Yeah, but you're talking about a 162 game sample size versus a five game sample size. If the Yankees and Tigers played 162 games and you believe in extrapolation, do you think the Yankees would outscore the Tigers by 350 runs?

Moreover, I think the Yanks actually had a better cumulative ERA from their starters (and definitely did from their bullpen). The LOB numbers are pretty comparable - Tigers 32 over five games, Yankees 40 with 11 of those coming last night - so I'm not positive either team did a particularly sound job of bringing runners home in the series.

Look at Fister's record and stats since the trade. His stats were really good before the trade too, but he was the best starting pitcher in baseball once he got to Detroit. Make of it what you will, it's a sample size of 10 starts, and for those 10 starts he was the best in the league. You pair that with Verlander, I stand by it. I saw it happen. They were malingering with cleveland all summer long, Fister came, game, set, match.

The Tigers won. Just like I will say Sunday Silence was a better horse than Easy Goer despite Easy Goer having run faster if you combine all 4 races, but Sunday Silence was 3-1 in those 4 races, it's pretty easy logic. I don't put much stock into the Yankees murdering the Tigers lesser relief pitchers in game 4, not much at all. Verlander's better than Sabathia, Fister's better than Nova...both of them all year long, that's pretty much why I state they're better.

Whiphan, is that Garth or Dane coaching first?

Stop it. Scherzer was better than him in this series by a wide margin. Fister's a nice pitcher and had a good year, but he got rocked his second and third times through the order by the Yankees. That'll happen to him against any good lineup.

In a league with a DH I think the numbers certainly indicate Justin Verlander and Doug Fister were better pitchers all year than Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee. All 4 were really, really good this year. If you have to pick one PAIR and not individuals in order, I'd take the Tiger pair is all. I think they're better. I just do. I'm a big Cleveland fan, and I saw what the Tigers became after that trade with Seattle. They were nothing special before Fister. Post Fister, I feel they played better than any team in baseball. Yeah, perhaps I'm overreacting to the fact that the last two months of the season Doug Fister was the best starting pitcher in baseball, but it is right now and the facts are, he was really, really good with Seattle too.

AJ Burnett was better than CC Sabathia by a wide margin in that series too, that can happen in a one game sample size. I don't think anyone's confused as to who is the better Yankee pitcher as noone is confused as to whether Fister or Scherzer was a better pitcher this year. I think Fister pitched fine in game 5. Cano went deep his 3rd time up, I'm not sure who else was rocking him 2nd and 3rd time through last night.

That makes sense. A starting pitcher who plays every six days was solely responsible for the team having a torrid August and September. You're right, start molding his bust for Cooperstown.

Halladay and Lee dominated the AL when they pitched there.
I'm sorry, I need to see more from Fister before I could put him in the same paragraph, let alone sentence with the other pitchers mentioned. I'm taking nothing away from the guy, he pitched well. But Joey is right, I just get the feeling that after a couple of times through the order, he will get pounded. The Yanks just did a bad job on getting the timely hit yesterday. He seemed to be up in the zone and that's usually a recipe for disaster.

Great season, great series, couldnt pull it off. Go Dbacks.

Brewers are tough.

Strike out bi.tch.

Go Cards!! Get off the field, Howard. Learn how to hit again in the offseason.

$79 million spent on your starting 5 needs to get you more than a 1st round exit.

A Fisterian performance by Carpenter.

:tro:

People can have the NFL playoffs, etc...

Nothing beats post-season baseball, imo.

The intensity, significance and tension surrounding each and every pitch is really hard to beat.

Didn't Fister give up 6 runs in 4 innings in the 2nd part of game 1? He pitched well last night but lets not forget it took 92 pitches to get through 5 innings.

You keep going back to the line up thing but who exactly is he going to bat ahead of Caberera? They don't exactly have a lot of good options.

Getting a week off in baseball is not an advantage like football.