World Series Game Three, 2021

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Astros at Braves, 5:09 PM PDT, TV: Fox

The Astros send RHP Luis Garcia (Postseason 1-1, 9.64 ERA) to the mound and the Braves counter with RHP Ian Anderson (Postseason 1-0, 2.25 ERA).

Today in baseball history was mostly filled with managerial and executive moves, as it wasn’t until 2001 that the World Series was extended this late in the year. In 2008 the Phillies won their second championship by beating the Rays in the continuation of a rain-suspended game, and in 2014 Madison Bumgarner pitched five scoreless relief innings in Game Seven and his Giants beat the Royals in Kansas City.

Lineups when available.

Astros:

Braves:

17 thoughts on “World Series Game Three, 2021”

  1. While picking up at my local taquería, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of the Deplorable Series. However, since the Asterisks’ pitcher was walking off the mound at inning’s end, I still haven’t seen a single pitch (and won’t do so).

  4. Joc not in the lineup tonight. I guess his last 19 at bats proved to much to overcome Joctober. Joc’s 5 world series home runs is most among active players.

    • “People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” — Rogers Hornsby

  7. MY TAKE: Andrew Friedman throws Dave Roberts under the bus:

    L.A. TIMES HEADLINE AND STORY: Andrew Friedman clears the air on Dodgers’ pitching decisions and lackluster finish

    By Jorge Castillo
    Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times

    Oct. 28, 2021 4:47 PM PT

    Andrew Friedman signed Trevor Bauer — and the controversy that trails him everywhere — to win the World Series. He acquired Max Scherzer at the trade deadline to replace Bauer after Bauer was accused of sexual assault, to win the World Series. He added Trea Turner to the swap with the Washington Nationals to win the World Series.

    By mid-September, after the injured list lightened, the 2021 Dodgers were the most talented team in recent franchise history. The lineup was loaded. The starting rotation was deep. The bullpen was elite.

    But they didn’t reach the World Series. More injuries surfaced once the calendar flipped to October. Mind-boggling offensive inconsistency plagued them in the postseason. Poor pitching decisions materialized.

    So, instead of hosting Game 2 of the World Series, Friedman addressed the media at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. The Dodgers’ president of baseball operations did not call the season a failure. He prefers, at least publicly, a more nuanced evaluation after the 106-win Dodgers were
    bounced in the National League Championship Series by the Atlanta Braves.

    “There’s a lot to be proud of,” Friedman said. “But, obviously, we fell short of our ultimate goal.”

    Friedman on Wednesday addressed the two controllable variables in the Dodgers’
    demise. First, who exactly made the decisions to have Scherzer and Julio Urías pitch in relief? Was it the front office or manager Dave Roberts?

    “They are Dave’s decisions with [pitching coach] Mark Prior and [game planning coach] Danny Lehmann and [bench coach] Bob Geren in the dugout,” Friedman said. “We do a lot of work to prepare ahead of time tounderstand how certain relievers match up against certain hitters.

    Starting Aug. 6, when Turner debuted, the Dodgers scored fewer than five runs in 23 of their final 53 games. They tallied double digits three times. They posted two of those outputs in the final week against the crumbling San Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers, who were in cruise control after clinching the National League Central title.

    “We needed someone to step up and pull an Eddie Rosario,” Friedman quipped, referring to the NLCS MVP. “It’s a fair question. I don’t know the answer.

    “After we made the Trea Turner deal, in my opinion, one through eight, it was the deepest, best lineup I’ve been around. But it didn’t quite play like that over the final two months. It was just a little bumpier than I expected.”

    Swinging for Bauer in February, doubling down in July and compiling a $267-million payroll
    indicated an uneasy reality Friedman and his assistants are now confronting: The 2021 season could’ve been the Dodgers’ best chance towin another championship for the foreseeable future.

    Barring disaster, the Dodgers will remain pennant contenders in 2022. But division supremacy no longer is guaranteed with the San Francisco Giants’ emergence. And change is coming.

    Friedman highlighted the “really good core in place,” but that core will likely lose members this winter. Clayton Kershaw, Kenley Jansen, Corey Seager, Chris Taylor and Scherzer are all free agents. Kershaw and Jansen are franchise icons. Seager and Taylor are playoff heroes. Scherzer just arrived, but he was the best pitcher in the majors in the second half. They’re not all returning.

    “As we look forward, whether it’s our internal guys or external guys, it’s how to round out our roster to put us in the best position to succeed,” Friedman said. “I’m confident we’ll get there. I don’t know exactly what that will look like yet. But that’s why we have the winter.”

    It’ll be a longer winter than Friedman expected

    • I call foul as well. Unfortunate but the trend these days – not taking any responsibility for questionable decisions.