Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash
It is getting very tiresome to see writers saying that modern pitchers are better in the postseason than pitchers from baseball’s past. You can NOT compare the two. Until 1969, there was only the World Series. No wildcard games, no division series and no league championship series. Pitchers got two, sometimes three starts in the World Series. And unless you played for the Yankees (or perhaps the Dodgers or Cardinals), you made it to the big show once or twice in your career (or none, like Ernie Banks). I feel certain that players put out far more effort in those days than they do today, when a world championship requires at least 11 postseason wins. Today’s playoffs are more of a marathon than a sprint. Pacing yourself is very important. And of course, no modern player wants to risk injury, no matter how important the game. God forbid they should pull something and jeopardize their future earnings!