Tag Archives: Al Gionfriddo

May 03

Game 32, 2023

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Phillies at Dodgers, 1:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCSP, SPNLA

The Phillies RHP Aaron Nola (2-2, 4.46 ERA) goes against the Dodgers’ rookie RHP Gavin Stone (0-0, 0.00 ERA).

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1947 In a controversial move, Branch Rickey trades five Dodgers, including southerner Kirby Higbe, to the Pirates for five-foot, six-inch left-hand-hitting outfielder Al Gionfriddo and $100,000. Some believe ‘the Mahatma’ made the deal to send a message to the team about his commitment to breaking the color barrier and his support of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play in the major leagues this century. It’s a darned good move, considering that Gionfriddo made a game-saving catch of a DiMaggio fly ball in Game 6 of that fall’s World Series.

  • 2004 Similarly to last season, the aging outfielder Rickey Henderson re-signs with the Atlantic League’s Bears, hoping for a shot of returning to the big leagues. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer batted .339, hit eight home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 52 runs, and stole nine bases for the Newark team last season before joining the Dodgers in July.
  • 2009 Defeating San Diego 2-1 in 10 innings, the Dodgers tie a franchise record, winning their ninth consecutive decision at home from the start of the season. The 1946 club also reeled off nine straight victories at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field at the beginning of the post-war campaign.

Lineups when available.

Oct 05

Game 162, 2022

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Rockies at Dodgers, 1:20 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNet RM, SPNLA

In the last regular season game of the season LHP Austin Gomber (5-7, 5.62 ERA) pitches for the Rockies and LHP Clayton Kershaw (11-3, 2.30 ERA) pitches for the Dodgers. This could be Kershaw’s last regular season game, but I suspect he’ll be back next year; yes, he’ll be 35 years old but he’s been very good this season even with his back troubles and he enjoys the competition so much that I think he’ll give it one more go. I hope so. I’d like to see him get 200 wins.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1905 The Beaneaters suffer their 100th loss of the season when they drop the first game of a Washington Park doubleheader, 11-5, to the Superbas, a team that has already lost 103 games. It is the first occurrence in major league history that two teams with triple-digit losses have been opponents.
  • 1914 In the eighth, Robins reliever Pat Ragan throws an immaculate inning when he strikes out the first three batters he faces on nine pitches. Unfortunately, the right-handed will give up five runs in the next frame, taking the loss in the team’s 9-5 defeat to the Braves at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field.
  • 1947 Al Gionfriddo, inserted in left field for defensive purposes, makes one of the most memorable catches in World Series history when he robs Joe DiMaggio of an extra-base hit with two men on base in the sixth inning. The outfielder’s heroics help preserve an 8-5 Dodger victory in Game 6 of the Fall Classic, which will be the 25-year-old’s last game in the major leagues.
  • 1949 Dodger right-hander Don Newcombe, becoming the first black to start a World Series contest, allows only four hits in Game 1, including Tommy Henrich’s home run leading off the bottom of the ninth, giving the Yankees a 1-0 walk-off victory in the Bronx ballpark. ‘Old Reliable’s shot to right field, the first game-ending home run in the history of the Fall Classic, gives Allie Reynolds the complete-game win, and it is Casey Stengel’s first postseason victory
  • 1953 In the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 6, the Yankees win their record fifth consecutive World Series when Billy Martin singles, scoring Hank Bauer to give New York a dramatic 4-3 walk-off victory over the Dodgers. The Bronx Bombers’ second baseman, named the Series MVP, bats .500 in the six contests, collecting a record-tying 12 hits to equal Babe Ruth’s mark, and compiles 23 total bases, the most in Fall Classic history.
  • 1963 In Game 4, Mickey Mantle ties Babe Ruth’s record with his 15th World Series home run. In the seventh inning, the Yankees slugger turns around a Sandy Koufax fastball to tie the score, but the blast isn’t enough to stave off the Dodgers’ Fall Classic sweep of the Bronx Bombers.
  • 1966 Reliever Moe Drabowsky ties a World Series record by striking out six consecutive batters in the Orioles’ 5-2 Game 1 victory at Dodger Stadium. Brooks and Frank Robinson hit back-to-back homers in the first inning.
  • 1977 Glenn Burke greets Dusty Baker on the dugout steps to congratulate his Dodger teammate for hitting a grand slam against the Phillies in Game 2 of the 1977 NLCS. The greeting, consisting of the two players extending their right arms above their heads and slapping their hands to make a resounding clap, is considered the first ‘high five’ in baseball history.
  • 2001 In the longest nine-inning game in major league history, Barry Bonds breaks and then extends the mark for home runs in a season during the 4 hours and 27 minutes, 11-10 loss to the Dodgers at Pac Bell Park. The Giant outfielder connects off Dodger starter Chan Ho Park to break Mark McGwire’s 1998 record of 70 and then homers again in his next at-bat to extend his record to 72.

Lineups when available.

May 03

Game 22, 2022

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Giants at Dodgers, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: NBCBS Bay Area, SPNLA

LHP Carlos Rodón (3-0, 1.17 ERA) pitches for the visiting Giants while LHP Julio Urías (1-1, 2.50 ERA) goes for the Dodgers. Rodón has had a very good start to his year; he’s given up just three runs on eleven hits in his four starts, and he’s made it through at least five innings in all of them. Urías’ last three starts have been excellent despite getting just one decision (a win) in them; he’s given up two runs on four hits in those games.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1947 In a controversial move, Branch Rickey trades five Dodgers, including southerner Kirby Higbe, to the Pirates for five-foot, six-inch left-hand-hitting outfielder Al Gionfriddo and $100,000. Some believe ‘the Mahatma’ made the deal to send a message to the team about his commitment to breaking the color barrier and his support of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play in the major leagues this century. It’s a darned good move, considering that Gionfriddo made a game-saving catch of a DiMaggio fly ball in Game 6 of that fall’s World Series.

  • 2004 Similar to last season, the aging outfielder Rickey Henderson re-signs with the Atlantic League’s Bears, hoping for a shot of returning to the big leagues. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer batted .339, hit eight home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 52 runs, and stole nine bases for the Newark team last season before joining the Dodgers in July.
  • 2009 Defeating San Diego 2-1 in 10 innings, the Dodgers tie a franchise record, winning their ninth consecutive decision at home from the start of the season. The 1946 club also reeled off nine straight victories at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field at the beginning of the post-war campaign.

Lineups when available.

Oct 05

AL Wild Card Game, 2021

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Yankees at Red Sox, 5:10 PM PDT, TV: ESPN

RHP Gerrit Cole (16-8, 3.23 ERA) goes for the Yankees and RHP Nathan Eovaldi (11-9, 3.75 ERA) takes the ball for the Red Sox.

October 5 has been an eventful day in baseball history. Among other things, Mickey Owens let Tommy Heinrich’s ball get past him in 1941, Al Gionfriddo caught Joe DiMaggio’s fly ball in 1947, Don Newcombe made the first World Series start by a black pitcher memorable but lost 1-0 on a walk-off HR by Tommy Heinrich (him again!) in 1949, Mickey Mantle tore up his right knee in 1951 when DiMaggio called him off a fly ball, and Glenn Burke high-fived Dusty Baker in 1977, the first time that gesture was seen in MLB.

Yankees’ lineup:

Red Sox lineup:

Oct 05

ALDS Games Two, 2019

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On this day in baseball history we find the Mickey Owens passed ball, Al Gionfriddo’s catch, Mickey Mantle’s torn knee cartilage and the invention of the high five, among other things.

The early game is the Twins at Yankees, 2:07 PM PDT, TV: FS1

The Twins’ RHP Randy Dobnak will make his sixth big league start on the biggest stage you can get: facing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the postseason. He’ll face RHP Masahiro Tanaka, one of the few Yankees starter who was healthy all season. Tanaka has made five career postseason starts and has a 3-2 record with a 1.50 ERA to show for it.

Twins lineup:

Yankees lineup:

The late game will be the Rays at Astros, 6:07 PM PDT, TV: FS1

The Rays ask LHP Blake Snell to get them even in the series, while the Astros send Gerrit Cole out to continue what Verlander did yesterday. By the way, Cole was 16-0 with a 1.78 ERA in his last 22 starts of 2019.

Rays lineup:

Astros lineup:

May 03

Game 34, 2019

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Dodgers at Padres, 7:10 PM PDT, TV: FSSD, SPNLA

The Dodgers send LHP Clayton Kershaw (1-0, 2.25 ERA) out to face the Padres’ LHP Eric Lauer (2-3, 4.41 ERA) in the opener of a three-game series. While Kershaw’s velocity is down some, his sliders are sharp and he’s been able to vary their speeds. Lauer has been bitten by the “one bad inning” bug, which has precluded him going longer than six innings in any game this season.

Bellinger has evolved into a complete hitter, Matt Kelly of MLB.com says.

Pollock will be out for several months. He’s having surgery to remove hardware left from previous operations from his elbow.

Manager Dave Roberts would not provide an estimated time frame for Pollock’s return, but said it should be this season. Typical hardware removals require one to two months of recovery before a player can return to competition to assure the holes in the bone where the screws were removed are fully healed. Hardware is sometimes left on the bone for added protection, and because removal can be more trouble than it’s worth.

This will be the third operation on Pollock’s right elbow since 2010. The previous two required five-month recoveries, but Roberts said that isn’t expected to be the case this time.

The dilemma that is Urias’s youthful arm and how to protect it while at the same time getting its benefit.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1947 In a controversial move, Branch Rickey trades five Dodgers, including southerner Kirby Higbe, to the Pirates for five-foot, six-inch left-hand-hitting outfielder Al Gionfriddo and $100,000. Some believe ‘the Mahatma’ made the deal to send a message to the team about his commitment to breaking the color barrier and his support of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play in the major leagues this century. It’s a darned good move, considering that Gionfriddo made a game-saving catch of a DiMaggio fly ball in Game 6 of that fall’s World Series.

  • 2004 Similar to last season, the aging outfielder Rickey Henderson re-signs with the Atlantic League’s Bears, hoping for a shot of returning to the big leagues. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer batted .339, hit eight home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 52 runs, and stole nine bases for the Newark team last season before joining the Dodgers in July.
  • 2009 Defeating San Diego 2-1 in 10 innings, the Dodgers tie a franchise record, winning their ninth consecutive decision at home from the start of the season. The 1946 club also reeled off nine straight victories at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field at the beginning of the post-war campaign.

Lineup when available.


Oct 05

NLDS Games Two, 2018

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Rockies at Brewers, 1:15 PM PDT, TV: FS1

The Rockies send LHP Tyler Anderson (7-9, 4.55 ERA) to the hill at Miller Park to face the Brewers’ RHP Jhoulys Chacin (15-8, 3.50 ERA). The Brewers hammered Anderson back on August 4, when he went just four innings and gave up seven runs including three homers. He made five starts in September and had a 3.25 ERA to show for them. This will be Chacin’s first postseason appearance and his first time ever pitching on only three days rest.

Lineups when available.

Rockies:


Brewers:


Braves at Dodgers, 6:37 PM PDT, TV: FS1

Lefty Clayton Kershaw (9-5, 2.73 ERA) takes the mound for the Dodgers against the Braves’ Aníbal Sanchez (7-6, 2.83 ERA). Kershaw spent time on the DL for the third straight season and his velocity has dropped a couple of miles per hour from what it once was, but he’s still one of the best pitchers in the league. He beat Atlanta on July 27, going 7 2/3 innings and giving up one run on six hits. Sanchez had the best year he’s had in ERA terms since 2013. He beat the Dodgers June 9 and lost to them July 26.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic covers the Kershaw/Ryu Game One start story.

Oh, doctor! On October 5, 1947 Al Gionfriddo of the Dodgers robbed the Yankee Clipper Joe DiMaggio of a home run in Game Six of the World Series.

Lineups when available.

Dodgers:


Braves:


May 03

Game 31, 2018

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Dodgers at Diamondbacks, 12:40 PM PDT, TV: Facebook-only. If you’re on FB, navigate to MLB Live.

The Dodgers send LHP Alex Wood (0-3, 4.11 ERA) in search of his first win. He hasn’t pitched as badly as his record seems to indicate, but his velocity hasn’t gotten to the heights it reached last year. He’ll face the D-Backs’ LHP Patrick Corbin (4-0, 2.25 ERA), who set the Dodgers down brilliantly on April 4, going 7 1/3 innings while giving up just one hit and no runs.

Injury updates

Roberts said he expects outfielder Yasiel Puig, currently on the disabled list with contusions on his left hip and left ankle, to be activated Tuesday.

Second baseman Logan Forsythe, on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation, is likely to begin a Minor League rehab assignment this weekend. But Roberts said he had “no idea” when Justin Turner (broken left wrist) would begin an assignment.

Reliever Tom Koehler, on the disabled list since Spring Training with a strained right shoulder, has started throwing, but he’s not close to a rehab assignment.

Roster moves:


Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1947 In a controversial move, Branch Rickey trades five Dodgers, including southerner Kirby Higbe, to the Pirates for five-foot, six-inch left-hand-hitting outfielder Al Gionfriddo and $100,000. Some believe ‘the Mahatma’ made the deal to send a message to the team about his commitment to breaking the color barrier and his support of Jackie Robinson, the first black to play in the major leagues this century. It’s a darned good move, considering that Gionfriddo made a game-saving catch of a DiMaggio fly ball in Game 6 of that fall’s World Series.

  • 2004 Similar to last season, the aging outfielder Rickey Henderson re-signs with the Atlantic League’s Bears, hoping for a shot of returning to the big leagues. The 45 year-old future Hall of Famer batted .339, hit eight home runs, drove in 33 runs, scored 52 runs, and stole nine bases for the Newark team last season before joining the Dodgers in July.
  • 2009 Defeating San Diego 2-1 in 10 innings, the Dodgers tie a franchise record, winning their ninth consecutive decision at home from the start of the season. The 1946 club also reeled off nine straight victories at Brooklyn’s Ebbets Field at the beginning of the post-war campaign.

Lineup when available.


Oct 05

ALDS Games One, 2017

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First Game: Red Sox at Astros, 1:00 PM PT, TV: MLBN

Boston got LHP Chris Sale last offseason for precisely this moment: to pitch Game One of a playoff series. He went 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA this season, striking out 308 along the way. This is his first postseason start. He’ll face RHP Justin Verlander, who came to the Astros from the Tigers at the trade deadline, waiving a no-trade clause to do so. He was 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA between his two teams, and he’s been in the postseason a lot; this will be his 17th playoff start.

Second Game: Yankees at Indians, 4:30 PM PT, TV: FS1

The Yankees start RHP Sonny Gray (10-12, 3.55 ERA), whom they got from the As at the trade deadline. He wasn’t quite as good (4-7) for them as he had been for his former team (6-5), but he’s had two postseason starts in his past. He’ll face RHP Trevor Bauer (17-9, 4.19 ERA), a surprise starter over their Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber.

Today in baseball history: From Mickey Owen’s passed ball to Al Gionfriddo’s catch to Mickey Mantle’s knee injury to Glenn Burke’s invention of the high five, a lot has happened on the fifth day of October in baseball.