Hoping to Witness Records in Reading

Three days ago Darin Ruf tied Ryan Howard’s Reading Phillies single season home run record at 37. Justin Friend, the R-Phil closer, also had 23 saves–one shy of the single season franchise record shared by Wayne Gomes and Toby Borland. Thus, the past two evenings I have been in First Energy Stadium in Reading, PA to watch the final two home games of the regular season.

On Wednesday night the Reading team awards ceremony was held before the game. Both Ruf and Friend took home hardware, with Ruf being named team MVP. In the game Ruf went 2 for 2 with a double, a single, and two walks. There was a lot of suspense and drama throughout the night. The R-Phils lost, eliminating any chance for Friend to pick up a save.

On Thursday night Ruf was presented with the Eastern League MVP award before the game, as well as the Rookie of the Year award. He gave a nice speech thanking his family, friends, teammates, coaches, and the fans.

Ruf with the Eastern League MVP and Rookie of the Year awards.

Binghamton had a hard throwing left handed starter, which made me feel optimistic about Ruf’s chances. In his first at bat he didn’t get anything good to hit. I began to fear he would be pitched around. Then in his second at bat two runners were on with two outs. Ruf got ahead in the count. And then he launched a ball far into the dark night.

The follow through as the ball soars into the night.

It took less than a second for me to realize he had just hit number 38. It was a question of whether or not it would clear the outfield bleachers, not if it would clear the fence. It landed in the very back of the left field bleachers. The crowd was louder than I have ever heard it in Reading. Standing ovation. Joy.

Little doubt–that ball is destined for the seats.

That joy translated to the field. The players seemed thrilled for Ruf.  They were all smiling and celebrating.

Lots of joy.

All the players came out onto the field. The game was briefly paused to award Ruf a bat that had been spray painted silver to mark the occasion. He’ll be getting a silver or pewter one after the season ends–the spray painted bat is just a body double.

The silver stand-in bat.

In his next at bat Ruf hit a ball to the wall that was caught. He got another standing ovation.

Reading had a 7-2 lead going into the 9th inning. Things got interesting when the Mets loaded the bases with one out. With the tying run on the on deck circle it became a save situation, and Justin Friend came into the game. He warmed up, then promptly induced a double play ground ball. Game over. Save record tied.

Justin Friend prepares to deliver the final pitch of the game.

I really enjoyed spending the last two nights at the ballpark. To make things even better, I sat next to old baseball fans both nights. I got to hear stories about Greg Luzinski, Mike Schmidt, and other players from the past.

Reading is always entertaining, and the staples were there. The Crazy Hot Dog Vendor.

The Crazy Hot Dog Vendor and his depressed ostrich (seriously, look into that bird’s eyes–life is not good).

The racing vegetables. I think the vegetable races at Reading are the most competitive novelty races I have seen at a ballpark. The interns are serious about winning.

Fast vegetables.

And of course, Neal the Singing Usher belting out Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the 7th inning stretch. He has been working at the ballpark since 1967!

Neal Bechtel, the famous Singing Usher at Reading.

Good times.

Investigating Veracity: My Joe Blanton Statement

Sometimes I make statements, then later I begin to wonder how accurate that statement actually was. Have you ever done that? At times things I have said in the past come back to me, and I am compelled to investigate. This is one of those situations.

On the evening of June 18, 2010 I watched a baseball game. The Phillies and Minnesota Twins were playing the first game in a three game series. I went over to my friend Jared‘s place to watch the game (he’s a Twins fan). The Twins would win two out of three in the series, but in the first game things went well for the Phils.

As we watched the Phillies jump out to an 8-0 lead in the first two innings it was evident this game belonged to the home team. In the bottom of the 5th Ryan Howard homered to make the score 9-0.  Joe Blanton was pitching for the Phillies, and I remarked at the start of the 6th inning to Jared that the Twins should not give up hope, for Blanton’s pattern in 2010 was to implode in or after the 6th inning. Consistently. My statement went something along these lines: I’m not sure what the deal is, but Blanton seems to hit a wall in the 6th inning. I know he’s throwing a shutout right now, but I’d get the bullpen up preemptively.

Blanton gave up three hits and a run in the 6th. Not excuse me hits, these balls were scorched. The top of the 7th inning started out with a near home run by Delmon Young (it was hit so hard it ended up being a single), followed by a home run by feared slugger Nick Punto (that would be his only home run of the season). And then Charlie pulled Big Joe. The Phillies used four pitchers to close out the last three innings of the game, finally winning 9-5.

This year Joe Blanton will be the fifth starter for the Phils. The struggles of last year left a pall on Big Joe as a starter, but I must admit I’m a fan of his. One of my favorite baseball memories is the home run he hit in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series. He also got the win. Epic. Anyway, as this season approaches I’ve been thinking about my perception of Joe’s problems in late innings. I watch a lot of baseball, and my perception is based upon my recollection of his starts. I did not know the statistical breakdown of Joe’s career by inning or if 2010 was normal or an anomaly.

So I checked.

Figure 1. A breakdown of Joe Blanton’s pitching performance by inning in 2010.

Split	G	IP	ER	ERA	R	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
1st inning	28	28.0	20	6.43	22	.317	.356	.480	.836
2nd inning	28	28.0	10	3.21	12	.238	.261	.390	.652
3rd inning	28	28.0	8	2.57	11	.245	.310	.321	.631
4th inning	28	28.0	7	2.25	8	.184	.200	.291	.491
5th inning	28	27.1	14	4.61	14	.305	.373	.495	.868
6th inning	25	23.1	18	6.94	17	.376	.404	.604	1.008
7th inning	15	11.2	15	11.57	10	.400	.433	.782	1.215
8th inning	3	1.1	2	13.50	3	.556	.556	.889	1.444
Innings 1-3	28	84.0	38	4.07	45	.269	.312	.401	.713
Innings 4-6	29	78.2	39	4.46	39	.288	.328	.463	.791
Innings 7-9	15	13.0	17	11.77	13	.422	.449	.797	1.246

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 3/26/2011.

I used red text on some of the telling numbers. They jump off the screen without being colored red, but I thought I’d make my point obvious. The numbers do not lie, things got messy for Joe in the 6th inning in 2010. So my observation was accurate.

My next question is whether this is normal for Joe (based upon my observations I was inclined to say this was not a pattern throughout his career).

Figure 2. A breakdown of Joe Blanton’s pitching performance by inning in his career (2004-2010).

I	Split	G	IP	ER	ERA	R	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
	1st inning	190	189.1	110	5.23	113	.277	.323	.433	.757
	2nd inning	189	189.0	67	3.19	75	.269	.320	.421	.741
	3rd inning	189	188.2	74	3.53	78	.239	.291	.350	.642
	4th inning	188	187.1	71	3.41	77	.257	.304	.391	.695
	5th inning	186	179.2	105	5.26	102	.300	.350	.473	.823
	6th inning	158	150.1	93	5.57	85	.297	.359	.495	.854
	7th inning	98	87.1	40	4.12	32	.252	.296	.383	.678
	8th inning	38	26.2	14	4.72	9	.330	.358	.487	.845
	9th inning	6	4.0	0	0.00	0	.250	.294	.313	.607
	Innings 1-3	191	567.0	251	3.98	266	.262	.312	.402	.714
	Innings 4-6	190	517.1	269	4.68	264	.284	.336	.450	.787
	Innings 7-9	99	118.0	54	4.12	41	.271	.311	.406	.717

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 3/26/2011.

The short answer is that Joe has had some issues in the 5th and 6th inning throughout his career. In 2010 the struggles were magnified from the 6th inning on (the 2010 opponent OPS over 1.000 from the 6th inning on is telling). I feel completely vindicated in making my statement about Joe on June 18.

Comparisons across Blanton’s career are interesting. He has a consistent alternation of good and  bad years.

Figure 3. The year to year fluctuation of Joe Blanton.

<div class=”sr_share_wrap”>
<table style=”border-collapse: collapse; font-size:.83em; border: 1px sold #aaa;” class=”sr_share” id=”">
<colgroup><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col><col></colgroup>
<thead>
<tr id=”" class=”">
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting” align=”left”>Year</th>
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals” tip=”&lt;strong&gt;9 * ER / IP&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;For recent years, leaders need 1 IP&lt;br&gt;per team game played” align=”center”>ERA</th>
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip” tip=”Games Played or Pitched” align=”center”>G</th>
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip” tip=”Innings Pitched” align=”center”>IP</th>
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip hide_non_quals” tip=”&lt;strong&gt;ERA+&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;100*[lgERA/ERA]&lt;br&gt;Adjusted to the player’s ballpark(s).” align=”center”>ERA+</th>
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals” tip=”&lt;strong&gt;(BB + H)/IP&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;For recent years, leaders need 1 IP&lt;br&gt;per team game played” align=”center”>WHIP</th>
<th onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”background-color: #ddd; border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 2px;” class=”tooltip hide_non_quals” tip=”&lt;strong&gt;9 x SO / IP&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;For recent years, leaders need 1 IP&lt;br&gt;per team game played” align=”center”>SO/9</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr data-row=”0″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2004</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>5.63</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>3</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>8.0</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>84</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.000</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>6.8</td>
</tr>
<tr data-row=”1″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2005</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>3.53</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>33</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>201.1</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>124</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.217</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>5.2</td>
</tr>
<tr data-row=”2″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2006</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>4.82</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>32</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>194.1</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>92</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.539</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>5.0</td>
</tr>
<tr data-row=”3″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2007</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>3.95</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>34</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>230.0</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>108</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.217</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>5.5</td>
</tr>
<tr data-row=”4″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2008</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>4.69</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>33</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>197.2</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>90</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.401</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>5.1</td>
</tr>
<tr data-row=”7″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2009</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>4.05</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>31</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>195.1</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>104</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.316</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>7.5</td>
</tr>
<tr data-row=”8″ class=”" id=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”left”>2010</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>4.82</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>29</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>175.2</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>84</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>1.417</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; ” align=”right”>6.9</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tfoot>
<tr id=”" data-row=”9″ class=”">
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” colspan=”1″ align=”left”>7 Seasons</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” align=”right”>4.30</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” align=”right”>195</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” align=”right”>1202.1</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” align=”right”>99</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” align=”right”>1.343</td>
<td onclick=”" onmouseout=”" onmouseover=”" style=”border: 1px solid #ccc; padding: 2px 3px 2px 2px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: #ddd; font-weight: bold; font-size: 0.9em;” align=”right”>5.8</td>
</tr>
</tfoot>
</table><div class=”sr_share” style=”font-size: 0.83em;” id=”">Provided by <a href=”http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/sharing.shtml?utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=Share&amp;utm_campaign=ShareTool”>Baseball-Reference.com</a&gt;: <a href=”http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/blantjo01.shtml?sr&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=Share&amp;utm_campaign=ShareTool#pitching_simple”>View Original Table</a><br>Generated 3/26/2011.</div>
</div>

Year	ERA	G	IP	ERA+	WHIP	SO/9
2004	5.63	3	8.0	84	1.000	6.8
2005	3.53	33	201.1	124	1.217	5.2
2006	4.82	32	194.1	92	1.539	5.0
2007	3.95	34	230.0	108	1.217	5.5
2008	4.69	33	197.2	90	1.401	5.1
2009	4.05	31	195.1	104	1.316	7.5
2010	4.82	29	175.2	84	1.417	6.9
7 Seasons	4.30	195	1202.1	99	1.343	5.8

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table Generated 3/26/2011.

For those of you not familiar with ERA+, a number over 100 means the pitcher was above league average while a number below 100 means the pitcher was below league average. I added red text to highlight the every other year pattern. So, good things in 2011?

NLCS Game 4: Trouble Brewing

The Phillies really needed to win tonight. It didn’t happen. Now it will take three straight wins to take the series. Tonight’s game was everything postseason baseball can be. There were lead changes, swings in momentum, and a dramatic finish in the 9th inning.

While in the pit of despair it is easy to focus on the negatives. As I watch the Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia post game show I’m hearing all sorts of criticism. Sure, there were some questionable decisions, but in the end the Giants put together a few hits and won the game. When two teams compete one of them has to lose.

I do not fault Charlie Manuel for not starting Halladay. I do not fault Sam Perlozzo for sending Ruiz in the 5th. I do not fault Jimmy Rollins for not bunting in the 8th (though he had to pull the ball in that situation).

Credit is due to the Giants for coming up big.

Now the Phils are against the wall. It’s win or go home from here on out.

The Final Out of Halladay’s NLDS No-Hitter

Here is a YouTube video of the final out of Halladay’s no-hitter. It was posted by lildev143. Awesomeness.

What a way to start the 2010 postseason!

What Does the Best Regular Season Record in MLB Mean?

The Phillies finished the 2010 regular season with the best record in MLB. This accomplishment is all the sweeter when the barrage of injuries the team faced are considered. Now that we’ve reached the interlude between the regular season and the postseason the question looms: aside from homefield advantage in the NL play-offs, what does the best regular season record mean? Here are a few numbers regarding the best MLB regular season record since the expansion to three divisions in each league (discounting 1994 because there was no postseason).

Seasons: 16
Teams with the best record: 20 (this number is greater than 16 due to ties)
Franchises with the best record: 11
Mean number of wins for best record: 102
Lowest number: 96
Highest number: 116

Does regular season performance translate to postseason success? Between 1995-2009  the postseason results looked like this:

The fate of MLB best regular season record teams (1995-2009).

In the past 15 seasons 16% of the teams with the best record in baseball have gone on to win the World Series. Because teams can tie for best record, 20% of the World Series champions have had the best record in MLB.

Postseason baseball is wonderful. I think it is a travesty that the division series are only best of five games, but I guess nothing is perfect.