Sep 12

Game 46, 2020

Astros at Dodgers, 5:07 PM PDT, TV: FOX, SPNLA

LHP Framber Valdez (3-3, 3.61 ERA) goes to the mound for the visiting Astros. He’ll face the Dodgers’ LHP Julio Urías (3-0, 3.86 ERA). Valdez has been an innings-eater for the Astros — he’s gone at least seven innings in five of his last six starts. His last one was horrendous, though: he gave up eight runs on 11 hits to the Angels in seven innings (four of those runs were in the seventh, which explains why he wasn’t pulled long before that inning). Urías has struggled with his consistency all year; he gave up four runs in two of his last three starts.

Off-day personnel news: The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson returns from paternity leave; Matt Beaty is sent to USC. The Giants waive Pablo Sandoval.

Seager and Pollock go back-to-back in the third inning of Thursday’s game:

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1930 The last major league bounced home run is hit by Dodger catcher Al Lopez at Ebbets Field as the NL joins the American League, which had enacted the rule change in 1929. The player who hits the ball over the wall on a bounce will now be awarded a ground-rule double.
  • 1932 In the bottom of the ninth, Johnny Frederick hits his major league record-setting sixth pinch-homer of the season, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory over the Cubs. The Brooklyn outfielder’s major league mark will not be broken for 68 years until another Dodger, Dave Hansen, strokes seven round-trippers coming off the bench in 2000.
  • 1953 The Dodgers clinch a pennant at the earliest date ever in baseball history with a 5-2 victory over the Braves at County Stadium. Carl Erskine gets the win when Brooklyn, who clinches consecutive titles for the first time in franchise history, goes up 13 games up on Milwaukee with 12 left to play.
  • 1962 One game behind the front running Dodgers, the Giants lose Willie Mays, their All-Star center fielder, when he is hospitalized for nervous exhaustion. The ‘City by the Bay’ will drop six games in a row, but will recover along with ‘Say Hey Kid’ in time to beat Los Angeles in a playoff to win the National league pennant.
  • 1963

    “I look up into the stands, and it looks like Ebbets Field. The Mets are wonderful, but you can’t take the Dodger out of Brooklyn” – DUKE SNIDER, – addressing the Mets fans on his special night at the Polo Grounds.

    In a pregame ceremony with his former Dodgers teammates, Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Don Newcombe, and Ralph Branca in attendance, Duke Snider is honored by the Mets with a special ‘night’ at the Polo Grounds, which coincidentally marks the last time the Giants, now located in San Francisco, will ever play in their once long-time home in Harlem. The ‘Silver Fox’, obtained by the last-place expansion team in April, has recently requested to be traded to a contender.

  • 1995 During a WGN pre-game radio broadcast at Wrigley Field, Cubs announcer Harry Caray remarks to the team’s skipper Jim Riggleman, “Well, my eyes are slanty enough, how ’bout yours?”, referring to Hideo Nomo, the Japanese rookie hurler scheduled to start for the Dodgers. The veteran announcer, known for not backing off for his on-the-air off-handed comments, does issue an apology, calling the incident “unfortunate.”
  • 2000 On the same date the mark was established 68 years ago, Dave Hansen breaks Johnny Frederick’s 1932 record for pinch-hit home runs in a single season with his seventh round-tripper coming off the bench. The Dodger pinch-hitter’s historic homer, a seventh-inning three-run blast off Diamondback right-hander Curt Schilling, isn’t enough to prevent the team’s 5-4 loss to Arizona at Bank One Ballpark.

Lineup when available.

Oct 24

World Series Day Three, 2014

Royals at Giants, 2:00PM HST/5:00PM PT, TV: Fox

You’d think MLB would put its weekend World Series games on during the day rather than at night, but I suppose it doesn’t want to compete with college football and the NFL.

It’s a battle of veterans as the Royals pitch Jeremy Guthrie while the Giants send out Tim Hudson. Guthrie was drafted and signed by the Indians in 2002. He was waived and came up for good with the Orioles in 2007. He spent a year in the National League with the Rockies and then was traded to the Royals for Jonathan Sanchez. He’s got an 83-100 lifetime record with a 4.23 ERA and a WHIP of 1.319. His start in the ALCS was his first postseason appearance.

Hudson has been around since 1999 when he came up with the As. He spent six years in Oakland and then nine in Atlanta. This is his first season with the Giants. He’s got a lifetime record of 214-124, an ERA of 3.45 and a WHIP of 1.233 over that stretch of 16 years. He’s been in 8 playoffs series but never on a winning team until this season.

The Royals won’t have a DH in the three games in San Francisco, so Billy Butler will be a pinch-hitter. Pablo Sandoval has now hit in 25 straight postseason games.

Apr 09

Game Ten, 2014

Tigers at Dodgers. Anibal Sanchez makes his second start of the season; he gave up two runs over four innings in the first one and then the rains came and he was done. The Dodgers haven’t formally announced it to MLB.com, but their starter is supposed to be Josh Beckett, who’ll make his first start of the season.

No lineups yet, either.

The game time is known, though! It’s 7:10 PST, 4:10 HST, 10:10 EST, and who knows when for John_from_Aus. Televised on SPNLA.

In news of disgruntled players and front office personnel, the Giants have ended contract talks with Pablo Sandoval. It’s reported he wants a five-year deal for more than the $8.25M he’s getting paid this season. So, is the Kung Fu Panda worth $45 or $50 million bucks? He’s currently hitting .161 with 1 HR and 4 RBI. He’s 27 and will hit free agency after the 2014 season. Uribear is under contract through 2015.