Game 125, 2017

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.

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122 thoughts on “Game 125, 2017

  1. Not having seen and barely heard the game, I hope this isn’t a sign of what the bats do when there is a really important game (i.e. postseason).

    Did it seem like they were pressing? Did the Pirates make great plays against them? Talk about big wheels spinning . . . and getting nowhere.

    • Williams just pitched a heckuva game, “scattering” eight hits over eight innings. Then Rivero and Nicasio did their jobs in the ninth and tenth.

    • Dodgers created several opportunities based on getting good wood on the ball and taking walks. Several defensive plays by the Pirates, a couple good and one, at least, spectacular, kept them off the board.

    • Stat heads would point out that the Dodgers had the top 8 Hit Probability batted balls in the game over the first nine innings. There were 4 balls hit farther than the Harrison dinger and 11 were hit harder. So hard to blame it on the bats. More like, it’s baseball.

      • Good. I was afraid of pressing, especially in the playoffs, where everything is magnified (as it is going for a perfecto)..

  2. ESPN Stats & Info‏Verified account @ESPNStatsInfo

    Rich Hill is the first pitcher in the last 100 seasons to throw at
    least 9 innings, allow 1 or fewer hits with no walks, and get a loss.

  3. What a terrible shame! Bats must feel terrible!
    Only watched via At Bat updates but will look later at the night of futility.

    • That is pitch the 10th, Dodgers score in the 11th, and KJ in for the save.

      Or something like that.

      Or not.

  4. I just went through the play-by-play of the Dodgers at bats. Kinda glad that I just got home in the 9th inning and didn’t have to experience the first eight.

  5. If the Pirates go 1 for 1 with RISP, I will not be happy.
    1 for 2 – not happy either.

  6. Apparently there are two ways to shut out a team. One way is to allow 7 hits and 4 walks.

  7. Checking in to find that apparently Hill was told to see if he could go deep into the game and spare the pen from overwork since it has thrown a lot of innings lately.

    Apparently Hill follows directions very well.

    Maybe he should be told this before every start.

  8. That was a wonderful at bat. Which ended with a nice defensive play by the shortstop.

  9. Been watching the game but afraid to jinx things. Let’s just say Hill’s pitch count is good.

  10. Yikes! That cover photo is great, but best team ever? Lets win the World Series first.