Giants at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PT, TV: SPNLA, NBCS BA, MLBN (out-of-market only)
Two lefties have at one another. Madison Bumgarner (3-9, 3.48 ERA) pitches for the Giants and Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-7, 3.46 ERA) goes for the Dodgers.
Bumgarner has had a season to forget. His dirt bike accident cost him roughly three months and he was already 0-3 at the time of the crash on April 20. Ryu has been pretty solid for the Dodgers since June, going 3-1 with a 2.62 ERA. His postseason status is unclear; his next start would be his 24th, the most since he made 26 in 2014, his second year in the American big leagues, and his ability to warm up quickly as required in the bullpen is uncertain.
Today in Dodgers’ history:
- 1901 The Superbas establish a new franchise record for runs scored in a game when they rout the Reds, 25-6. Brooklyn tallies 11 times in the fifth inning during the League Park contest played in Cincinnati.
- 1916 Allowing only just one walk during a twin bill with the Cincinnati Reds, Grover Alexander of the Phillies wins both ends of a doubleheader, 7-3 and 4-0,to establish a National League record. The future Hall of Famer will repeat the feat on September 3, 1917 against the Brooklyn Robins at Ebbets Field.
- 1939 In the first game of a twin bill, Brooklyn’s third baseman Cookie Lavagetto reaches base seven consecutive times as the Dodgers rout the Phillies, 22-4. The 26-run Shibe Park contest takes only two hours and five minutes to complete.
- 1947 Prior to a game against the Giants in a sold-out Ebbets Field, the Dodgers staged Jackie Robinson Day. The Brooklyn rookie, who endured much grief this season as the game’s first black player in modern times, is moved when his teammates crowd around home plate to take part of the ceremony.
- 1956 Due to the enforcement of a curfew, the Sunday contest between the Dodgers and Pirates is postponed with two outs in the top of the ninth inning, sending the 44,932 fans, the largest crowd in Forbes Field’s history, home. The game will be completed tomorrow with Brooklyn maintaining their 8-3 advantage over Pittsburgh.
- 1969 In his last major league at-bat, John Miller homers, making the Dodger the only player in history to have hit a home run in his first and last plate appearance in the major leagues. In 1966, as a Yankee, he went deep in the first of only 61 big league career at-bats in which he would collect only 10 hits, including the two memorable round-trippers to start and end his 32-game career.
- 1986 Astros rookie starter Jim Deshaies sets a major league record by striking out the first eight batters he faces. The young left-hander will finish with a two-hitter and ten strikeouts, beating the Dodgers, 4-0.
- 1992 Lead-off hitter Bip Roberts ties the National league record with his 10th consecutive hit, a first-inning single in the Reds’ 3-0 victory over Los Angeles at Chavez Ravine. The Cincinnati left fielder’s streak ends when he grounds out in the fifth inning, facing Dodger starter Pedro Astacio.
- 2006 With one home game left on the schedule, the Dodgers break their single-season attendance record established in 1982 as the team sells 3,708,723 tickets to its games played in Chavez Ravine. The previous record of 3,608,881 was determined by former National League rules which counted fans by turnstile count.
- 2009 Trailing 8-0 at Dodger Stadium, the Giants take the lead, scoring nine runs in the top of the seventh inning. Although L.A. will come back twice to tie the score with clutch two-out hits in the eighth and ninth, San Francisco tallies four runs in the top of the tenth frame for the 14-10 victory.
Also, in 1908 Fred Merkle’s failure to touch second after an apparent game-winning hit by Bridwell scoring McCormick from third costs the Giants a 2-1 win over the Cubs when the ump calls him out and rules the game a tie. Merkle’s ‘boner’ will eventually cost the Giants the flag.
Lineup when available.
Tonight's Dodger lineup vs. Giants:
Taylor CF
Seager SS
Hernández LF
Puig RF
Forsythe 3B
Barnes C
Farmer 1B
Culberson 2B
Ryu P pic.twitter.com/zeQLvD7LBQ— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 23, 2017
NPUT
Remember “Baseball Digest”? They had 10 Commandments of Baseball . . . can only recall one of them, but apparently Puig didn’t — ~ ‘If you’re going to slide, slide. He who hesitates is hurt.’
Puig says he hurt his ankle before he was going to slide. The replays I have seen are not very enlightening in that respect, just showing his jump and then his last two steps. He appears to have gotten a good jump, confirming what Monday and Kennedy say, such that he may have slowed right before the last few steps, hence the ball arriving well before he does at the bag (great throw by the way).
Alanna interviews Puig.
Was disheartened when I exited the play and saw the result, but a little encourage after reading some of the comments here.
Sure hope the bats of summer return for the Blue in October.
What a weird ending. Monday and Kennedy were really puzzled why Puig didn’t slide. They said he had a huge jump and would likely have been safe.
(I was picking up takeout when the game ended. It’s too sticky to cook out here.)
Great throw. He appeared to be out by some distance, such that I thought he was trying to side step away from the tag instead of sliding into it.
Puig said he saw the pitcher was pitching slow. Then as he was about to slide he felt like he’d twisted his ankle. He said he was upset that he made an out (but not sure he gets why it was a lame move).
Risky move for sure. Doc comes down hard to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen in the playoffs.
Haven’t seen Puig have a base running blunder like that in a while.
With Chase looking like he was trying to lay down a bunt (with 2 outs!), I wonder if Puig missed a sign or just acted on his own or what.
Acted on his own, Doc said.
Whoah! Terse, visibly annoyed, and stern Dave Roberts in the post-game interviews. Never seen him like that before. Not even when they were losing 17 out of 18 games.
I know. He’s really mad at Puig.
It was a bit scary because it seems so out of character. I almost feel bad for Yasiel!
Maybe because he might have literally added injury to insult? (As in, bad out.)
That was not a great game. I’m going tomorrow, so maybe Kershaw will get us to 99.
Bring ’em luck!
And bring your bat, in case the others don’t show.
That was not the type of exciting ending I was imaging.
Oh, Puig. Don’t be hurt, please.
I like Utley here.
Just keep it alive Chase!
Yasiel might have hurt his ankle. Yikes. Terrible way to end the game.
Bet they don’t give Puig much of a chance to do damage.
Weak ground ball.
Yep. My mistake.
Nice at bat by Grandy. Credit where credit is due.
Seager. Hope he finds his stroke again soon.
Maybe 66 can help get 99 for 99.
A walk off win would be acceptable.
Could have had about 4 runs that inning – with no one out.
? If the wall were 15 feet closer?
If the last two hitters hadn’t just gotten under them.
Even then, they weren’t routine pop ups or lazy fly balls.
Keep battling CT.
Also close. No cigar, though.
I thought he had that one for sure!
So close.
There we go again!
Maybe that’s what the Dodgers have been missing the last month!
Let’s go CB.
So close.
Three hard hit balls. One home run. One close out. One double!
The Dodgers’ hitters have gone to sleep, so I will as well.
But they are just starting to wake up!
Not yet!
Barnes put a charge into that one.
Horsehide out of the Barnes?
Barnesburner.
Best inning from Baez for awhile.
So two rookies have the only hits the Dodgers have so far? This is no way to win a ball game.
A good way to get shut out though.
Rookie got the winning hit last night.
There’s rookies and then there’s ROOKIES! 😉
Barnes not looking good on those throws.
I’ve seen shim make a few like that lately.
There goes the playoff audition for McCarthy.
Maybe just showing him for a future off season trade.
Anyone know who would get HFA in the WS if the team from the NL and the team from the AL have the same record – and they haven’t played each other during the regular season?
Coin toss.
Ha!
Or are you serious?
Strangely, it’s the same as for the NL, record within your division.
Hmm. I guess that makes some sense. Where did you look that up?
https://www.si.com/mlb/2017/07/10/world-series-home-field-advantage-decided
Typed in “who gets home field advantage in world series” and google did the rest.
Doesn’t make sense to me. Rewards a team for being in a weak division. Didn’t look it up. Just assuming. Why make it different?
Found something on SBNation that confirms it. Can’t link, however.
No worries. Thanks Bob.
And in the end, if against all odds, if everything was the same – I suppose the last line of the options is the coin toss.
Can’t think of another way, unless it’s something like inter-league record.
Puig appears almost serene these days in the batter’s box.
McCarthy making his bid to join the playoff rotation.
Ha!
One good inning didn’t convince you?
Good for Dickson getting his first MLB hit.
OK!
Dare I say Stripling is looking good.
And is now out of the game. Here comes McCarthy.
Hope it’s not a serious injury to Ryu. That shouldn’t be the way to determine your postseason roster.
From Grant’s take on the Dodger clinch v his Gnats. Good read.
“The Dodgers clinched the division against the Giants for the third time in four years, and that disgusts me. My only remedy is to move the goalposts a little bit and note that they’ve really clinched the division against the Giants for the third time in five years. Three times in five years! You clinched the division against the Giants three times in five years! That’s adorable. Really, really adorable. You sure got us. [tousles hair]”
And about his scathing take on it…
“If the Giants don’t like it, they can play better. ”
https://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2017/9/22/16353834/giants-lose-will-never-win-again
Anyone else feeling like a 154 game schedule would have been just fine this year?
Heck, maybe even a 124 game schedule would have done it.
Every year would be good.
I usually feel that way as soon the Dodgers are in 1st place by themselves. 🙂
But it WOULD be nice to end the whole year before the cold weather has an impact on the Series.
Shorten the season and then make the wildcard game 2 of 3.
That WOULD be nice. Give the WC teams a fighting chance. And benefit the division winner who faces them because they’ll use up their best pitchers.
Have seem some discussion as regards the 1st WC team having been greatly devalued by adding the 2nd. The idea being that 3 games between them would help to reduce the randomness of one game and make a race between 1st and 2nd WC more meaningful.
It would make winning the Division more valued. Now a wildcard team gets several days between that game and the first game against the Division winner who twiddles their thumbs for 3 or 4 days after the season is over for them.
Not sure I understand. Winning the division was given more value when the 2nd WC was created.
Roger Maris and Giancarlo Stanton would approve.
? Roger only had 58 at that point.
One of the easiest double plays that can be turned.
Steiner used a word “skosh”, meaning a little bit, which I had only heard my father use. Japanese derived which apparently was picked up by troops during the Korean War (R&R was in Japan) where my father served.
I don’t remember when or from who I first heard that word. Seems like it has been with me forever but rarely used by me.
Japanese “sukoshi” meaning little. That “u” is silent, as it is in “sukiyaki.”
i”m familiar with it and thought I’ve heard it on the big or little screen.
Cory still chokes up on the bat a skosh.
Surprised there are that many regulars the day after the clinch.
I am obliged to attend an event in SF this evening, but I wouldn’t be able to see the game anyway because of the Gnatblackout.