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Please leave any Icthy picks in the comments below. Remember, we introduced a new grand prize for the contest this season.
9/30/18 Probable Starters
| Name | Team | IP | ERA | FIP | K% | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Team | IP | ERA | FIP | K% | fWAR |
| Sandy Alcántara | Marlins | 27.0 | 4.00 | 5.68 | 16.7% | -0.1 |
| Noah Syndergaard | Mets | 145.1 | 3.22 | 2.86 | 24.3% | 3.8 |
Matchup Summary
Kudos to the Mets for orchestrating a fun atmosphere for David Wright’s final game. The Marlins eventually ran out of competent pitchers, but held the game scoreless until the 13th inning.
Let’s play one more game. Believe it or not, the result matters:
Coming into the season, the Marlins and Tigers both had "nothing to play for."
— Fish Stripes (@fishstripes) September 30, 2018
But today, they fight for 2019 draft position. Marlins lock up No. 4 spot with a loss (Tigers would stay at No. 5). They switch places if Marlins win AND Tigers lose.
Out of respect to the All-Star catcher, Don Mattingly is handing his managerial duties to J.T. Realmuto. It continues Mattingly’s tradition of utilizing “player coaches” in the season finale.
- 2016: manager Martín Prado
2017: manager A.J. Ellis, bench coach Martín Prado, pitching coach Odrisamer Despaigne
- 2018: manager J.T. Realmuto
The gesture also assists the tanking effort—the Marlins have a 11-30 record this season when Realmuto doesn’t start (though he has the option of inserting himself as a pinch-hitter).
Off the field, we have a promising development regarding outfielder Víctor Víctor Mesa, the club’s No. 1 target in international free agency:
Two International Directors think the Mesas are a done deal to Miami https://t.co/DMRU62nk7I
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) September 30, 2018
Some individual accomplishments to watch for on Sunday:
- Lewis Brinson can lift his batting average back above .200 with at least two hits
- The race for the team lead in total bases between Starlin Castro (237) and Brian Anderson (236) comes down to the wire
Final first pitch of 2018 at 3:10 p.m.
Thread Question: What kind of offseason coverage do you want to see from Fish Stripes?