Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

Jun 02

Game 51, 2022

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Mets at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: SNY, SPNLA

RHP Taijuan Walker (3-0, 2.83 ERA) pitches for the Mets; RHP Tony Gonsolin (5-0, 1.80 ERA) does the same for the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1995 Hideo Nomo, limiting the Mets to one run on two hits in 8+ innings of work, picks up his first major league win, a 2-1 decision at Dodger Stadium. L.A. signed the 26 year-old former Japanese All-Star in the off-season.
  • 2021 On the date that marked the beginning of his streak in 1925 and his death of ALS 16 years later in 1941, MLB celebrates the inaugural Lou Gehrig Day, continuing a tradition that began a few seasons ago with the reading of his “I am the luckiest person on Earth” speech. In addition to raising money to find a cure for the dreaded disease, every team will display “4-ALS” logos highlighting the Hall of Famer’s jersey number with players, managers, and coaches wearing a special commemorative patch on their uniforms.

In another game of note, in 2010 after retiring 26 consecutive Cleveland batters, Tigers starter Armando Galarraga appears to have hurled the season’s third perfect game when the throw from the first baseman to the pitcher, covering the bag, clearly beats the batter-runner for the final out. Umpire Jim Joyce emphatically calls Jason Donald safe. After seeing the replay, the first base arbiter tearfully admits his error, apologizing to the 28 year-old Venezuelan pitcher for his blown call.

Lineups when available.

Jun 01

Game 50, 2022

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Pirates at Dodgers, 5:10 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet PIT, SPNLA

LHP José Quintana (1-2, 2.15 ERA) pitches for the Buccaneers this afternoon; he’ll face the Dodgers’ RHP Mitch White (1-0, 4.60 ERA). Quintana gave up two hits and no runs to the Dodgers in a win on May 9. White is making his third start of the season, pressed into duty by the absence of Kershaw and Heaney and Anderson’s emergence as a starter.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1955 Duke Snider blasts three home runs in the Dodgers’ 11-8 win over Milwaukee. Jackie Robinson, Pee Wee Reese, and Roy Campanella also go deep in the Ebbets Field’s contest, helping Brooklyn set a franchise record with six home runs.
  • 1962 In the nightcap of a twin bill at Shibe Park, Don Drysdale beats the Phillies for the 13th consecutive time, continuing a streak which started in 1958. The Dodger right-hander, however, will drop his next seven decisions against Philadelphia after today’s victory.
  • 1997 When Wilton Guerrero scurries to pick up pieces of his shattered bat after grounding out to start the game, home plate ump Steve Ripley becomes suspicious and discovers that the rookie used an altered bat. The Dodgers second baseman is immediately ejected from the game by crew chief Bruce Froemming, and the 21 year-old infielder will also receive an eight-day suspension and a $1,000 fine for his use of a corked bat.

Lineups when available.

May 31

Game 49, 2022

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Pirates at Dodgers, 4:10 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet PIT, SPNLA

The visitors hand the ball to RHP Mitch Keller (1-2, 5.57 ERA); he’ll face the Dodgers’ LHP Julio Urías (2-3, 2.39 ERA). Keller lost his first five starts before winning two weeks ago. Urías went six innings against the Pirates on May 9, gave up eleven hits but just two runs and still took the loss.

On this day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1937 In Game 1 of a Memorial Day doubleheader, Carl Hubbell’s consecutive-game winning streak, compiled over two seasons, ends at 24 when the Dodgers, led by Babe Phelps’ 5-for-6 performance, defeat the Giants at the Polo Grounds, 10-3. ‘King Carl’ is honored between games when the southpaw is presented with the National League’s 1936 MVP Award by Babe Ruth.
  • 1948 Tommy Lasorda, best known as the Dodgers’ Hall of Fame skipper, strikes out 25 batters and collects the game-winning hit when the Schenectady Blue Jays defeat the Amsterdam Rugmakers, 6-5, in 15 innings. The promising southpaw, who goes the distance in the CanAm minor-league contest played in McNearney Stadium, believes he probably threw more than 300 pitches during the game.
  • 1965 For the first time in history, an all-switch-hitting infield starts a big league game. In the nightcap of a twin bill, the Dodgers, with Wes Parker at first base, Jim Lefebvre at second, Maury Wills at shortstop, and Jim Gilliam at third, lose to the visiting Reds, 6-1.
  • 1968 Don Drysdale’s shutout streak stays intact when home plate umpire Harry Wendelstedt rules that Dick Dietz, who is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, did not make an attempt to get out of the way of the right-hander’s delivery. The Giants catcher finishes the at-bat by popping up, and the next two batters also make outs to give ‘Big D” his fifth straight shutout, tying a major league established by White Sox hurler Doc White in 1904.
  • 2001 The Red Sox finally beat the Yankees in their eighth attempt, and for the first time in over a year since Pedro Martinez scoffed at the ‘Curse’. The right-hander was 7-1 with a 1.44 ERA when he said, “Wake up the Bambino and let me face him — I’ll drill him in the “%#$,” but after the comment he managed only seven more winless starts, making it first time he did not win in seven straight starts since the first seven major league appearances as a rookie with the Dodgers.
  • 2012 With their 6-2 victory, the Brewers beat LA at Chavez Ravine for the fourth consecutive day, making the Brew Crew the first visiting team to sweep a four-game series since the Rockies accomplished the feat in August, 1993. The victories also mark the first time the franchise has ever swept the Dodgers.

Lineups when available.

May 30

Game 48, 2022

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Pirates at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet Pittsburgh, MLBN (out-of-market only), SPNLA

RHP Zach Thompson (2-4, 5.50 ERA) goes for the Buccos and RHP Walker Buehler (6-1, 2.91 ERA) does the same for the Dodgers. Thompson lost three of his four starts in April but went 2-1 in May. Buehler was 2-1 in April and 4-0 in May.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1946 In Boston’s 10-8 victory over the Dodgers, Bama Rowell’s long drive hits the Bulova clock located above the right field scoreboard, making the left-fielder the first major leaguer to reach the famous landmark at Ebbets Field. The crushing four-bagger, that shatters the face of the clock causing glass to cascade onto Dodgers right fielder Dixie Walker, is believed to be the inspiration for author Bernard Malamud having Roy Hobbs, the hero of his 1952 novel “The Natural,” belt a similar home run, which also rains glass over the diamond.
  • 1962 Frank Thomas strokes a double off Sandy Koufax in the Mets’ 13-6 loss to Los Angeles, extending his franchise mark of consecutive games with a hit to 18 for the expansion team. The streak, which will be only one shy of Maury Wills’ league-leading total for the season, is halted when the New York left fielder goes 0-for-4 in the nightcap of the Dodgers’ sweep at the Polo Grounds.
  • 1986 In a 6-4 loss to the Dodgers at Three Rivers Stadium, future home run king Barry Bonds goes 0-for-5 in his major league debut. The Pirates center fielder, batting leadoff, strikes out three times.

Lineups when available.

May 29

Game 47, 2022

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 1:00 PM PDT, BS Arizona, BS Arizona Extra, SPNLA

The Dodgers’ LHP Tyler Anderson (5-0, 3.30 ERA) meets RHP Zach Davies (2-2, 4.81 ERA) of the D-Backs. Anderson is one of a very few pitchers with five or more wins and no losses at this point in the season. Davies has been slumping; in his last three starts he’s given up three, five and four runs and gone no more than 5 2/3 innings just once in that span.

On this date in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1905 According to legend, Dodger hurler Elmer Stricklett introduces the spitball, helping Brooklyn to beat the Giants, 4-3. Prior to the 1921 season, the spitball will be totally banned, except for 17 existing spitballers who are allowed to keep throwing the slippery pitch legally until they are retired, including Burleigh Grimes, who will be the last player to legally throw a doctored pitch before retiring in 1934.
  • 1928 At Ebbets Field, Bill Terry hits for the cycle to pace the Giants to a 12-5 victory over the Robins (Dodgers). The New York first baseman is the first player in major league history to include a grand slam as part of the cycle.
  • 1956 In a 10-1 loss to the Dodgers at Forbes Field, Dale Long is held hitless by Don Newcombe, ending his consecutive-game home run streak. The Pirates’ first baseman had established a new major league mark by homering in the last eight Pittsburgh contests.
  • 1979 At Dodger Stadium, Dusty Baker, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Garvey, Gary Thomasson, Derrel Thomas, Joe Ferguson, and Davey Lopes set a team record by hitting seven home runs as the Dodgers crush the Reds, 17-6.
  • 2000 At the age of 104, Fred Roberts, the oldest living Dodger fan, makes his first visit to Dodger Stadium. Wearing a jersey with the number 104, the World War I veteran cheers as Shawn Green’s sixth inning grand slam helps to beat Al Leiter and the Mets, 4-1.

Lineups when available.

May 28

Game 46, 2022

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 4:15 PM PDT, TV: FOX

RHP Tony Gonsolin (4-0, 1.62 ERA) gets the ball for the Dodgers and RHP Merrill Kelly (3-2, 3.49 ERA) gets it for the D-Backs. Gonsolin has already won as many games this season as he’s ever won in a single big league season. Kelly has the idential record so far this season as he had in all of the Covid-shortened year of 2020.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1957 Walter O’Malley and Horace Stoneham are given permission by the National League to negotiate deals with cities on the West Coast, with the proviso that the future location of their respective clubs, the Dodgers and the Giants, be known by October 1. The Brooklyn and New York owners both deny there is any significance to the unanimous vote other than being given an opportunity to explore all the available options for their possible relocation of their clubs.
  • 1969 The day after he becomes a father, Randy Hundley hits a grand slam and a double, driving in five runs in Chicago’s 9-8 victory over San Francisco at Candlestick Park. The eight-pound, four-ounce baby boy named Todd will follow in his dad’s footsteps, becoming a major league catcher, receiving for the Mets, Dodgers, and the Cubs.
  • 1989 With runners on second and third, no outs, and the Mets and Dodgers tied at 3-3 in the 12th inning, home plate umpire Bob Davidson calls a balk against Roger McDowell which scores the winning run in the Chavez Ravine contest. Dave Anderson is waved home when the New York reliever fails to pause and make a discernible stop.
  • 2001 In an 11-inning slugfest with Colorado, LA catcher Paul Lo Duca goes 6-for-6 in the team’s 11-10 victory at Dodger Stadium. The backstop’s five singles and a three-run homer tie a National League record for hits in an extra-inning game.
  • 2011 The game between Los Angeles and Florida continues as fans in a section of the upper deck seats at Dodger Stadium are evacuated due to a small fire in a nearby storage area. With plumes of smoke visible coming from the top level of the ballpark on the first base side, the crowd is informed by the public address announcer that it will not be necessary to evacuate the entire stadium.

Lineups when available.

May 27

Game 45, 2022

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: BS Arizona, BS Arizona Extra, SPNLA

RHP Ryan Pepiot (0-0, 3.86 ERA) makes his third start for the Dodgers, facing LHP Madison Bumgarner (2-2, 2.76 ERA). Pepiot has given up 3 hits and 3 runs in his earlier starts. Bumgarner faced the Dodgers on May 16, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits over 5 innings and taking the loss.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1904 In the team’s 3-1 victory over the Superbas at the Polo Grounds, Giants first baseman Dan McGann steals five bases to establish a major league record. The 32-year-old Kentucky native’s mark will be surpassed in 1912 by A’s second baseman Eddie Collins who will swipe six bags in a game twice during the season.

Lineups when available.

May 26

Game 44, 2022

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 6:40 PM PDT, TV: BS Arizona, SPNLA

RHP Mitch White (1-0, 6.17 ERA) makes his second start and seventh appearance overall for the Dodgers tonight. He’ll face RHP Humberto Castellanos (3-1, 4.29 ERA) of the D-Backs. Castellanos has been neither fish nor fowl in his big league career; he’s made 31 appearances in his two-plus years in the majors, 14 of them starts.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 2015 Clayton Kershaw pitched seven innings of four-hit ball and the Dodgers scored six runs in the fourth inning on doubles by Howie Kendrick, Andre Ethier and A.J. Ellis and went on to beat the Atlanta Braves 8-0.

Also, a very famous game took place on this date in 1959: Pirates’ hurler Harvey Haddix pitches 12 perfect innings but loses 1-0 to the Braves in the 13th inning. The heart-breaking winning run scores on a Don Hoak error, a sacrifice, a walk, and a two-bagger by Joe Adcock. To add insult to injury,

In 1991, the Committee for Statistical Accuracy in Baseball announced that a no-hitter would be redefined as “a game in which a pitcher or pitchers complete a game of nine innings or more without allowing a hit,” meaning Haddix’s gem no longer qualified. When he was made aware that one of the greatest games ever pitched no longer had a place in the record books, his response was simple: “It’s OK. I know what I did.”

Lineups when available.

May 24

Game 42, 2022

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Dodgers at Nationals, 4:05 PM PDT, TV: MASN 2, SPNLA

RHP Walker Buehler (5-1, 2.89 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers this afternoon; he’ll face RHP Josiah Gray (4-3, 4.36 ERA) of the Nats. Buehler’s record is sparkling but he says he’s not yet “attacking the strike zone” as he has in prior seasons. This is Gray’s second season in the league; he’s never faced the Dodgers before.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1941 ‘Big Poison’ Paul Waner is signed by the Braves after being released by Brooklyn. The former Dodger joins his brother ‘Little Poison’ Lloyd on the Boston roster.
  • 1947 Carl Furillo hits a three-run homer as a pinch-hitter in the first frame of the Dodgers’ 4-3 ten-inning loss to Philadelphia at Ebbets Field. The unusual substitution occurs when Phillies manager Ben Chapman uses his right-handed starter Al Jurisch to pitch only to Brooklyn’s first two hitters, Pee Wee Reese and Jackie Robinson, and then brings in southpaw Oscar Judd, who had been warming up from the start of the game, to face the next three lefty hitters, Pete Reiser, Dixie Walker, and Gene Hermanski, the batter replaced by Furillo.
  • 1973 In a 19-inning marathon, LA outfielder Willie Davis collects six hits in a 7-3 loss to the Mets at Dodger Stadium. The two clubs establish a National League mark by hitting into a combined nine double plays.
  • 2000 Sixteen Dodger players and three coaches are suspended by the commissioner’s office for going into the stands during the Wrigley Field scuffle with fans on May 16. The suspensions totaling 60 games for players and 24 games for coaches are the harshest penalties ever handed down by major league baseball.

Lineups when available.

May 23

Game 41, 2022

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Dodgers at Nationals, 4:05 PM PDT, TV: MASN 2, MLBN (out-of-market only), SPNLA

LHP Tyler Anderson (4-0, 4.04 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers; he’ll face RHP Joan Adon (1-7, 6.38 ERA). While Anderson is off to an excellent start this season, Adon is obviously not. He has had three starts in which he gave up six, five and four runs in fewer than five innings each time.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 2002 Shawn Green hits four home runs in one game to become the 14th player in major league history, the second this month, to accomplish the feat. The Dodger right fielder’s 6-for-6 performance in Milwaukee’s Miller Park, which also includes a single and double, breaks Joe Adcock’s 1954 mark for total bases by one, with a total of 19. In the same game the Dodgers set a franchise mark when the team hits eight homers in one contest, bashing the Brewers, 16-3. Shawn Green’s four round-trippers accounts for half of the record-breaking barrage with Brian Jordan, Hiram Bocachica, Adrian Beltre, and Dave Hansen also contributing four-baggers in the Miller Park contest.

Lineups when available.