SNY's The Warm-up: Yanks vs. Shane Bieber — Alonso's 2020 — Jets and Giants headlines

Get Today’s New York Sports Here Tweet of the Day --------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning. There's four games of playoff baseball today. --------------------------------------------------------------- Today's New York sports schedule... - Game 1: Yankees at Indians, 7 p.m. ⚾ Word count: 765 words (about six minutes) --------------------------------------------------------------- SNY originals... Baseball Night in New York - [Which Yankee is facing the most pressure heading into the playoffs?]( Shea Anything - [Doug Williams and Andy Martino recap the 2020 Mets]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. A closer look at Shane Bieber's dominant 2020 David Richard/USA Today Shane Bieber, who faces the Yankees tonight in Game 1, just wrapped up a Cy Young season. He finished with a 1.68 ERA and became the sixth pitcher since the end of World War II to win the pitching triple crown (wins, ERA, K's), [according]( to Baseball Reference. He's 25 and leads a pitching staff with the second-lowest ERA in baseball. Between him and Gerrit Cole, there's a reason [PointsBet's scoring over/under]( for Game 1 is only 6.5. A quick scouting report on the future Cy Young: - His fastball has averaged 94.2 MPH this season, one MPH up from 2019. - His best pitches are his breaking pitches, like [this]( curveball. - His full arsenal: A four-seamer, a curve, a slider, a cutter and a changeup. - How often he throws each pitch, [according]( to FanGraphs: 37.5 percent fastball, 26.3 percent curve, 16.2 percent cutter, 11.5 percent slider, 8.5 percent changeup. Also: Bieber [averaged]( 14.19 strikeouts per nine innings this season. On SNY.tv: [MARTINO: Tidbits from Yankees-Indians playoff research]( --------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY TRIVIA From 1949 to 1956, a New York team won every World Series. How many did each of the three NYC teams win? 2. In defense of Pete Alonso's 2020 Danielle Parhizkaran/USA Today Parts of Pete Alonso's sophomore season were bad enough that it sent the slugger searching for his own answers. Here's [what he said]( on Sept. 22: - "One thing I thought was interesting -- from this year to last year, my average on balls put in play is down 70 percent, and I'm in the top 98 percent in exit velocity. That means I'm hitting the ball hard. I've just had some pretty bad luck with hitting the balls right at guys." Though his 2020 average at times hovered around the Mendoza Line, his final stats paint a less gloomy picture: - .231 average, 16 home runs, 35 RBI in 57 games. Perhaps his most brow-raising drop came regarding OPS, which dipped from .951 in 2019 to .817 in 2019. Otherwise, he was on pace for a 40-plus home run, 90-plus RBI season, which neither Aaron Judge nor Giancarlo Stanton would have matched. Plus, over his final six games, Alonso might have been having the breakout run the end of a 60-game season cut short. Here's how he closed out the year: - Six games, 20 at-bats, 10 hits, four home runs. On SNY.tv: [A deep dive into what's gone wrong for Pete Alonso in 2020]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 3. Monday's NFL headlines Vincent Carchietta/USA Today 1. It's been a rough start for Giants 2020 first round pick Andrew Thomas. [From PFF]( - "Thomas has allowed a total of 13 quarterback pressures over the first three games of the season. To break it down, that’s nine hurries, three quarterback hits and one sack allowed." 2. Mekhi Becton, the other first round offensive lineman in New York, has allowed only one sack and one QB hurry. Becton got injured in Sunday's loss to the Colts, but [could be back]( for Thursday night against Denver, said Adam Gase. 3. Has Gase considered pulling Sam Darnold? He was asked on Monday: - "He needs to keep playing and fixing the mistakes that have been made, emphasize the things he does well and keep building on those." 4. Former Jet Mark Sanchez, [speaking]( on the Pat McAfee Show on Monday, offered this thought about his old team: - “You’re putting a product out there on the field that is in no way ready to compete with the league. Honestly, it is frustrating to watch and I really feel for Sam." On SNY.tv: [VACCHIANO: Sam Darnold needs to find his groove in 2020]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Sept., 29: A day rich in New York baseball history MLB/YouTube This date has been a particularly rich one in New York baseball history. Here's a trip through a century-plus of Sept. 29 happenings, via [onthisday.com](. 1880 -- The first pro baseball game is played at the Polo Grounds. The New York Metropolitans beat Washington, 4-2. 1920 -- Babe Ruth hits his 54th home run of the season, a record that stood until Ruth broke it again in 1921. 1954 -- Willie Mays, playing for the New York Giants, makes [his famous catch]( in Game 1 of the 1954 World Series. 1957 -- The Giants play their last home game at the Polo Grounds, losing to the Pirates, 9-1. They moved to San Francisco during the offseason. 1987 -- Don Mattingly hits his record-breaking sixth grand slam of the season, GIF'd above. The record is now shared now with Travis Hafner, who hit six in 2006. 2018 -- Gleyber Torres' home run gives the Yankees the record for most home runs in a season (265), which was broken by the Twins in 2019. --------------------------------------------------------------- 5. The New York Minute - [READ]( If the Knicks want LaMelo Ball, they will probably have to trade up. - [READ]( David Wright believes Steve Cohen can build a "perennial winner." - [READ]( Evaluating Brodie Van Wagenen's three best and worst moves as Mets GM. - [READ]( The Rangers reportedly called the Sabres about trading for Jack Eichel. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trivia answer: Yankees 6, Dodgers 1, Giants 1. That's the buzzer, folks. Stay safe and enjoy your Tuesday. PS: The Lightning [won]( the Stanley Cup last night. This email was sent by: SportsNet New York (SNY) 150 Greenwich st 50th floor New York, NY 10007 US [Unsubscribe]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Facebook](