World Series results: Braves are the champs!

The Chisox were on a white-hot tear and hadn’t lost a single playoff game going into the series…where they traded gut-punches for the first 3 games, losing in a game they allowed 10, winning while scoring 9, losing while giving up 8. In a decisive game 4, the Braves got 7 scoreless innings out of the bullpen combination of Minter, Dayton, and Webb, and in the final game of the series Fried out-dueled Keuchel 2-1…of owners with 1,000 games, Leo Leckie has the 3rd best winning percentage all-time, behind only Rick Wynne and Micahel Gortenburg…He’s been in the league since 1994, won it all in 2008, has been in the top 10 of either WOR or the playoffs for every year since 2004…turned in a +29 WOR in his second year in the league…he’s been a great friend for 3 decades and there is no way I could do this without him…great year for a great guy.

Danny Wildes is our new champ! He’s got 100 more wins than losses lifetime…this is is 14th season and he’s only getting better…after making the playoffs in 3 of his first 6 years he’s been in top-WOR spots or the playoffs for 7 of the past 8 seasons…after enduring through a truly wretched Atlanta team in 2016 (actual team had 69 wins) he turned the corner, posted 99 wins in 2018 and 2019 and won it all this year! His 42 wins gave him a stunning 70% win percentage this year and he made 2 early trades that netted him DJ LaMahieu who scored half the runs in the final game…great to have Danny in the league for so long, and great to see him do so well. Good luck defending your title next year, Danny!

That’s a wrap on the season…thanks to all of your for patience and energy during the strangest season this league or the real one has ever seen. I’m excited that the new system has made such progress and it will be awfully fun to play things out for an entire schedule next year. Thanks for helping me pass the time during the lockdown, and let’s enjoy the rest of the playoffs MLB has for us. See you all next spring!

LCS results 2020

NL: PADRE MAGIC RUNS OUT

After dropping game one 2-1, the Padres exploded for 16 runs in game #2. But the Atlanta bats averaged better than 5 runs over the final 3 games and the bullpen tandem of Minter and Webb combined for 4 hitless innings in game five. Acuna Jr. knocked in 2 on a homer and DJ Mathieu had 3 hits in the leadoff spot to pace the Braves in the clincher. Al Benedek started the league in 2000 and promptly won division titles in 2 of his first 3 years. He took a 3 year hiatus between 2015-17, and just finished his 17th ASFBL season. Since returning to take the Padres in 2018 he’s finished in the top-10 WOR or made the playoffs for each of 3 years in a very tough division. It’s great to see such an ASFBL long-timer turn in one of his best seasons, notch an impressive series win against a historically good opponent, and push all the way to the final four. Glad you returned to the league, Al, and looking forward to seeing you next year!

AL: TWIN MAGIC RUNS OUT

With the actual Minnesota club facing epic playoff droughts, Tim got his team past two playoff rounds. The Twins scored in every game and never allowed more than 6 runs, but the Chisox juggernaut was too much; Yolmer Sanchez set the tone with 3 homers in the first game of the series and Leo’s crew never looked back. Tim Walsh is a true Minnesotan who’s been in the league since 1998 and but for a quick trip to San Diego in 1999 has skippered the hometown Twins for the duration. Over the years he’s added two division titles to this, his third League Championship appearance. A clever manager, he improved on his actual team 5 of his first 6 years in the league. He usually keeps the bulk of the Twin roster in tact and uses subtle lineup changes and pitching maneuvers to keep the group competitive. I still have fond memories of meeting Tim, his son, Leo and Rick at spring training in Phoenix. Thanks for representing your team so well for so long, Tim, and I’ve really enjoyed sharing some baseball with you!

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

After tough seasons with Kansas City and Detroit, where he put up good WOR numbers but missed the playoffs, Leo is competing for what would be his second World Series championship after winning it all in 2008. Danny Wildes made the LCS in his second year in the league with the Padres in 2007 and after taking this Brave team to the playoffs for three years he’s ridden the success to his first World Series appearance. Enjoy this, guys, it’s been a nutso year but these World Series games are hard to come by — send me an email as soon as you have your lineups in. Home field advantage has been a bit of a beast to figure out this year, but the Braves have both the higher original seed and the better regular-season record, so they enjoy home field advantage. Good luck to both teams, and we’ll wrap this up no later than Wednesday!

DCS results!

PADRES NUDGE DODGERS

The Dodgers dropped the first game and then won 3 of the next 4 before the Wunderkid Padres snuck past in the last 2. Rick Wynne is a league fixture, the all-time winningest manager by about 500 games, highest lifetime winning percentage for anyone with more than one season, has made the playoffs for 23 straight seasons, six World Series appearances and three championships. There’s little doubt he’s the best manager in league history, and if there is ever an ASFBL Hall of Fame he’s entry #1. More than all that, he’s got a calm demeanor, a big heart, a great singing voice, and I genuinely believes he makes trades designed to make both teams better. It really seemed like he was destined to take it all this year, but sometimes the random numbers don’t come up in your favor. He’s made more sage and friendly suggestions to improve the game than anyone. Thanks for another great year, Rick!

BRAVES SWEEP

The mighty Atlanta pitching held the Cubbies to no more than a single run in any game, and the bats showed up enough to keep the leads comfortable. Gordon is part of the Leckie Family Dynasty and has 300 more wins than losses over 26 seasons. He won it all with the Chisox in 1995 and is a Chicago guy down to his bones. He’s made the playoffs 12 times including this year and has finished in plus-WOR ground 7 of the last 8 seasons. I’m just sayin’, 11 years before I had my son and 9 years before I got married I’ve known Gordie…the baseball ties that bind are strong. Looking forward to next year, Gordie!

ORIOLES PUSH THE TWINS TO 7!

Baltimore was the only non-MLB-playoff standing in the final 8, and they wouldn’t go without a fight. They made it to game 7 when the bats finally ran out of gas and they lost 3-0 when Buxton hit a 2-run homer and the Twins never relinquished the lead. Mark Chen has turned in 18 ASFBL seasons and over 2,700 games…he made the playoffs in 2 of his first 10 years but 6 of his last 8, including the World Series in 2017 and a WOR championship in 2018. This was an inspiring season as Mark got more out of less than any other owner. Thanks for your time in the league, Mark, and looking forward to another season with Orioles next year!

CHISOX SWEEP

The White Sox pitching core held the Jays to 3 runs in 4 games, including 3 straight shutouts. That ended a great season for John MacDonald, who finished his 16th ASFBL season. More than any other owner he’s been in and out of the league and skippered 8 different teams…while Mark Chen has been with Baltimore throughout, Johnny Mac is just a fan of the game…he won it all in 2006 and has been in the top-8 WOR spots four times…he’s getting better with time and has been in plus-WOR territory for 8 of the last 9 years. Don’t know what team will catch your fancy next year, John, but I’m glad you’ll be at their helm.

LCS is up next; Chisox at Twins, Braves at Padres (this year, the higher seed and not the better record determine home field). Owners, please get me your lineups by Friday night. Good luck to our final four!

2020 playoffs: Wildcard results!

Before getting into the ASFBL results, let’s reflect on the craziness of actual MLB: The Twins have lost 18 consecutive playoff games, the Reds went 22 innings without scoring, and the mighty Miami Marlins have literally never lost a playoff series. Things I couldn’t simulate if I wanted to! Here’s how the ASFBL went:

MILWAUKEE TAKES THE DODGERS THE DISTANCE: No fun being the #8 seed and having to take on the team with the best record in the league, but Bret Anderson beat the playoff-snakebitten Clayton Kershaw 2-1 in game one and they took a 2-1 series lead by walking off in 11 innings in game 3. But the Dodgers put up 11 runs over the next 2 games and clinched at home 4-1. Chris Zewiske has a lifetime winning record and has made the playoffs 3 of the last 4 years…he’s finished in the top 3-WOR places 3 times and including a +14 in his second year in the league…and he’s been in the league since 2001. He’s finished better than the actual club three times as often as he’s fallen behind them…Chris is just a great ASFBLer with 19 seasons in the league; great work for a great guy!

PITTSBURGH PUSHES THE BRAVES: After taking a 6-5 loss in game 1 the Pirates shows some fight and beat the Braves 7-2, tying the series up and giving them a combined 12-8 scoring advantage over the first 2 games. The Braves pitching then clamped down and held the Bucs to 1 run over the next 18 innings, with 3 pitchers combining for a 5-hit shutout in the clincher. Mike Mendoza, in true Bull Durham fashion, announced is presence in the league with authority and had a heckuva run as a rookie owner, with his +WOR figure especially impressive. Here’s looking to a long and successful ASFBL run, Mike!

CUBS OUTLAST THE REDS: Neither team advanced in real life and something had to give; both ASFBL teams substantially out-performed their MLB counterparts. The Cubs took the first 2 games before the Reds shut them down for 2 runs over the next 2 games to even the series. The crucial final game was in Cincinnati, but an upward-adjusting Sonny Gray was out-dueled by Yu Darvis and by the time Wade Miley pitched 3 scoreless innings to close it out the damage was done and the Cubs advanced. Raph Malveaux has one of the highest scrabble-value last names in league history, had 6 top-8 WOR finishes in his first 16 seasons including first place with +30 in 2015, and is a Red guy to his core never having managed anyone else. He’s a frequent facebooker and, well, a guy with 16 seasons under his belt. Looking forward to having you back at the Cincinnati helm in 2021!

OLD-SCHOOL SERIES GOES TO THE PADRES: In the only real offensive display of the series Adam’s Phils scored 8 runs in the first game. Neither team scores more than 3 in any other game but the Padres had the small ball game down in the closest-seeded series in the NL. Adam Symonds took a team from a city he hasn’t lived in for the first time this year…he’s ahd more double-digit positive WOR seasons (7) than total negative WORs (3)…he won his division in his first season (2003) and never looked back and capped a 3-season playoff run between 2013 and 2015 with a series championship. A good guy having a tough health run, the posts of he and his daughter are a constant bright spot. He didn’t advance this week, but he was able to use the phrase “Ellie, can you get me another beer?” for the first time. We should all be so lucky as we age. Adam is a great baseball fan and a better friend.

NLDS: Dodgers host Padres, Braves host Cubs.

JAYS UPSET REIGNING CHAMPS! Having won one more playoff game than the actual Indians, the Indian hitters slammed into a Ryu-shaped wall in game 4 after getting taking a 1-0 loss in game 3. One pitch decided game 3 as the only run scored was a solo shot by Alejandro Kirk. Steven Skrovan is an A+ guy who has had an enviable media career in that most all of his work has had both integrity and success — a professional comedy writer, his daily facebook recaps of lockdown days (we’re on 200, I think) are worth the effort. A native Clevelander, he can also tell you the off days and travel schedule of the Indians at any point in the season. And as a testament to his generosity, he usually shares a seat in the Cleveland owner’s box with me every time the club rolls through Anaheim. This is his 9th year in the league and after 5 campaigns with little success he’s made the playoffs for 5 straight years. Another great one, Steve!

TWINS BREAK THE CURSE: Tim Walsh did what the actual club hasn’t been able to do in 18 tries and not only won a game but the series. The Astros took a 1-game lead before the Twin Hitters took over, and they broke through in a big way for a 14-3 game 4 win that had 5 different players homer. Jim Casey literally saved this league from extinction in the early 2000s by pushing me forward when I was ready to throw in the towel, and materially contributing to making the league happen. He’s been in the league since 1995 — that’s 25 seasons — and in the playoffs for each of the last 4. He’s been in the world series twice and won the WOR championship with the Cubs and passed 100 wins on three occasions. Jim is they kind of guy that forms the backbone of the ASFBL, and it’s been great having him, his good nature, and his sense of humor this season. Congrats on a great year, Jim!

BALTIMORE BESTS ANAHEIM IN A SERIES OF OVERACHIEVERS: Winning the first game was a curves in the ALWS, and the Angels rode Jacob deGrom’s afrm to a 4-2 game 1 win on the road. The Baltimore bullpen out-did Andrew Haney in game 4 as the top seed advanced. I have seen more baseball games in person with Greg Acthen than any other person on the planet, he sends me books about baseball out of the blue that shape my thinking about life, and we can share 1-word jokes about something that happened 10 years ago without missing a beat. He is the only league owner who has twice faced the question: Can you use a pitcher who is still under his real IP but is now deceased? Life demands and hobby interest wax and wane, but Greg has been a fixture in the league since 1999 and was the 2012 league champ. I’m really glad he came back for another year.

CHISOX ADVANCE IN 4-5 MATCHUP: The Yankees became the 4th of 4 AL playoff teams to win game 1 and lose the series…after winning game one 7-6 they didn’t get their bats working until game 4, and in that contest the Chisox got to Chad Green for 4 tuns in 5 hits. Codi Heuer got a 2-inning close-out that didn’t register as a save. Mark Yee ranks 5th in all-time ASFBL wins with 2,034 and he only trails me, Leo, and Rick Wynne. One of the very first to sign up for the league, I can still remember his envelope arriving with the registration info back in 1992; by 1996 he was the league champ. He’s made the playoffs with 6 different teams, and has managed over 4,000 ASFBL games. Literally the only bowling results I follow at all are Mark’s posts on facebook, and I’ll take him over Jesus Quintana any time. He’s been in the league for more years than the combined ages of my children. He’s a fixture in the league, and it was great to have him back for a 28th year.

WRAPPING UP

ALDS: Toronto steals the top seed and hosts the Chisox; The Twins host Baltimore. Only one upset in the NL but with the top 2 seeds gone the AL is wide open! Next set of series are 7 games. I’ll get the schedule entered by tomorrow and ask the owners to submit lineups by Tuesday…next series is 7 games, and by this time next week we should be crowning a new league champ.

Newsletter for games through 9-28: End of regular season

Here we go with the playoffs in the first season in MLB to conclude without a single fan interference call! Below are the seedings and notes; observe that seeds 1-3 go to the division champs, 4-6 go to the second place teams, and 7 and 8 go to the wildcards.

ITEMS OF NOTE

Top WOR finishes for a teams not in the playoffs are to Ben Leckie of Arizona, Pat Walsh of the Tigers, and Ben Brockreide of the Rangers. None of the those actual teams was very good and all these managers did good work with a short hand. Special kudos to Pat who was also a first-year owner. This league can take some getting used to, so congrats to Gary and Steve for staying competitive until the end — each club scratched out wins in the final week and all games mattered given how tight the races were. Finally, congrats to Andy of the Nats, who finished strong (4-1) and was in a 3-way tie for the last spot out in the NL. In the AL, Alan and his Rays deserve notice for a strong finish and climbing to within one game of the final spot, and ditto to John and the Athletics who gained 2 games in the final week but came up 1 game short of the second spot in the AL West. Long-timers Hugh Brown and Jeremy Moore had tough seasons but each was competitive with their actual clubs. And another great time with Steve Leslie, Josh Clark, and Rob Perkins, who are always a pleasure to interact with during the season.

Finally, I just want to thank everyone for sticking with this and with me through the end. This season was truly an experiment and between the cancellations, makeups, lack of AAA players, new sim, record-DL moves and general chaos this was an ASFBL season like no other, and you’ve all made it a lot of fun for me and helped make it better. Final technical note; the “weekly” stats count back 7 days and this week had an extra day, so the Monday games aren’t counted in the weekly numbers on the standings but are, of course, counted in the overall win totals.

NL DIVISION WINNERS

Seed #1: Dodgers (46 wins). Finished with a strong 4-1, kept alive Rick’s streak of positive-WOR finishes, and had the best regular-season record.

Seed #2: Braves (42 wins). 70% win percentage is no joke, it’s 10 points better than Danny’s best finish ever, and that Braves club has some players on it.

Seed #3: Reds (34 wins). It means something to win a division where 4 teams make the playoffs and Raph finished with a good week….great cap to his 15th season…

NL SECOND-PLACE TEAMS

Seed #4: Padres (36 wins). This is the feel good team of the season and one Al Benedek has captained to strong WOR finishes each of the last 2 years…dangerous in any 5-game series.

Seed #5: Phillies (35 wins). Adam Symonds always makes his teams better, and in this case 7 games better over only a 60-game span. It’s his first playoff appearance since he won it all in 2015…

Seed #6: Cubs (32 wins). Gordon…good to see a Chicago guy manage this team into the playoffs…3rd appearance for Gordie at the head of the Cubs in the last 4 years.

NL WILD CARD

Seed #7: Pirates (29 wins). Up and down week but Mike nudged to the front of the wildcard pack…completed 2 trades with the Phillies, including the last of the year, and added Gurriel from the Astros. Phenomenal first-year finish.

Seed #8: Brewers (28 wins). It’s not how good you were over the season, it’s how hot you are in September/October, and the Brewers were 7-3 over the last 10…Chris has been in the league since 2001 and has a lifetime above-.500 record…been with the Brewers since 2002, and this is his 3rd playoff trip in 4 years.

AL DIVISION WINNERS

Seed #1: Cleveland (37 wins). First place and top seed thanks to a 5-game flip in the standings on the last week…hard to finish better than that. Strong lead-in for the returning champ.

Seed #2: Houston (35 wins). Finished on a 5-0 run and winning 8 of the last 10…traded for Clevinger but he’s had enough pitching so far.

Seed #3: Baltimore (32 wins). Mark is simply having a great year in a tough division…stumbled over the last week a little but still finished +7 WOR.

AL SECOND PLACE

Seed #4: Chisox (35 wins). Tough finish for Leo but if you were looking to adjust up you’d rather do it in the playoffs than the final week. All his trades this year were with teams from Los Angeles; goes into the playoffs with Tommy LaStella.

Seed #5: Yankees (31 wins, better intra-divisional record than Toronto). Biting and clawing into the playoffs and finishing with 14 wins over the last 20 games, Mark Yee nudged the Jays by a single within-division game. Pulled the trigger on 3 trades in the first week and then stood pat…and the formula payed off as the season went on.

Seed #6: Angels (28 wins). This team collapsed in real life but Greg had them at +2 WOR and the division was wide-open…didn’t have the strongest finish but won 12 of the last 20 and held off a charging Oakland team…active right up until the trade deadline and added some pitching, which could be key in the shorter series.

AL WILDCARD

Seed #7: Twins (34 wins). A step behind the actual club but enter the playoffs with a winning record over the past 10 games…held a good hand and goes into the playoffs fully stocked with actual Twins, and is riding in on his second consecutive playoff appearance…Tim’s been in the ASFBL since the last century.

Seed #8: Toronto (31 wins). Life, taxes, and Johnny Mac…always around fantasy sports, always doing good things with his teams. Held off a charging Rays team and came within 1 intra-divisional game of 2d place and only 2 games from first place outright.

PLAYOFF NOTES AND RULES

In all games, the higher seed is the home team and its 1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, and 4 vs 5. You can review the playoff rules, but as a quick review the WCS series are best-of-5 games, the DCS, LCS, and World Series are all best-of-7. Stats and overuse figures are now frozen; adjustments continue. You can use a 3-starter rotation, and all games have the DH.

I’ll enter the series today and all lineups are due by Friday at midnight (your time; as usual, courtesy changes are accepted until I wake up Saturday morning). I’ll run the games as soon as I can over the weekend adjusting for my high school senior’s SAT exam (or its probable cancellation) and making sure the new sim knows what to do with playoff stats. We’ll anticipate results by Sunday, and we generally take lineups every 2-3 days from the winners.

Let the playoffs begin! Good luck to all the remaining teams!

Newsletter for games through 9-20-20

ON MOURNING

Just taking a moment to reflect on life, baseball, and everything. A few of us have posted on email how this baseball season seems…distant? Hollow? I was struck that as I was reading those emails yesterday the LA Times re-posted on ESPN a column on almost exactly the same topic (headline in the same section today: “Why can’t the Angels win?”) but it was based on the players’ perspective. My own thought, which is slightly more hopeful, is that it definitely feels different but I still put the day games on the tablet next to my computer so I can follow along…I like opening the baseball app on my phone to take my mind off whatever misery is playing across the evening news on my TV. Baseball is still something I enjoy following and thinking about. Anyway, Andy is right, and both the 2020 MLB and ASFBL seasons are best thought of as experiments, but I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for sticking with it and giving me a much-needed distraction in a crazy time.

COMMENTS AND UPDATES

As a coding note, the feedback you all sent me did help me find a bug in the longevity calculations…basically, in some situations it vaulted guys (who weren’t) into max-starter pitch count limits…fix will appear next week…Mike Mendoza has the best win percentage of any newcomer, and a very impressive +10 WOR…that’s first place in the ASFBL…Gary and Pat also have positive-WOR figures in their first year in the league….Steve’s Miami club was 4-2 on the week and is .500 in a very competitive division…St. Louis actually has the best record in the NL central over the last 30 games…The Dodgers keep rolling, and Rick is back to +3 WOR with one week to go…Danny’s Braves are the juggernaut to challenge the Dodgers; they’ve got the second-best record in the ASFBL and their current win percentage is Danny’s all-time best…the Padres and Phillies have also been strong over the last 30…the Yankees continue to charge in AL East and the Rays put together another winning week…they’re 1.5 behind Toronto, but they gained 2 games last week…Baltimore and their +7 WOR continue to hold the top of the division…The top 4 teams in the AL central are all within 2 games of their actual team performance…Leo’s holding the top spot with the Chisox, Tim gained the most ground this week with the Twins, and returning champ Steve has the best WOR in the group…the AL west is absolutely fascinating; the second-place team will make the playoffs and will almost certainly do so with a losing record …Greg’s Angels and John’s A’s are locked up for the second spot…Angels finish against the Padres and Dodgers, A’s finish with the Dodgers and Mariners…and hats off to both, since it would have been easy to mail it in for both of them…the second AL wildcard spot has 27 wins right now, and five teams have 23 wins or more…those teams gotta run the table, but two teams in the AL had 5 wins last week…quick summary of the NL wildcard situation: literally every team is not only in the running but within 2 games of the second spot…breaking out my tiebreaker abacus right now…near this old monopoly game…the ouija board…old TI 99 computer…you know what? I’m just gonna use the ouija board….

FEATS AND FAILURES

Tyler Stephenson (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 9/14/2020 against Pittsburgh)
Nick Tropeano (Pittsburgh) struck out 15 batters (on 9/14/2020 against Cincinnati)
Giancarlo Stanton (Washington) struck out 4 times (on 9/15/2020 against Tampa Bay)
Alex Avila (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 9/15/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Dansby Swanson (Atlanta) struck out 5 times (on 9/16/2020 against Baltimore)
Chance Sisco (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 9/16/2020 against Atlanta)
Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta) struck out 4 times (on 9/16/2020 against Baltimore)
Ian Anderson (Atlanta) struck out 11 batters (on 9/16/2020 against Baltimore)
Wilson Ramos (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 9/16/2020 against Philadelphia)
Aaron Nola (Philadelphia) struck out 11 batters (on 9/16/2020 against New York (NYM))
Dane Dunning (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 11 batters (on 9/16/2020 against Minnesota)
Anthony Bemboom (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 9/16/2020 against Arizona)
Kenta Maeda (Minnesota) struck out 11 batters (on 9/17/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Gio Gonzalez (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 11 batters (on 9/17/2020 against Minnesota)
Tyler Glasnow (Tampa Bay) struck out 11 batters (on 9/17/2020 against Baltimore)
Cameron Maybin (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 9/17/2020 against Cleveland)
Mike Clevinger (Houston) struck out 11 batters (on 9/17/2020 against Texas)
Yoan Moncada (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 4 times (on 9/18/2020 against Cincinnati)
Tyler Stephenson (Cincinnati) struck out 5 times (on 9/18/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Jake Cave (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 9/18/2020 against Chicago (CC))
Jared Walsh (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 9/18/2020 against Texas)
Kevin Gausman (San Francisco) struck out 12 batters (on 9/18/2020 against Oakland)
Zach Plesac (Cleveland) struck out 11 batters (on 9/19/2020 against Detroit)
Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 16 batters (on 9/19/2020 against Kansas City)
Justin Turner (Los Angeles) had 5 hits (on 9/19/2020 against Colorado)
Rafael Devers (Chicago (CC)) struck out 4 times (on 9/19/2020 against Minnesota)
Jose Berrios (Minnesota) struck out 11 batters (on 9/19/2020 against Chicago (CC))
Eric Hosmer (San Diego) had 5 hits (on 9/19/2020 against Seattle)
DJ Stewart (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 9/20/2020 against Tampa Bay)
Luis Castillo (Cincinnati) struck out 13 batters (on 9/20/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Maikel Franco (New York (NYY)) hit 8 RBI (on 9/20/2020 against Boston)
Kyle Lewis (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 9/20/2020 against San Diego

Newsletter for games through 9-13-20

SCHEDULE TWEAKS

The Pittsburg-St. Louis series that was cancelled earlier this year will be made up with one game on 9/18 and two games the day after the last regularly scheduled game of the year on 9/28. MLB scheduled that double-header on 8/27, but we’ve bumped it to the end of the season since that should have the least impact on the overuse issues. And also because I forgot to make the change on August 27.

BIG GAME

Dakota Hudson (St. Louis) threw a no-hitter on 9/11/2020 against Cincinnati…no help with great plays on defense and no errors…struck out 13 and only walked two…strange karma to throw your best on 9-11 and get 13 strikeouts on an Friday…

COMMENTARY

Rick Wynne ran the table in the NL West and is now +2 WOR…as of now, his streak of never having hit negative WOR is in tact…he also has a 5 game lead over the Padres and the best record in the ASFBL…and those Padres were 5-2…but the best job in that division might be Ben Leckie who has the Dbacks 5.5 games over the actual club…newcomer Gary Ruud seems to have caught the hang of things and is now within 2 games of the actual Giants…Atlanta and Philly are racing in the NL East, with Danny Wildes getting the better of the division this week and inching out by another game…He’s 8-2 over the last 10, tied with the Dodgers…Danny has made the playoffs 6 of the last 7 years, turned in consecutive 99 win seasons, and actually skippered the Phillies (who are now chasing him) between 2009-2012…Raph has turned the Reds into a big machine, but Gordon Leckie‘s Cubs and Jeremy Moore’s Cards each gained ground this week…Raph is having a phenomenal season but Gordon could catch him…in fact, every team in the NL central had a winning record this week except for the Reds…that rushing sound you hear from the AL East are Alan Minsky’s Rays and Mark Yee’s Yankees charging toward the top of the division…but right now Mark Chen has the Orioles in the top spot by virtue of a +7.5 WOR…and is the only owner in the East to be in positive territory other than Steve Leslie’s Bosox…Leo Leckie rounds out the Leckie family sweep with the top spot in the AL Central and the best record in the senior circuit…he’s in a dogfight with Steven Skrovan who has the Indians 3 games up on the real club, the only AL central team who’s ahead of the actual team…Jim Casey’s Astros lead the west, but this week went to Ben Brockreide’s Rangers, who went 6-1 and immediately turned from also-rans to serious contenders for that last wildcard spot…as things stand now, Tim Walsh’s Twins have a solid bead on the top AL wildcard spot, but 8 teams have between 20 and 22 wins and are vying for the final playoff berth…in the NL the logjam is tighter and literally every single team has a shot at the wildcards…all 9 teams who aren’t in first or second have between 18 and 23 wins, so one big week could swing it all…oddity of the week: The Twins are only 16-18 within their division but are 11-3 in inter-league play…road takeout must be tastier than home cooking…

FEATS AND FAILURES

• Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 11 batters (on 9/7/2020 against Kansas City)
• Stephen Piscotty (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 9/7/2020 against Houston)
• Christian Walker (Arizona) struck out 4 times (on 9/7/2020 against San Francisco)
• Manuel Margot (Tampa Bay) struck out 4 times (on 9/8/2020 against Washington)
• Miguel Rojas (Miami)  had 5 hits (on 9/8/2020 against Atlanta)
• Garrett Cooper (Miami) hit 6 RBI (on 9/8/2020 against Atlanta)
• Lewis Brinson (Miami) hit 6 RBI (on 9/8/2020 against Atlanta)
• Lewis Brinson (Miami)  had 5 hits (on 9/8/2020 against Atlanta)
• Corbin Burnes (Milwaukee) struck out 13 batters (on 9/8/2020 against Detroit)
• Miguel Sano (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 9/8/2020 against St. Louis)
• Joey Gallo (Texas) struck out 4 times (on 9/8/2020 against Anaheim)
• Jacob deGrom (Anaheim) struck out 12 batters (on 9/8/2020 against Texas)
• Anderson Tejeda (Texas) struck out 4 times (on 9/8/2020 against Anaheim)
• Erick Mejia (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 9/9/2020 against Cleveland)
• Patrick Corbin (New York (NYY)) struck out 11 batters (on 9/9/2020 against Toronto)
• Yoan Moncada (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 4 times (on 9/9/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Sixto Sanchez (Miami) struck out 12 batters (on 9/9/2020 against Atlanta)
• Ian Anderson (Atlanta) struck out 11 batters (on 9/9/2020 against Miami)
• Cameron Maybin (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 9/9/2020 against Milwaukee)
• Willi Castro (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 9/9/2020 against Milwaukee)
• Dinelson Lamet (San Diego) struck out 11 batters (on 9/9/2020 against Colorado)
• Curt Casali (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 9/9/2020 against Chicago (CC))
• Blake Snell (Tampa Bay) struck out 14 batters (on 9/10/2020 against Boston)
• Mike Kickham (Boston) struck out 14 batters (on 9/10/2020 against Tampa Bay)
• Aaron Nola (Philadelphia) struck out 12 batters (on 9/10/2020 against Miami)
• Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati) struck out 16 batters (on 9/10/2020 against Chicago (CC))
• Dakota Hudson (St. Louis) struck out 13 batters (on 9/11/2020 against Cincinnati)
• James McCann (Chicago (CWS)) hit 6 RBI (on 9/12/2020 against Detroit)
• Eloy Jimenez (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 4 times (on 9/12/2020 against Detroit)
• Franmil Reyes (Cleveland) struck out 4 times (on 9/12/2020 against Minnesota)
• Adam Duvall (Atlanta) struck out 4 times (on 9/13/2020 against Washington)
• Max Scherzer (Washington) struck out 12 batters (on 9/13/2020 against Atlanta)
• Deivi Garcia (New York (NYY)) struck out 13 batters (on 9/13/2020 against Baltimore)
• Ke’Bryan Hayes (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 9/13/2020 against Miami)
• Lucas Giolito (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 11 batters (on 9/13/2020 against Detroit)
• Willi Castro (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 9/13/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
• Matt Kemp (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 9/13/2020 against Anaheim)
• Jacob deGrom (Anaheim) struck out 11 batters (on 9/13/2020 against Colorado)

Newsletter for games through 9-6-20

NOTES AND NOTHINGS

There have been some tweaks over the weekend, with some bug fixes to batted-ball distributions and pitcher use and removing (in most places) the “ ” character string in place of a non-breaking space…the batters and pitchers of the week now appear among the list of things on the left-hand sidebar for your perusal during the most boring of your zoom meetings next week…I can quickly tell, for instance, that Hyun Jin Ryu of the Buffalo Blue Jays pitching 14 innings and struck out 20 last week…the big new feature is the WATCH function on the box scores; click it and you get a batter-by-batter walkthrough of each game…or that three Philly hitters all hit .300 or better this week, including Rhys Hoskins who hit 5 HR, which is not surprising since they played my Mets…Meanwhile, Atlanta and Philadelphia combined to go 12-1 last week adn grab command of the top of the NL East…Rick Wynne finally came down to earth with a 4-2 week, and he’s dead-on zero WOR…for those of you new to the league, Rick has played for over 20 years and never finished with a negative WOR, but the combination of the red-hot actual Dodgers and the short season makes this one exciting challenge…it was a tough week all-around for the NL central, but newcomer Michael Mendoza has the Pirates 3.5 better than the real club, which isn’t too shabby, and Jeremy Moore’s Cardinals had the best record in the division…you kind of felt it coming, but Alan Minsky’s Rays went 5-1 and jumped right back into the thick of things…and the big story in the AL has to be Mark Chen’s Orioles, sitting atop the AL East with the 2d best record in the AL and an AL-best 6.5 games over reality…Raph’s Reds own the top spot in either league at 8.5…Leo is clinging to the top spot in the AL central but got a serious challenge from the Indians this week, who went 5-1…the Tigers, led by newcomer Pat Walsh, were undefeated…tough year for the Royals, but Josh Clark has them performing better in the division and in 1-run games than they’re doing overall…the big move in the AL West was Seattle, now +1 WOR and in second place

PENNANT RACES

Top 6 in the NL are: Atlanta, Philly, Cincinnati, Cubs, Dodgers, and Padres (!)…top 2 wildcard teams would be Washington who’s only 1 game up on the logjam of Giants, DBacks, and Rockies, and it could totally be the case that 4 teams from the NL West make the playoffs…talk about unprecedented times…But if 19 wins gets you in the last playoff spot at this point nobody else has fewer than 16.

In the AL, The Orioles, Jays, Chisox, Cleveland, Astros, and Seattle hold the automatic spots, and Minnesota is a health 5-6 games ahead in the top wildcard spot…after that, the Rays, Bosox, Yankees, Tigers, A’s and Angels are all locked up between 17-19 wins…one strong week is going to make all the difference…

FEATS AND FAILURES

• Adam Haseley (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 8/31/2020 against Washington)
• Adam Duvall (Atlanta) hit 6 RBI (on 8/31/2020 against Boston)
• Freddie Freeman (Atlanta) had 5 hits (on 8/31/2020 against Boston)
• Carlos Carrasco (Cleveland) struck out 12 batters (on 8/31/2020 against Kansas City)
• Hyun Jin Ryu (Toronto) struck out 14 batters (on 9/1/2020 against Miami)
• Alec Bohm (Pittsburgh) hit 6 RBI (on 9/1/2020 against Chicago (CC))
• Trea Turner (New York (NYY)) hit 3 homers (on 9/1/2020 against Tampa Bay)
• Mike Brosseau (Tampa Bay) struck out 4 times (on 9/1/2020 against New York (NYY))
• Myles Straw (Houston) had 5 hits (on 9/1/2020 against Texas)
• Nolan Arenado (Colorado) had 5 hits (on 9/2/2020 against San Francisco)
• Jason Kipnis (Chicago (CC)) struck out 4 times (on 9/2/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Yu Darvish (Chicago (CC)) struck out 12 batters (on 9/2/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Tyler Glasnow (Tampa Bay) struck out 11 batters (on 9/2/2020 against New York (NYY))
• Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 13 batters (on 9/2/2020 against Kansas City)
• Max Scherzer (Washington) struck out 11 batters (on 9/3/2020 against Philadelphia)
• Luis Castillo (Cincinnati) struck out 14 batters (on 9/4/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Wil Myers (San Diego) hit 7 RBI (on 9/5/2020 against Oakland)
• Greg Garcia (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 9/5/2020 against Oakland)
• Zach Davies (San Diego) struck out 11 batters (on 9/5/2020 against Oakland)
• Randy Arozarena (Tampa Bay) had 5 hits (on 9/5/2020 against Miami)
• Nicholas Castellanos (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 9/5/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati) struck out 11 batters (on 9/5/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Victor Reyes (Detroit) stole 3 bases (on 9/5/2020 against Minnesota)
• Delino DeShields (Cleveland) struck out 4 times (on 9/6/2020 against Milwaukee)
• Nicholas Castellanos (Cincinnati) hit 6 RBI (on 9/6/2020 against Pittsburgh)
• Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (Toronto) had 5 hits (on 9/6/2020 against Boston)
• Nicky Lopez (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 9/6/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
• Matt Foster (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 13 batters (on 9/6/2020 against Kansas City)
• Joe Hudson (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 9/6/2020 against Texas)
• Josh Fuentes (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 9/6/2020 against Los Angeles)

Newsletter for games through 8-30

RANDOM MUSINGS

The trade deadline passed…our abbreviated season saw 12 deadline deals involving 16 teams…that eclipsed the 11 total trades that had preceded this week, which is understandable since you were just figuring out which guys you had…still a pretty active showing…there still seem to be a few too many blowouts, and I’ll be back in the coding dungeon again this weekend to make sure those aren’t bugs…and thanks again to all for your incredible patience and good nature…there were 28 lineups submitted last night, which is amazing given the tumultuous season we’re having, both online and on TV (since that’s the only way to see them these days)…Rick’s Dodgers are scary; they had another perfect week, they’ll have me scrambling to see if I can figure out the longest win streak in ASFBL history, they are dead even with the actual Dodgers, and their actual, real-MLB team ERA is 2.18…Equally impressive are Ralph’s Red, who are now +9 WOR…Philly and Arizona would be the last 2 in if the season ended today…Atlanta and Washington are slugging it out atop the NL East, and Adam’s Phillies lurk not far behind and in positive WOR territory…the Marlins also went 5-2 last week…most of the last-place teams are currently within 4-5 games of the last playoff spot, so a good week or who would get them in the playoffs…Al Benedek has the ASFBL Padres one game ahead of the actual, feel-good-story-of-the-San-Diego-lifetime Padres…the Buffalo Blue Jays, Indians and Angels all had 5-win weeks in the AL…only Leo’s Chisox were perfect…the poor Rays; some combination of the actual team out-performing their stats, the freakish injury list, and the best players having to absorb way more playing time than real life while the mediocre (Ji-Man Choi) being most available have cursed Alan…this is worse than the electoral college…Oakland’s stumble has opened up 2d place (and a playoff spot) in the AL West, but I wouldn’t count out the A’s…they still have the 2d best actual bullpen (1.82 ERA) and are above-average in most hitting categories…award categories are going to be weird this year, but the clear leader in the “not gonna get any love from TLC” category is Andre Scrubb of the Astros…

FEATS AND FAILURES

Jonathan Villar (Miami) struck out 5 times (on 8/24/2020 against Washington)
Max Scherzer (Washington) struck out 14 batters (on 8/24/2020 against Miami)
Luis Castillo (Cincinnati) struck out 13 batters (on 8/24/2020 against Milwaukee)
Ryan McBroom (Kansas City) struck out 5 times (on 8/24/2020 against St. Louis)
Mark Canha (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/24/2020 against Texas)
Lance Lynn (Texas) struck out 15 batters (on 8/24/2020 against Oakland)
Justin Upton (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 8/24/2020 against Houston)
Dylan Bundy (Anaheim) struck out 12 batters (on 8/24/2020 against Houston)
Jo Adell (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 8/24/2020 against Houston)
Matt Kemp (Colorado) struck out 5 times (on 8/24/2020 against Arizona)
J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia) hit 6 RBI (on 8/25/2020 against Washington)
David Bote (Chicago (CC)) hit 6 RBI (on 8/25/2020 against Detroit)
Jon Berti (Miami) stole 3 bases (on 8/25/2020 against New York (NYM))
Franmil Reyes (Cleveland) struck out 4 times (on 8/25/2020 against Minnesota)
Mike Moustakas (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 8/25/2020 against Milwaukee)
Brandon Woodruff (Milwaukee) struck out 13 batters (on 8/25/2020 against Cincinnati)
Jose Abreu (Chicago (CWS)) hit 6 RBI (on 8/25/2020 against Pittsburgh)
Nick Tropeano (Pittsburgh) struck out 11 batters (on 8/25/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Zac Gallen (Arizona) struck out 15 batters (on 8/25/2020 against Colorado)
Josh Fuentes (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 8/25/2020 against Arizona)
Eric Thames (Washington) struck out 4 times (on 8/26/2020 against Philadelphia)
Aaron Nola (Philadelphia) struck out 13 batters (on 8/26/2020 against Washington)
Triston McKenzie (Cleveland) struck out 12 batters (on 8/26/2020 against Minnesota)
Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati) struck out 12 batters (on 8/26/2020 against Milwaukee)
Sean Murphy (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/26/2020 against Texas)
Jo Adell (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 8/26/2020 against Houston)
Wil Myers (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 8/26/2020 against Seattle)
Raimel Tapia (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 8/26/2020 against Arizona)
Chris Taylor (Los Angeles) struck out 5 times (on 8/26/2020 against San Francisco)
Edwin Encarnacion (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 8/26/2020 against San Francisco)
Dustin May (Los Angeles) struck out 11 batters (on 8/26/2020 against San Francisco)
Kevin Gausman (San Francisco) struck out 12 batters (on 8/26/2020 against Los Angeles)
Mike Clevinger (Houston) struck out 11 batters (on 8/27/2020 against Anaheim)
Andrew Heaney (Anaheim) struck out 14 batters (on 8/27/2020 against Houston)
Cesar Valdez (Baltimore) struck out 14 batters (on 8/27/2020 against Tampa Bay)
Gerrit Cole (Washington) struck out 14 batters (on 8/27/2020 against Philadelphia)
Zach Eflin (Philadelphia) struck out 12 batters (on 8/27/2020 against Washington)
Kyle Farmer (Cincinnati) struck out 4 times (on 8/27/2020 against Milwaukee)
Jake Cave (Minnesota) struck out 5 times (on 8/28/2020 against Detroit)
Adalberto Mondesi (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 8/28/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Ryan McBroom (Kansas City) struck out 4 times (on 8/28/2020 against Chicago (CWS))
Lucas Giolito (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 14 batters (on 8/28/2020 against Kansas City)
Harrison Bader (St. Louis) struck out 4 times (on 8/28/2020 against Cleveland)
Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 16 batters (on 8/28/2020 against St. Louis)
Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 8/28/2020 against Colorado)
Chris Paddack (San Diego) struck out 12 batters (on 8/28/2020 against Colorado)
Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 8/28/2020 against Texas)
Austin Allen (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/28/2020 against Houston)
J.D. Davis (New York (NYM)) struck out 5 times (on 8/29/2020 against New York (NYY))
Yoan Moncada (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 4 times (on 8/29/2020 against Kansas City)
Tim Anderson (Chicago (CWS)) had 5 hits (on 8/29/2020 against Kansas City)
Framber Valdez (Houston) struck out 12 batters (on 8/29/2020 against Oakland)
Max Scherzer (Washington) struck out 14 batters (on 8/29/2020 against Boston)
Tony Gonsolin (Los Angeles) struck out 19 batters (on 8/30/2020 against Texas)

Newsletter for games through 8-23-20

TRADE DEADLINE

You can enter your trades right up through next week’s lineups deadline, which is September 1.

TIPS

There are “team settings” that have always been there, but I’ve moved into the central lineup/roster box to make them more obvious.  An important one is the bullpen setting — if you pick “least used” the computer will define the situation (example: Setup) and then order the pitchers from least to most used, and pick the first one it finds.  This is probably the setting you want if the main goal is to keep the bullpen fresh.

NOTES

Thanks to all for their feedback; the main issues seemed to be some statistical outliers (high scoring games, large strikeout totals).  By way of apology, I was traveling over the weekend for a family memorial (we lost the family member last March, and this was the first time we’d been able to get together to do a remembrance), so I was able to address some of the stuff but not all of it.  I’ve got a longer list that I will plow through over the weekend.  Mostly, it seems like there’s still a struggle to figure out how to deal with low-appearing, high-performing players (State’s Exhibit One: Humberto Meija of the Marlins, who in his first appearance recorded 7 outs and 6 by strikeout).  Thanks again for your patience, and having said all that there were still more 20-run games than should be there, so the caps seemed to tamp things down but not solve them altogether.  That I will be fixing that over the weekend.

COMMENTARY

Rick Wynne ran a perfect 7-0 week, but is still -2 WOR, which is both a statement about how good he is and how good the Dodgers are…the Dodgers have the best real team ERA, second-best real starter ERA, and best bullpen ERA…that real team ERA is 1.99…The Chisox and Padres have the best real team OPS…and it’s clear Andy’s Nationals and Ralphael’s Reds are both killing it; +6.5 and +9.5 respectively, and boht in first place…Michael’s Pittsburgh is a very strong +4 WOR on the back of a 5-1 week…that gives Michael the top WOR figure for the newcomers, although Gary still has the Giants riding the best record amongst that bunch…In the AL East the Toronto (Buffalo) Jays had a 5-1 week, and while they are still in 4th placed, moved to within 3 games of first…in a short season one big week can get you into the playoffs, it seems…don’t look now but Tim Walsh has the Twins in first place in the central and also with the best record in the AL…and Leo’s Chisox matched him game for game last week…those 2 clubs are a combined 18-4 in interleague play…the AL west remains wild, and Jim’s Astros are hanging on to first although John’s A’s are one adjusting week away from taking over…the Rockies are 6-7 in their division but 10-5 against the AL…Boston fielders have turned in 19 hit-saving-plays, tops in the ASFBL…best net goes to Oakland glovemen, who have saved 16 more hits than they have bungled…

SPECIAL FEATS!

…with a small grain of salt, since there are still some things going on with the adjustments and whatnot, but there are worth stopping and taking note of:

Justin Dunn (Seattle) threw a no-hitter! (on 8/21/2020 against Texas)

Bryce Harper (Philadelphia) hit for the cycle! (on 8/19/2020 against Boston)

Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 22 batters (on 8/23/2020 against Detroit

FEATS AND FAILURES

Nathan Eovaldi (Boston) struck out 11 batters (on 8/17/2020 against New York (NYY)) 
Chance Sisco (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 8/17/2020 against Toronto) 
Hanser Alberto (Baltimore) struck out 4 times (on 8/17/2020 against Toronto) 
Tom Hatch (Toronto) struck out 14 batters (on 8/17/2020 against Baltimore) 
Eric Thames (Washington) struck out 4 times (on 8/17/2020 against Atlanta) 
Gerrit Cole (Washington) struck out 17 batters (on 8/17/2020 against Atlanta) 
Dylan Cease (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 14 batters (on 8/17/2020 against Detroit) 
Casey Mize (Detroit) struck out 13 batters (on 8/17/2020 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Mike Minor (Texas) struck out 13 batters (on 8/17/2020 against San Diego) 
Matt Chapman (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/17/2020 against Arizona) 
Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego) struck out 4 times (on 8/18/2020 against Texas) 
Bryan Reynolds (Pittsburgh) struck out 4 times (on 8/18/2020 against Cleveland) 
Shane Bieber (Cleveland) struck out 13 batters (on 8/18/2020 against Pittsburgh) 
Renato Nunez (Baltimore) hit 6 RBI (on 8/18/2020 against Toronto) 
Hanser Alberto (Baltimore) hit 6 RBI (on 8/18/2020 against Toronto) 
Hanser Alberto (Baltimore)  had 5 hits (on 8/18/2020 against Toronto) 
Gleyber Torres (Washington)  had 5 hits (on 8/18/2020 against Atlanta) 
Josh Harrison (Washington) hit 6 RBI (on 8/18/2020 against Atlanta) 
Lucas Giolito (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 15 batters (on 8/18/2020 against Detroit) 
Keston Hiura (Milwaukee) struck out 4 times (on 8/18/2020 against Minnesota) 
Paul Goldschmidt (St. Louis) struck out 4 times (on 8/18/2020 against Chicago (CC)) 
Brian Anderson (Miami) struck out 4 times (on 8/19/2020 against New York (NYM)) 
J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 8/19/2020 against Boston) 
Bryce Harper (Philadelphia) hit 6 RBI (on 8/19/2020 against Boston) 
Bryce Harper (Philadelphia)  had 5 hits (on 8/19/2020 against Boston) 
Nicky Lopez (Kansas City) hit 6 RBI (on 8/19/2020 against Cincinnati) 
Nicky Lopez (Kansas City)  had 5 hits (on 8/19/2020 against Cincinnati) 
Nicholas Castellanos (Cincinnati) struck out 5 times (on 8/19/2020 against Kansas City) 
Jose Berrios (Minnesota) struck out 13 batters (on 8/19/2020 against Milwaukee) 
Joey Gallo (Texas) struck out 4 times (on 8/19/2020 against San Diego) 
Dinelson Lamet (San Diego) struck out 14 batters (on 8/19/2020 against Texas) 
Lance Lynn (Texas) struck out 16 batters (on 8/19/2020 against San Diego) 
Matt Olson (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/19/2020 against Arizona) 
Tim Locastro (Arizona) struck out 4 times (on 8/19/2020 against Oakland) 
Jesus Luzardo (Oakland) struck out 16 batters (on 8/19/2020 against Arizona) 
Kyle Lewis (Seattle) struck out 4 times (on 8/20/2020 against Los Angeles) 
Jake Cave (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 8/20/2020 against Milwaukee) 
Tejay Antone (Cincinnati) struck out 16 batters (on 8/20/2020 against St. Louis) 
Sean Murphy (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/20/2020 against Arizona) 
Zac Gallen (Arizona) struck out 14 batters (on 8/20/2020 against Oakland) 
Tommy LaStella (Anaheim) struck out 4 times (on 8/20/2020 against San Francisco) 
Rowdy Tellez (Toronto) hit 7 RBI (on 8/21/2020 against Tampa Bay) 
Willy Adames (Tampa Bay) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Toronto) 
Mitch Moreland (Boston) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Baltimore) 
Pat Valaika (Baltimore) hit 7 RBI (on 8/21/2020 against Boston) 
Bryan Reynolds (Pittsburgh)  had 5 hits (on 8/21/2020 against Milwaukee) 
Niko Goodrum (Detroit) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Cleveland) 
Victor Robles (New York (NYY)) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against New York (NYM)) 
Michael Conforto (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against New York (NYY)) 
Pete Alonso (New York (NYM)) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against New York (NYY)) 
J.T. Realmuto (Philadelphia) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Atlanta) 
Jake Cave (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Kansas City) 
Adbert Alzolay (Chicago (CC)) struck out 14 batters (on 8/21/2020 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Tyler O'Neill (St. Louis) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Cincinnati) 
Trevor Bauer (Cincinnati) struck out 15 batters (on 8/21/2020 against St. Louis) 
Austin Barnes (Los Angeles) struck out 4 times (on 8/21/2020 against Colorado) 
Matt Chapman (Oakland) struck out 4 times (on 8/22/2020 against Anaheim) 
Daniel Mengden (Oakland) struck out 12 batters (on 8/22/2020 against Anaheim) 
Hyun Jin Ryu (Toronto) struck out 10 batters (on 8/22/2020 against Tampa Bay) 
Kevin Pillar (Boston) hit 6 RBI (on 8/22/2020 against Baltimore) 
Nathan Eovaldi (Boston) struck out 10 batters (on 8/22/2020 against Baltimore) 
Jake Cave (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 8/22/2020 against Kansas City) 
Alex Avila (Minnesota) struck out 4 times (on 8/22/2020 against Kansas City) 
Casey Mize (Detroit) struck out 13 batters (on 8/22/2020 against Cleveland) 
Manny Machado (San Diego) hit 9 RBI (on 8/22/2020 against Houston) 
Manny Machado (San Diego)  had 5 hits (on 8/22/2020 against Houston) 
Gary Sanchez (New York (NYY)) struck out 4 times (on 8/23/2020 against New York (NYM)) 
Bryan Reynolds (Pittsburgh) hit 6 RBI (on 8/23/2020 against Milwaukee) 
Yu Darvish (Chicago (CC)) struck out 17 batters (on 8/23/2020 against Chicago (CWS)) 
Lucas Giolito (Chicago (CWS)) struck out 17 batters (on 8/23/2020 against Chicago (CC)) 
Mike Yastrzemski (San Francisco) struck out 4 times (on 8/23/2020 against Arizona) 
Myles Straw (Houston) struck out 4 times (on 8/23/2020 against San Diego) 
Evan White (Seattle) struck out 5 times (on 8/23/2020 against Texas) 
Shin-Soo Choo (Texas) struck out 4 times (on 8/23/2020 against Seattle) 
Ender Inciarte (Atlanta) struck out 4 times (on 8/23/2020 against Philadelphia) 
Matt Kemp (Colorado) struck out 4 times (on 8/23/2020 against Los Angeles)