You have to be patient in the playoffs

League Championship Series already began. Four great teams are fighting for their tickets to the World Series. October baseball is not like the regular season. You are playing against a great team and there is not much room for mistakes. Meanwhile, you have to be patient to wait for your opponents to make mistakes.

So, which team is really patient?

In the Wild Card Series, New York Yankees players were really patient. On average, Indians pitchers had to throw 21.33 pitches per inning. In the regular season, Indians pitchers used only 16.08 pitches per inning, third fewest in the majors.

In the meantime, Dodgers, Braves and Rays pitchers were truly effective. On average, their pitchers needed fewer than 15 pitches to finish an inning in the Wild Card Series. During the regular season, Dodgers pitchers threw 15.78 pitches per inning, fewest in the majors.    

Patient Yankees hitters got 15 free passes from Indians pitchers in two games. For Indians pitchers, that’s truly unusual. On average, Indians pitching staff gave up only 2.64 walks per 9 innings, leading the AL.

In the Division Series, there is something different. San Diego Padres played against the division rival Los Angeles Dodgers. Dodgers hitters are extremely patient against the Padres pitchers. In the Wild Card Series, Padres pitchers used 18.89 pitches per inning, however, in the Division Series, they threw 19.64 pitches per inning.

Marlins pitchers effectively pitched against the Cubs, on average, 15.28 pitches per inning. But, the Braves hitters were giving the Marlins pitchers a tough time. Marlins pitchers needed 17.96 pitches per inning. At the same time, Braves pitching staff used 15.11 pitches per inning. The difference showed us that the Braves hitters were probably more patient in the division series.

In the ALDS, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees gave us an intense series to watch. In this five-game series, the Rays gave up 21 free passes to the Yankees and the Yankees pitchers gave up 18 walks to the Rays hitters. The Dodgers have won the NL West title for 8 straight years and they definitely know how to play in October. In the NLDS, Dodgers got 20 free passes. The most important thing is that the Dodgers got these 20 walks in three games. Yes, the Padres pitchers gave up 20 walks in three games. At the same, Dodgers pitchers only gave up 10 walks in the NLDS. This truly tells the difference. The Braves finished a three-game sweep of the Marlins. The Marlins took the first playoff series loss in franchise history. One huge difference is that Braves pitchers gave up only 4 walks and the Marlins pitchers gave up 11 free passes. Every game is extremely important in the playoffs. In particular, when you face some pitchers that you haven’t seen in the regular season, it might take a little bit of time to get familiar with these pitchers. One good way is to stay patient and see more pitches. You have to wait for your opponents’ mistakes and take the opportunity. At the same time, you have to avoid making mistakes and giving up too many free passes is usually not ideal.