Today on Pinstripe Alley - 10/14/21

So, no baseball yesterday! That was dumb. I suppose blame the Rays and White Sox for not putting up enough of a fight against the Red Sox and Astros. It’s not like I need an extra excuse to grumble about the Rays. But hey, it’s still kind of funny in retrospect that the 100-win division champion could only win one more game in the playoffs than the ever-so-underwhelming 2021 Yankees. It’s just too bad that the Red Sox were the benefactors, but, well, Erin already delved into that hellpit of an ALCS for us.

At least we’re getting good ol’ fashioned regular baseball tonight where I don’t hate either team. The fact that the Giants and Dodgers have now combined for 109 wins apiece in 2021 only makes it better. I can’t wait to see what happens in that game.

Today on the site, Matt will reveal the perhaps-not-so-shocking Least Valuable Yankee of the season and Peter will look into how the players the Yankees traded performed in 2021. Later on, Dan will muse on the Yankees’ upcoming 40-man decisions at catcher and Jon will remember Brian Doyle’s out-of-nowhere 1978 World Series breakout.

Fun Questions:

1. Who wins tonight’s NLDS clincher between the Dodgers and Giants?

2. Will the victor of NLDS Game 5 go on to win the World Series?

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remark on the sad passing of Oakland A’s legend Ray Fosse. The man was a two-time World Series champion for them and did so much more beyond even that to grow the game in the Bay Area. He worked A’s games in the broadcast booth for 35 years and his was a common voice that I’d hear in late-night West Coast games while working late or trying to fall asleep (usually the former more than the latter).

Fosse had to take a leave of absence this past August for cancer treatment; he’d been quietly battling it for 16 years. Sadly, this terrible disease has claimed another wonderful life.

Rest in peace, Ray Fosse.