[Rijo's Ghost]

Originally Posted by HometownHero

The Cardinals got into the playoffs as the team with the 11th best record by winning 41% of their games against teams that lost 90 or more games. A team like the Angels had a better record than the Cardinals and didn't make the playoffs since they didn't get to play as many bad teams.

This year was literally the only year the Cards make the playoffs in MLB history doing what they did. Any other year in baseball history there isn't a second WC and they got half of their games over .500 by having the MLB worst team in their division, in 2013 that team will be gone and so will the 12.5% of their wins this year including

This isn't "any other year" and the 2nd WC is now part of the game.

The Astros being so godawful has changed the course of baseball history. Cards got them 15 times this year and the Dodgers got them 6 and they won the 2nd WC by 2 games, last year they got them 15 more times and the Braves got them 6 times and lost by 1 game.

And this year the Reds got them 15 times. Does that discredit the 97 win season in your mind? For some reason I doubt it.

Then after that you have the Royals factor, The Cards get them 6 times every year and they are averaging over 90 losses a year since Interleague play started. in 12, 11 and 06 the Cards won 4 games a year off them and made the playoffs by 2 games, 1 game and 1.5 games.

There's not a whole lot of logic in that math, as it presumes that the wins would all magically turn into losses.

Its not the Cardinals fault they have such a gift schedule but it doesn't mean they aren't the luckiest team out there, because its clear they are if people stop at look at the numbers here. And that's before we even get onto the field for BABIP and then only to flow of the game breaks.

Absolutely they're lucky. Just like the Reds were lucky to have as many games against HOU, CHC and COL as they did. It does not, however, diminish what either team has done.

As for BABIP, there's a couple pretty simple reasons for it being as high as it is, which I'm sure you already know if you have any sort of grasp on statistics.