:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61580559/usa_today_11313273.0.jpg)
Baseball Prospectus | Russell A. Carleton: Carleton does his yearly exercise of striking down quite a few October myths: that walk-off wins give you momentum, that “resting” before the postseason is disadvantageous, and that there are players who are “good” at playing during the postseason.
The Ringer | Ben Lindbergh: What kind of effect did PEDs actually have on baseball in the 1990s? While its link to increased attendance is tenuous, a lot of things do point to its effect, namely the increased performance of older players, the higher standard deviation of wRC+, and the other-worldly performance of those at the very top of the scale, like Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa. That being said, many of the suspected players were also pitchers, so effects in the median may be more modest than we assume.
The Athletic | Eno Sarris ($): The stat to watch in this last important regular season weekend is K-BB%, where a team like the Dodgers has the absolute advantage, followed by the Rockies and Brewers.