First Game: Red Sox at Astros, 11:00 AM PT, TV: FS1
The Red Sox ask LHP Drew Pomeranz (17-6, 3.32 ERA) to stop the Astros in his first playoff start. He appeared out of the bullpen for the Sox last year. The ‘Stros counter with LHP Dallas Keuchel (14-5, 2.90 ERA). Pomeranz beat the Astros last Sunday, allowing three hits and one run in six innings. Keuchel has faced the Red Sox three times in his career, two of them starts, and has a 9.88 ERA to show for it.
Second Game: Yankees at Indians, 2:00 PM PT, TV: MLBN (subject to blackout)
The Yankees ask hulking LHP C.C. Sabathia (14-5, 3.69 ERA) to throw a spanner into the Indians’ works in Game Two. He’ll face Cy Young Award front-runner RHP Corey Kluber (18-4, 2.25 ERA), whose record since June 1 is startling: 15-2 with a 1.62 ERA in 23 starts. This is a storyline the writers like: former Indians ace Sabathia (c. 2008) versus current ace Kluber. Kluber started against the Yankees twice in August and gave up just three runs on six hits with 18 strikeouts in 17 innings. Sabathia made 27 starts this year but didn’t face the Indians. He has a ton of postseason experience: he’s made 18 starts and gone 9-5 with a 4.53 ERA.
On this date in baseball history Babe Ruth became the first man to hit three HRs in a single game in the World Series in 1926. He did it again in 1928. In 1945 William Stanis cursed the Cubs because they wouldn’t allow his ticket-holding billy goat Murphy into Wrigley Field for Game Four of the World Series. October 6 is also the anniversary of “the midge game” in Cleveland, when rookie reliever Joba Chamberlain was so distracted by the bugs that he threw a wild pitch which allowed the Indians to tie Game Two of the ALDS in 2007.
Indians give up two-base error in top of 11th, promptly pick Yankee runner off there.
On to the tenth.
Hey, look at this. The Indians have tied up the game 8-8 on a Bruce HR in the 8th.
8-3 Yankees laugher just became 8-7 in the 6th on a grand slam by Lindor.
NPUT
Indians immediately tie game in the bottom of the first.
And lose their most dangerous hitter to an injury.
2-0 Yankees after the top of the first. Sanchez HR after a Judge walk.
As usual, AL baseball is boring.
Man, I hadn’t thought of the Astros as power hitters, but they’ve got a 2-run lead on a Correa dinger with Altuve aboard.
2nd to the Yanks in the AL dinger-wise.
Dodger roster due out by end of hour. Remember almost crying one year when Pee Wee didn’t make it.
And here it is. No Ryu for this round and no González either.
The NLDS post will go up later. It’ll have both the Nats-Cubs and Dodgers-Diamondbacks games included.
Not surprising. AGone shutdown for year and Wood named to start game 4.
The designated runner didn’t make it. I was thinking they would have wanted to get him some competitive experience before debuting him in the postseason.
Was that the A’s who had such a runner and he was immediately picked off in a playoff game?
Yep. Herb Washington. Picked off by Mike Marshall of the Dodgers in the 1974 WS.
The Master of Links strikes again!
Now if they would only dump the DH…
Got one SB, no? Best to have Farmer so that Grande and Austin are not stuck to the bench when not catching.