I wrote after the Houston sweep of Games 3, 4 and 5 in DC that all the Nats needed to have happen is keep hitting the ball hard, because eventually some of them would find grass or seats.
Turns out what needed to happen was that, and also to have Nats pitchers keeping Houston hitters from hitting the ball hard.
I ran the numbers from Games 3-5 and then Games 6 and 7, and it’s striking what happened.
MLB defines a hard-hit ball as a batted ball with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher.
The breakdown for the Astros:
- Games 3-5: 19-for-42 (.453 BA, .952 SLUG)
- Games 6-7: 8-for-21 (.381 BA, .619 SLUG)
The corresponding numbers for the Nationals:
- Games 3-5: 10-for-26 (.385 BA, .577 SLUG)
- Games 6-7: 9-for-21 (.429 BA, 1.095 SLUG)
Two other sets of numbers related to ABs with runners in scoring position.
- Games 3-5: Houston 11-for-28, Washington 1-for-21
- Games 6-7: Houston 1-for-12, Washington 4-for-15
These things tend to even out over the course of a 162-game season. You don’t always see them evening out in a seven-game series.
Story by Chris Graham
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