The league-wide batting average in the postseason right now is a brutal .212. Seriously, .212! We’re talking about hitting being borderline Sisyphean, and it’s not just some random fluke, it’s a trend shaping this whole October. It’s wild to see how tough it is out there for even the best hitters when the stakes are this high.
Good News Out of Detroit, Plus Gold Gloves and Good Vibes
First up, some positive vibes coming from the Tigers. Their right-handed pitcher, Troy Melton, got his follow-up evaluation after his season ended mid-September because of forearm tightness. The best part? The team says no issues were found! He’s starting a normal offseason workout routine. That’s a huge relief for a young arm, right? You never want to see a guy go down with an injury, especially when it’s something like forearm tightness.
And big props to the Tigers staff for taking a stand against bullying, rocking purple for #SpiritDay and showing support for LGBTQ youth. That’s just a classy move. On the field, two of their guys, “Ding & Z-Mac,” just got named Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists. Those dudes are clearly flashing some serious leather and getting the recognition they absolutely deserve.
October Drama and League-Wide Shifts
Beyond Detroit, this postseason has been an absolute rollercoaster. Blake Snell’s performance in NLCS Game Three apparently helped vindicate Kevin Cash’s decisions from way back in 2020. Talk about a long-term play! And how about Jake Bauers’ 11-pitch at-bat that just changed a whole game? You gotta wonder how steamed Pat Murphy was after that one went down. Jose Ramirez is out there just raking this October, and the Guardians found an unlikely hero themselves in ALCS Game Three. Plus, the postseason just gave us the most epic bat flip of the year! You know I’m already searching for that replay.
The Dodgers are still trying to pull off a miracle, figuring out how to use their pitching to stage a 3-0 comeback, which is always an insane challenge. And for some pure good luck, Jackson Chourio’s got a new personal mascot that might be the perfect good luck charm. We’re also seeing some shrewd trade deadline moves really paying off for the Guardians, and the Brewers are finding some unlikely weapons to wear down the Dodgers. Makes you wonder if the Brewers are ushering in a whole new era of baseball, doesn’t it? Of course, there’s always controversy, with six snubs from the Gold Glove Award finalists. Someone’s always gonna feel ripped off. And can we talk about Shohei Ohtani finally ending his home run drought in a storybook moment? You just knew that was coming eventually.
Meanwhile, Don Mattingly is already planning offseason adjustments for the Phillies, and the Reds just inked Oswaldo Cabrera to a one-year, $1 million deal. The Rays, on the other hand, are apparently getting beaten at their own game in this postseason. Oof. There’s also buzz about how bad this year’s free agent class is compared to the last decade’s, and the Rockies even made a move, firing pitching coach Alon Leichman. You gotta wonder if they thought that was the quick fix for their pitching woes.
The Brutal Truth About Hitting in October
But let’s circle back to that .212 batting average. It’s not just low, it’s straight-up alarming. The average fastball in this postseason? A scorching 96.2 mph. No wonder hitting is hard! It’s an uphill battle every single at-bat when pitchers are throwing absolute gas like that.
Jeff Passan even got Joey Votto and Alex Bregman, two of the purest hitters in the game, to weigh in on why it’s so tough out there. When guys like that are explaining the struggle, you know it’s real. The game is definitely evolving, and pitchers are just dominating right now. It makes every single hit, every single run, feel monumental.
This postseason is still cooking, and with hitting this hard, every single swing, every single out, feels absolutely massive. Which teams are gonna figure out how to put runs on the board consistently and make it to the World Series? It’s gonna be a wild ride!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bless You Boys.
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