The Baseball Rabbi Podcast

The World Series matchup that pitching enthusiasts were hoping for is finally here! Join Pesach and Scott for a look at some Series storylines, along with a deeper dive into the Astros' place in baseball history. Plus: the Yankees haven't won a pennant in ten years, even though they have baseball's best regular season record during that time. Is this an aberration, or are they doing something wrong? And what hat should CC Sabathia wear on his Hall of Fame plaque? (Yeah, we'll get into some of the Hall's more dubious decisions in this regard, too.)

The Dodgers didn't just blow it; the Nationals played really, really well. But yes, the Dodgers also blew it - and Dave Roberts deserves some of the blame. What ties his controversial playoff pitching decisions from the past three years together? Also: are Clayton Kershaw's postseason struggles a thing, or a statistical anomaly? Plus a few sentences about the right way and wrong way to predict a playoff series (or: was Pesach trash talking when he predicted a Nationals sweep, or was it based on analysis?).

(Because of Yom Kippur, the Baseball Rabbi is off this week. We'll be back next week with a brand new episode, dropping on Wednesday, October 16th. In the meantime, enjoy this classic episode from July, 2018.)

The Baltimore Orioles are in the midst of a historically bad season, made even worse by the fact that just a few years ago, they had the chance to climb the World Series mountain - and failed. Is this just a normal symptom the regular rise and fall of mid market teams in the Major Leagues, or is there a villain to the story? The Baseball Rabbi argues that there is both a culprit and a moment in time - or even two moments in time - when bad decisions directly created today's Orioles disaster. Even worse: these were mistakes that should have been obvious even when they were happening.

Back in March, Pesach predicted that the Nats would win 100 games... and they didn't. Why? Because despite their victory over the Brewers and a roster that looks fantastic, this is a team with a massive flaw. (Get ready for some numbers guaranteed to make Washington natives nauseous.) And here are the A's again - is their success sort of a mirage, or are they pretty good? (Answer: neither; they're actually amazing.) Plus: the overachievers from Milwaukee annually outplay their pythag.

Conventional wisdom states that a team with three great pitchers in its playoff pitching rotation has a enhanced opportunity of winning it all. But is this actually true? Join Pesach and Scott for a look at the playoff teams with the all time greatest front ends of their rotations, and what that meant for their postseason success. The Baseball Rabbi also investigates what made the Twins and the Braves successful this year (be ready for some surprises), and how things look for them heading into the playoffs.

Pedro Martinez in 2000 had, quite possibly, the greatest season in the history of pitching - and Pesach and Scott will tell you why. (They'll also show why his 1999 was, according to a different perspective, potentially even better.) They also offer some nuggets on the Astros, Dodgers, and Yankees as they look toward the postseason. And of course, the winners of the signed Nolan Ryan baseball and Baseball Rabbi T-shirts are announced!

Anyone looking at the Cubs back in 2016 would have seen an absolute juggernaut: a team that excelled in hitting, pitching, and defense. So why didn't they become a dynasty? Using a brand new metric from stat guru Moshe Schorr, Pesach and Scott analyze the Cubs' greatness and subsequent decline. Plus: we promised no more talking about historic badness, but these Tigers stats are too entertaining to ignore (unless you're from Detroit, in which case we send you our heartfelt apologies).

In our last episode, Pesach and Scott were utterly mystified at how the Cardinals keep winning with.. well, basically nothing. But this week, Pesach offers some fascinating numbers that show where St. Louis excels, and why they win in the most boring manner possible. The pod also revisits the Mets' trades at the deadline, and argues that winning the World Series may actually be besides the point. Plus: listener feedback on the home run discussion, and Verlander writes another line on his HOF plaque.

Home Runs are up. Batting averages are up. Strikeouts are up. Can anyone make sense of these trends? Is this an offensive boom or a pitching renaissance? The Baseball Rabbi collects the numbers and determines what's actually going on... and figures out exactly what changed between 2018 and 2019. Plus: the puzzling St. Louis Cardinals (who look mediocre or worse but have a clear path to the playoffs), and the surging Washington Expos (aka the Nats).

The Orioles went 1-9 against the Yankees and Astros in one ten game stretch, but what they accomplished during that span was pretty amazing. (If you're an Orioles fan, it might be more horrifying than amazing, but that's a matter of perspective.) Pesach and Scott also look at the best pitchers in baseball, and argue about who would deserve the Cy Young in each league if the season ended today. Plus: wins vs. quality starts, and how bad is the Marlins' attendance since Derek Jeter took over?