Baseball: 2005 MLB Playoffs: Championship Series

NL Matchup

Houston @ St. Louis

Though I am typically a NL baseball watcher, I don't think I'll be watching much of this series. The Astros have the pitching to win the series, but I just don't think they will. While the Cards have good pitching also, they too have a masive batting line-up. I expect this one to go at least 6 games, with the Cardinals making another World Series appearance.

AL Matchup

LA Angels @ Chicago White Sox

This will be an interesting series, but one that will easily be won by the White Sox. They have played extremely well all season, and continued that here in the playoffs and swept the defending champs. They have the pitching, and now appear to have the offense as well. I think the Angels will pull out 2 wins at most.

I agree that the Cards will make another World Series berth, they have way too much offense for the Astros to handle, add in Carpenter and Mulder and it adds up to the Cards in 5.

The AL however will be won by the Angels, the Sox have been struggling as of late and really only made the division series because their division is probably the worst in baseball ( ok second worst i forgot about the NL west ). This series will be the Angels in 5 also.

the Angels got robbed tonight, the ump ruled that the catcher did not field a swinging third strike cleanly so the batter was able to reach first, after a pinch runner came into the game he stole second base, he scored on a double....this all happened in the bottom of the ninth, replays showed that the ball was cleanly cought by the catcher....we will hear a lot more about this game and the blown call

No doubt about it, Toejam. I heard one guy compare it to the Denkinger call, which is preposterous in that Ray Charles could have made the Denkinger call correctly. But what happened tonight was terrible--and I'm rooting for the ChiSox.

At first, I thought it was an unfortunately too-close-to-call thing. Then, after hearing the guys on Baseball Tonight explain it, I realized the ump's hand gesture constituted an out call and duped the fielders into coming in, guaranteeing that even the lead-footed ex-cancer of my Giants could make it to first safely.

Of course, Game Six only SEEMS more important than Game Two. If the Sox win in 7, it's really all the same. I wouldn't want to be that young ump, ya know? At least Denkinger had a long, dinstinguished career behind him, and a great deal of respect from players, managers and fellow umps, when he made his infamous out-of-position blown call.

Baseball History Nut

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see either game, or watch any highlights of either game. I was stuck at basketball practice, and looks like I missed an intersting AL game. I'm sure the next game they'll show highlights so I'm not mad I missed them. Well, the Cardinals won, which was expected... and since Pettite was the losing pitcher, the Stro's may only get one win, which is whenever the Rocket pitches. I'd like to see the Sox and Angels go 7 games, but I'm hoping the Sox win. I mean, wouldn't that be great? Two teams that haven't won a World Series since the early 1900's both winning in back-to-back seasons? I guess it would be the Cubs' chance next year. They're closing on 100 years... only a few years to go.

i'm sure that you will be able to watch the replay of the ending of the chicago game over and over, it is as bizzarre an ending to a game as i have ever seen....i would like to see the white sox take the series but last night the angels were robbed, the umps blew it....

I think this is MLB's conspiracy against Cubs fans. If the Sox win their series because of this game, and the Cardinals go to the WS who are Cubs fans gonna root for? I'm telling you it's MLB sticking it to the Cubs fans.

That was the worse call since Game 6 of the '85 World Series.

Originally posted by GiantsFan
... and since Pettite was the losing pitcher, the Stro's may only get one win, which is whenever the Rocket pitches.

I'm surprised I completely left out Oswalt... Which is strange seeing as how he's the only Astros pitcher I like. So now I mean to say the Astro's will have 2 wins, tonight and when the Rocket pitches.

IMHO, this year is--with no close competition--the most poorly officiated postseason since division play began in 1969. And I say that as someone who has been rooting for Houston and the Chisox to make the Series.

Is that macho, needlessly confrontational cretin Joe West going to umpire the World Series and make a call more catastrophic than Denkinger's moment of infamy? It would at least give this godawful post-season symmetry, and it would take Denkinger--a genuinely nice guy and fine umpire--off the historical hook and put someone who deserves it there, instead. :angry-smiley-034:

Baseball History Nut

Pujol's clutch 3-run homer in the top of the 9th gave the Cards a 5-4 win over the Astro's, who could have ben in the World Series with a win. Even being down 3-2 in the series, I still think the Cards can get past the Astro's... but now I'm picking the Astro's to go. The Cards will be facing Oswalt Wednesday and Clemens on Thursday. Unless these two have bad days, looks like the Astro's are going to the World Series to play the Chicago White Sox.

White Sox VS. Astros in the World Series. The White Sox are going to win it all just to make the Cub fans angry.

So, is this going to be 1986 all over again, with a team up 3-1, on their home field, one out away from the World Series, then losing to a devastating HR and going quietly in Games 6 and 7 at the other team's park? That's exactly what happened to the Angels in 1986, and the fact they had a 300-game winner pitch part of Game 7 (Don Sutton) helped them not a whit.

OR, is this going to be like 1975? The Big Red Machine, with arguably the greatest second baseman ever (I think so), and arguably the greatest catcher ever (I don't think so, but MANY do), ahead 6-3 in the 8th inning, and only 4 outs from winning it all, only to have journeyman nobody Bernie Carbo break their hearts with a magnificent 3-run HR. And then Fisk, having the defining moment of his Hall of Fame career at a tender age, hitting that never-to-be-forgotten home run off the foul pole in the 12th to win Game Six and complete the Bosox's resurrection from the dead.

Then came Game 7. In Fenway. The Red Sox ablaze from the glory of the previous night. They take a 3-0 lead in the 3rd inning. The crowd is going insane. They carry the lead into the 6th inning. Then Tony Perez hits a 2-run HR to cut it to 3-2. Then the Reds score another run in the seventh, tying it, and Fenway gets very nervous. Then arguably the greatest World Series ever ends with Morgan's single in the 9th driving in the winning run and the Reds holding on for a 4-3 victory.

MORAL: The fact the Astros suffered a devastating blow does NOT mean they are going to roll over and play dead for two games, just because the 1986 Angels did. The 1975 Reds suffered every bit as devastating a blow when they lost what is probably still regarded by expert consensus as the greatest World Series game ever, and they fell behind 3-0 on the road in Game 7, but they got up off the mat and won.

Houston has a pitcher who, in my opinion, is the greatest right-hander in MLB history, pending the remainder of Pedro's career. Yeah, Sutton was not enough for the Angels in 1986, but Clemens in 2005 is not remotely comparable to Sutton in 1986, nor is Clemens' career remotely comparable to that of Sutton, whom many felt had no business being elected to the Hall (career "adjusted ERA" only 8% better than league averages).

CAN St. Louis come back? Obviously, and there's a substantial chance that they will. But do I think they will? Hell, no. They have to beat two great pitchers. IF they get to the Game 7, He will be breathing fire, carrying His 7th ERA title with Him (and if your name is not Lefty Grove, who won NINE such titles (!), you've never won more than 5). And don't you know He wants like hell to avenge His mediocre performance in last year's Game 7?

I'll put my money on Houston.

as much as i would like to see st louis take the series and then win it all i think that the astros will take this one, the old adage that "good pitching will beat good hitting" will hold true. i look for houston to defeat an injury depleted cardinal team...

Looks like the Astro's pulled it off, which was a given seeing as how Oswalt was pitching. Finally we have a World Series without the Yankees! This will be a fun series to watch. Both teams have amazing pitching, and some good offense. I wouldn't be surprised to see this go 7 games.