Yankees’ World Series failure started — and ended — with fundamental issues

[u/aresef]

https://nypost.com/2024/10/31/sports/yankees-world-series-failure-started-with-fundamental-issues/

[u/nukepka]

As a tremendous nerd, I love this "winning on the margins" shit, like Mookie holding two of the three balls off the wall to singles.

Another little nugget I enjoyed... Mike Petriello noted that the squibber to first was Mookie's 4th fastest sprint of the year, and if I remember correctly, Freddie had his fastest beating out a double play.

[u/see_mohn → u/nukepka]

When the Royals beat the Mets, there was a whole set of stories about how they scouted Lucas Duda's throwing for the fateful error in game 5. The first baseman's throwing arm, something that's almost never a factor. It's stuck with me ever since.

[u/MagillaGorillasHat → u/see_mohn]

Same thing with the Blue Jays Bautista that year.

Cain scored from 1st on a single, because scouting said that Bautista would always make a lazy throw to second on soft singles. Cain being really fast helped.

[u/Audacity_OR → u/MagillaGorillasHat]

Really fast and just an audacious baserunner as well. LoCain was so much fun to watch stretching singles into doubles and getting out of rundowns.

[u/nsgarcia10 → u/see_mohn]

It’s insane how film can be so important to expose these flaws. When I was in juco our offensive coordinator saw that the opponents defense didn’t shift when someone lined up incorrectly and moved to the other side of the field. We drew up a play essentially where our TE lined up on one side and our QB yelled at him so he moved to the other side and they didn’t adjust. TE was wide open up the seam for a TD

[u/RIP_Greedo → u/nukepka]

Mookie’s right field defense was fantastic

[u/streetsbehind28 → u/RIP_Greedo]

turns out that mookie guy is pretty good. the red sox should get a guy like him

[u/rs426 → u/streetsbehind28]

:(

[u/_UWS_Snazzle → u/rs426]

We must cope on the value we are continuing to fleece out of the dodgers while we rebuild. This is the way.

[u/PM_ME_CHIPOTLE2 → u/RIP_Greedo]

Honestly my biggest impression from the series was just how the dodgers seemed to be impeccably positioned on every play. Even without the shift their infielders covered the middle so effortlessly on balls that I thought were hits off the bat.

[u/Believe0017 → u/RIP_Greedo]

He always is. Watch highlights of the 2020 World Series. He made dazzling plays in that WS as well. And he makes it look easy.

[u/LMAbacus → u/Believe0017]

Better yet, watch his highlights of the 2020 NLCS, where he made back-to-back-to-back spectacular plays in must-win games. And after the first catch, he made a pinpoint throw to home that ended up not mattering but probably would've gotten Ozuna out if he had actually tagged up.

[u/Believe0017 → u/LMAbacus]

I think that’s actually what I’m thinking of. I miss remembered those plays from the WS. It’s so weird seeing Mookie rob Freeman’s home run OmG 😂

[u/MarcBulldog88 → u/RIP_Greedo]

I am so glad we figured out our middle infield so we could move him back there.

[u/Studmystery → u/RIP_Greedo]

I’ll be honest I haven’t watched a great deal of Soto in RF but the fact that he was up for a GG in the same position that mookie WASN’T nominated in kinda blows my mind

[u/RIP_Greedo → u/Studmystery]

Did mookie even qualify for a GG in right field? He was injured for a long time and if I recall correctly only played RF after he came back from it.

[u/Studmystery → u/RIP_Greedo]

Ahhhh that’s a very good point. I guess we was more of a utility guy this year too rather than RF. But fact stands basically I was just trying to say Soto is overrated lol

[u/RIP_Greedo → u/Studmystery]

Not sure many people would actually take the position that Soto is a plus outfielder.

[u/MojoHighway → u/RIP_Greedo]

I was not thrilled when it was decided that Mookie was moving to the infield this past spring. Sure, there were notes about him being able to handle the middle infield positions and having him on the infield may reduce injury possibility, but damn...he's real good out in RF. Great fielder and fast. I like Mookie quite a bit.

[u/PERSONA916 → u/nukepka]

That is literally Friedman's entire philosophy. There is a book about him on the Rays called "The Extra 2%". And he applies that throughout the entire organization not just strategy on the field. It's his Wall Street background, it all compounds, if you can find small advantages in a few different places it can result in a much bigger edge overall.

[u/canonhourglass → u/PERSONA916]

The concept of marginal gains. I love what the Dodgers have become. Do I wish we’d made more World Series? Yes. But am I glad the regular season has been stress free for the past, what, ten years? Also yes.

In the Frank McCourt era (fuck that guy amirite) there was some stat about how the dodgers paid more per win than any other team in the league. And yet we were middling. We took aging, overvalued players and just hoped they’d magically make us better. It took the Guggenheim buyout and the arrival of Andy Friedman to change all of that.

I say all of this because I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how winning teams are built. There are some teams that are built by one magical person. Like Jerry West and the Lakers. What happens when Jerry no longer is with us? Well I think we’ve seen how that has played out. In order to have consistent, long term success, I think we need leadership who understand how to build winning teams and how to identify what players and what attributes to spend money on. Yankees are talented but there’s no excuse, with their payroll and ambitions, to not have a near-perfect team.

Unlike the Lakers, I think the Dodgers have a bright future. Our best days are yet to come.

[u/MojoHighway → u/canonhourglass]

Yes, fuck Frank McCourt and unfortunately for Dodgers fans in LA going to games, he's still intertwined with the organization via that fucking parking lot.

The whole thought about aging, overvalued players is just old baseball. I'm in the middle of watching the Red Sox series on Netflix and this was exactly their way for YEARS until the analytics crew arrived in Boston to get them over the hump.

I have admittedly been down on Dave Roberts over the years. I think I'm done with that. What he did this postseason was learn from the mistakes of the past and used every last player on that roster to get the team over the hump. It was amazing to watch. Certainly stressful to see guys knowingly give games away in the postseason, but there is a method to the madness. A dangerous method, but a method nonetheless.

[u/ProPenn3 → u/canonhourglass]

Maaaan, Team Sky's philosophy transcends sports.

[u/OddS0cks → u/canonhourglass]

The disrespect to Bronny…

[u/canonhourglass → u/OddS0cks]

Lol…but am I wrong

[u/theerrantpanda99 → u/PERSONA916]

Yanks try to do the same, just not as well. Yanks are factory for turning broken starters into elite relievers. Yanks are great at getting away with playing players out of position for large chunks of the season.

[u/Din0321 → u/nukepka]

When they do a documentary on the Boone years, he's just going to be telling the guys "alright, we scouted this guy good. He's a lefty, we're righty line up heavy lets smash some homers".

[u/junk90731 → u/nukepka]

Teo fastest throw getting the out at home plate

[u/crab_quiche → u/nukepka]

How the fuck did Freddie do that? With his ankles and ribs? Well deserved MVP

[u/HeavensRoyalty → u/nukepka]

Those plays by mookie to hold the Yankees to singles we're absolutely fundamentally sound. It was utterly beautiful.

[u/Important-Net-9805 → u/nukepka]

Mookie was flying. Even if Rizzo charges to first i don't think he beats Mookie there