Game 100, 2021

Rockies at Dodgers, 6:10 PM PDT, TV: ATT SportsNetRM, SPNLA

LHP Kyle Freeland (1-4, 5.36 ERA) takes the hill for the Rockies and RHP Tony Gonsolin (1-1, 2.83 ERA) does the same for the Dodgers.

Today in Dodgers’ history:

  • 1909 At Washington Park, the Superbas sweep a twin bill from the visiting Cardinals with identical 1-0 scores. Brooklyn’s southpaw Nap Rucker, who will finish second in the NL with 200 strikeouts, whiffs 16 Redbirds in one of the contests.
  • 1931 For the second time in ten days, Babe Herman hits for the cycle. The Dodger outfielder joins “Long John” Reilly and Bob Meusel as one of only three ‘tricyclists’ to have accomplished the feat of collecting a single, double, triple, and home run in one game three times.
  • 1965 Unbeknownst to him at the time, 75 year-old Mets skipper Casey Stengel, who compiled a managerial record of 1,905-1,842 with the Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, and Mets, manages his final baseball game, a 5-1 loss to Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. After leaving a party after midnight at Toots Shor’s, the ‘Old Perfesser’ loses his balance and fractures his left hip, resulting in the unexpected retirement with the team.
  • 1968 ChiSox reliever Hoyt Wilhelm breaks Cy Young’s record when he makes his 907th career appearance, pitching a third of an inning in which he gives up a run on two hits to be on the short side of the team’s 3-2 loss to Oakland. The 45 year-old knuckleballer, who will retire in 1972 after pitching in 1,070 games, will finish his 21-year major league career with a 143-122 (.540) won-loss record and 228 saves, hurling for the Giants, Cardinals, Indians, Orioles, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers.
  • 1970 Tommy Agee steals home with two outs in the bottom of the tenth inning, giving the Mets a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Dodgers at Shea Stadium. After reaching on a fielder’s choice, the New York center fielder stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch, before scoring the winning run with his thievery of home plate.
  • 1977 After his two-out foul pop-up is dropped by Mets’ right fielder Bruce Boisclair, Davey Lopes responds with a game-ending three-run home run off Bob Apodaca. The L.A. second baseman’s ninth-inning dramatics provide the Dodgers with a 5-3 win and spoil the opportunity for a win for Nino Espinosa, who left the game needing just one more out for a complete-game victory.
  • 1993 Following the game at Dodger Stadium, Vince Coleman tosses an M-80 from a car, resulting in reported injuries to three fans in the Chavez Ravine parking lot, including an 11 year-old boy and a two year-old girl. The Mets’ player was a passenger in the 1991 Jeep Cherokee driven by LA outfielder Eric Davis, who acknowledges Coleman flipped the firecracker out of his vehicle as a ‘joke,’ but not into a crowd of people.
  • 1993 In a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine, Mets right-hander Anthony Young extends his record losing streak to 27 games. The latest defeat is the result of the hard-luck hurler walking Dave Hansen in with the winning run with two outs in the 10th inning.
  • 2015 Michael Conforto becomes the 1,000th player in Mets history when he makes his major league debut, going 0-3 in the team’s 7-2 loss to the Dodgers at Citi Field. Tomorrow, the 24 year-old rookie left fielder will enjoy a 4-for-4 day at the plate when he will collect three singles and a double en route scoring four runs.

Lineup when available.

90 thoughts on “Game 100, 2021

  1. Annoyed by last night’s game, and also keyed up, I decided to do some tabulations:

    Burns (11 ABs), Raley (50), Reks (10), Ruiz (7), McKinney (7), Neuse (61), Peters (26), Sousa (25) and Tsutsugo (25) have combined for 222 at bats and have accumulated 37 hits for a cumulative batting average of .167. Together, they have fanned 105 times and walked on 22 occasions. These nine have struck out in 47 percent of their at bats.

    Although several of these are very small sample sizes, here are the strikeouts for each as a percentage of ABs: Ruiz (71 percent), Reks (70 percent), Peters (54 percent), Tsutsugo (48 percent), Raley (40 percent), Sousa (also 40 percent), Neuse (39 percent), McKinney (29 percent), and Burns (9 percent) The rest of the Dodgers as a team have struck out in 25 percent of their at bats.

    The nine cited above have totaled 6 home runs (3 by Neuse) and 14 runs batted in (4 each by Neuse and Peters). Among these nine, only Burns is hitting over .192. He is 3-for-11 for .273. Neuse, McKinney and Raley are in the starting lineup tonight.

    • Don’t think that any of them were called up because they were considered to be ready for the Bigs or to fight for a spot. Just trying to plug holes. Only JT in the line up tonight from the Big Five! Bigger concern for me would be Lux and to a much lesser extent Belli..

      • I agree with you to a point. In past years the Dodgers have called up players from the minors who have frequently contributed more. With all the injuries, these callups have been asked to do more than was anticipated. I agree with you regarding Lux. Belli had it going last night; I hope he returns quickly.

        • Belli tweeking his hammy really took the air out of the balloon. I can only think of three players in the past five years that weren’t top prospects doing anything when they came up, Toles, Beaty and Rios.

          • Ríos is also badly missed. Beaty is still a contributor.

            Toles is a sad case. When on the field, he seemed to take true joy in the game.

        • Guys like Neuse could still contribute. He’s 26 and, at that age, nobody expected anything of Muncy (I’m not saying Neuse is the new Muncy).

  2. Now 7-2 at Software Stadium, as .167-hitting catcher triples in a run with nobody out.

  3. That Gnatscore is now indeed 6-2 after seven, with the ruffian Ruf fanning to end the inning with two on.

  4. Treinen is dealing again tonight. Hopefully this little delay doesn’t change that.

  5. This stretch of ninth inning nightmares (along with the fantasy dream of the Will Smith walk-off) is like a strange bookend to that stretch of 5 or so games where they gave up all those first inning home runs.

    Thankfully those 5 games weren’t immediately followed by these ones. That would have been a tough couple of weeks!

  6. At Software Stadium, the Bucs have gnocked out Gooseman and lead the Gnats 6-1 in the fifth.

  7. Joc just hit a three-run homer for Atlanta in the 9th inning at Philly, extending the Braves’ lead to 15-3. Joc is 4-for-6 in the game with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs.

    • Dodgers miss both Joc and Quique. Their departures were a hit to roster depth, and both would be very valuable at this moment.

      • Also, they were enthusiastic and a bit zany, nice elements to have over a long season. I don’t see much of that on this year’s squad.

        • At multiple positions. The Sawx are using him well, and his offense is also a fit for Fenway.

  8. Pads have lost to Fish on a controversial game-ending DP in the ninth – Grisham went standing up into second base and interfered with SS’s throw to first.

  9. Should be interesting. Not exactly facing a really good pitcher. Freeland: 1-4, 5.36 ERA. Let the carnage begin. One way or the other.

  10. Bellinger will not play today because of the hamstring, and perhaps not tomorrow. Had he been hitting instead of Neuse, Dodgers would probably have won last night’s game.

    • I share that opinion. We lost one game because of what I think was a blown call on the 3-2 pitch to Ruf. (I have watched it a few times and his bat crossed the plate and then some. It was not a check swing). And perhaps lost another game because it was Neuse at the plate, not Bellinger.