Category Archives: Game Threads

For discussion of today’s game

Oct 15

ALCS Game Five, 2020

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Rays vs Astros, 3:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Rays lead the series 3-1 and can end it today. They’ll send RHP John Curtiss out to “open” the game and hope he can go several innings before they initiate a parade of relievers. The Astros send RHP Luis Garcia out in an all-hands-on-deck game; he’s a rookie who had never pitched above Class A until this year. He hasn’t pitched since September 27 (1/3 of an inning) and hasn’t gone more than two innings since he went five on September 9 in his second MLB game.

Events which involve the Rays’ that took place on this date in baseball history all had to do with MLB deciding which division to put them in after expansion. The Astros’ have one slightly more exciting episode: in 1986 in the longest postseason game ever played to that point (4 hours and 42 minutes), the Mets clinch their third National League crown, beating Houston in sixteen innings at the Astrodome, 7-6. Trailing 3-0, Lenny Dykstra and Ray Knight spark a ninth-inning rally, which sends the game into extra innings. [The Dodgers – Astros 2017 World Series Game Five went ten innings and lasted 5:17.]

Oct 14

ALCS Game Four, 2020

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Rays vs Astros, 5:40 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Rays are up 3-0 and can close the series with a win today. They’ll try to do it with RHP Tyler Glasnow, who’s 2-0 with a 4.05 ERA in three postseason starts this year. He’s struck out 20 in the 13 1/3 innings he’s worked in those games. He’ll face veteran RHP Zack Greinke, who ignored arm soreness and worked 4 2/3 innings in Game Four of the ALDS against the As, giving up four runs in the process. Greinke’s only gotten past the fourth inning twice in the postseason since he pitched for the Dodgers in 2015.

Oct 14

NLCS Game Three, 2020

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Dodgers at Braves, 3:08 PM PDT, TV: FS1

The Dodgers become the visitors today, and they’ll send LHP Julio Urias out to put a stop to the Braves’ two-game winning streak. He’ll face RHP Kyle Wright. Urias is 2-0 in this postseason, getting a win in long relief against the Brewers in the first Wild Card game and then going five innings against the Padres after May had opened the game. Wright threw six scoreless innings in the Braves’ clinching game of the NLDS against the Marlins.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1978 In the sixth inning of Game 4, Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda argues unsuccessfully that the umpires should call interference on Reggie Jackson when a throw from Dodger shortstop Bill Russell caroms off his hip near first base, allowing Thurman Munson to score from second. New York eventually overcomes a three-run deficit with a 4-3 walk-off victory in ten innings at the Bronx ballpark, tying the World Series at two games apiece.

  • 1985 “Go crazy, folks, go crazy.” – JACK BUCK, Cardinals broadcaster’s reaction to Ozzie Smith’s unlikely home run during the 1985 NLCS against Dodgers.

    Ozzie Smith provides one of the most memorable moments in Cardinals history by hitting a dramatic homer to win Game 5 of the NLCS. The round-tripper was the first left-handed home run of the Wizard’s career, which spans 3009 major league at-bats.

    Lineups when available.

    Braves lineup:

    Dodgers’ lineup:

Oct 13

ALCS Game Three, 2020

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Rays vs Astros, 5:40 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Rays lead the series 2-0.

The Rays will send LHP Ryan Yarbrough to the hill to face the Astros’ RHP Jose Urquidy. This will be Yarbrough’s first postseason start; he went five innings in Game Four against the Yankees in the ALDS and gave up two runs on six hits. Urquidy has made two starts this postseason, going 4 1/3 innings in each. In his ALDS start he gave up four solo HRs to the As.

Oct 13

NLCS Game Two, 2020

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Braves vs Dodgers, 3:05 PM PDT, TV: FS1

The Braves give the ball to rookie RHP Ian Anderson, who made his first appearance in the big leagues on August 26. He went 3-2 in the regular season and has improved on that once the postseason began, going 2-0 and allowing no runs at all in 11 2/3 innings. The Dodgers had planned to ask LHP Clayton Kershaw to get them even, but back spasms have intervened. They will send RHP Tony Gonsolin to the mound instead. This will be the first postseason appearance of his career.

Here’s the rest of the story of Kershaw’s back and the Dodgers’ plans for the rotation.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1974 Herb Washington, representing the tying run in the top of the ninth, is picked off first base by Dodger closer Mike Marshall for the second out of Game 2, the only contest the A’s will lose in the Fall Classic. The world-class sprinter, who will never have a plate appearance in his brief 105-game career, was selected by Oakland owner Charlie Finley to become the team’s “designated runner,” a position that doesn’t exist with any other major league club.

    Lineups when available.

    Braves’ lineup:

    Dodgers’ lineup:

Oct 12

NLCS Game One, 2020

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Braves vs Dodgers, 5:08 PM PDT, TV:Fox. All this Series’ games will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX.

MLB has a position-by-position preview and analysis of the two teams.

The Dodgers give RHP Walker Buehler the ball for Game One, just as they’ve done for the previous two series. He hasn’t gone past four innings in either of his previous two starts and hasn’t thrown more than 95 pitches in a game since 2019. He’ll face LHP Max Fried, who won Game One of the Wild Card Series for the Braves, beating the Reds, but gave up four runs in four innings against the Marlins in the NLDS. The Braves win behind him, though: they’re 12-1 in his starts this year.

Edwin Ríos and Alex Wood have been added to the 28-man roster for the NLCS. Gavin Lux and Terrance Gore were dropped to make room.

This day in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1916 In front of record crowd of 43,620 fans at Braves Field, Red Sox right-hander Ernie Shore three-hits the Robins in Game 5 of the World Series, 4-1, to capture the team’s fourth World Championship in the 13-year history of the Fall Classic. Boston, as it did last season, plays its Fall Classic home games in their crosstown National League rival’s larger ballpark, which allows more fans to attend the game than if the contest had held at Fenway Park.
  • 1920 At Cleveland’s League Park, the Indians’ hurler Stan Coveleski blanks the Robins, 3-0, to win the 1920 World Series. The Tribe, en route to the franchise’s first World Championship, wins the best of nine series five games to 2.
  • 1948 The Yankees surprise their fans and a skeptical press when they name Casey Stengel to replace Bucky Harris as the team’s manager. In his previous stints as the skipper with the National League’s Braves and Dodgers, the ‘Old Perfesser’ had never finished higher than fifth place.
  • 1949 Vin Scully, working his first broadcast ever, does the play-by-play when Maryland defeats Boston University at Fenway Park, 14-13. The football assignment marks the start of a 67-year career in the broadcast booth for the Hall of Fame baseball announcer, who becomes the iconic voice of the Dodgers.

Lineups when available.

Braves’ lineup:

Dodgers’ lineup:

Oct 12

ALCS Game Two, 2020

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Astros vs Rays, 1:07 PDT, TV: TBS

RHP Lance McCullers goes for the Astros and RHP Charlie Morton, former Astro, pitches for the Rays. McCullers started Game One of the ALDS and was pushed around by the As, giving up five runs including three home runs in four innings. Despite that, the Astros won the game. Morton started Game Three of the ALDS against the Yankees and went five innings, giving up two runs on four hits and getting the win.

Here’s Castillo’s five-out save of Game One:

This day in baseball history includes two Dodger losses in clinching games of the World Series (1916 and 1920), Vin Scully’s first broadcast, Dave Henderson’s go-ahead HR off Donnie Moore in the ninth to keep the Angels from winning the 1986 ALCS and more.

Oct 11

ALCS Game One, 2020

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Astros vs Rays, 4:37 PM PDT, TV: TBS

This series will be played at Petco Park in San Diego. MLB previews the series with possible starting lineups and a whole lot of background information.

The Astros’ pitcher will be LHP Framber Valdez, who is 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA this postseason. The Rays send out LHP Blake Snell, who is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA in this year’s postseason.

There’s a whole lot of baseball history on previous October 11ths. One of the more amusing items is this one:

1975 As the first host of Saturday Night Live, George Carlin compares baseball to football in the opening monologue of the ground-breaking show. The comedian jokes the national pastime a gentler game, portraying the sport as one which is pastoral and played in a park as opposed to football, in which the objective is to march downfield and penetrate enemy territory in a stadium.

Oct 09

ALDS Game Five, 2020

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Yankees vs Rays, 4:10 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The series is tied at two games apiece. One of these teams will move on to play the Astros in the ALCS after today’s game and the other will go home.

The Yankees hand the ball to their expensive ace, RHP Gerrit Cole, who’s won two games so far this postseason and has put up a 3.46 ERA while doing so. He’ll be pitching on three days rest for the first time in his career. The Rays counter with RHP Tyler Glasnow, who’s also won two games this postseason but whose ERA is a less-attractive 4.91. He’s pitching on just two days rest; like Cole, he’s never gotten less than his full complement of days between starts till now.

There has been plenty of baseball history on this date. Most memorable in the last fifty years? Probably the 1996 “Jeffrey Maier” call in Game One of the 1996 ALCS.

Oct 08

ALDS Game Four, 2020

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Athletics vs Astros, 12:35 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Astros lead the series 2-1.

The As give the ball to RHP Frankie Montas. The big (6’2″, 255 lbs) rightie threw two innings of two-hit one run ball against the White Sox in Game Three of the Wild Card Series and picked up the win. The Astros haven’t named a starter as of 9:00 PM HST Wednesday.

The second game will be the Rays vs Yankees, 4:10 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Rays lead the series 2-1.

The Rays plan to use RHP Ryan Thompson to start, but not for very long. LHP Ryan Yarbrough is expected to come in and pitch the middle innings. I don’t understand this move, since Yarbrough started nine of the eleven games he was in this season. Why not just hand him the ball in the first inning? The Yankees will counter with LHP Jordan Montgomery, who was 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA in the regular season and has never made a postseason appearance until now.

Ernie Lombardi’s 1939 “swoon” took place on this date in baseball history, as did Don Larsen’s 1956 perfect game and the brawl between the Mets’ Bud Harrelson and the Reds’ Pete Rose in 1973.