Oct 24

World Series Game Four, 2020

Dodgers vs Rays, 5:08 PM PDT, TV: FOX

The visiting Dodgers ask LHP Julio Urias to keep the ball rolling toward a championship. All he’s done so far is go 4-0 this postseason with an ERA of 0.56 over four games, three in relief. He’ll face the Rays’ LHP Ryan Yarbrough to start; he went five innings in Game Three of the ALCS against the Astros and got the win, so he’s not necessarily filling the role of “opener,” but he might be pulled from the game early.

You may have heard that Justin Turner tied Duke Snider for most postseason career home runs for the Dodgers (remember, casual fans, that the Duke’s postseasons were limited to World Series games). Here are all of them:

Baseball history has many events on October 24, but none really includes the Dodgers or Rays except for 1972 when Jackie Robinson, weakened by heart disease complications and diabetes, dies of a heart attack in his North Stamford (CT) home. The 53 year-old nearly blind baseball pioneer and social activist’s death comes nine days after his appearance at the World Series, where he threw the ceremonial first pitch before Game 2 at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium.

Lineups:

Dodgers:

Rays:

Oct 13

ALCS Game Three, 2020

Rays vs Astros, 5:40 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Rays lead the series 2-0.

The Rays will send LHP Ryan Yarbrough to the hill to face the Astros’ RHP Jose Urquidy. This will be Yarbrough’s first postseason start; he went five innings in Game Four against the Yankees in the ALDS and gave up two runs on six hits. Urquidy has made two starts this postseason, going 4 1/3 innings in each. In his ALDS start he gave up four solo HRs to the As.

Oct 08

ALDS Game Four, 2020

Athletics vs Astros, 12:35 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Astros lead the series 2-1.

The As give the ball to RHP Frankie Montas. The big (6’2″, 255 lbs) rightie threw two innings of two-hit one run ball against the White Sox in Game Three of the Wild Card Series and picked up the win. The Astros haven’t named a starter as of 9:00 PM HST Wednesday.

The second game will be the Rays vs Yankees, 4:10 PM PDT, TV: TBS

The Rays lead the series 2-1.

The Rays plan to use RHP Ryan Thompson to start, but not for very long. LHP Ryan Yarbrough is expected to come in and pitch the middle innings. I don’t understand this move, since Yarbrough started nine of the eleven games he was in this season. Why not just hand him the ball in the first inning? The Yankees will counter with LHP Jordan Montgomery, who was 2-3 with a 5.11 ERA in the regular season and has never made a postseason appearance until now.

Ernie Lombardi’s 1939 “swoon” took place on this date in baseball history, as did Don Larsen’s 1956 perfect game and the brawl between the Mets’ Bud Harrelson and the Reds’ Pete Rose in 1973.