James Smyth
@jamessmyth621.bsky.social
1.6K followers 190 following 2.2K posts
Sports Researcher/Booth Statistician (YES Network), used to do Toeing The Slab podcast & KayRod, former MiLB play-by-play broadcaster, IATSE 100, He/Him
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jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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)
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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).
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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.
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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.
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
By the way, I love Abner Uribe’s “hang up the phone” celebration (even if he’s too young for a landline phone)
Reposted by James Smyth
sheehannewsletter.bsky.social
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.
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
Played for the Blue Jays, Mariners, Dodgers & Brewers:

Henry Blanco
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
Way to go Brewers, Beat L.A.
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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
Reposted by James Smyth
jjcoop36.bsky.social
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.
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
What a Darlingism (complimentary): “a triptych of fastballs”
Reposted by James Smyth
matrueblood.bsky.social
Tucker, Suzuki, Happ and Kelly have all seen Ashby twice already in this set. Cubs score here, or never.
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
This year the league-wide Guillen Number was 41.6% in the first 9 innings but 22.5% in extras/Calvinball
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
Good call…Rob Mains splits things up in a lot of his work, a lot of extra legwork but worthwhile
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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)
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
Got me, too…I was like, “the Basketball Final Four???”
Reposted by James Smyth
jjcoop36.bsky.social
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
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
Brewers & Cubs pitcher usage heading into this winner-take-all NLDS Game 5

Fascinating to have Megill & Pomeranz starting things off
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
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)
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
Yep 98 Astros vs Padres of course lol
garik16.bsky.social
You mean Astros in 98 right?
jamessmyth621.bsky.social
One other guy: Randy Johnson! 1997 Mariners & 1998 Padres
Reposted by James Smyth
euqubud.baseballprospectus.com
A game like that doesn't deserve a normal recap. Here's my retelling of last night's Tigers-Mariners game, broken into splinters.

www.baseballprospectus.com/news/article...
11. For the first time in my life, I actually had to check the scoreboard to see how many mound visits a team had left.
Reposted by James Smyth
jayjaffe.bsky.social
The Tigers and Mariners combining to hit .163 tonight is as perfect a Ray Oyler tribute as you’re gonna get.
repoz2.bsky.social
Since Ray Oyler played for both a Seattle team and Detroit...this was like a tribute game to him...𝐁𝐄𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐄 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊!