What If...?

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Then the Yankees crumble faster and harder, without being able to lean on beating Boston the year before losing to them.

[HarleyQuinn 0]

I was looking at past seasons by QB in terms of FPPG and didn't realize just how good Jeff Blake was (#5 in 1994, #5 in 1995, and #5 in 1996).

 

I liken him to an Aaron Brooks (Vick like comp. rate of 55-57% season to season). He had YPC's of 5.83, 4.40, 5.20, and 5.27 as a Bengal.

 

I found it interesting that he hits New Orleans and throws for a 60.9% rate along with 13 TD vs. 9 INT in only 11 games. He also added a 4.26 YPC on 53 carries before getting pushed out by Aaron Brooks in late 2000 and 2001.

 

What if the Saints had not gotten Aaron Brooks and instead stuck with Jeff Blake? Would Blake have become a "name" in New Orleans like Brooks or would he have melted down anyway and declined from his successful first year rather than possibly improving on it? Would the Saints have fared any better or would they still have become mediocre/underachievers?

[KingPK 0]

Would the Marlins have beat the Red Sox in the 2003 World Series?

 

Even better: Who would have won a Red Sox-Cubs WS that year?

 

I can't believe we were just two games away from that scenario.

[Slayer 0]

and what about a Yankees-Cubs WS?

[KingPK 0]

Let's consult WhatIfSports.com to answer these questions. I'll start with the Cubs-Sox series and do the other two later. This may not be the most accurate sim since it doesn't figure in bullpen fatigue as you will see.

 

Game 1, Fenway Park

 

Matt Clement and Derek Lowe have an unlikely pitcher's duel in Game 1, each pitcher going 7 innings, but Lowe shuts down the Cubs while Clement gives up two solo shots to David Ortiz in a 2-1 Red Sox victory. Byung-Hyun Kim (this may not be the most accurate sim since I don't think he'd be on the WS roster at this point) almost lets the Cubs back in by melting down in the 8th and surrendering a run but Mike Timlin earns the save by getting the final out and pitching a scoreless 9th.

 

Game 2, Fenway Park

 

Tim Wakefield gets the nod for Game 2 for the Red Sox while Carlos Zambrano goes for Chicago. Kenny Lofton gets things started leading off the game with a triple and scoring after a Sosa single as Wakefield struggles with his command, plunking Aramis Ramirez to load the bases and walking Moises Alou to extend the lead to 2-0. That remains the score until the 6th when it is Zambrano that loses it when with two outs, he walks Ortiz and Trot Nixon, plunks Nomar and walks Varitek to give the Red Sox their first run, but Todd Walker grounds out to end the inning before any more damage is done. Kyle Farnsworth takes the mound for the home half of the 7th but, after striking out Kevin Millar, Johnny Damon wraps one around Pesky's Pole to tie the game at 2-2. Mike Timlin once again comes in for an inning plus of relief to keep the score tied going into the 9th. Farnsworth stays in and Dusty Baker pays for it as he doesn't even record an out, loading the bases on a pair of walks and a single and Manny Ramirez ends it with a sacrifice fly to score Millar and put Boston on top 2-0.

 

Game 3, Wrigley Field

 

The venue changes to Chicago and the marquee pitching matchup of the series takes place as two pitchers coming off big LCS Game 7 victories, Pedro Martinez and Kerry Wood, face off. Pedro's first WS start lives up to expectations as he goes 7 innings and strikes out 9 while scattering 6 hits and giving up two runs. Kerry Wood struggles a bit more, walking four, but he also only allows two runs. In the 8th, the Cubs bullpen implodes again as, once again it is Kyle Farnsworth that lays an egg on the mound. When Dusty finally takes the ball from him, six Red Sox runs have scored making it 8-2. Jeff Suppan pitches two scoreless innings of relief to put it away and put Boston up 3 games to 0.

 

Game 4, Wrigley Field

 

The weight of the Cubs championship hopes are put on the arm and shoulders of Mark Prior as he faces John Burkett in Game 4. Unfortunately, he only goes 5 innings and surrenders 4 runs on six hits and four walks. The Cubs get on the board in the bottom of the 5th with two to make it 4-2, but apparently Dusty put the college fund on Boston because he once again goes with Kyle Farnsworth. That leads to three more runs for Boston, which becomes HUGE as the Cubs make a last-ditch rally in the 8th with three runs of their own, but Eric Karros grounds into a DP to end the scoring and BH Kim freezes pinch hitter Hee-Sop Choi on a called third strike in the 9th to give the Red Sox the sweep and their first title in 86 years.

 

Series MVP: Nomar Garciaparra as his three RBI in the clincher puts him over Mike Timlin in the voting.

Edited July 28, 2007 by KingPK

[TheSSNintendo 0]

I did my own "What If" scenario over at WhatIfSports, with the Orioles vs. the Braves in the '97 World Series, had they met up.. Baltimore wins the series 4-1.

[KingPK 0]

2003 World Series Scenario #2: Florida Marlins vs. Boston Red Sox

 

One of the oldest franchises in baseball against one of the youngest, both teams coming off emotional LCS victories, face off in the Fall Classic. Let's see how it goes:

 

Game 1, Fenway Park

 

Box Score

 

FLA 2 8 1

BOS 6 12 0

BOS leads 1-0

 

WP: Derek Lowe (7IP, 7H, 2R, 2BB, 6K)

LP: Carl Pavano (6IP, 10H, 6R, 1BB, 4K)

 

For the first 6 1/2 innings, Game 1 was a pitcher's duel with starters Carl Pavano and Derek Lowe keeping the offenses at bay to the tune of a 2-1 Red Sox lead (David Ortiz and Bill Mueller with solo shots for the Sox and Mike Lowell with an RBI single for the Marlins). In the bottom of the 6th, however, the Red Sox loaded the bases on a trio of singles by Walker, Millar and Damon before Mueller brought them all home with his second homer of the night to give them a 6-1 lead. The Marlins got a run in the 8th with an RBI groundout by Derrek Lee, but that's all they would get as Boston takes a 1-0 series lead.

 

Game 2, Fenway Park

 

Box Score

 

11 Innings

FLA 12 18 0

BOS 10 16 0

Series tied 1-1

 

WP: Michael Tejera

LP: Alan Embree

SV: Armando Almanza

 

Game 2 saw one of the highest scoring games in World Series history as the teams combined for 22 runs, 34 hits, but only 2 HRs. Neither starter (Brad Penny for Florida, Tim Wakefield for Boston) was effective as Florida jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first, expanding the lead to 5-0 in the 4th. Boston got two back in the bottom of that frame, and then added five more in the 5th to chase Penny from the game and take the lead. Wakefield exited in the 6th after Florida cuts the lead to one. Both bullpens settled things down going into the 9th as BH Kim entered the game for Boston. Kim struck out Lee, but then gave up doubles to Lowell and Ivan Rodriguez to tie the game. Alan Embree entered the game at this point as Rodriguez advanced to 3rd on the second out before scoring the go-ahead run on a Juan Encarnacion single to left. The game tied, the Marlins went to Braden Looper for the home half of the 9th. A pair of singles by Ramirez and Ortiz and a walk to Nixon loaded the bases for Nomar, who took ball four to walk in the tying run. However, the Red Sox squadered the game-winning opportunity when Walker hit into a 3-2-3 DP and Mirabelli went down swinging. A scoreless 10th led to the 11th with Embree still on the hill. He got Lee swinging, but a single by Lowell and a walk to I-Rod lead to Miguel Cabrera connecting with a pitch that landed in the Monster Seats for a 3-run homer and an 11-8 lead. They added one more with an Alex Gonzalez solo shot to stretch the lead to 4. The Red Sox tried to rally against Armando Almanza in the bottom of the 11th, getting a pair of runs on consecutive doubles by Ramirez and Ortiz followed by another RBI double by Nomar with one out, but with two on, Mirabelli Ks and Millar grounds out to send the series to Miami tied 1 game to 1.

 

Game 3, Dolphins Stadium

 

Box Score

 

BOS 0 4 0

FLA 3 6 0

FLA leads 2-1

 

WP: Josh Beckett (7IP, 2H, 0R, 3BB, 9K)

LP: Pedro Martinez (6.2 IP, 4H, 3R, 2BB, 10K)

SV: Braden Looper

 

Game 3 was a battle for the ages as both starters were on their game for the first 6, surrendering no runs and just 5 hits combined. However, things turned south for Martinez in the 7th. After striking out the first two batters, he plunked Encarnacion in the leg. Encarnacion then swiped second and Alex Gonzalez walked, leading to Jeff Conine, pinch hitting for Beckett, singling to left to score Encarnacion. Pedro was pulled for Timlin at this point, but the Marlins had him figured as Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo each had RBI singles to score two more for a 3-0 lead, all the runs being charged to Pedro. Braden Looper then came in with two scoreless innings of relief for the save and a 2-1 series lead for Florida.

 

Game 4, Dolphins Stadium

 

Box Score

 

BOS 4 3 2

FLA 5 7 0

FLA leads 3-1

 

WP: Dontrelle Willis (7IP, 2H, 2R, 3BB, 6K)

LP: John Burkett (7IP, 7H, 3R, 2BB, 4K)

SV: Michael Tejera

 

Hoping to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series, Florida sent fireballing lefty Dontrelle Willis to the hill against John Burkett. Boston jumped out early after David Ortiz slammed one just over the Teal Monster in the first for a 2-0 lead, but Ivan Rodriguez tied it in the bottom of the frame with an RBI double, scoring both Castillo and Lowell. The Marlins took the lead in the 4th with an Alex Gonzalez RBI single as Willis continued to flummox the Boston hitters. In the 6th, Miguel Cabrera hit his second homer of the Series--a two run shot to dead center--to expand the lead to 5-2. Willis exited after 7 strong innings and turned the game over to Braden Looper, who promptly walked the bases loaded with one out. The second out came on a David Ortiz sacrifice fly that scored Millar, but Michael Tejera gets Nixon to fly out to end the threat. In the 9th, Nomar doubles to right and advances to 3rd on a Varitek groundout. Walker got a free pass leading to Gabe Kapler coming up to bat for the pitcher. He grounds to first, but beats the throw back to foil the DP attempt and score Nomar, cutting the lead to one. With the winning run at the plate in the form of Johnny Damon, Tejera gets him to pop to 1st to end it and put Florida one game away from the title.

 

Game 5, Dolphins Stadium

 

Box Score

 

BOS 8 13 0

FLA 7 12 2

FLA leads 3-2

 

WP: Mike Timlin

LP: Michael Tejera

SV: Byung-Hyun Kim

 

It's a rematch of Game 1 starters as Boston tries to stave off elimination and send the Series back to Fenway. The game remained scoreless until the 4th when Nomar cracked a homer to right to give Boston a 2-0 lead. One inning later, Nomar struck again with a single to left that scored two more. They added yet another in the 6th with a Damon RBI single for a 5-0 lead. The Marlins struck back with four in the bottom of the frame, including RBI doubles by Lowell and Encarnacion, cutting the lead to one. Nomar drove in his fifth run of the night with an RBI double in the 7th off Tejera to make it 6-4 Boston. In the bottom of the 7th, after a pair of singles and a walk loaded the bases with no out, Mike Lowell hit one into the gap in left-center to clear the bases and give the Marlins a 7-6 lead, forcing Lowe from the game and bringing in Timlin, who closed out the inning without further damage. Damon walked in the 8th and advanced on a Mueller single, scoring on a Ramirez single to tie it. Armando Almanza entered the game only to surrender the go-ahead run on an Ortiz groundout. BH Kim entered in the bottom of the 8th and got Lowell to strike out with runners on the corners to end the Marlins' last real scoring opportunity as he pitched a scoreless 9th to earn the save and send the series back to Boston at 3-2.

 

Game 6, Fenway Park

 

Box Score

 

FLA 8 13 1

BOS 10 14 1

Series tied 3-3

 

WP: Mike Timlin

LP: Armando Almanza

 

The crowd at Fenway was rocking, the legions of Red Sox Nation hoping and praying that their boys could force a Game 7. Both teams score in the first to make it 1-1, but Boston hangs three more on starter Brad Penny in the 2nd with a Walker solo shot and a Ramirez 2-run double, making it 4-1. The Marlins went back-to-back in the 4th (Cabrera--his 4th of the Series--and Encarnacion) to climb within one run. Boston goes quietly in the top of the 5th, but Florida touches Tim Wakefield for four runs with a Rodriguez 2-run double and Encarnacion's second homer of the game just fair into the Monster Seats. Nomar gets one back with a Monster shot of his own in the 5th and Todd Walker doubles into scoring position, but is gunned down trying to score on a Mirabelli single, followed by a Millar strikeout to end the inning. Things get anxious in the 8th as Florida extends the lead to three with a Gonzalez RBI single, but in the bottom of the inning, Mirabelli doubles and scores on a Millar hit and, after Braden Looper enters and loads the bases, Manny Ramirez ties it with a double, sending Fenway into a frenzy. After Timlin retires Florida in the 9th, Armando Almanza comes in to try and send it to extras. However, after loading the bases, the Red Sox force Game 7 after Johnny Damon hits one into the triangle that kicks into the bullpen for a double to score the winning runs.

 

Game 7, Fenway Park

 

Box Score

 

FLA 4 11 0

BOS 1 6 0

FLA wins series 4-3

 

WP: Josh Beckett (6IP, 5H, 1R, 2BB, 8K)

LP: Pedro Martinez (6.2IP, 10H 4R, 1BB, 8K)

SV: Braden Looper

 

In a rematch of their incredible battle in Game 3, Josh Beckett once again had Red Sox hitters shaking their heads as the Marlins for the second time in a few weeks celebrated a championship in one of the oldest ballparks in the nation in front of heartbroken fans. Boston opened the scoring in the second with a Walker double that scored Trot Nixon, but that's all the scoring they would get. Rodriguez tied the game at 1 with a shot into the Monster Seats and Alex Gonzalez followed with an RBI double, scoring Encarnacion and giving Florida the lead. In the 6th Gonzalez put one into the Boston bullpen to extend the lead to 4-1 and basically put the game out of reach. Braden Looper pitched a perfect 9th, striking out Todd Walker for the series clincher, extending the Red Sox streak of futility to 85 years.

 

Series MVP: Josh Beckett (2 wins, 3 runs, 7 hits, 17K)

Edited July 28, 2007 by KingPK

[Danville_Wrestling 0]

Everyone forgets that during that 2003 season that the Red Sox blew out the Marlins by something like 20 runs in a game at Fenway or something along those lines. I'm not saying that automatically equates to a World Series victory but that's just something I always laugh about when imagining Boston-Florida in the World Series.

[Richard 0]

A recent post in the baseball thread got me to think about this situation: What if the Phillies, Reds, and Cardinals had finished in a 3-way tie in 1964? How would this have been resolved and who would win the tiebreaker?

[Vern Gagne 0]

Tiebreaker probably would of been the team with best record against the other two teams.

 

Playoff might have been Team B plays Team C and the winner plays Team A.

[Richard 0]

Well in that case, ST.L would be team A since it won the series against both teams. Cin and Phi tied their series, though Cin did much better in its series against the Cards. The smart thing would be to have the Phillies play at Cincinnati, with the winner traveling to St.Louis. Of course, in reality, coin tosses would be used to determine team A & B.