A reader writes:

Every time I see things like “That puts [Bernie Williams] one behind Mantle for the Yankee record.” I get frustrated. I think that by including Division Series statistics, we are doing a great disservice to the ballplayers who never got to play in additional postseason series. I think that all postseason statistics should be presented for what they are. How many hits does Derek Jeter have in postseason play if you only include LCS & WS games? How many HRs does Bernie have if you remove the Division Series games? Batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage… all these are relevant comparisons, perhaps even slanted in favor of the old-time ballplayers. Accumulated statistics lose relevance when the number of postseason chances is greater now than ever before. It’s like comparing football statistics from the era of 12-game seasons vs. 16-game seasons. Of course you’ll get more hits, runs, RBIs, HRs if you play an extra 5 games every year.
— Barron Sopchak

This is a legitimate argument. My reply to Brarron:

Barron,
Thanks for reading. What you say is very true. Mantle hit his HR in many fewer games. But I’m not trying to decieve anyone. I trust that my readers are as smart as you, and realize the difference between eras.
Take care,
David

I suppose when we do counting stats in the future, it would be helpful to put in an average stat to go with it. For example, if you look at post-season AB/HR, Ruth is best all time at 8.6, while Mantle ranks 13th at 12.78 and Williams isn’t in the top 25.