After the count reached three balls and two strikes on Buster Posey in the eighth inning, Darren O'Day stood on the rubber and shook off a sign from Bengie Molina, who wanted a slider outside; O'Day wanted to throw a slider inside. O'Day stepped off the rubber, re-set, looked in for the sign — and Molina again was calling for slider outside. O'Day shook him off, Molina called for it again, and O'Day stepped off and the two met in between the mound and the plate for a lengthy conversation.

Molina made his case: If you throw the slider inside, that's the one place where he can really hurt you, where he can pull a home run.

O'Day listened, and knowing that Molina had half of this season with the Giants, he deferred to the judgment of the veteran catcher — and Posey rolled over the outside slider and grounded out to second base.

via Buster Olney, insider.espn.go.com

Adriana is rooting for the Rangers, I am for the Giants. Last night was actually the first time this year we saw the end of a postseason game (which is truly astonishing if you know us — all we do is watch baseball!)

ESPN.com's written coverage of the series has been excellent. I've been reading it before I get to the Baseball Prospectus' articles. The at bat Buster Olney describes above may prove to be the pivotal moment of the series, I've been telling all my webtard friends to quit it with the overconfidence. Winning two in a row is nothing for the Rangers; then it's a best of three series with the Rangers pitching Lee (who is not going to lose twice) and possibly facing Sanchez in game 7 (Sanchez ran out of gas in August).

Last night I was running in a Giants sweatshirt when a doorman on Riverside waved me down: "Giants fan! There aren't a lot of us!" I had to reprimand him: "Mets fan first, Giants fan otherwise."

Friend of Hello, TypePad and Giants superfan Andrew Anker cites a spiritual connection between these Giants and the '86 Mets, but I have to admit that the Rangers' attitude reminds me a little more of those late '80s Mets teams than the Giants do. I draw straight lines from Hamilton to Strawberry, Molina to Carter, Young to Keith, Andrus to Elster, Kinsler to Backman, Lee to Gooden, Lewis to Darling, Francoeur to Dykstra, Vlad to Foster, even Moreland to Hojo/Knight. Still, Go Giants.

Comments

[Andrew Anker]

Really, a straight line? Except that the pairs you mention play the same position, I see almost no connection between them. Gary Carter was the good clean happy boy who always optimistic about everything. Bengie is as emotional wreck. Francoeur to Dykstra? Hamilton and Strawberry? About as different types of players as I can imagine.

I actually didn't mean to draw a spiritual connection between the Giants and the Mets except really to say that they both have/had such distinct personalities. But to be clear, The 86 Mets and the 10 Giants are about as far away from having the same personalities as ever I've seen two teams. The Rangers may end up being the better team (although I doubt it), but they don't hold a candle to either the Giants or 86 Mets in personality.

Except for Crazy Nolan.

[David Jacobs]

OK, I'll bite. Slugging Outfielders who were shall we say, not role models, who carried their respective offenses to the playoffs. Veteran catchers who guided young staffs to success, once known for their hitting and still good in a pinch, but overall not feared at the plate. Slick fielding on-base-machine corner infielders who accepted secondary roles, even though they would be the leader on nearly any other team. Young, light hitting but always hustling run machines who kept their head and acted as the linchpin of underrated defenses. Second basemen who knew how to take a pitch but weren't relied upon for any offense to speak of. Clear, #1 ace pitchers. Young pitchers who had taken a circuitous route to the majors, putting it all together after previous teams had given up on them. Outspoken OFers who could only hit an opposite-handed pitcher. Aging superstar sluggers who aren't sure if they are wanted anymore. Light-hitting corner outfielders who came up huge in the postseason.

[Andrew Anker]

Well yeah OK but those are archetypes that would describe any successful team in baseball. The difference between winners and losers in baseball is which collection of veterans once known for hitting or young, light hitting but always hustling types step one or two notches above what everyone expects of them.

[David Jacobs]

You are right. Pablo Sandoval is kind of like Kevin Mitchell, I guess? More importantly, check out this beautiful 18 pt. font.

[Andrew Anker]

Yes, like the 18 pts. Finally, comments have their true place as the more important part of your blog.

I wish Pablo was having a Kevin Mitchell 1989 year. Unfortunately, he had it in 2009 when we didn't need it.

[David Jacobs]

I wish Julio Borbon was having a Kevin Mitchell year, because then I would be 9 for 9 in Archetype matchups! But the more I think about it, there must be a way to use PECOTA-style projections to measure the "alikeness" of two teams. And I think you'd find that these Rangers are really, really close to the '86 Mets. Of course there are a few common archetypes, but these guys have ALL of the archetypes (unlike the Giants, Phillies, Rays, etc. which were completely different).

Also the series is over if the Giants win tonight.