Neyer: In October, there really is momentum in baseball
From SABR member Rob Neyer at Baseball Nation on October 31, 2012:
I’m on record, many times, saying there’s no such thing as momentum in baseball. Or as Earl Weaver put it, “Momentum? Momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher.”
I have long believed that, and I still believe it.
Well, except for this: Momentum — or something that looks very much like it — does seem to play a big role in October. The numbers are just overwhelming. Last week, when the Tigers lost the first three games of the World Series, [SABR member] Al Yellon wrote about what’s happened to other teams that did that. Those numbers are dramatic, and of course Game 4 added yet another data point.
Just for fun, I tossed in the League Championship Series, too. Those numbers aren’t as dramatic … but they suggest the same thing: Teams play differently when one of them has a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series.
Read the full article here: http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/10/31/3581484/momentum-baseball-postseason-world-series-psychology-losing
Originally published: November 1, 2012. Last Updated: November 1, 2012.