Misleading comparison of Dodgers and SF Giants playoff pitching omits key detail

The Los Angeles Dodgers are currently cruising through the MLB playoffs much to the chagrin of SF Giants fans. To make matters worse, a prominent baseball social media account made an erroneous post comparing Dodgers playoff starters to Giants ones.

The Talkin' Baseball account took to social media with this beauty that can be viewed here. The text of the post reads: "The Dodgers are the first team to have two starters go eight or more innings in consecutive postseason games in one series since Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum pitched Games 4-5 for the Giants in the 2010 World Series."

Dodgers playoff starters are not like SF Giants during dynasty years

The post compares Bumgarner and Lincecum to Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto who both went eight innings in back-to-back games for the Dodgers in the NLCS. It is no doubt impressive that those two pitchers did that, but it is important to remember one thing:

The Dodgers threw ungodly sums of money at both of those players while the Giants developed Lincecum and Bumgarner through the farm system.

There were many aspects of San Francisco's dynasty that were remarkable, but the sheer amount of homegrown talent that contributed to those World Series titles is insane. On the pitching front alone, Lincecum, Bumgarner, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Brian Wilson, Sergio Romo were all key parts of that first title just to name some.

Paradoxically, the Dodgers have very little homegrown talent on their roster. Catcher Will Smith, outfielder Andy Pages, and Clayton Kershaw are just a few who spring to mind but the Dodgers cannot even trust Kershaw in the playoffs.

Even if the Dodgers win the World Series this season to get back-to-back titles, there is a cheapness to it despite all of the money the team possesses. How satisfying is it for a team to simply buy championships with a roster that is loaded with Hall of Fame players who began their careers with different teams?

Like the city of Los Angeles itself, the success of the team lacks any sort of soul. It's just another big-budget blockbuster that nobody likes except studio executives.

The Giants' championships had soul and heart and actually meant something because they were comprised of exciting young talents like Lincecum and Buster Posey or grizzled veterans other teams had given up on like Pat Burrell and eventually oddball freaks who played with heart and passion like Hunter Pence.

It is well and good to compare the accomplishments of Dodgers and Giants pitchers in the playoffs, but it is important to remember that they are not the same because the Dodgers' championship teams have been built in a much different fashion than San Francisco's championship teams were built.