Tag Archives: Don Larsen

Oct 08

ALDS Games Three, 2018

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The early game will be played at Progressive Field (formerly The Jake) in Cleveland between the Astros and the Indians at 10:30 AM PDT. It will be shown on TBS.

The Astros send LHP Dallas Keuchel (12-11, 3.74 ERA) to the hill to try to sweep the series. The Indians ask RHP Mike Clevinger (13-8, 3.02 ERA) to stop them. Keuchel is 4-2 with a 3.24 ERA in eight career postseason starts for the Astros. Clevinger has made six postseason appearances, going seven innings in 2016 & 2017 with a 6.43 ERA.

The Indians beat the Braves on this date in 1948 as seen in the NLDS post below, but they also beat the Yankees in the ALDS in 2007 to advance to the ALCS for the first time since 1995. The Astros beat the Mets 1-0 in Game One of the 1986 NLCS behind Mike Scott.

Lineups when available.

In the late game the Red Sox and Yankees face off in Game Three of their series. Each team has won one game. It will be played at Yankee Stadium at 4:40 PM PDT and shown on TBS.

The Sox send out mid-season acquisition (and former Yankee/Dodger) RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-7, 3.81, but 3-3 and 3.33 ERA with the Red Sox) to do battle with the Yankees’ Luis Severino (19-8, 3.39 ERA). Eovaldi has pitched 16 innings against the Yankees since he’s been with the Sox and has yet to give up a run to them. RHP Severino started the Wild Card Game and walked four while striking out seven in four shutout innings. He’s made five starts against the Red Sox this season, most recently on September 19 when he gave up just one run in seven innings. That gave him a 3.56 ERA for the year against the Boston team.

The Red Sox haven’t played much on October 8. In fact, the only notable thing they’ve done on this date was to pitch Ken Brett against the Cardinals in the 1967 World Series, which was only of interest because he was just 19 years old at the time, thus the youngest player ever to pitch in a World Series. The Yankees have frequently played on October 8. As noted in the NLDS post, Don Larsen pitched his perfect game against the Dodgers 62 years ago on this date. They also lost an ALDS Game Five thriller to the Mariners in 1995 on October 8 and lost to the Indians in Game Four of the ALDS in 2007, which cost Joe Torre his managerial job.

Lineups when available.

Oct 08

ALDS Games Three, 2017

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This applies to both of today’s games: Teams with 2-0 leads have won the series 66 times and lost nine.

First game: Astros at Red Sox, 11:30 AM PT, TV: FS1

The Astros try to close out the Sox today, sending RHP Brad Peacock (13-2, 3.00 ERA) to the mound to face the Red Sox’ RHP Doug Fister (5-9, 4.88 ERA). Peacock beat the Sox in his only appearance against them on September 28. He’s had no prior postseason experience. Fister lost to the Astros in his only start against them on September 29. He’s made eight postseason starts but none since 2014 with the Nats.

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

RHP Carlos Carrasco (18-6, 3.29 ERA) takes the hill for the Indians in the Bronx tonight. He’ll face the Yankees’ RHP Masahiro Tanaka (13-12, 4.74 ERA). Carrasco has had the best year of his career, but what’s even more germane is that on the road as he’ll be tonight he’s 11-2 with a 2.65 ERA and a .210/.266/.336 opponents’ slash line. Similarly, Tanaka is 9-5 with a 3.22 ERA at home in Yankee Stadium, far better than on the road.

Today in baseball history: It’s the anniversary of Don Larsen’s perfect game in Game Five of the 1956 World Series. It’s also the date of Ernie Lombardi’s “Swoon” in 1939, when the Reds’ catcher was run over at home plate by Charlie Keller of the Yankees and was so dazed that Joe DiMaggio was able to score all the way from first before he recovered. And in 1959 the Dodgers beat the White Sox in Game Six to win the World Series. More at National Pastime.

Aug 23

Game 125, 2017

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Dodgers at Pirates, 4:05 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, ATT SportsNet-PIT

The Dodgers’ lefty Rich Hill (9-4, 3.54 ERA) tries to keep the team’s momentum going today when he faces the Pirates’ RHP Trevor Williams (5-6, 4.71 ERA). Hill got a five-inning win last week against the Tigers despite giving up a couple of runs in the first inning. He’s walked five in his last ten innings, but when he has runners on base in scoring position behind him he’s got a .172 expected average allowed — based on the quality of contact against him, plus his actual strikeouts, which ranks third lowest in either the NL or all of MLB (it’s not stated). Williams’ first big league start was against the Dodgers on May 8, and it was awful: he gave up eight runs (six earned) in three innings to them. His last start was similar: he gave up eight runs to the Cardinals in three-plus innings. In between, he’s thrown 97 innings and has a 3.62 ERA.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1958 Gil Hodges hits his 14th career grand slam in the Dodgers’ 10-1 victory over Milwaukee at LA Memorial Coliseum. The first baseman’s bases-full round-tripper establishes a new National League record, but is far fewer than Lou Gehrig’s major league mark of 23.
  • 1989 In the 11th frame of an eventual 22-inning 1-0 loss, the Expos’ Youppi! becomes the first mascot to be thrown out of a game when Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda complains to the umpires about the hairy orange giant’s behavior at Olympic Stadium. The L.A. skipper takes exception to the loud noise caused by the hairy creature’s running leap onto the visitors’ dugout before sneaking back into a front row seat.
  • 1989 In that same game, the second-longest shutout in big league history ends when Rick Dempsey hits a home run in the top of the 22nd inning, giving the Dodgers an eventual 1-0 victory over the Expos at Olympic Stadium. The Astros blanked the Mets for 24 frames en route to a 1-0 win at the Astrodome in 1968.
  • 2000 Team president Bob Graziano apologizes to a female couple who were asked to leave Dodger Stadium on August 8th because the two shared a kiss during a game. The pair felt the action of the eight security guards was discriminatory because the couple’s friends, a man and a woman, also kissed but were not ejected.
  • 2013 At a Dodger Stadium press conference, LA announces Vin Scully will continue to broadcast Dodgers’ games for his 65th consecutive season. Some of the historic moments the Hall of Fame broadcaster has called include Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series, 19 no-hitters, including four thrown by Sandy Koufax, Hank Aaron’s 715th home run, and Kirk Gibson’s dramatic walk-off in the 1988 Fall Classic.

Lineup when available.