Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by James Smyth

Joel Luckhaupt @jluckhaupt.bsky.social · 3h

Longest drought since last LCS game win
Reds - 10/12/1990
A's - 10/12/1992
Pirates - 10/13/1992
Orioles - 10/13/1997
Mariners - 1̶0̶/̶2̶0̶/̶2̶0̶0̶1̶ TONIGHT
Twins - 10/8/2002

The Athletic @theathletic.com · 4h

The Mariners have won their first ALCS game since 2001.

1 7 21

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 4h

MLB postseason - only run scored on leadoff home run

1954 CLE WS Gm 2 at NYG
Al Smith HR, lost 3-1 (CLE 8 H)

2012 OAK ALDS Gm 1 at DET
Coco Crisp HR, lost 3-1 (OAK 4 H)

2018 LAD WS Gm 5 vs BOS
David Freese HR, lost 5-1 (LAD 3 H)

2025 TOR ALCS Gm 1 vs SEA
George Springer HR, lost 3-1 (TOR 2 H)

1 1 5

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 6h

George Springer's 63 regular-season leadoff home runs are 2nd all-time to Rickey Henderson's 81. This was his 2nd in the postseason (MLB postseason record is 5 by Kyle Schwarber)

1

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 6h

First time since 2018 that all 4 LCS teams are division champions. 7th time in 31 postseasons in the Wild Card Era since 1995 (also 1995, 1998, 2001, 2009, 2013).

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 6h

First time since 2019 that all 4 LCS teams had 90+ wins (or its per-162 equivalent). Only 13th time in 31 postseasons in the Wild Card Era since 1995.

1

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 6h

First time since 2019 that all 4 LCS teams had 90+ wins (or its per-162 equivalent). Only 13th time in 31 postseasons in the Wild Card Era since 1995.

2

Reposted by James Smyth

Bryan Knowles @brykno.bsky.social · 14h

-10 net passing yards is the lowest total since Ryan Leaf's 1-for-15 day with the Chargers in 1998.

www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/19...

San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs - September 20th, 1998 | Pro-Football-Reference.com

San Diego Chargers 7 at Kansas City Chiefs 23 on September 20th, 1998 - Full team and player stats and box score

www.pro-football-reference.com

1 1 5

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 14h

Justin Fields had 45 passing yards and -43 yards worth of sacks as he lined up for the last-ditch play and I said to the TV, “please get sacked.”

4th & 8 at the Denver 44 down 13-11, he takes a sack for a 12-yard loss

The Jets finished with -10 net passing yards

1 5

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

By the way, I love Abner Uribe’s “hang up the phone” celebration (even if he’s too young for a landline phone)

3

Reposted by James Smyth

Joe Sheehan @sheehannewsletter.bsky.social · 1d

This is the first year since 2018 in which no wild-card team reached the LCS round. It is just the second time since 2012, when MLB added two wild cards, that the LCS round will include just division champs.

1 12 60

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Played for the Blue Jays, Mariners, Dodgers & Brewers:

Henry Blanco

1 6

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Way to go Brewers, Beat L.A.

7

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Brice Turang AVG/OBP/SLG, OPS
2023-24
.239/.303/.328, .631 (75 OPS+)
2025
.288/.359/.435, .794 (121 OPS+)

Legit threat with 18 HR this year after 13 in his first two seasons combined

1 2 2

Reposted by James Smyth

JJ Cooper @jjcoop36.bsky.social · 1d

We have now had 21 innings of do-or-die games in the past two days.

And every inning has been wonderfully excruciating.

In every at-bat of those 21 innings the game has either been tied or the trailing team has had the tying run at the plate.

1 12 45

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

What a Darlingism (complimentary): “a triptych of fastballs”

7

Reposted by James Smyth

Matt Trueblood @matrueblood.bsky.social · 1d

Tucker, Suzuki, Happ and Kelly have all seen Ashby twice already in this set. Cubs score here, or never.

1 3 10

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

This year the league-wide Guillen Number was 41.6% in the first 9 innings but 22.5% in extras/Calvinball

1 1

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Good call…Rob Mains splits things up in a lot of his work, a lot of extra legwork but worthwhile

1

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Oh yeah this is gonna be a fun game

Now 16 of the 23 Cubs postseason runs have scored via home runs (70%). MLB avg this postseason is 40%, down a tick from 41% in the regular season.

We usually have a big jump in the share of runs scoring on homers (previous 10 years: 41% in reg & 47% in playoffs)

✶ MarcusD ✶ @marcusd.bsky.social · 1d

Seiya Suzuki home run

1 1 3

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Got me, too…I was like, “the Basketball Final Four???”

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you!

1

Reposted by James Smyth

JJ Cooper @jjcoop36.bsky.social · 1d

We are facing a deciding game of an LDS series where the two starting pitchers between them have not worked longer than 2.0 IP in any game this season.

Bullpenning has become a significant feature of the postseason because it keeps working.

www.baseballamerica.com/stories/bull...

Bullpen Games Keep Paying Off In The Postseason

It may seem like a strategy of desperation, but teams using bullpen games are winning over and over in the postseason.

www.baseballamerica.com

2 4 11

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Brewers & Cubs pitcher usage heading into this winner-take-all NLDS Game 5

Fascinating to have Megill & Pomeranz starting things off

5 6

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

More common than I would’ve guessed though. 16 times, Darvish just joined the list last week (up to a record 5 elimination-game losses: 2012 Rangers, 2017 Dodgers, 2020 Cubs, 2024 & 2025 Padres)

1

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

Yep 98 Astros vs Padres of course lol

Josh (garik16) @garik16.bsky.social · 1d

You mean Astros in 98 right?

James Smyth @jamessmyth621.bsky.social · 1d

One other guy: Randy Johnson! 1997 Mariners & 1998 Padres

5 2 8