IBC Playoffs 2024

[Cardinals]

Just about ten games left in the IBC, and we've got our first division clinching. Congratulations to Pat Tullar and the Boston Red Sox, sewing up the AL East despite losing ace Sandy Alcantara early this season. The Red Sox currently lead the Angels for the top seed in the AL, and will almost certainly earn one of the two league-wide byes.

This playoff berth is Pat's first since 2022, when his Red Sox were the No. 2 seed in the AL, when the Red Sox captured the AL pennant.

The AL Central remains a toss up. Cleveland and Detroit are dead-locked at 87-66. Both teams will certainly make the playoffs at this point, with a 6.5 game lead on WC2 (Minnesota). Both teams are two games behind the Angels for the No. 2 seed in the AL.

The Angels have a magic number of two, and will clinch the AL West by the end of the week. Anaheim could end up as any of the top three seeds.


Beyond WC1 (CLE/DET), the WC race is messy. Minnesota sits at 80-72 and the A's at 80-73, occupying spots 2 and 3. However, Tampa Bay (79-73), Baltimore (78-74), Houston (78-74) and Texas (77-75) are all right in the mix.

The races are tight in the NL, too. The Mets lead the Marlins by one game in the loss column in the NL East. The loser of this race will likely miss the playoffs.

Similarly, the Cardinals lead the Reds by just one in the loss column. Either the Cardinals or Reds will end up with a bye, and the other as WC1.

Arizona's magic number is down to five in the NL West, after riding a 16-game winning streak. The Padres are locked in as WC2, and the Cubs are four up on the Marlins for WC3.


***

Updated: Playoff Results

ALWS:
TB 5, DET 3
DET 2, TB 0
TB 15, DET 8 (16 innings)

Tampa Bay wins, 2-1

CLE 8, MIN 2
MIN 2, CLE 0
CLE 4, MIN 3

Cleveland wins, 2-1

NLWS:
CHC 7, NYM 6 (10)
CHC 4, NYM 2

Chicago wins, 2-0

CIN 9, SD 8 (11)
SD 6, CIN 3
CIN 6, SD 4

Cincinnati wins, 2-1

ALDS
LAA 3, TB 2
LAA 4, TB 3 (13)
LAA 6, TB 2

Anaheim wins, 3-0

BOS 4, CLE 2

NLDS
STL 3, CIN 0
STL 5, CIN 2
STL 7, CIN 6

St. Louis wins, 3-0

CHC 2, AZ 1
CHC 15, AZ 4


ALCS
Anaheim at Boston OR Cleveland at Anaheim

NLCS
Chicago or Arizona at St. Louis

[DBacks]

The AL wild-card race is about as exciting as it gets. 6 teams within 3 games fighting for 2 spots.

[Tigers]

The Detroit sim stars are fighting for the number 1 spot in Runs against for the season. It is a good thing because this team couldn't hit their way out of a wet paper bag.

[Mets]

The Detroit sim stars are fighting for the number 1 spot in Runs against for the season. It is a good thing because this team couldn't hit their way out of a wet paper bag.

Question for everybody/anybody. I've been doing DMB for 20 years now, and I still believe that the postseason performance is independent of regular season. Almost like the SIM resets and it's a new season.

SIM stars tend to perform throughout the season and then suck in the postseason. Underperforming guys (ie: 2009 Pujols hits .243 during 162 games and then .340 once the postseason starts).

Any opinions/observations on this?

[Athletics]

You play in the NL, no one gives a fuck

And I don't think it matters when owners decide to bitch out of the h2h option and default to computer generated result.

It is always awesome to build a custom team that doesn't work when the AI controls all 9 innings.

[Astros]

Yeah the AL/NL imbalance is pretty wild. Really need to mix things up this offseason

[Mets]

You play in the NL, no one gives a fuck

And I don't think it matters when owners decide to bitch out of the h2h option and default to computer generated result.

It is always awesome to build a custom team that doesn't work when the AI controls all 9 innings.

I was just wondering if anyone thinks that DMB treats playoffs as a brand-new season or a continuation of how players have performed during the regular season. As someone that has been the 'simmer' for a DMB league for 16 years, I've noticed guys that have underperformed play closer to the SIM and also the opposite. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed that (h2h or SIM). It's not really important, just something I've thought about over the years.

[DBacks]

Yeah the AL/NL imbalance is pretty wild. Really need to mix things up this offseason

For the record, the interleague battle this year is 339 wins for the AL and 334 for the NL with 17 interleague games left to play, a 50.37% winning % for the AL. So not sure exactly what you are referring to as far as a "wild imbalance"

[Astros]

Yeah the AL/NL imbalance is pretty wild. Really need to mix things up this offseason

For the record, the interleague battle this year is 339 wins for the AL and 334 for the NL with 17 interleague games left to play, a 50.37% winning % for the AL. So not sure exactly what you are referring to as far as a "wild imbalance"

Interleague W/L doesn’t mean anything. Compare respective roster strength

[DBacks]

Interleague W/L doesn’t mean anything. Compare respective roster strength

Isn't the point of the league to win games? Are you saying that the sim is flawed? Or that the AL teams have better prospects? Or that the NL is "getting lucky" in a 673 game sample?

I'm struggling here...

[Cardinals]

You play in the NL, no one gives a fuck

And I don't think it matters when owners decide to bitch out of the h2h option and default to computer generated result.

It is always awesome to build a custom team that doesn't work when the AI controls all 9 innings.

I was just wondering if anyone thinks that DMB treats playoffs as a brand-new season or a continuation of how players have performed during the regular season. As someone that has been the 'simmer' for a DMB league for 16 years, I've noticed guys that have underperformed play closer to the SIM and also the opposite. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed that (h2h or SIM). It's not really important, just something I've thought about over the years.

I think the results are a continuation, but they're such a small sample it's tough to say with certainty. I think the hitting is more consistent than the pitching in the playoffs, or at least has been. I had years where Greinke and Lincecum would be unreal for me but then get crushed in the playoffs. Part of that probably has to do with quality of lineup that you're facing.

[Cardinals]

Yeah the AL/NL imbalance is pretty wild. Really need to mix things up this offseason

Aside from Colorado and San Francisco being otherworldly abysmal this year, is there really that much difference between the two leagues this year? There are a lot of flawed rosters in both leagues right now, even among playoff teams.

[Astros]

Interleague W/L doesn’t mean anything. Compare respective roster strength

Isn't the point of the league to win games? Are you saying that the sim is flawed? Or that the AL teams have better prospects? Or that the NL is "getting lucky" in a 673 game sample?

I'm struggling here...

You tell me, dude

IMG_5349.jpeg (145.44 KiB) Viewed 2369 times

IMG_5348.jpeg (87.8 KiB) Viewed 2369 times

[Astros]

Yeah the AL/NL imbalance is pretty wild. Really need to mix things up this offseason

Aside from Colorado and San Francisco being otherworldly abysmal this year, is there really that much difference between the two leagues this year? There are a lot of flawed rosters in both leagues right now, even among playoff teams.

I mean if you go team by team you’re just gonna piss everyone off (if I haven’t already, but whatever, it’s kinda stale in here). Don’t see any teams I’m really impressed with in the NL, aside from probably Nils’.

I guess if you count the teams that have stacked up one-time sim contributors that’ll no longer be relevant next year, but yeah

[DBacks]

I mean if you go team by team you’re just gonna piss everyone off (if I haven’t already, but whatever, it’s kinda stale in here). Don’t see any teams I’m really impressed with in the NL, aside from probably Nils’.

I guess if you count the teams that have stacked up one-time sim contributors that’ll no longer be relevant next year, but yeah

Okay, but my team is more defense and pitching oriented, so comparing top 5 of lineups isn't going to tell you the whole story. Plus I also have Will Smith, who I guess wasn't in the lineup the day that you screenshotted, but normally bats 2nd. Carpenter is an injury replacement. I would assume that in future, the Mariners and Rangers will do well since they have young, good players, but for teams that have been contending for a few years, you don't get much access to those players.

[Cardinals]

Yeah the AL/NL imbalance is pretty wild. Really need to mix things up this offseason

Aside from Colorado and San Francisco being otherworldly abysmal this year, is there really that much difference between the two leagues this year? There are a lot of flawed rosters in both leagues right now, even among playoff teams.

I guess if you count the teams that have stacked up one-time sim contributors that’ll no longer be relevant next year, but yeah

I mean, isn't that what we're talking about right now? 2024 postseason race. There are teams that notably constantly try to stack sim performers. Those teams are going to consistently eat 80-90 wins if not more depending on the year. I don't know that there's really any really impressive rosters akin to what we've had over the last 10 years.

If you're talking some sort of long-term power ranking? yeah, ok. I understand what you're getting at but that's not really the point of this thread.

[Astros]

I mean if you go team by team you’re just gonna piss everyone off (if I haven’t already, but whatever, it’s kinda stale in here). Don’t see any teams I’m really impressed with in the NL, aside from probably Nils’.

I guess if you count the teams that have stacked up one-time sim contributors that’ll no longer be relevant next year, but yeah

Okay, but my team is more defense and pitching oriented, so comparing top 5 of lineups isn't going to tell you the whole story. Plus I also have Will Smith, who I guess wasn't in the lineup the day that you screenshotted, but normally bats 2nd. Carpenter is an injury replacement. I would assume that in future, the Mariners and Rangers will do well since they have young, good players, but for teams that have been contending for a few years, you don't get much access to those players.

Mariners has Strider, McClanahan, and Kirby. Rangers has Ohtani, Steele, and Pablo Lopez

You have Luis Arráez playing shortstop, lol. Come on now.

[Cardinals]

I mean if you go team by team you’re just gonna piss everyone off (if I haven’t already, but whatever, it’s kinda stale in here). Don’t see any teams I’m really impressed with in the NL, aside from probably Nils’.

I guess if you count the teams that have stacked up one-time sim contributors that’ll no longer be relevant next year, but yeah

Okay, but my team is more defense and pitching oriented, so comparing top 5 of lineups isn't going to tell you the whole story. Plus I also have Will Smith, who I guess wasn't in the lineup the day that you screenshotted, but normally bats 2nd. Carpenter is an injury replacement. I would assume that in future, the Mariners and Rangers will do well since they have young, good players, but for teams that have been contending for a few years, you don't get much access to those players.

Mariners has Strider, McClanahan, and Kirby. Rangers has Ohtani, Steele, and Pablo Lopez

You have Luis Arráez playing shortstop, lol. Come on now.

Excellent list of starting pitchers for 2025, when Strider, McLanahan and Ohtani are back and healthy on the mound.

Arraez is Av/102 at SS. Does that make sense? No, not really. But whoever has him should be playing him at SS. Goes back to the point earlier where there's something to be said for getting guys that help this year.

[DBacks]

Mariners has Strider, McClanahan, and Kirby. Rangers has Ohtani, Steele, and Pablo Lopez

You have Luis Arráez playing shortstop, lol. Come on now.

Well, availability is a skill. I am sure those teams would have done a lot better if those guys were all able to pitch. In another league, I have Strider, S. Alcantara, Woodruff, Painter all unavailable, so I totally get it. It sucks.

Yeah, I got lucky with Arraez. I have a hole at SS, so my strategy, until I fill that hole, is to get a bunch of decent hitters who might get a "Av" fielding projection at SS. I wasn't really expecting Arraez to be the one, but whatever. Nobody has a super team this year, so you try to hide your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. And injuries can and do blow otherwise good teams out of the water. I think two years ago, I lost my entire starting OF in August and Sept.

Also, as far as Arraez, he doesn't really sim well, so it basically cancels out his better than reality defense. I am not sure if DMB can sim his outlier skills. Or maybe he is just getting unlucky sims, I don't know.

[Tigers]

My team is terrible, but I have spent a few years scrambling for scraps and picking up Merrill Kellys and David Frys and hoping the hot streak continues. Just because my players aren't going to catch your eye doesn't mean I haven't done a whole lot of leg work to put the team together. I scour MLB and MILB stats in the same way as others look at prospect lists and reports. If everyone was doing it the same, that wouldn't be as interesting.

[RedSox]

We could finish the year with 5 AL teams each having 84 wins. Crazy last day coming up.

[BlueJays]

Mets/Marlins down to the last day.

Crazy.

[Mets]

Mets/Marlins down to the last day.

Crazy.

Maybe Toronto should do their part to beat Miami to preserve the integrity of the league?

Run differential:
Mets +149
Marlins +86

[Athletics]

We could finish the year with 5 AL teams each having 84 wins. Crazy last day coming up.

Has this ever happened before? The tiebreakers on it are not clean, save for the twins that own them all, which would maybe suggest they get a random bye or something?

[Cardinals]

Haven't had a season come down to all 162 games like this in recent memory. As Pat T mentioned, we had the possibility of a five-way tie for two spots in the AL WC, which had me doing quite a bit of Googling to figure out how to handle that scenario.

Amazingly, there were no ties to be had. The Twins rattled off four in a row to clinch WC2, while the Rays, despite ending the season on a four-game losing streak, hold onto WC3. This is Matt's first trip to the playoffs.

Baltimore ended the season swept by Minnesota, while the A's were swept by Seattle and knocked out of the playoffs. Oakland ended its franchise history in Oakland (curious to see those park factors in Sacramento) with an L4.

The defending champion Rangers' bid ended up just short, and their season ended with a loss to the Angels.

Detroit ended up besting Pat's Guardians by a game, marking Ben's first division title in the IBC.

In the NL, the Blue Jays mounted a four-run comeback in the ninth inning, with Nolan Jones hitting a walk-off homer to knock the Marlins out of the playoffs. The Mets took care of business against the Brewers, and claimed the NL East crown by a game.

The playoff picture is now set.
Boston and Los Angeles receive byes in the AL, while St. Louis and Arizona receive byes in the NL.

Tampa Bay will travel to Detroit, while Minnesota heads to Cleveland.
The Cubs travel to Citi Field to take on the Mets, while the Padres are headed to Cincinnati.