Oct 15

ALCS Game Five, 2020

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.]