We’ve likely seen the last of the early World Series starts

By Nov 1, 2010, 9:52 AM EDT
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I liked the early start to Game 3 on Saturday. With the game getting underway just before 7PM my kids were able to watch a bit of it — even if it was Justin Bieber-inspired — and the thing ended early enough to where I was able to not only watch the whole game without getting sleepy, but I was able to watch both (a) the Ohio State-Minnesota game I had recorded; and (b) the last hour of “Evil Dead II” on AMC.  Epic television night at the Calcaterra house, I can tell you. Groovy.

But sadly, we’ve probably seen our last early start World Series game, because this one got killed in the ratings. In fact, it was the second lowest-rated World Series game of all time. The only one worse was the weather-delayed game in the 2008 series that didn’t get going until after 10PM. Yikes!

I’ll always maintain that low ratings are no reason to hate on a given World Series matchup and that they shouldn’t affect a true baseball fan’s enjoyment of the thing. But the folks in charge can’t ignore it, and you have to imagine that they’ll respond to this by ensuring that every future World Series game either (a) starts in prime time; or (b) involves the Yankees.

Dodgers place pitcher Noah Syndergaard on injured list with no timetable for return

Associated PressJun 8, 2023, 9:19 PM EDT
dodgers syndergaard
Katie Stratman/USA TODAY Sports
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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”