I will not rest until David Cone is calling Post Season games for FOX and John Smoltz is a former broadcaster, banished to the golf course forever. To that end, I’ve prepared some information for you, so you’re aware of the extent to which Smoltz is a fraud tonight when he speaks about…well, when he says anything.
Mr. Small ball, situational hitting, it’s different in the playoffs, hit it softly to 2nd base not hard over the wall, launch angle LOL, won his World Series ring with the 1995 Braves. (On another note, with 14 consecutive postseason appearances and one championship, maybe John and his buddies didn’t know too much about what it takes to win in the playoffs…I digress…)
Among 14 NL teams in 1995, the Braves finished 2nd in HR, only behind the team that played in Coors field, third in SLG among non-Coors Field teams and 3rd in Isolated Power (ISO) overall.
Wow, so they used power to win. They must have been good at small ball and situational play as well…right…?
Actually…
- That Braves team finished dead last in the NL in both productive outs and driving in a runner from 3rd with less than two outs while finishing 10th in total sacrifice flies.
- They had the 11th fewest sacrifice bunts and the 10th best successful bunt percentage.
- They came in 12th in the NL in SB and 11th in SB%.
They were one of the worst “small ball” teams in the NL that season and they won with HR and pitching – that’s it.
What about the playoffs? It must’ve been different then (…?)
The ’95 Braves hit 19 HR in 14 postseason games, scoring 41% of their runs with the long ball. (Thanks to Joe Sheehan for doing the homework on that one.)
Please join me…
We want Cone! We want Cone! We want Cone!
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