revolutionary fervor grew elsewhere in the colonies, Georgia remained the most loyal colony, declining to send delegates to the Continental Congress in 1774. Governor Wright, though, had been taken into custody and placed under house arrest nearly a month earlier on January 18, 1776, by Patriots under the command of Major Joseph Habersham of the Provincial Congress. On February 11, Wright escaped from his residence in Savannah to the safety of a waiting British warship, the HMS Scarborough, anchored at the mouth of the Savannah River, and returned to London. Wright organized a military action and retook Savannah on December 29, 1778. He resumed his role as royal governor on July 22, 1779, and held the city until the British left of their own accord on this day in 1782, following General Charles Cornwallis’ surrender to General George Washington at Yorktown in 1781.
Wright then moved to London, where he died three years later.
On July 11, 1804, in one of the most famous duels in American history, Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and the chief architect of America’s political economy, died the following day.
Alexander Hamilton, born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, came to the American colonies in 1773 as a poor immigrant. (There is some controversy as to the year of his birth, but it was either 1755 or 1757.) In 1776, he joined the Continental Army in the American Revolution, and his relentless energy and remarkable intelligence brought him to the attention of General George Washington, who took him on as an aide. Ten years later, Hamilton served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and he led the fight to win ratification of the final document, which created the kind of strong, centralized government that he favored. In 1789, he was appointed the first secretary of the treasury by President Washington, and during the next six years he crafted a sophisticated monetary policy that saved the young U.S. government from collapse. With the emergence of political parties, Hamilton was regarded as a leader of the Federalists.
Aaron Burr, born into a prestigious New Jersey family in 1756, was also intellectually gifted, and he graduated from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) at the age of 17. He joined the Continental Army in 1775 and distinguished himself during the Patriot attack on Quebec. A masterful politician, he was elected to the New York State Assembly in 1784 and later served as state attorney. In 1790, he defeated Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law in a race for the U.S. Senate.
Hamilton came to detest Burr, whom he regarded as a dangerous opportunist, and he often spoke ill of him. When Burr joined Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican ticket (the forerunner of the Democratic Party) as vice president in the 1796 election, Hamilton launched a series of public attacks against Burr, stating, “I feel it is a religious duty to oppose his career.” John Adams won the presidency, and in 1797 Burr left the Senate and returned to the New York Assembly.
In the 1800 election, Jefferson and Burr became running mates again. Burr aided the Democratic-Republican ticket by publishing a confidential document that Hamilton had written criticizing his fellow Federalist President John Adams. This caused a rift in the Federalists and helped Jefferson and Burr win the election with 73 electoral votes each.
Under the electoral procedure then prevailing, president and vice president were not voted for separately; the candidate who received the most votes was elected president, and the second in line, vice president. The vote then went to the House of Representatives. What at first seemed but an electoral technicality—handing Jefferson victory over his running mate—developed into a major constitutional crisis when Federalists in the lame-duck Congress threw their support behind Burr. After a remarkable 35 tie votes, a small group of Federalists changed sides and voted in Jefferson’s favor. Alexander Hamilton, who had supported Jefferson as the lesser of two evils, was instrumental in breaking the deadlock.
Burr became vice president, but Jefferson grew apart from him, and he did not support Burr’s renomination to a second term in 1804. That year, a faction of New York Federalists, who had found their fortunes drastically diminished after the ascendance of Jefferson, sought to enlist the disgruntled Burr into their party and elect him governor. Hamilton campaigned against Burr with great fervor, and Burr lost the Federalist nomination and then, running as an independent for governor, the election. In the campaign, Burr’s character was savagely attacked by Hamilton and others, and after the election he resolved to restore his reputation by challenging Hamilton to a duel, or an “affair of honor,” as they were known.
Affairs of honor were commonplace in America at the time, and the complex rules governing them usually led to an honorable resolution before any actual firing of weapons. In fact, the outspoken Hamilton had been involved in several affairs of honor in his life, and he had resolved most of them peaceably. No such recourse was found with Burr, however, and on July 11, 1804, the enemies met at 7 a.m. at the dueling grounds near Weehawken, New Jersey. It was the same spot where Hamilton’s son had died defending his father’s honor in 1801.
There are conflicting accounts of what happened next. According to Hamilton’s “second”—his assistant and witness in the duel—Hamilton decided the duel was morally wrong and deliberately fired into the air. Burr’s second claimed that Hamilton fired at Burr and missed. What happened next is agreed upon: Burr shot Hamilton in the stomach, and the bullet lodged next to his spine. Hamilton was taken back to New York, and he died the next afternoon.
Few affairs of honor actually resulted in deaths, and the nation was outraged by the killing of a man as eminent as Alexander Hamilton. Charged with murder, Burr, still vice president, returned to Washington, D.C., where he finished his term immune from prosecution.
In 1805, Burr, thoroughly discredited, concocted a plot with James Wilkinson, commander of the U.S. Army, to seize the Louisiana Territory and establish an independent empire, which Burr, presumably, would lead. He contacted the British government and unsuccessfully pleaded for assistance in the scheme. Later, when border trouble with Spanish Mexico heated up, Burr and Wilkinson conspired to seize territory in Spanish America for the same purpose.
In the fall of 1806, Burr led a group of well-armed colonists toward New Orleans, prompting an immediate U.S. investigation. General Wilkinson, in an effort to save himself, turned against Burr and sent dispatches to Washington accusing Burr of treason. In February 1807, Burr was arrested in Louisiana for treason and sent to Virginia to be tried in a U.S. court. In September, he was acquitted on a technicality. Nevertheless, public opinion condemned him as a traitor, and he fled to Europe. He later returned to private life in New York, the murder charges against him forgotten. He died in 1836.
July 11, 1861:
Union notches a victory at the battle of Rich Mountain.
On July 11, 1861, Union troops under General George B. McClellan score another major victory in the struggle for western Virginia at the Battle of Rich Mountain. The Yankee success secured the region and ensured the eventual creation of West Virginia.
Western Virginia was a crucial battleground in the early months of the war. The population of the region was deeply divided over the issue of secession, and western Virginia was also a vital east-west link for the Union because the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad ran through its mountains.
After McClellan scored a series of small victories in western Virginia in June and early July, Confederate General Robert Garnett and Colonel John Pegram positioned their forces at Rich Mountain and Laurel Hill to block two key roads and keep McClellan from penetrating any further east. McClellan crafted a plan to feign an attack against Garnett at Laurel Hill while he sent the bulk of his force against Pegram at Rich Mountain.
Part of McClellan’s force, led by General William Rosecrans, followed a rugged mountain path to swing around behind the Rebels’ left flank. McClellan had promised to attack the Confederate front when he heard gunfire from Rosecrans’s direction. After a difficult march through a drenching rain, Rosecrans struck the Confederate wing. It took several attempts, but he was finally able to drive the Confederates from their position. McClellan shelled the Rebel position, but did not make the expected assault. Each side suffered around 70 casualties.
Pegram was forced to abandon his position, but Rosecrans was blocking his escape route. Two days later, Pegram surrendered his force of 555. Although McClellan became a Union hero as a result of this victory, most historians agree that Rosecrans deserved the credit. Nonetheless, McClellan was on his way to becoming the commander of the Army of the Potomac.
On July 11, 1914, in his major league debut, George Herman “Babe” Ruth pitches seven strong innings to lead the Boston Red Sox over the Cleveland Indians (now known as the Cleveland Guardians), 4-3.
George Herman Ruth was born February 6, 1895, in Baltimore, Maryland, where his father worked as a saloon keeper on the waterfront. He was the first of eight children, but only he and a sister survived infancy. The young George, known as “Gig” (pronounced jij) to his family, was a magnet for trouble from an early age. At seven, his truancy from school led his parents to declare him incorrigible, and he was sent to an orphanage, St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. Ruth lived there until he was 19 in 1914, when he was signed as a pitcher by the Baltimore Orioles.
That same summer, Ruth was sold to the Boston Red Sox. His teammates called him “Babe” for his naiveté, but his talent was already maturing. In his debut game against the Indians, the 19-year-old Ruth gave up just five hits over the first six innings. In the seventh, the Indians managed two runs on three singles and a sacrifice and Ruth was relieved. His hitting prowess, however, was not on display that first night—he went 0 for 2 at the plate.
Ruth developed quickly as a pitcher and as a hitter. When the Red Sox made the World Series in 1916 and 1918, Ruth starred, setting a record with 29 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings in World Series play. His career record as a pitcher for the Red Sox was 89-46.
To the great dismay of Boston fans, Ruth’s contract was sold to the New York Yankees before the 1920 season by Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, so that Frazee could finance the musical No, No, Nanette. Ruth switched to the outfield with the Yankees, and hit more home runs than the entire Red Sox team in 10 of the next 12 seasons. “The Sultan of Swat” or “The Bambino,” as he was alternately known, was the greatest gate attraction in baseball until his retirement as a player in 1935. During his career with the New York Yankees, the team won four World Series and seven American League pennants. After getting rid of Ruth, the Red Sox did not win a World Series until 2004, an 85-year drought known to Red Sox fans as “the Curse of the Bambino.”
July 11, 1918:
German command makes final plans for offensive on the Western Front.
Even with a deadly influenza epidemic spreading among German troops, the German High Command decides to go ahead with plans for a renewed assault on the Allies on the Western Front in the summer of 1918, making their final plans on July 11.
The so-called Spanish flu, an unusually powerful strain of influenza, spread throughout North America, Europe and eventually around the world during 1918, claiming millions of lives. The First World War, with its massive movements of men in close quarters, under harsh conditions, undoubtedly acted as a factor in the epidemic. The soldiers fighting for the Central Powers, Germany and Austria-Hungary, were hit especially hard by the virus beginning in the early summer of 1918, just as the Allies prepared to counter the German spring offensive on the Western Front.
With Austria-Hungary virtually eliminated as a military force by the third year of World War I, Vienna looked to Germany as the Dual Monarchy’s last chance for survival. People have only one more hope, the German Front, the German ambassador to Austria-Hungary reported to Berlin on July 11. Even a hope in a separate peace does not exist any more. That same day, the German army’s High Command, which had previously considered pushing back their plans for a renewed offensive due to the flu epidemic’s effect on their troops, decided instead to push ahead. The German attack on July 15, near the Marne River in the Champagne region of France, met with resounding failure. It would be the final German offensive of World War I.
5-time World Series champion (closed out 4 different World Series)
1999 World Series MVP
2003 American League Championship Series MVP
5-time American League Rolaids Relief Man Award winner
3-time Delivery Man of the Year winner
3-time Major League Baseball saves leader
Elected to Baseball Hall of Fame in 2019 on the first ballot (first inductee ever to receive 100% of the vote)
Pitched in 1,115 regular season games, which is fourth most in MLB history, most in American League history, and most all-time by a right-handed pitcher
2.21 ERA and 1.00 WHIP (walks + hits per innings pitched) are the lowest of any pitcher in the live ball era with at least 1,000 innings pitched
8–1 win–loss record and a 0.76 WHIP in the postseason
Postseason record lowest career ERA (minimum 30 innings pitched) (0.70)
Postseason record 42 saves
Postseason record most consecutive scoreless innings pitched (331⁄3)
Postseason record most consecutive save opportunities converted (23)
Postseason record most games pitched (96)
Almost exclusively threw a cut fastball, which hitters knew was coming, yet couldn’t do anything about
Whipped Owl 