Oct 16

ALCS Game Two & NLCS Game One, 2023

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Texas at Houston, 1:37 PM PDT, TV: Fox

RHP Nathan Eovaldi (2-0, 1.32 ERA postseason) pitches for the Rangers and LHP Framber Valdez (0-1, 10.38 ERA postseason) takes the ball for the Astros. The Rangers lead the series 1-0.

Arizona at Philadelphia, 5:07 PM PDT, TBS

The first game of the series is a matchup of Zac(k)s, as RHP Zac Gallen (2-0, 3.19 ERA postseason) goes for the D-Backs and RHP Zack Wheeler (1-0, 2.08 ERA postseason) pitches for the Phillies.

Before we get to the events of this date earlier in baseball history, here’s a bit of current news which is historical in itself: the Giants have formally interviewed Alyssa Nakken for their vacant managerial job. She’s believed to be the first woman ever to be considered for an MLB manager’s position. She’s been a full-time coach for the Giants since January of 2020, and she coached first base in April of 2022. She was an outstanding softball player at Sacramento State, a three-time All-Conference first baseman and a four-time academic All-American.

Today in baseball history:

  • 1912 Fred Snodgrass’ 10th inning two-base error of pinch-hitter Clyde Engle’s routine pop fly in center field sets up the tying run en route to the 3-2 Red Sox victory over the Giants and a World Championship for Boston. The play, which becomes infamously known as “Snodgrass’ Muff,” is followed by his spectacular catch of a long drive hit by Tris Speaker, but the 20-year-old outfielder historically becomes known as the goat in the Fall Classic.
  • 1969 The Mets, thanks to Ron Swoboda’s double and two Oriole errors in the eighth inning, win their fourth straight World Series game to become World Champions. Jerry Koosman tosses a five-hitter, beating Baltimore 5-3 in Game 5, in a contest best remembered for manager Gil Hodges winning the ‘shoe polish’ argument.

  • 1983 The Orioles win their fourth straight contest against the Phillies and take the World Series in five games. Scott McGregor pitches a five-hit complete game in the 5-0 victory at Veterans Stadium, and Eddie Murray hits two home runs.
  • 1999 In a game slated to be a battle between the respective aces of each team, the Red Sox crush the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS, 13-1. The dream pitching duel between Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens at Fenway Park doesn’t materialize when the ‘Rocket’ fails to get out of the third inning, giving up five earned runs on six hits.
  • 2020 The sixth inning of Game 5 of the NLCS was the best of times and the worst of times for Will Smith, the Dodgers catcher, who smacks a three-run homer off Will Smith, the Braves reliever. The Globe Life Field matchup marks the first time in postseason history that features a hitter facing a pitcher with the same first and last name.
Oct 15

ALCS Game One, 2023

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Rangers at Astros, 5:15 PM PDT, TV: Fox

LHP Jordan Montgomery (1-0, 3.27 ERA postseason) pitches for the Rangers and RHP Justin Verlander (1-0, 0.00 ERA postseason) goes for the Astros. Here’s a preview of Game One.

The Rangers added Max Scherzer and Jon Gray to the ALCS roster. To make room, Brock Burke and Matt Bush were left off. The Astros’ right-hander Ronel Blanco was added to their roster, replacing outfielder Jake Meyers.

Today in baseball history:

  • 1917 A letter signed by 24 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox members and manager Pants Rowland contains complaints about not receiving their full share after beating the New York Giants. The written request, discovered as a tattered document more than 40 years later among boxes stored at the Hall of Fame library, may explain the ‘Black Sox’ motivation for fixing the Fall Classic two years later.
  • 1923 At the Polo Grounds, the visiting Yankees score five runs in the eighth inning, beating the Giants in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, 6-4. The victory over their crosstown rivals gives the franchise its first World Championship.
  • 1946 In Game 7 of the World Series, the Cardinals beat the Red Sox, 4-3, when Enos Slaughter streaked home from first on a long single into the left-center gap by Harry Walker, who stayed a first to avoid making the last out before the run score. The play surprises everyone, including cut-off man shortstop Johnny Pesky who hesitates, as legend has it, throwing the ball home.
  • 1988
    “In the year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened.” – VIN SCULLY, commenting on Kirk Gibson’s dramatic World Series walk-off home run.

    In his only plate appearance in the Fall Classic, a limping Kirk Gibson, appearing as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning of Game 1, sends a two-out, 3-2 pitch from relief ace Dennis Eckersley over the right-field fence, giving the Dodgers a 5-4 victory over the A’s. The round-tripper marks the first time a World Series game ends on a come-from-behind home run in the final inning.

  • 2017 Twenty-nine years later, Justin Turner follows Kirk Gibson into franchise folklore when he hits a postseason walk-off three-run home run in the 12th inning of LA’s 4-1 victory over the Cubs in Game 2 of the NLCS. In his only Fall Classic appearance, a hobbled Kirk Gibson came off the bench in 1998 to hit one of the most memorable round-trippers in World Series history, giving the Dodgers a come-from-behind victory against the A’s in Game 1.
Oct 12

NLDS Game Four, 2023

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Braves at Phillies, 5:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

RHP Spencer Strider pitches for the Braves and LHP Ranger Suárez goes for the Phillies. The Phillies lead the series 2-1.

MLB attempts to explain the Dodgers’ poor performances in the postseason.

Today in baseball history

  • 1929 The A’s, trailing 8-0 during Game 4 of the World Series, erupt for ten runs in the seventh inning off three Cub pitchers en route to a 10-8 victory. Chicago’s Hack Wilson becomes one of the game’s goats when he loses two balls in the sun in center field.
  • 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.
  • 1986 The Angels, ahead 5-4 and one strike away from going to the World Series, see their lead vanish when Dave Henderson, who had Bobby Grich’s fly ball bounce over the fence off the heel of his glove, hits a two-run homer off Donnie Moore, putting the Red Sox ahead, 6-5. California will tie the Anaheim Stadium contest in the bottom of the frame, but Boston will prevail, scoring the deciding run in the 11th inning on a Henderson sac fly.
  • 2003 Thirty-five years after creating controversy with his non-traditional rendition of the song, Jose Feliciano sings the Star-Spangled Banner at the Marlins’ NLCS game against the Cubs at Pro Player Stadium. The singer’s gospelized version of the national anthem sung before Game 5 of the 1968 World Series at Tiger Stadium caused such a flap that some radio stations stopped playing his records on the air.
Oct 11

NLDS Games Three, 2023

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Atlanta at Philadelphia, 2:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Braves haven’t announced their starter as of 7:25 PM HST Tuesday, but it’ll be one of these guys. Whoever it is will face the Phillies’ RHP Aaron Nola. The series is tied at one game apiece.

Los Angeles at Arizona, 6:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

RHP Lance Lynn will start for the backs-against-the-wall Dodgers and RHP Brandon Pfaadt starts for the upstart D-Backs. The Diamondbacks lead the series 2-0.

Today in baseball history:

  • 1948 In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Indians beat Boston at Braves Field, 4-3, to capture the team’s second World Series title in franchise history. Bob Lemon wins the game, with Gene Bearden pitching the final one and two-thirds innings to earn the save.
  • 1965 In Game 5, a 7-0 victory over the Twins at Dodger Stadium, Willie Davis becomes the second player to steal three bases in a World Series game. The L.A. center fielder joins Pirates shortstop Honus Wagner, who accomplished the feat on the same date 56 years ago against Detroit in Game 3 of the 1909 Fall Classic.
  • 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 is a gentler game, portraying the sport as pastoral and played in a park as opposed to football, where the objective is to march downfield and penetrate enemy territory in a stadium.

  • 1978 Rookie right-hander Bob Welch strikes out Reggie Jackson with two men on base and two out in the top of the ninth inning, dramatically preserving a 4-3 Dodger victory over the Yankees in Game 2 of the Fall Classic. The relief performance will put the 21-year-old in the national spotlight.

Oct 10

ALDS Games Three, 2023

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Houston at Minnesota, 1:07 PM PDT, TV: Fox

RHP Cristian Javier takes the Target Field mound for the Astros and RHP Sonny Gray does so for the Twins. The Series is tied at one game apiece.

Baltimore at Texas, 5:03 PM PDT, TV: Fox

RHP Dean Kremer goes to the hill at Globe Life Field for the Orioles and old friend RHP Nathan Eovaldi does the same for the Rangers. The Rangers lead the Series two games to none.

Today in baseball history:

  • 1924 With the score tied at 3-3 and one out in the bottom of the 12th in Game 7 of the World Series, Senators’ backstop Muddy Ruel lifts a high catchable foul pop-up, which Giant catcher Hank Gowdy misses when he stumbles over his mask. Given a second chance, Ruel then doubles and eventually scores the winning run, making the Senators World Champs.
  • 1951 In Game 6 of the Fall Classic, the Yankees become World Champions for the 14th time in franchise history when they beat the Giants in the Bronx ballpark contest, 4-3. Hank Bauer delivers the signature blow, a three-run triple hit in the sixth inning off Game 1 winner Dave Koslo.
  • 1956 In Game 7 of the World Series, Johnny Kucks, allowing just three singles, blanks Brooklyn, 9-0, to give the Yankees their 17th World Championship in franchise history. In the last postseason game played at Ebbets Field, the 24-year-old right-hander ends the game by striking out Jackie Robinson, which turns out to be the Dodger infielder’s final major league at-bat when he decides to retire after being traded to the Giants in the off-season.
  • 1957 Starting Game 7 on just two days rest, Lew Burdette pitches the Braves to a World Championship as he blanks the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium, 5-0. The 30-year-old right-hander, named the Series MVP, tosses 24 consecutive scoreless innings and posts a 0.64 ERA in his three Fall classic victories.
  • 1968 Bob Gibson, who sets the mark for total strikeouts (35) in a World Series, goes the distance in his eighth consecutive World Series game, losing Game 7 to Detroit, 4-1. The only time the St. Louis Cardinal right-hander, who will compile a 1.89 postseason ERA, didn’t finish a Fall Classic contest was in his first appearance in 1964 when he tossed eight innings against the Yankees.
  • 2019 After compiling a .497 winning percentage in his two seasons at the helm, the Phillies fire their manager Gabe Kapler. The dismissal marks the eighth managerial vacancy of 2019; skippers are needed by the Mets, Pirates, Angels, Royals, Cubs, Padres, and the Giants, who will hire the former Philadelphia pilot next month as their 37th manager to replace the retiring Bruce Bochy.
Oct 09

NLDS Games Two, 2023

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Phillies at Braves, 3:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

RHP Zack Wheeler pitches for the Phillies and LHP Max Fried goes for the Braves. Preview here. The Phillies lead the series 1-0.

Diamondbacks at Dodgers, 6:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

RHP Zac Gallen takes the mound for the D-Backs and RHP Bobby Miller does so for the Dodgers. Preview here. The Diamondbacks lead the series 1-0.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1949 During the ninth inning of the Dodgers’ 10-8 loss to the Yankees in Game 5, officials turned on the Ebbets Field lights, making it the first time a World Series game occurs under artificial lights. The first scheduled Fall Classic night game happens when the Pirates host Baltimore for Game 4 at Three Rivers Stadium in 1971.
  • 1966 For the second consecutive day, the Orioles win a World Series game, 1-0, in a contest decided by a home run when Frank Robinson takes a Don Drysdale pitch deep over the left-field fence in the fourth inning. With the lone run scored on a homer, for only the fifth time in the history of the Fall Classic, and the complete-game shutout thrown by Dave McNally, Baltimore completes a four-game sweep over the Dodgers.

On this day in broader baseball history:

  • 1934 At Detroit’s Navin Field Commissioner Landis makes Joe Medwick leave Game 7 of the World Series for ‘his own safety.’ The Tiger fans, upset with his aggressive slide into third baseman Marv Owen, respond by hurling fruit at the outfielder during the Cardinals’ 11-0 series-clinching victory.
  • 1996 Derek Jeter, with the Yankees down 4-3 in the eighth inning, ties the game with a fly ball to right field ruled a home run by umpire Rich Garcia, despite the protest of spectator interference that prevented the ball from being caught by outfielder Tony Tarasco and the Orioles manager Davey Johnson. Video replay clearly shows 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reaching over the fence and bringing the catchable live ball into the stands, forever changing the outcome of Game 1 of the ALCS and, many believe, of the series.
Oct 08

ALDS Games Two, 2023

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Texas at Baltimore, 1:07 PM PDT, TV: FS1

LHP Jordan Montgomery pitches for the Rangers and RHP Grayson Rodriguez goes for the Orioles. Texas has a 1-0 lead in the series.

Minnesota at Houston, 5:03 PM PDT, TV: FS1

RHP Pablo López takes the mound for the Twins and LHP Framber Valdez does so for the Astros. Houston leads the series 1-0.

Today in baseball history:

  • 1908 In a make-up contest necessitated by Fred Merkle’s baserunning blunder on September 23, Three Finger Brown outduels Christy Mathewson, 4-2, as the Cubs win the National League pennant by one game over the Giants in one of the most dramatic pennant races of all time.
  • 1929In front of 50,000 fans at Wrigley Field, surprise starter Howard Ehmke establishes a new World Series record, striking out 13 Cubs en route to a 3-1 A’s victory in Game 1 of the Fall Classic. The mark will last 34 years until Dodger hurler Carl Erskine fans 14 Yankees in 1953.
  • 1939 In the top of the tenth, Yankee outfielder Joe DiMaggio scores from first base when Reds’ catcher Ernie Lombardi lies in a daze at home plate after being run over by ‘King Kong’ Charlie Keller. The Bronx Bombers score three runs thanks to ‘Lombardi’s Swoon,’ winning the game, 7-4, to complete the World Series sweep and become the first club to win four consecutive Fall Classics.
  • 1956 Don Larsen pitches the first perfect game in World Series history, defeating the Dodgers, 2-0 in Game 5 of the Fall Classic at Yankee Stadium. The 27-year-old right-hander, who had a poor start in Game 2 because of a lack of control, throws only 97 pitches, striking out pinch-hitter Dale Mitchell looking for the final out.
  • 1957 Club President Walter O’Malley makes it official, announcing the Dodgers will play in Los Angeles next season. The club’s departure from Brooklyn corresponds with the massive social shift in the borough that finds many of its former residents leaving for the suburbs of Long Island.
  • 1966 The Orioles collect only three hits off Claude Osteen, but Paul Blair’s fifth-inning 430-foot home run proves to be the difference when Baltimore beats the Dodgers in Game 3 of the World Series, 1-0. Wally Bunker throws a six-hitter, winning the first Fall Classic game ever played in Baltimore.
Oct 07

NLDS Games One, 2023

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Philadelphia at Atlanta, 3:07 PM PDT, TV: TBS

LHP Ranger Suárez pitches for the Phillies and RHP Spencer Strider does so for the Braves. Here’s a Phillies – Braves preview.

Arizona at Los Angeles, 6:20 PM PDT, TV: TBS

RHP Merrill Kelly gets the ball for the D-Backs and LHP Clayton Kershaw gets it for the Dodgers. Here’s a Diamondbacks – Dodgers preview.

Declining Kershaw is still very good Kershaw.

Oct 07

ALDS Games One, 2023

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Texas at Baltimore, 10:03 PM PDT, TV: FS1

The postseason returns to Camden Yards for the first time in nine years. Old friend LHP Andrew Heaney goes for the Rangers and RHP Kyle Bradish goes for the Orioles. Here’s a Rangers – Os preview.

Minnesota at Houston, 1:49 PM PDT, TV: FS1

RHP Bailey Ober takes the ball for the Twins and ageless RHP Justin Verlander (Mr. Kate Upton) starts for the Astros. Here’s a Twins – Astros preview.