Functionally ReTodded

Here are some statistics from Jayson Stark at ESPN…

Of the 18 teams in World Series history to get swept, the Cardinals were the seventh to have that happen after compiling the best record of any team in baseball that year. Besides all the teams we’ve already mentioned, the 1922 Yankees (94-60) got swept by the Giants.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the Red Sox never seem to get to the World Series and find one of those 91-win teams waiting for them. Instead, they always get stuck playing the best team in baseball.

But not just the best team that particular year. The Cardinals’ 105 wins were the most for a National League team since (ta-da) the 1986 Mets (108). And the ‘86 Mets were the NL’s winningest team since (who else?) the 1975 Reds (108).

No NL teams have won more games than those three teams in the last half-century — and the Red Sox played every one of them in the World Series.

Or, to put it another way, counting that 1967 Cardinals team the Red Sox faced: In their last four World Series appearances, they have played the NL teams with the best 162-game records of the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’00s.

Here are a couple more interesting stats:

How tough was it for the Cardinals not to score in Game 3 (thanks to Jeff Suppan’s baserunning gaffe), with second and third and nobody out in the second inning? The Elias Bureau went through the Cardinals’ season and found they were in that spot 21 times during the regular season — and scored in 19 of them.

Red Sox pitchers, meanwhile, found themselves in that situation 32 times during the regular season — and got out of it unscathed exactly once. Pedro Martinez did the honors, June 2 against the Angels.

I guess it was just meant to be.

By the way, I may never stop talking about this subject. Ever.

And I’d like to give a “Hey!” shoutout to my new reader Penny. I think you’re reader number five, so I will try to personalize things occasionally just for you. You know, like talking about how someone I know showed me her boobs after her own wedding. Wonder who THAT was??