The outcomes not withstanding, this has been a scintillating post-season. As a Nationals fan, a Yankee-hater and a guy who's sick of the Cardinals winning in the playoffs after sneaking in, it's been heart-breaking.
In eight days, we've enjoyed six sudden death games -- two play-ins and four Game 5s. We watched two teams rebound from 0-2 deficits. We've witnessed one walk-off after another.
Well, you've witnessed it. I have over-the-air TV.
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If you were to compile a team from among the best players on the Oakland A's and Detroit Tigers, you would have . . . the Detroit Tigers.
If you were to compile a team from among the best players on the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees, you would have . . . the New York Yankees.
So although the A's and O's combined for a better regular season record than the Tigers and Yankees, and although each employed magic dust and bottled lightning to reach the post-season, it's not surprising that the latter pair has bounced the former from the playoffs, particularly with Justin Verlander and CC Sabathia getting two starts each.
It's worth noting that the Yankees prevailed in their series without contributions from Robinson Cano, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher and, most famously, Alex Rodriguez, who didn't even sniff the field in the deciding game. The Tigers did likewise while Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder scuffled.
It shows why baseball is the best game of all -- because it's a game of failure. Six of the best practitioners in the world were consistently humbled simultaneously for a week. At least two of them will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Detroit's appropriately-maligned starting pitching won the series for them, despite the best efforts of the bullpen to give Oakland a chance. Verlander, Doug Fister, Anibel Sanchez and Max Scherzer strangled the A's over 36 innings, relinquishing just five earned runs.
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In the NL series between the Reds and Giants, the better team outscored their opponent, out-hit them and posted a lower ERA -- but dropped three straight home games and the series. Cincinnati can thank untimely hitting for its demise: the Reds went 3-for-24 with runners in scoring position in the three losses. It's going to be a long winter.
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Inevitably, the Stephen Strasburg chatter has lit up the airwaves. Right or wrong, Nats GM Mike Rizzo knows that his decision was based on a longer time horizon than one post-season. His hope is that sitting Stras pays dividends for 15 years.
It's easy to forget -- 98 regular season wins later -- that the Nats are a year ahead of schedule. They have a long, brilliant run ahead of them. At least that's what I'm trying to console myself with.
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It's important to remember that five- or seven-game playoffs, particularly among reasonably evenly-matched teams, is a total lottery. If having a dominant starter or two is of particular advantage in these formats, and I believe it probably is, that would explain the success of the Cards. They roll out two world-class starters in Wainwright and Carpenter, something they didn't have all season. The other three teams in the tournament have only one ace each -- Verlander, Sabathia and Cain.
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