At this moment, the Astros take the series lead in the ALCS and the Braves take the NLCS lead. So many exciting things happened this postseason. Several players’ performances might surprise fans.
In the first season with the Red Sox, Enrique Hernandez was hitting .250/.337/.449 with 20 home runs and 60 RBI in 134 games. Last postseason, he hit .214/.290/.464 with 2 home runs and 4 RBI in 17 games. The Dodgers’ fans will never forget Kike Hernandez’s clutch home run to tie the game in Game 7 of the NLCS. This postseason, he has become one of the most dangerous hitters, slashing .422/.438/.844. So far, he already blasted 5 home runs in the playoffs. Additionally, he’s batting .409/.435/.864 in the ALCS by far.
Rafael Devers was selected to the 2021 All-Star game and it’s his first time to become an All-Star. During the regular season, he slashed .279/.352/.538 with 38 home runs and 113 RBI. There’s no doubt that he’s a great hitter. In addition, he’s great at hitting in the postseason. In 2017, it was his first time to play in the postseason. The Red Sox lost to the Astros in the ALDS, however, Devers posted a .364 batting average with 2 home runs and 5 RBI in 4 games. Hitting in the postseason doesn’t seem to be a problem for him. In 2018, the Red Sox won the World Series. Rafael Devers was hitting .294/.351/.382 with 1 home run and 9 RBI in 11 games. His go-ahead single in the top of the 9th inning in Game 4 of the World Series was one of the most memorable moments for the Red Sox’ fans. This postseason, he’s hitting well with a .325/.426/.700 in 10 games so far. Moreover, he already collected 12 RBI.
In addition, the Dodgers’ fans might be really excited to see Chris Taylor in the lineup. After hitting just .115/.175/.192 with 1 home run and 5 RBI in September, Chris Taylor truly heats up this postseason. He crushed a walk-off home run in the NL Wild Card game and he just blasted 3 home runs in Game 5 of the NLCS. By far, Taylor already had 4 home runs and 12 RBI this postseason.
Moreover, Kyle Tucker has collected 12 RBI thus far.
Mookie Betts had 10 stolen bases in 55 games in 2020 and he had only 10 stolen bases over 122 games this season. However, Betts already stole 6 bases so far. His speed becomes an important weapon in the postseason.
It’s surely a very disappointing season for Cody Bellinger. The 2019 NL MVP was only hitting .165/.240/.302 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI this season. However, he’s hitting .355/.429/.484 with 1 home run and 6 RBI so far this postseason. Bellinger’s go-ahead single in the top of the 9th inning in Game 5 of the NLDS helped the Dodgers advance to the NLCS. Furthermore, he already stole 5 bases this postseason. During the regular season, Bellinger didn’t run a lot and he had only 3 stolen bases. Bellinger didn’t hit well during the regular season, but now he just uses a different way to contribute to the Dodgers this year.
The 2021 season is a breakout season for Logan Webb. He tossed a career-high 148.1 innings and posted a 3.03 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP. Opponents only hit .234 against Webb during the regular season. He made his first career postseason start on October 8. He tossed 7.2 scoreless innings and struck out 10. Webb only gave up 5 hits and didn’t allow any walks. His second start was to pitch in Game 5 of the NLDS, a win-or-go-home game. He was dominant again. Webb threw 7 innings and gave up only 1 run. However, the Dodgers won Game 5. But, it’s hard to ignore Webb’s outstanding performance this postseason. He posted a 0.61 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP over 14.2 innings. The Dodgers’ batters only hit .173 against Webb. Is he going to be the Giants ace in 2022?
The Braves’ closer Will Smith posted a 3.44 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP during the regular season. However, he hasn’t given up any runs this postseason. He tossed 6 games so far, struck out 5 batters and collected 3 saves. He’s quite steady this postseason.
Kike Hernandez had 5 home runs in 48 games last season. This postseason, he already crushed 5 homers. Rafael Devers, Chris Taylor and Kyle Tucker each collected 12 RBI so far. Mookie Betts and Cody Belling show the importance of speed in the postseason. The Giants lost to the Dodgers in the NLDS. However, Logan Webb’s outstanding performance just showed the Giants’ fans a promising future.
No comments:
Post a Comment