Where's Scully When You Need Her? No, Not Vin Scully

Troy Percival, who admitted to grooving a pitch to Barry Bonds in the ninth inning of game 2, among other pitchers on both teams is now claiming that the baseballs used in the World Series are juiced.

The pitchers claim that the balls feel harder. Tim Worrell, who by the way has never failed the Pepsi Challenge even once, claims that he can identify the World Series balls by feeling them behind his back.

I don't have an actual World Series ball handy (maybe I can borrow the one George Brett caught). So I thought I would do the next best thing, compare the stats from various postseason series over the years to see if this conspiracy theory holds any water. First I created a list of all the series in which there were 10 or more total home runs. Then I averaged the number of home runs per game and runs per game and sorted the list by home runs/game, with the highest at the top. Here's what I found:

Year Series HR G HR/G  R   R/G
2002 WS     11 2 5.50  28 14.00
1995 ALDIV  22 5 4.40  68 13.60
2002 ALDS   16 4 4.00  56 14.00
1996 ALCS   19 5 3.80  46  9.20
1969 NLCS   11 3 3.67  42 14.00
1999 ALDIV  17 5 3.40  79 15.80
1996 ALDIV  13 4 3.25  45 11.25
1995 NLDIV  13 4 3.25  46 11.50
1989 WS     13 4 3.25  46 11.50
1978 NLCS   13 4 3.25  38  9.50
1971 NLCS   13 4 3.25  39  9.75
1998 ALDIV  12 4 3.00  38  9.50
1997 ALDIV  12 4 3.00  34  8.50
1987 ALCS   15 5 3.00  57 11.40
1970 WS     15 5 3.00  53 10.60
1977 WS     17 6 2.83  54  9.00
1953 WS     17 6 2.83  60 10.00
2002 NLCS   14 5 2.80  39  7.80
1932 WS     11 4 2.75  56 14.00
1999 ALCS   13 5 2.60  44  8.80
2002 ALDS   13 5 2.60  53 10.60
1996 ALDIV  10 4 2.50  32  8.00
1928 WS     10 4 2.50  37  9.25
1955 WS     17 7 2.43  57  8.14
2001 ALCS   12 5 2.40  47  9.40
1992 ALCS   14 6 2.33  69 11.50
1997 WS     16 7 2.29  81 11.57
1991 WS     16 7 2.29  53  7.57
1952 WS     16 7 2.29  46  6.57
1989 NLCS   11 5 2.20  52 10.40
1984 NLCS   11 5 2.20  48  9.60
2002 NLDS   11 5 2.20  50 10.00
1998 ALCS   13 6 2.17  47  7.83
1995 WS     13 6 2.17  42  7.00
1993 WS     13 6 2.17  82 13.67
1968 WS     15 7 2.14  61  8.71
1964 WS     15 7 2.14  65  9.29
1957 WS     15 7 2.14  48  6.86
1956 WS     15 7 2.14  58  8.29
1997 ALCS   12 6 2.00  36  6.00
1997 ALDIV  10 5 2.00  45  9.00
1995 ALCS   12 6 2.00  35  5.83
1993 NLCS   12 6 2.00  56  9.33
1989 ALCS   10 5 2.00  47  9.40
1984 WS     10 5 2.00  40  8.00
1983 WS     10 5 2.00  27  5.40
1981 WS     12 6 2.00  49  8.17
1961 WS     10 5 2.00  40  8.00
1960 WS     14 7 2.00  82 11.71
1986 ALCS   13 7 1.86  71 10.14
1975 WS     13 7 1.86  59  8.43
1967 WS     13 7 1.86  46  6.57
1958 WS     13 7 1.86  54  7.71
1980 WS     11 6 1.83  50  8.33
1959 WS     11 6 1.83  44  7.33
1936 WS     11 6 1.83  66 11.00
2000 ALCS   11 6 1.83  49  8.17
1996 NLCS   12 7 1.71  62  8.86
1986 WS     12 7 1.71  60  8.57
1925 WS     12 7 1.71  51  7.29
2001 WS     12 7 1.71  51  7.29
1923 WS     10 6 1.67  47  7.83
1992 NLCS   11 7 1.57  55  7.86
1987 NLCS   11 7 1.57  46  6.57
1965 WS     11 7 1.57  44  6.29
1889 WS     13 9 1.44 125 13.89
1971 WS     10 7 1.43  47  6.71

So far, this World Series has had the most homers per game ever by a hefty margin (1.1 HR/G) and it is also tied for second in runs per game (the 1999 AL division series between the Red Sox and the Indians was the highest at 15.80). But two things: A) We are only talking about two games here. And those games were in the higher scoring stadium of the two. Pac Bell may be a completely different story. And B) those numbers are not totally out of line with postseason baseball scoring in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Yankees-Angels division series earlier this month had very similar numbers. Why didn't the Angels pitchers complain in that round (maybe because the outhomered the Yanks)?

Conspiracy theorists may be having a field day with this, but even if it were true, as long as the balls that they are using are the same for both teams, what's the difference? One could argue that a livelier ball favors the Giants who are more of a long-ball club. However, the seeing-eye singles and gap doubles that the Angels are known for can only be aided by a livelier ball. I would by no means put it past the Mr. Burns of baseball, Bud Selig, to try to create excitement with a juiced ball. I just think that it would be highly unlikely, and until we have a few more games the statistical evidence is sketchy at best.