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The first three rounds of the 2023 MLB playoffs are complete and the World Series awaits. With lots of extra attention on the individual games here in the next week and a half, I feel it incumbent upon myself to discuss something of vital importance: small ball vs. the long ball. 

As we've already seen the past several weeks -- and it'll only get more intense in the World Series -- a lot of people out there like to lecture baseball viewers and listeners about how much more important it is to, for example, bunt runners over than to hit the ball out of the park. It's especially hilarious when a man who hit 696 home runs and laid down 16 sac bunts in his career does it. I would say something like "I have no idea why this persists," but I have a theory. 

I think it goes back to our Little League days. Adults have the responsibility to teach the kids that they shouldn't be trying to hit a home run. An 11-year-old trying to hit a homer is a terrible formula. It's much better to teach contact hitting and station-to-station baseball at that age. Plus, when it comes to sac bunts, teaching kids about the nobility of the sacrifice just feels good on a moral level. 

This carries over into a general feeling when watching Major League Baseball that somehow it's more noble to have a rally that includes two singles, a sac bunt and then another single to plate two, whereas there's a subtle little negative connotation thrown on a walk and home run scoring two runs all the same. 

We can argue until we're blue in the face whether or not a big-league hitter should be "trying to hit a home run" -- any player with power should be trying to drive the ball in the air and that could be construed as trying to hit a home run -- but something that is inarguable in playoff baseball is that the team hitting more home runs in a game almost always wins. 

We do this every year and I'm back to provide the receipts. 

Heading into the World Series, the team with more home runs in a game has gone 21-4 in the playoffs so far. Keep your nobility. I'll take the quickest route to scoring the most runs, which is how you win games. 

Here's a rundown of each series by the home run. 

League Championship Series

Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 3

The Phillies outhomered the D-backs, 3-1, in Game 1 and won. They obviously hit more homers in the Game 2 bloodbath. No one homered in Game 3. In Game 4 it was even with one each and then the Phillies hit three to the Diamondbacks' one in Game 5. The D-backs hit two homers to the Phillies' zero in Game 6. Game 7 was an outlier with the Alec Bohm homer for Philly and the Diamondbacks putting together a hit parade. Those can happen! They are just really rare in the playoffs due to the better pitching. 

Team with more home runs: 4-1

Rangers 4, Astros 3

The Rangers homered in Game 1 and the Astros didn't. Game 2 was an outlier with the Astros homering twice and losing! Same with the Rangers and Game 3! Homers were a push in Game 4 and Game 5. In Game 6, the Rangers took control with three homers while the Astros didn't muster any. Obviously, the Rangers homered more in their blowout Game 7 win. 

Team with more home runs: 3-2

Divisional Round

Phillies 3, Braves 1

Game 1, the Phillies had a homer and the Braves didn't. Game 2, the Phillies hit one, but the game swung on two two-run shots by the Braves. In Game 3, the Phillies hit six homers to the Braves' zero. Game 4 was all solo homers, with the Phillies winning 3-1. 

Team with more home runs: 4-0

Diamondbacks 3, Dodgers 0

In Game 1, the D-backs homered more times than the Dodgers even scored. In Game 2, the HR count was 1-1. In Game 3, the Dodgers scored two runs on seven hits while the Diamondbacks were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. And yet they won. Why? Four solo homers. 

Team with more home runs: 2-0

Astros 3, Twins 1

Game 1, the Astros hit three homers to the Twins' two. In Game 2, they each hit one. The Game 3 bloodbath had three Astros homers and zero from the Twins. The Astros went 3 for 14 with runners in scoring position and scored nine runs. How? They hit the ball out of the ballpark! In Game 4, both teams hit two homers. 

Team with more home runs: 2-0

Rangers 3, Orioles 0

In Game 1, each team homered once. In Game 2, the Orioles hit two homers while the Rangers hit one. It was a grand slam, but still, the Rangers won a game in which they were outhomered. How'd they do it? Well, it wasn't small ball. They had zero sacrifices. They were also handed 11 walks and singled nine times. It was an outlier game. Game 3 wasn't. The Rangers homered three times to the Orioles' zero and cruised to a win. 

Team with more home runs: 1-1

Divisional round tally: The team with more home runs in a game went 9-1 in the 14 games.

Wild Card Series

Phillies 2, Marlins 0

Neither team homered in Game 1 while the Phillies hit two in Game 2. This was a mismatch anyway, so there isn't really much need to break it down. 

Team with more home runs: 1-0

Diamondbacks 2, Brewers 0

In Game 1, the Brewers hit a home run. The Diamondbacks hit three. The Brewers had several rallies after losing the lead and couldn't break through, leaving 11 men on base. Seems like a home run would've been a game-changer. In Game 2, the D-backs homered once while the Brewers didn't. The Brewers left nine men on base. 

Team with more home runs: 2-0

Twins 2, Blue Jays 0

The Blue Jays outhit the Twins, but left nine men on base in Game 1 while the Twins got all three runs on a pair of Royce Lewis homers. In Game 2, there were only two runs scored and no home runs. The Jays again left nine on base and sure could've used a bomb.

Team with more home runs: 1-0

Rangers 2, Rays 0

There were no home runs in Game 1. Seems like an early Rays blast might've alleviated some of whatever pressure they were feeling that caused them to forget how to play defense. The Rangers hit two homers in Game 2 to the Rays' zero. 

Team with more home runs: 1-0

Wild Card Series tally: The team that hit more home runs than the other went 5-0 in eight games.

Conclusion

Whichever team you want to win the World Series, hope they hit more home runs. That's the formula. Pointing and laughing at people who think "small ball" is the key is optional, but encouraged.