Okay, imagine Mohammad Ali in his prime. He steps into the ring. His opponent is a five-year-old girl. You are in Vegas. You place a bet on that fight. Say, $10 million dollars to win.

Nobody in the civilized world would question that.

Last night, Jordan Lyles beat Garrit Cole. 

Jordan Lyles, who is statistically one of the worst starting pitchers in all of baseball. Who came into the game with an embarrassing ERA of 6.63. Who led all of major league baseball in earned runs given up in 2020. Who would not be in the rotation of about 25 other teams. He was the winning pitcher.

Against Garrit Cole. Who has finished in the top five in Cy Young voting four time in his nine-year career. Who came into the game with an ERA more than five points lower than Lyles’s. Who was statistically the best pitcher in all of major league baseball. He was the losing pitcher.

It’s cats and dogs marrying. It might be the most unlikely outcome in a baseball game in baseball game history.

But it’s the perfect example of what’s been said here thousands of time. Baseball makes no sense. 

Jordan Lyles outdueled Garrit Cole. It is the biggest upset since US Hockey beat the Soviets. Since Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson. Since Austin Bibens-Dirkx outdueled Max Scherzer. 

Baseball makes no sense. You can bet the house on that.

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TODAY’S GAME: