MIAMI -- It’s an accepted tenet of sports analytics that success in close games is fickle and difficult to repeat, whether it be from week to week, month to month or season to season.
The ultimate recent baseball example is that of the 2012-13 Baltimore Orioles. In the first year, the O’s went an incredible 29-9 in one-run games, a .763 winning percentage that set an all-time MLB record. That success in the clutch pushed Baltimore to a 93-69 record and its first postseason berth since the turn of the century.
But in the following year, the Orioles plummeted to 20-31 in one-run results and missed the playoffs with an 85-77 record. This happened despite seven of the 2012 team's top 12 players in Wins Above Replacement repeating that feat in ’13.
Login
Not subscribed yet? Click below for access to all content:
