MLB Must Adopt Standardized Rules

If Game 3 of the World Series affirmed anything, it’s that MLB needs to adopt uniform rules for the National and American Leagues.

MLB must compel the NL to finally adopt the designated hitter, which has been used by the AL since 1973. Having two sets of rules is absurd. Can you imagine the two conferences in the NFL, NHL or the NBA playing by two different sets of rules? It’s inconceivable. The separate rules in MLB are archaic and outmoded.

The concept of the Designated Hitter was first proposed in the early 1900s and came fairly close to being initiated in the 1920s. It’s long overdue in the NL. National League teams use a DH in road games during inter-league play, while AL teams have the pitcher bat in road games during inter-league match-ups.

Playing under NL rules is simply unfair to AL clubs, most especially in the World Series. The evidence was never more clear than in Game 3.

A total of 31 players had at least one plate appearance in the game. A total of 46 position players were used, the most in World Series history. Alex Cora had used 23 of the 25 players on his roster by the 9th inning; Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale were the only ones who didn’t participate. Pomeranz hasn’t pitched in any game since Sept. 30.

The 18 combined pitchers used were also the most in history for a postseason game and a total of 561 pitches were thrown. If the Red Sox had a DH and didn’t have to keep substituting, they wouldn’t have used so many pitchers and the outcome may have been quite different.

Running out of position players in a World Series (due to substituting for the pitchers) is absurd and should never happen. Yes, it was the longest game in World Series history, both in terms of time (7hours, 20 minutes) and innings (18). But the Red Sox constant substitutions and switches (the result of not having a DH) likely contributed to the absurd length of the game, which was essentially two games in one. By the end of the contest, most of the Red Sox most powerful bats — including JD Martinez, Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers and Mitch Moreland — were all on the bench. That would never happen in an American League game.

Not a single NL pitcher qualified for the batting title this season, due to a lack of plate appearances, and it wasn’t unusual. A batter must have 3.1 plate appearances per team game played to qualify for league leadership in average, OBP or slugging. Not one pitcher met that threshold.

Just 37 pitchers had at least 50 plate appearances this year. Only 25 pitchers had as many as 50 at bats; 21 of them batted below .200 and 14 batted .100 or below. It’s a travesty and an absurdity. Simply put, pitchers are horrible hitters.

Their lack of success is little surprise. Starting pitchers in the NL may get just two or three plate appearances every fifth day. Who could reasonably expect them to be decent hitters? Batting is a skill that needs to be practiced daily. AL pitchers face even worse odds since teams play just 20 inter-league games each season; they get even fewer at bats. This is why so many high-profile AL pitchers through the years have been injured either batting or running the bases.

I don’t say any of this because the Red Sox lost Game 3. I’ve always felt this way and I’d be saying the same thing if Boston had won.

At the least, the current rules give the NL clubs an unfair advantage in World Series’ contests played in their parks. Most fans don’t look forward to seeing pitchers bat or to so many substitutions that a team ends up with some of its best hitters on the bench in crucial late-game situations.

At the least, the NL should be compelled to play under AL rules in all World Series games, regardless of which stadium the games are played.

It's Red Sox vs Dodgers in Dream World Series

The Red Sox and Dodgers will square off tonight in the opening game of the Fall Classic. There isn’t that much history between the two clubs. In fact, they have opposed each other in the World Series just once before.

The Dodgers and Red Sox squared off in the Fall Classic way back in 1916. That was 102 years ago, making this the longest gap between World Series meetings in MLB history. The Dodgers played in Brooklyn back then and were known as the Robins.

The Brooklyn games were played at Ebbets Field and the Boston games were played at Braves Field, a larger venue than Fenway Park, which was just four years old at the time.

The Red Sox beat the Robins, 4 games to 1, to win the World Series. Brooklyn didn’t win a single game in Boston.

The two teams would not play again for 86 years, when the Red Sox visited Los Angeles from June 21-23, 2002, for a three-game series at Dodger Stadium. I was there for all three contests. Unfortunately, Los Angeles swept the series.

Since inter-league play began in 1997, the Red Sox are 8-7 against the Dodgers. Boston hasn’t hosted LA since 2010, and the teams haven’t faced each other since 2016.

The Dodgers have beaten the Red Sox in Boston just once, on June 12, 2004. Interestingly, Alex Cora scored and drove in a run for the Dodgers during a 14-5 pummeling of the Red Sox.

Los Angeles is aiming for its first championship since 1988. The Red Sox are vying for their fourth championship in the past 15 years.

Not surprisingly, Boston is the favorite. The Red Sox were the best team in baseball this season, winning a franchise-record 108 games. LA finished with a 92-71 record and needed 163 games to make the playoffs.

This is the Series that MLB wanted. Both cities are top-10 US media markets; Los Angeles is No. 2, while Boston is No. 9, according to Nielsen.

These are also two of the most-storied franchises in all sports.

The Red Sox inaugural season was 1901, while the Dodgers can trace their history all the way back to 1884, as the Brooklyn Atlantics. The team would not be known as the Dodgers until the 1932 season.

In between, the team from Brooklyn was known as: the Bridegrooms (1888–1890); the Grooms (1891–1895), the Bridegrooms (1896–1898); the Superbas (1899–1910); the Trolley Dodgers (1911–1912); the Superbas (1913) and the Robins (1914–1931). In 1958, the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles.

The Dodgers won the World Series in 1955, 1959, 1963, 1965, 1981 and 1988 (six times) and they've won the National League pennant a remarkable 23 times.

The Boston franchise was a baseball powerhouse a century ago. The team won its first World Series in 1903, just two years after its inception. Back then, the club was known as the Americans. At the time, there were just eight teams in each league and the only time the opposing leagues played each other was in the World Series.

Boston again won the World Series in 1903, 1912, 1915, 1916 and 1918, giving the franchise four championships in seven years and six in a span of 16 seasons. The team was baseball’s first juggernaut, before the Yankees reimagined what it was to be a dynasty.

Here we are, 100 years later, and the Red Sox are again vying to be the preeminent team of this century. Since the start of the millennium, Boston has won three World Series crowns (2004, 2007, 2013), while the Giants have also won three titles (2010, 2012, 2014). The Cardinals (2006, 2011) and the Yankees (2000, 2009) have each won two championships this century.

The Red Sox greatest strength this season may be its offense, which led the majors in virtually every major statistical category.

When the playoffs began, the biggest question the Red Sox faced was their bullpen. How would manager Alex Cora bridge the gap from the five or six innings his starters might give him to get to closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth. However, it turned out that Kimbrel was the biggest concern.

The usually reliable closer gave up at least one run in each of his first four postseason appearances against the Yankees and Astros, which was a first in his career. In that span, Kimbrel yielded six hits, five earned runs and five walks in 5⅓ innings.

Former Dodgers’ and Red Sox’ closer Eric Gagne informed Cora, his close friend, that Kimbrel was tipping his pitches. After making some corrections, Cora believes that Kimbrel will now be back to his usual, brilliant self.

“I’m sorry Boston that I gave quite a few of you heart attacks the last few days," Kimbrel said. “But we’re all good now."

We’ll know if that’s true by the end of this week.

Predication: Red Sox in six games.

The Red Sox Desperately Need a Reliable Craig Kimbrel Right Now

Whether the Red Sox still want Kimbrel next year and beyond is yet to be determined. His performance in the ALCS and, potentially, the World Series could determine his future in Boston.

Craig Kimbrel had a sterling reputation as an elite closer when the Red Sox acquired him from the Padres before the 2016 season. As a rookie in 2011, he was an All Star and ultimately set the rookie record with 46 saves. Kimbrel led the National League in saves for four consecutive seasons, 2011 through 2014, and was an All Star in each of those years.

In his six seasons before arriving in Boston, Kimbrel has a 1.49 career ERA. Five of those years were spent in Atlanta and one in San Diego, both National League clubs. That gave him a bit of an advantage, but no one doubted that Kimbrel could be successful, even dominant, in the American League.

However, while Kimbrel has been outstanding at times with the Red Sox, he has also struggled at times.

After collecting four consecutive 40-plus save seasons prior to arriving in Boston, the closer posted 31 in 33 opportunities in 2016, his first year with the Sox. Though that amounted to a 93.9% save percentage, Kimbrel’s ERA leapt to 3.40, which is not the stuff of an elite closer. Kimbrel only surrendered 28 hits that year, but he also walked 30 batters and hit four, all in just 53 innings. That’s why his ERA was so uncharacteristically high. He did, however, strike out 83 batters. Kimbrel was good enough to make the All Star team that year.

The next year, 2017, Kimbrel undoubtedly had his best season in Boston, posting a 1.43 ERA and a minuscule 0.681 WHIP. The closer was an All Star once again and had 35 saves in 39 opportunities. He pitched 69 innings, allowing 33 hits, 14 walks and hit four batters. Most remarkably, he fanned a whopping 126 hitters that year, resulting in an eye-popping 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings.

This year, Kimbrel’s ERA jumped up to 2.74, the second highest of his career, after 2016. In other words, the two years in which he posted his highest ERAs have come in the three years that he’s been with the Red Sox. Kimbrel had 42 saves in 47 appearances, an 89.4% save percentage. Over 62.1 innings, he gave up just 31 hits, but also walked 31 batters, the second-highest total of his nine-year career. Kimbrel still had 96 punch outs, which was again excellent, though well below the stellar total he amassed in 2017. However, he also allowed a career-high seven home runs this season.

While Kimbrel can usually be relied upon to safely close out games, his nail-biter of a performance against the Yankees in Game 4 of the ALDS wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary. Kimbrel can at times lose command and fail to consistently find the strike zone, as evidenced by the fact that he walked at least 30 batters in two of the past three years.

On Tuesday night, Kimbrel created some unnecessary drama while trying to finish Game 4 and the series. The closer gave up one hit, allowed two walks and hit one batter, putting four men on base in the ninth. Yes, the Red Sox closer put four men on base in the ninth of a closeout game! As a result, he allowed two runs (hitting a batter with the bases-loaded and a sacrifice fly), making the situation much more difficult and challenging than it should have been. It didn't need to be that kind of adventure. Kimbrel nearly gave Red Sox Nation a collective heart attack.

Kimbrel will have to be much more reliable moving forward. The Astros will make him pay in the ALCS. He’s often too erratic and doesn’t throw strikes when he needs to. Walks are unacceptable in October. They will eventually come back to haunt him and the Red Sox.

The Red Sox have a big decision to make regrading Kimbrel this offseason, when he becomes a free agent. The 30-year-old, who will turn 31 in May, is still relatively young and is coming off a four-year, $42 million contract that had a fifth year option, which paid him $13 million this season.

Kimbrel seems to have enjoyed his time in Boston and knows he will be pitching for a contender most years. He also seemed to genuinely appreciate the support the organization gave him when his infant daughter, Lydia Joy, underwent two heart surgeries last winter. According to the closer, the baby girl is recovering well after the operations.

“I’ve loved my last three years here,” Kimbrel said in July. "The city's provided me and my family a lot. And we're very grateful for that. And we'd love to stay. And we love the city.”

He will be the top free agent closer on the market this winter and a five-year deal seems likely, given his age. Perhaps the Red Sox could get him for just four years, but at what cost? Again, he made $13 million this year and will surely be expecting a sizable bump up from that.

Old friend Andrew Miller will also be available this winter, but he has been injured and far less effective than in years past. Can he fully recover? Has he already peaked at age 33? Miller endured three DL stints this season due to troubles with his left hamstring, right knee and left (pitching) shoulder.

Miller made just 37 appearances this year for Cleveland, after making 73 in 2014, 60 in 2015, 70 in 2016 and 57 in 2017. That heavy workload seems to have finally worn him down. Elite relievers are always great... until they aren't.

Cody Allen, also of the Indians, Adam Ottavino of the Rockies, Kelvin Herrera of the Nationals and Zach Britton of the Yankees will also be available. Yet, Kimbrel is the clear leader in a very thin class of relievers with closing experience or ability.

Matt Barnes could potentially give the Red Sox an in-house replacement for Kimbrel. The 28-year-old would certainly be a cheaper option than Kimbrel since he’s arbitration eligible for the first time this offseason. Moreover, he had comparable numbers this year:

Barnes: 14.01 K/9, 4.52 BB/9, 53 GB%
Kimbrel: 13.85 K/9, 4.48 BB/9, 28.2 GB%

Before making any decisions about the future, however, the Red Sox will have to see how far Kimbrel can take them in the ALCS and, hopefully, the World Series. As vital as Chris Sale is to this team’s fortunes, Kimbrel will be equally critical in playoff games that are typically low-scoring affairs won by shut-down pitching.

Red Sox Embark on Quest for 9th World Series Title

The Red Sox and the Yankees are set to square off in the American League Divisional Series, which starts on Friday night at Fenway.

It will be the first playoff matchup between the storied rivals since 2004. That year, the Red Sox famously came from behind, down games three games to none, and stunned New York by winning four straight and earning a berth into the World Series, which they won in historic fashion for the first time since 1918.

Only three times in MLB history have two 100-win teams met before the World Series. The last time it happened was when the Yankees and Royals met in the 1977 American League Championship Series. This is rare stuff.

The Red Sox and Yankees have made the postseason in the same year 10 times, beginning in 1995. Of course, the Wild Card was first instituted by MLB in 1994, so such a meeting between division rivals was not previously possible. The two teams have met in the postseason just three times — the 1999 ALCS, 2003 ALCS and 2004 ALCS — with the Yankees prevailing twice. Boston would like to even the score this year.

The Red Sox won a franchise record 108 games, including 57 at home and 51 on the road. Winning 50-plus games at home and on the road is a sign of balance. The Red Sox seem to have home-field advantage even in other teams’ ballparks.

However, the Yankees also won 100 games, including 53 at home and 47 on the road. They too are a balanced ball club. But the home field advantage should favor Boston. They’ll need any and every advantage to win this series.

Despite winning 100 games, the Yankees still finished second in the AL East and had to win the AL Wild Card Game. Only 10 times in MLB history has a 100-win team not finished in first place. It's only happened four times in MLB's divisional era, which began in 1969. Before that, going back to 1903, the year of the inaugural World Series, only six other 100-win teams finished second in a pennant race.

Head-to-head in 2018, Boston won the series, going 10-9 against the Yankees, winning seven of 10 at Fenway. The latter will matter in the ALDS.

This is the series that baseball wants. The Red Sox/Yankees may be the best rivalry in all sports. Very few teams — in any sport — have a 118-year rivalry.

The Red Sox were inarguably the best team in baseball this season. Their 108 wins were tops in the sport; Houston was second best, with 103 wins.

The Red Sox were the first team in baseball to reach 30 wins, 40 wins, 50 wins (tied with Yankees and Astros), 60 wins, 70 wins, 80 wins, 90 wins and 100 wins.

Boston led the AL East for 173 days and had an 11 1/2-game lead on Sept. 16. The farthest the Red Sox fell behind all season was two games on June 21. Their longest losing streak was just three games, which occurred only three times.

From April through August, the Red Sox won at least 17 games in every month, including 19 in April and July. Their worst month was September, when they won 15 games. However, early in the month they had already secured a playoff spot and eventually the AL East title. In other words, they weren’t playing with any sense of desperation. They could afford to rest players.

Despite all of this, there is a nagging sense that the Red Sox could lose this series to their arch rivals.

The Yankees’ potent offense is a modern-day Murderers’ Row. New York set a major league record with 267 homers this season. Six Yankees hit at least 20 home runs and five of them hit at least 25.

However, the Red Sox have a more balanced attack. Boston led the majors in batting average (.268), on-base percentage (.339), slugging (.453), OPS (.792), RBI (829), hits (1,509), doubles (355) and runs (876).

Despite all those runs and that powerful slugging percentage, Boston was just ninth in baseball with 208 home runs. In other words, the Red Sox have many ways to score, other than simply belting home runs. The can play small ball, steal bases (third in the majors with 125) and manufacture runs in the process.

Yet, playoff baseball usually comes down to pitching.

Here’s how the two team’s pitching staffs fared this season:

Red Sox / Yankees

Team ERA: 3.75 3.78
Hits: 1,311 1,305
Home Runs: 176 177
Strikeouts: 1,558 1,634
Average: .237 .237
WHIP: 1.25 1.24

As you can see, the numbers are remarkably similar — nearly identical, in fact.

Yet, Red Sox’ pitchers Chris Sale (one playoff start), David Price (nine starts) and Rick Porcello (four starts) are a combined 0-11 with a 6.18 ERA as postseason starters. There's genuine reason for concern, Red Sox fans.

Then there’s the matter that, due to two stints on the disabled list, Sale has thrown just 17 innings since July 31. He displayed significantly decreased velocity in his final start of the regular season, when he averaged 90.2-mph with his four-seamer and topped out at 94.5. The lefty is unquestionably Boston’s best starter — their ace. As Sale goes, so go the Red Sox. Yet, what the Red Sox will get out of him on Friday is anyone’s guess. But if he falters, no one should be surprised.

Price has been an unmitigated disaster in the postseason. He is winless in nine starts and, overall, has a 2-8 record with a 5.03 ERA. He seems to wilt under the glare of the spotlight.

Over 11 games (four starts), Porcello is 0-3 with a 5.47 ERA. That's not encouraging either.

Yes, any one of them could turn it around and perform at his best, but their histories don’t suggest such a rebound.

Nathan Eovaldi is likely to pitch Game 4, if the series extends that far.

The Yankees will counter with starters J.A. Happ (17-6, 3.65 ERA), Masahiro Tanaka (12-6, 3.75) and Luis Severino (19-8, 3.39).

New York may have the edge in the bullpen; it has the superior setup men leading to closer Aroldis Chapman, including Dellin Betances, David Robertson, Zach Britton and Chad Green.

Though Craig Kimbrel is an elite closer, it remains to be seen how manager Alex Cora will get to him. Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Steven Wright, Joe Kelly and Brandon Workman will fill out Boston's bullpen. Though there are reasonable concerns about the Sox’ pen (other than Kimbrel), the relief crew finished with a 3.72 ERA, which was fourth-best in the AL.

Kelly was a total mess in the last few months of the season. Over his last 15 appearances he posted a 6.17 ERA and 1.71 WHIP; over his last seven those numbers rose to 8.31 and 2.54, respectively. Why would Cora or anyone else trust him? Overall, Kelly has a 4.39 ERA and 1.36 WHIP this year. He simply puts too many batters on base.

Barnes missed much of September with inflammation in his left hip. Is he fully healed? We’re about to find out.

Brasier pitched in Japan last year and has never been in the postseason before. Before this season, he had made just seven appearances in the majors, all with the Angels in 2013. However, he emerged into a key bullpen piece for Boston this year, notching a 1.60 ERA in 34 outings.

Wright could give the Sox three or four relief innings, should one of the starters continue his postseason woes. Eduardo Rodriguez could serve as a key lefty out of the pen. That will be critical since every single member of the Boston bullpen in the ALDS is a righty. That's not good.

The Red Sox had a magical season this year. This is the best regular-season Red Sox team that any of us has ever witnessed. But the World Series title isn’t handed to the team with the best regular-season record.

The 2001 Seattle Mariners finished with a 116–46 record, tying the major league record for wins set by the 1906 Chicago Cubs. Yet, they were swiftly eliminated by the Yankees in five games in the American League Championship Series. That outcome serves as the ultimate precautionary tale about regular season exploits. It’s the postseason that counts.

If the Red Sox are to suffer a similar fate, it would hardly be surprising. After all, the Yankees won 100 games this year. They are a dangerous team. And even if the Red Sox prevail in the ALDS, they would then have to face either the defending World Series Champion Houston Astros (103 wins) or the Cleveland Indians (91 wins), both of whom beat Boston in four of seven regular season contests this year.

One club needs to win 11 games to be crowned World Series Champions. This is going to a tough battle. The competition is fierce. Boston’s first hurdle will be the Yankees, and they will present a significant challenge.

For Red Sox fans, there is nothing sweeter than beating the Yankees — except for winning the World Series, of course (though for many fans, beating the Yankees in 2004 was the World Series).

However, there is nothing worse than losing to the Yankees in the playoffs — not even losing the World Series.