Béisbol is stupid

#fuckthucy

Kershaw, Felix, Verlander? Collectively?

0 wins in the World Series.
0.
Between the three of them.
Only Verlander has been there...0 wins, 3 losses, an ERA of 7.20.

Puh-LEASE.

All three could be Hall of Famers, but really? THAT level of playoff failure...and you're going to name any of them the best pitcher in baseball...

When MadBum's an All-Star and is now one of the best postseason and World Series pitchers EVER?

That's just privileging statistics over actual results, and the actual objective of the game--TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES.

Until Verlander or Kershaw stop being pathetic in the playoffs, they simply cannot be considered the best...the best pitcher in baseball *CAN'T* be winless flop with a huge ERA when it matters most.

The best you can say about Verlander?

7-5 OVERALL in the playoffs with a mediocre 3.38 ERA OVERALL...again, get him to the World Series, and he's a winless, 7,20 ERA soap bubble.

Kershaw? Arguably worse.

0 WS appearances, 1-5 in the playoffs, 0-3 in the NLCS, and a 5.12 ERA overall.

NEITHER can claim to be the best in baseball with appalling marks like those...Kershaw especially looks bad by that measure, he looks as bad here as he looks amazing in the regular season.

But what we play for is the postseason and World Series, and that's what matters most.

Obi, look at these lists and tell me that the guys on them are all the best players ever:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/postseason/Playoffs_batting.shtml

Any player can have a good stretch. Even any team can have a good stretch. Note how the two worst teams to make the playoffs this year were the ones playing today. Bumgarner's good, but he's nowhere near on the same level as those other guys, and a couple of admittedly important starts won't change that.

The World Series is reached and won by teams, not individuals. Criticizing Felix or Kershaw because they haven't had as many playoff opportunities is stupid. Criticizing anyone for being bad in one or two starts is stupid.

Also, please stop citing pitcher wins as a statistic. It'd be cool if you could do the same with ERA, but I realize that that's a harder sell.

ERA is an awful stat for relievers but it still holds some value for starters for those of us who don't know the other 400 sabermetrics people use nowadays. It's basically a cop-out stat.

I think people used to say this same crap about LeBron, and then he went out and did it. People say the same thing about Jimmie Johnson (still) because it's too much for them to bear when someone looks the best ever in the face and tells them to move the fuck over. People said Peyton had to win the Super Bowl, and he did, so now they all say he needs another. He has more TDs than anyone else and he still isn't good enough.

Kershaw will get plenty of opportunities, and he'll win his rings. That is a promise. Once he does, he still won't be good enough for people, especially Giants fans.

Verlander isn't a HOFer in my opinion, but if you replace him with Sabathia, you've probably got something there.

Oh shoot, I forgot Sabathia. Add him to that list you. I'd say he's definitely a bit ahead of Verlander, but both need to turn around their recent shortcomings and continue being somewhat productive (just a bit above average for a while is enough) to make it in.

As for ERA, it's affected so much by park and defense that it really isn't great until you have a career's worth of data. If you want to stay purely results based, ERA- or bWAR are your friends. If you want to accurately evaluate how well someone pitched, FIP or fWAR will be better. It's not hard to learn one better stat and use it instead. Refusing to do so is just laziness and contrarianism

"The World Series is reached and won by teams, not individuals."

...The World Series we just watched WAS won by an individual.

3 wins, including the last one in Game 7 on short rest?

The Royals explode for 10 runs the night before, score 2 runs before Bumgarner enters, and are almost totally silenced after he enters the game...ALL THREE NIGHTS?

Madison Bumgarner won the 2014 World Series. Period.

He was *the* difference maker.

"3 Wins"

There you are again. Just because he was given a W doesn't mean he was wholly responsible for any of them. He pitched excellently, and that should be remembered with a WS MVP, but the Giants don't win without their other 24 guys coming through too, and it's only seven games.

Let me ask you this, which is more likely:
The best pitcher in baseball has a couple of bad starts at a bad time
OR
The best pitcher in baseball is consistently the 20th to 30th best pitcher in any given season?

I think you already realize you've lost this argument, as you've stopped responding with anything but your sensationalist bullshit you've already spewed several times, so I'm going to stop unless you have anything meaningful to add.

By the way, Obi, since you continue to spout off this whole win thing, Bumgarner had 2 wins and a 5-inning save. Just saying.

Oh, stirrer of dormant threads, he shall take your two-line response and return it unto you thousandfold.

It's either that or rant about the 49ers.

AND THIS IS WHY COLIN KAEPERNICK SHOULD GET A SHAKESPEARE TATTOO TO MAKE SURE THE 49ERS WIN THE SUPER BOWL AND--

Nah. :p

Seahawks over 49ers

+1 thucy.

Actually +1 Thucy.

@Thucy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoMcTsX9Rug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjOkTib5eVQ

Rams over 49ers Lmao

49ers got jacked by calls the last two plays of the game.

It's not like the QB fumbled or anything, it was obviously the refs.

SEAHAWKS
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Rams
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49ers
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cowboys lol