JohnS Posted October 17, 2018 Author Share Posted October 17, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 4 Los Angeles 2 Milwaukee Brewers 1 in 13 innings (NLCS Series tied 2-2) The pitching from both sides was outstanding as there were only 15 hits combined in 13 innings in Game 4. A 1-1 deadlock was broken when Manny Machado singled with 2 outs in the bottom of the 13th, took 2nd base on a wild pitch, and then scored on the back of Cody Bellinger's clutch 2-out hit to right fielder Christian Yelich, who almost got Machado out at home on the throw. I thought Junior Guerra was unlucky to cop the loss for Milwaukee, as he pitched brilliantly for almost 4 innings of extra-innings relief. History suggests that Los Angeles must carry this momentum into Game 5 if they are to win the the series, as Games 6 and 7 will be away in Milwaukee and traditionally these games favour the home team statistically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 18, 2018 Author Share Posted October 18, 2018 American League Championship Series - Game 4 Boston Red Sox 8 Houston Astros 6 (Red Sox lead ALCS 3-1) This game had so many highlights and controversies, that even the local media covered it! (I.e. Sydney Morning Herald used a USA Today article to cover the game, which is a rarity outside of anomaly games and the World Series.) The article below... The Boston Red Sox inched one win closer to claiming the American League pennant with an 8-6 victory over the Houston Astros in Game 4 of the AL Championship Series on Wednesday (local time) after Jackie Bradley Jr struck the decisive blow for a third consecutive game. But not before a controversial moment occurred earlier in the piece as a pivotal play turned what could have been a game-tying home run into a routine fly ball out - all because fans in the front row of the right field seats tried to grab themselves a souvenir. Mookie Betts.Credit:AP With the Red Sox scoring twice in the top of the first inning, the homestanding Astros appeared to counter with a runner on base and 2017 AL MVP Jose Altuve at the plate. Altuve connected, but Boston's Gold Glove right fielder, Mookie Betts, leaped high above the seven-foot outfield wall into a sea of hands. The ball hit off someone's hands and ricocheted back into the field of play, but right field umpire and crew chief Joe West ruled the fans interfered with Betts' opportunity to make the catch. Therefore, Altuve was out. "He just said that there was fan interference on the field, and my argument was more about the fact that the ball was leaving the yard, the trajectory was there," Astros manager AJ Hinch said during an in-game interview with TBS. "Jose paid kind of the ultimate price for something out of his control. I'm not sure if Mookie makes that catch, he's a great athlete, but how it's an assumed out is unbelievable." Under baseball Rule 6.01 (e): "No interference shall be allowed when a fielder reaches over a fence, railing, rope or into a stand to catch a ball. He does so at his own risk. However, should a spectator reach out onto the playing field side of such fence, railing or rope, and plainly prevent the fielder from catching the ball, then the batsman should be called out for the spectator's interference." Since it was a boundary call, the play automatically triggered a replay review. However, MLB replay officials could not make a conclusive determination where the ball was at the time. "After viewing all relevant angles, the Replay Official could not definitively determine that the spectator failed to reach out of the stands and over the playing field, clearly preventing the fielder from catching the ball. The call STANDS, the batter is out, and the runner returns to first base," MLB said in a statement. The Astros' rally fizzled. And the fans were incensed. Later on, Bradley belted a first-pitch changeup from Astros right-hander Josh James (0-1) into the right field seats with two outs in the sixth inning, the two-run homer giving the Red Sox a 6-5 lead. Boston held on to claim a 3-1 series lead with Game 5 set for Thursday at Minute Maid Park. James had limited the Red Sox to one run after entering in relief of right-hander Charlie Morton with one out in the third inning. However, after recording two quick outs in the sixth, James surrendered a double to Christian Vazquez before Bradley pounced on James' off-speed offering. The flame-throwing James averaged 99.4 mph over 23 fastballs. The home run was Bradley's second in as many games and his third game-altering extra-base hit in the series. Boston tacked on insurance runs in the seventh and eighth to set the stage for a series clincher against Astros ace Justin Verlander. The Red Sox took a 2-0 lead against Morton in the first inning when Rafael Devers produced a two-out, two-strike, two-run single to center that scored Betts and JD Martinez. The Astros appeared to match that two-run rally in the bottom of the first against right-hander Rick Porcello before the controversial Altuve call temporarily preserved the lead for Boston. Ultimately, the Astros clawed back via solo home runs from Springer and Tony Kemp off Porcello, and a pair of RBI singles from Carlos Correa. The shortstop's second run-scoring hit came against Joe Kelly in the fifth, driving home Yuli Gurriel and lifting the Astros to a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Houston's Alex Bregman, who went 0-for-5 while batting leadoff for the first time this series, stepped in with the bases loaded and two outs against Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel. His sinking line drive to left was snagged by a diving Andrew Benintendi, a play that pushed the defending World Series champions to the brink of elimination. Kimbrel, who allowed one run on two hits in two innings, recorded his second save of the series. Kelly (1-1) got the win despite yielding a run on two hits in his lone inning. Source: USA Today and Field Level Media Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 18, 2018 Author Share Posted October 18, 2018 Can Houston rally from 3-1 down? This MLB article suggests that it's been done 13 times before, including the famous Chicago Cubs 2016 Worlds Series comeback... These teams came back from 3-1 deficits 13 teams have reeled off three straight wins to buck the odds By Matt Kelly MLB.com 3:41 AM EDT There are few things more imposing for a team than being down three games to one in a seven-game series, but it can also be freeing. Once a club is backed into that corner, the pressure's off; either it wins three games in a row or it tips its cap and goes home for a long winter. That's the situation the defending champions, the Astros, find themselves in heading into Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. They'll turn to Justin Verlander at home to force a return trip to Boston this weekend for Game 6 and, they hope, Game 7. The odds are against the slow starters: Through 2017, only 13 teams out of 84 had come back to win a best-of-seven series after dropping three of the first four contests. Here's a look at each of those 13 "miracle" clubs and how they came all the way back to win. 2016 World Series: Cubs over Indians Cleveland was familiar with 3-1 deficits, having seen Lebron James and the NBA's Cavaliers come back from a 3-1 hole against the Warriors just a few months prior. But Ohioans would see their club fall on the other side this time around, thanks to a Cubs team that was desperate to end a 108-year championship drought. Kris Bryant, as he did throughout the '16 postseason, came up clutch with a homer to wake up the Wrigley Field crowd in Game 5, and Addison Russell's grand slam in Game 6 sent the series to a decisive winner-take-all. Then, in one of the most memorable Fall Classic contests ever, the Cubs withstood Rajai Davis' dramatic two-run homer off Aroldis Chapman -- and a momentous rain delay -- to pull ahead on Ben Zobrist's 10th-inning RBI double. Mike Montgomery closed out the bottom half, and the "Curse of the Billy Goat" was finally over. Giants headed to World Series 2012 NLCS: Giants over Cardinals Not only did the Giants come back in this series; they did so with authority. After winning their final three games on the road to defeat the Reds in the NLDS, San Francisco outscored St. Louis 20-1 over the final three contests to punch its second World Series ticket in three years. A resurgent Barry Zito pitched into the eighth in Game 5, and Ryan Vogelsong struck out nine in Game 6. Series MVP Marco Scutaro notched three hits in the finale to help San Francisco seal the franchise's first-ever victory in a winner-take-all Game 7. 2007 ALCS full of drama 2007 ALCS: Red Sox over Indians Boston looked to be in fine shape after rocking AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia in Game 1, but the Tribe stormed back for three straight victories to get Cleveland riled up for its first Fall Classic appearance in a decade. The Indians played the All-American Rejects' hit song "It Ends Tonight" over the loudspeakers before Game 5, but the Red Sox had other ideas. Josh Beckett dominated with 11 strikeouts to send the series back to Fenway Park, where J.D. Drew hit a grand slam to spur Boston to a 12-2 rout in Game 6. Red Sox employees played "It Ends Tonight" again before Game 7, and the home club ended things decisively, 11-2, to punch its second World Series ticket in four years. Roberts turns the series around 2004 ALCS: Red Sox over Yankees Eighty-six years of Bambino-sized baggage was wiped away over four magical nights in October, starting with Dave Roberts' daring steal and David Ortiz's walk-off homer in Game 4. Ortiz delivered again in a 14-inning marathon the following night to make the Fenway faithful believe, and Curt Schilling's "bloody sock" performance in Game 6 in the Bronx made him a folk hero in Boston. Johnny Damon's Game 7 grand slam seemed to lift whatever burden was left from the Red Sox's shoulders, as the self-proclaimed "idiots" became the first team to erase a 3-0 postseason deficit before sweeping the Cardinals for Boston's first championship since 1918. #WeKnowPostseason: The 2003 NLCS 2003 NLCS: Marlins over Cubs Steve Bartman will always be the symbol of this heart-breaking series for the Cubs, but the North Siders had plenty of other chances to claim their first NL pennant since 1945. Beckett, the Marlins' emerging ace, twirled a two-hit shutout in Game 5, and Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez's error after Bartman's fateful reach helped the Marlins tie (and eventually win) Game 6. Chicago even held a 5-3 lead through four innings of Game 7, but could not hold on as Florida prevailed despite being outscored by two runs in the series. 1996 NLCS: Braves over Cardinals The Braves' 1990s run was one of the most dominant by any team, but this series represented one of Atlanta's toughest tests. St. Louis was able to break through against Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine to win three of the first four contests, but -- like the Giants did in 2012 -- the Braves absolutely surged over the Cardinals once their backs were against the wall. Atlanta's three-headed monster of John Smoltz, Maddux and Glavine returned to form, but they didn't need to do all that much as Braves hitters ambushed St. Louis pitchers and outscored the Cardinals 32-1 over their last three victories. Henderson keeps Red Sox alive 1986 ALCS: Red Sox over Angels Fatalism was near its peak in Boston when the "cursed" Red Sox quickly fell behind the Halos and appeared on the verge of another postseason exit. The Angels were within one strike of their first pennant in Game 5 before Red Sox center fielder Dave Henderson blasted a dramatic go-ahead grand slam, setting up an eventual 7-6 win in 11 innings. Given new life, Boston pulled away in the final two contests at Fenway Park before heartbreak struck again on a famous grounder through Bill Buckner's legs in Game 6 of the World Series. Orta called safe at first 1985 World Series: Royals over Cardinals Kansas City epitomized the phrase "never say die" in '85, overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the ALCS before doing it again on the biggest stage. The Royals outscored the Cardinals 28-13 in this series, but still needed a controversial call from umpire Don Denkinger to squeak out a 2-1 win in Game 6 and stay alive. K.C. capitalized on its good fortune with an 11-0 blowout of the Cardinals in Game 7, with ace Bret Saberhagen twirling a five-hit shutout to seal the franchise's first World Series championship. 1985 ALCS: Royals over Blue Jays As mentioned, this Royals club really was a team of destiny. Kansas City took full advantage of the first year of the best-of-seven LCS format, starting with Danny Jackson's eight-hit shutout in a must-win Game 5. George Brett hit his third homer of the series to power the Royals to a 5-3 win in Game 6, and the star trio of Saberhagen, Charlie Leibrandt and Dan Quisenberry helped K.C. close out Game 7 at Toronto's Exhibition Stadium. Pirates win the '79 World Series 0 1979 World Series: Pirates over Orioles The '79 "We Are Family" Pirates were probably one of the loosest World Series champions, with captain Willie Stargell leading a big comeback over a supremely talented Orioles squad. Stargell hit an even .400 with three homers -- including a crucial dinger late in Game 7 -- to become the first player to capture the regular season, NLCS and World Series MVP Awards all in the same season. Pirates pitchers held Baltimore to two total runs over the last three games as Pittsburgh earned its second seven-game World Series triumph over the Orioles in a span of nine years. Tigers win the Series 1968 World Series: Tigers over Cardinals If you like vintage pitching performances, this series is for you. Bob Gibson outdueled Denny McLain, baseball's last 30-game winner, in Games 1 and 4 to put St. Louis on the verge of a second straight title, but Mickey Lolich stemmed the tide with his second win of the series in Game 5 in Detroit. McLain came back on two days' rest to nearly twirl a shutout in the Tigers' 13-1 rout in Game 6, setting up a dream winner-take-all matchup between Gibson and Lolich in St. Louis. The aces traded zeroes for six frames before Jim Northrup hit a two-run triple over Curt Flood's head in center field, and that was all Lolich -- also pitching on two days' rest -- would need in Detroit's 4-1 win. 1958 World Series: Yankees over Braves Hank Aaron and the Braves shocked the Yankees with a seven-game triumph in '57, and came oh so close to doing it again the following autumn. Warren Spahn and Lew Burdette -- who beat the Yankees three times in '57 -- combined for victories in three of the first four games, but the Yankees finally solved Burdette with six runs off the righty to stay alive in Game 5. Spahn went into the 10th inning in Game 6 before giving up a pair of runs, and Braves pinch-hitter Frank Torre lined out to end the game with Aaron representing the tying run at third base. That was the break the Yankees needed, as Bob Turley pitched 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in relief and the pinstripes beat Burdette again, 6-2, in Game 7 in Milwaukee. 1925 World Series: Pirates over Senators The legendary Walter Johnson had finally claimed his first championship with a heroic Game 7 performance in '24, but his luck ran out in another Game 7 the following year. Monsoon-like rain and heavy fog created perhaps the worst playing conditions of any World Series game in history, and the Senators' two blown leads didn't do anything to boost Johnson's morale. Kiki Cuyler's eighth-inning, two-run double off Washington's ace erased an original 4-0 deficit for the Pirates, who pulled off the first 3-1 comeback in postseason history. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/3-to-1-deficit-baseball-playoff-rallies/c-297350110 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 18, 2018 Author Share Posted October 18, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 5 Los Angeles 5 Milwaukee Brewers 2 (Dodgers lead NLCS Series 3-2) Behind Kershaw, LA takes 3-2 NLCS lead to MIL By Ken Gurnick MLB.com @kengurnick Oct. 17th, 2018 LOS ANGELES -- Until there's a World Series ring on his finger, Clayton Kershaw will do just about anything to put one there, as he showed the Brewers on Wednesday. The future Hall of Famer pitched like one in what could turn out to be his final Dodgers start, stifling the Brewers for seven innings on three hits in a 5-2 Game 5 victory at Dodger Stadium that gave Los Angeles a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series. The series shifts to Milwaukee, with Game 6 on Friday (and Game 7 on Saturday, if necessary) and the Dodgers needing one win for their first back-to-back World Series appearances since 1977-78. When a best-of-seven MLB series has been tied 2-2, the Game 5 winner has gone on to win the series 42 of 60 times (70 percent). Teams leading 3-2 with Games 6 and 7 on the road have gone on to take the series 29 of 49 times (59 percent). The Dodgers are 5-1 with a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series. "It wasn't as easy maybe as last year to get to this point," said Kershaw. "I realize we've got some work to finish it off and get back. It doesn't really matter how you get there, but thankful that we are here now, for sure." Kershaw -- the Game 1 loser to the Brewers when he was charged with five runs (four earned) in three-plus innings -- rebounded like a three-time NL Cy Young Award winner. Kershaw said he wasn't thinking about Game 1, but his manager was. "You could see the same look that you always see, there's a determination and when you get a champion like him that gets hit around a little bit, he's going to respond, and that's what he did today," said Dave Roberts. Kershaw struck out nine with a curve he could throw for strikes and a slider that darted (season-high 19 swinging strikes), retired the last 13 batters he faced and rested a bullpen that was on fumes after throwing eight scoreless innings in Tuesday night's marathon walk-off win. Of his 98 pitches, 66 were sliders or curveballs. He also walked twice, put down a sacrifice bunt and scored a run. "In Game 5 of the NLCS, we're going to have guys probably pitching out of their comfort zones all over the place," said Kershaw. "And that was evident today when they were prepared to take me out after five innings. It's definitely in the back of your mind that you want to try to go as deep as possible when the bullpen was taxed as much as it was yesterday." Homerless for a third consecutive game, the Dodgers changed their offensive approach, putting balls in play, using the big part of the field and aggressively running the bases (steals by Cody Bellinger, Chris Taylor and Manny Machado). Six of nine hits went to center field. "The little things played a big part today," said Roberts. Bellinger steals second base After Lorenzo Cain's RBI double off Kershaw in the third inning gave the Brewers a 1-0 lead, the Dodgers tied the game on an RBI single through a drawn-in infield by Austin Barnes in the fifth inning with Kershaw's spot next and Yasiel Puig in the on-deck circle. Roberts said Puig was a decoy and he was sending Kershaw back out to pitch the sixth, but Milwaukee couldn't be sure of that. Barnes' RBI single "Kershaw was going to hit, we would have had a strikeout or infield groundout," said Brewers manager Craig Counsell. "We brought the infield in and tried to be aggressive there. So I would agree that that [Barnes hit] was the at-bat of the game. And I think that certainly we get to their bullpen and they've got to do some work in the bullpen. So that changed things, for sure." The Dodgers took the lead in the sixth on RBI singles by Max Muncy and Puig. They added a pair of insurance runs in the seventh on a Justin Turner RBI single and a Brian Dozier RBI groundout. • Puig makes impact off bench in Game 5 victory Turner's RBI single in the 7th Muncy's one-out hit -- an uncharacteristic bouncer through the left side of the infield for the pull hitter -- scored Turner to break the tie and chased Brandon Woodruff, who had been pitching since the second batter of the game. Counsell used Wade Miley as a one-batter decoy starter to influence Los Angeles' lineup construction. Miley is expected to start Game 6. Muncy's hit followed Machado being nicked by a pitch, and Machado scored on Puig's two-out single up the middle. Dodgers take lead with 2-run 6th Kershaw -- who can opt out of the final two years of his contract after the World Series -- added to Dodgers postseason records for wins (nine), starts (22), innings pitched (140) and strikeouts (153). He's 3-5 in NLCS games and 9-8 overall in the postseason. "It's just a classic case of he executed a lot of pitches today," said Counsell. "He didn't execute in Milwaukee and he executed today. I don't think it was a vastly different game plan; it's simple execution." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Kershaw said a third-inning, two-out strikeout of Jesus Aguilar that left the bases loaded and started the 13 straight outs was the turning point in his start. Kershaw K's Aguilar, escapes jam "Any time you can work yourself out of situations like that, that's going to make or break the game," he said. "Minimizing damage as best you can as a starting pitcher is huge. In the playoffs you probably don't get many chances to work out of jams because you're going to get taken out of the game because the magnitude of the game is so large." SOUND SMART Kershaw joined Jim Palmer (1971 Orioles), Don Drysdale ('63 Dodgers) and Bill Dinneen ('03 Americans) as the only players with at least two walks (batting) and at least nine strikeouts (pitching) in a postseason game all-time, according to Stats LLC. Kershaw's 2 walks in Game 5 YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Barnes' single scored Taylor, who led off the fifth on an infield single, taking second on shortstop Orlando Arcia's throwing error, then stealing third base. "Having the confidence and trust in your ability to get out there and know that the guy's a little slow to the plate and we can take advantage of that and to go on the first pitch was big time," said Turner. Dodgers manufacture run in 5th HE SAID IT "Just thinking that I have to get Woodruff out." -- Kershaw, who allowed a Game 1 homer to Woodruff, on what he was thinking when Woodruff relieved one batter into the game Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/kershaw-dodgers-take-3-2-nlcs-lead/c-298073928 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted October 18, 2018 Share Posted October 18, 2018 Play. It. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoeFOH Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 8 hours ago, JohnS said: Can Houston rally from 3-1 down? Nope. #DirtyWater. Big time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 19, 2018 Author Share Posted October 19, 2018 American League Championship Series - Game 5 Boston Red Sox 4 Houston Astros 1 (Red Sox win the ALCS 4-1) Priceless! Lefty sends Red Sox to World Series By Ian Browne MLB.com @IanMBrowne 3:55 AM EDT HOUSTON -- For years, David Price was forced to carry around his postseason misfortunes as a nuisance that wouldn't go away in an otherwise decorated career. The lefty didn't hide from it. He just vowed over and over that the narrative would change at some point. That point was Thursday night at Minute Maid Park, when Price pitched his Red Sox to the American League pennant with a marvelous performance on three days' rest in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. Behind Price's first win in 12 career postseason starts -- and home runs by J.D. Martinez and Rafael Devers -- Boston dethroned the defending World Series champion Astros with a 4-1 victory. It was sweet for everyone with the Red Sox, but it had to taste the best for Price, who went to sleep late Wednesday with a visualization that turned to reality. "My last thought last night before I went to bed was probably a little bit different," Price said. "The night before I pitch, I'm just envisioning myself making pitches, and last night I envisioned myself doing this [clubhouse celebration] right here. Just going through my head, [I thought of] what I was going to say, and I'm happy that it happened." Never again will Price have to talk about having zero playoff wins as a starter. The reality of that hit Price immediately, and that thought was sweeter for the 33-year-old than the champagne that drenched him repeatedly in the victorious clubhouse. "That's cool. That's awesome," Price said. "I don't have to prepare myself for that in Spring Training, February 20th or when September rolls around every year and I've still got five regular-season starts left. I don't have to answer that question anymore, so that feels good." Jackie Bradley Jr. -- who delivered a go-ahead three-run double in Game 2 in Boston, punctuated an 8-2 win in Game 3 with an eighth-inning grand slam and launched a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning of Game 4 -- was named the ALCS Most Valuable Player. Now it will be the Red Sox, led by rookie manager Alex Cora, who represent the AL in the World Series, which will start on Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the Dodgers or Brewers. This is the first trip to the Fall Classic since 2013 for Boston, which has a chance to win its fourth championship ('13, '07, '04) in 15 seasons since ending that infamous 86-year drought. "Huge," said Martinez. "That's one of the best feelings in the world. To be bringing a World Series opportunity back to [the fans of Boston] and an American League championship to Boston, I'm sure they're going nuts back home." Pitching on three days' rest after a start for the first time in his career -- and filling in for ace Chris Sale, who is recovering from a stomach illness -- Price mowed through the Astros, using a dominant changeup to keep them off-balance. Over six innings, the lefty allowed three hits and no runs while walking none and notching nine strikeouts, his career best in the postseason. Price threw 93 pitches and generated 15 swings and misses, 12 coming on changeups. He outdueled Houston ace Justin Verlander, who was on regular rest, by a wide margin. "There was a lot of noise," said Cora. "I was saying today that -- I don't want to pick battles with the media, but I heard somebody today on TV just blasting David, blasting him, calling him the worst pitcher in the postseason. Yeah, the numbers are there, I know, but he was saying this -- he didn't hesitate, saying it was a bad matchup, one of the greatest against the worst and all that. I don't listen too much to what's going on outside, but that one got me." This time, Price had the last laugh, and he soaked up every bit of it. After the trophy presentation, Price was the first player out of the Red Sox's clubhouse. He walked to a barricade where all the families of Boston's players were. When they saw Price, they all roared. Price hugged his wife, Tiffany, and held his 17-month-old son, Xavier. "That's my rock, so that's cool," Price said of embracing his family. Fittingly, the performance came one day shy of the 10th anniversary of Price's other signature moment in the playoffs, when he earned a clutch save for the Rays against the Red Sox in Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS. Cora started that night at shortstop for Boston. On Thursday, the manager enjoyed his 43rd birthday by watching Price dominate. This is Price's first trip to the World Series since that 2008 season, when he was a September callup and his team lost to the Phillies. Game Date Time/Results Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 13 HOU 7, BOS 2 HOU @ BOS Watch Gm 2 Oct. 14 BOS 7, HOU 5 HOU @ BOS Watch Gm 3 Oct. 16 BOS 8, HOU 2 BOS @ HOU Watch Gm 4 Oct. 17 BOS 8, HOU 6 BOS @ HOU Watch Gm 5 Oct. 18 BOS 4, HOU 1 BOS @ HOU Watch To have it happen this way, just a day after Price threw 40 pitches in the bullpen in case he was needed in the late stages of a wild Game 4, was surreal. "He's right at the top step every time someone hits a home run," Martinez said of Price. "We all know his history and stuff like that, so for him, we're so proud of him. To be able to do what he did today on short rest, he picked us up. He carried us." This ALCS was built up as a clash of the titans between clubs that combined for 211 wins during the regular season, and both looked imposing in the AL Division Series. After losing Game 1, and looking disjointed in doing so, the Red Sox regained the dominance they displayed throughout much of the season and took four straight from the Astros, including the last two at Minute Maid Park. Boston is 5-0 on the road in this postseason, marking the first time it has won five straight road games in a single playoff run. "We ran out of wins. We had a tough-fought series," said Houston manager AJ Hinch. "They took it to us. When you get two evenly matched teams up against each other, there's going to be swings in momentum and big at-bats and a little bit of luck, a little bit of bad luck. And they outplayed us. They did a really good job of having an excellent game plan and going and executing it and they were extremely tough." Price came out dealing. In the fourth, he threw his second- and third-hardest pitches of the season (95.8 and 95.5 mph) during a strikeout of Carlos Correa. The final pitch of the night for Price was a changeup that he struck out Jose Altuve. Knowing he was done for the night, and that his first postseason win as a starter was finally in his grasp, Price pumped his fist and shouted with joy as he went back to the dugout. "Six shutout inning against the world champs with nine punchouts and three hits," said Price, reflecting on the excitement that hit him after he threw his final pitch. With Cora's bullpen pretty well spent after a busy few days, he went to righty Matt Barnes for the first two outs of the seventh. After Marwin Gonzalez finally put the Astros on the board with a homer and Barnes walked Tony Kemp, starting pitcher Nathan Eovaldi came out of the 'pen just two days after throwing 92 pitches in his win in Game 3. Eovaldi also took care of the eighth, and closer Craig Kimbrel finished it with his third save of the series, though the first two were more adventurous than he wanted. "We found a few things last night after the game," said Kimbrel. "Some stuff I've been struggling with for a while. I feel like I was able to hone it in tonight, get back online and pitch like I'm supposed to." Though the end result made it look like Boston won the series in a romp, it sure didn't start that way. When the Red Sox got to the ballpark for Game 2 at Fenway Park, there was an urgency to salvage a split before the ALCS shifted to Houston. Price started that game, and though he came one out shy of qualifying for the win, he made some big pitches and left with a lead. With the Sox winning Game 2, it marked the first time his team had won a postseason game he started. Price called it a baby step. So what was the clinching victory in Game 5? "A real step," said Price. And for the Red Sox, the next step -- the biggest of them all -- is the World Series. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED J.D. strikes first: Martinez helped the Red Sox break out first for the fourth straight game, though they waited until the third inning this time. That was when Martinez smoked a one-out solo shot to left on a curveball in the upper part of the strike zone by Verlander. Martinez's first homer of the ALCS had a Statcast-projected exit velocity of 105.4 mph and traveled a projected 396 feet, clanging off a sign above the seats. The Sox are 80-5 this season when they score first, including 6-0 in the postseason. "Huge, obviously," said Martinez. "He's one of those guys, you've got to get him rattled. You've got to have traffic. You've got to have something to just get him out of that groove. When he gets in that grove, he's tough, man. There's a reason he's one of the best pitchers in the game." Devers strikes second: Martinez's missile was the only run of the game until the sixth. That was when Verlander served up a leadoff double to Mitch Moreland, a single by Ian Kinsler and then a huge three-run homer to the opposite field in left by Devers that gave Boston a 4-0 lead. Devers got enough of Verlander's 98.2-mph heater to get it over the wall. It wasn't an easy pitch to hit, as it had a 2,805 rpm spin rate. MLB hitters combined to hit just four home runs in the regular season off 4-seamers with 98+ mph and 2,600+ rpm. "Devers hit his decent. It's unfortunate that it went out," said Verlander. "He put a decent swing on it. It's not until I get back and see the exit velo that I know it wasn't hit as good as I thought. He hit it well. But it's the Moreland one that was kind of debilitating, just out of the reach of the left fielder to lead off an inning, when we're already down a run. That's tough to deal with." SOUND SMART With his third career homer in postseason play before the age of 22, Devers is tied for fourth all-time on that list with Andruw Jones, trailing only Mickey Mantle, Bryce Harper and Miguel Cabrera, who all had four. Price became the first AL pitcher working on three or fewer days of rest to record at least six shutout innings in a postseason game since Mike Mussina for the Orioles in Game 6 of the 1997 ALCS against the Indians. HE SAID IT "It hasn't sunk in yet, honestly. It's something you dream about as a kid, playing in the World Series, and now we are. Our job's not finished yet. We still have four more wins. We're going to play a good team regardless of who we play. We're going to enjoy this tonight and get after that in two days." -- Andrew Benintendi, on going to the World Series Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/price-pitches-red-sox-into-world-series/c-298316272 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colt45 Posted October 19, 2018 Share Posted October 19, 2018 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 20, 2018 Author Share Posted October 20, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 4 Los Angeles 2 Milwaukee Brewers 1 in 13 innings (NLCS Series tied 3-3) Brewers cruise after early push, force Game 7 By Adam McCalvy MLB.com @AdamMcCalvy 30 minutes ago MILWAUKEE -- Brewers manager Craig Counsell wanted energy from the Miller Park faithful. The Miller Park faithful wanted more baseball. Everybody got their wish. Shedding the offensive funk induced by the Dodgers' quality pitching in the first five games of the National League Championship Series, the Brewers busted loose for four runs in a nine-batter opening inning of Game 6 on Friday night and closed out a 7-2 win to stay alive another day. Game 7 is Saturday night. The winner gets the Red Sox in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. Game Date Time/Results Matchup TV/Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 12 MIL 6, LAD 5 LAD @ MIL Watch Gm 2 Oct. 13 LAD 4, MIL 3 LAD @ MIL Watch Gm 3 Oct. 15 MIL 4, LAD 0 MIL @ LAD Watch Gm 4 Oct. 16 LAD 2, MIL 1 (13) MIL @ LAD Watch Gm 5 Oct. 17 LAD 5, MIL 2 MIL @ LAD Watch Gm 6 Oct. 19 MIL 7, LAD 2 LAD @ MIL Watch Gm 7 Oct. 20 8:09 p.m. LAD @ MIL FS1 To extend the season, the Brewers had to buck their recent postseason history -- and another dose of David Freese. This NLCS began just like the Brewers' last, in 2011 against the Cardinals; a split of Games 1 and 2 at Miller Park, followed by losses in two of the three road games to send the Brewers back to Milwaukee one loss away from elimination. That time, Freese smashed a three-run homer in the first inning of Game 6, part of a four-run opening inning against Shaun Marcum that sealed Milwaukee's fate. This time, Freese did it against Wade Miley while making a rare start as a leadoff man, hitting the game's fifth pitch into the visitors' bullpen for a 1-0 Dodgers lead. But this time, the damage stopped there. The Brewers answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning against Hyun-Jin Ryu, and while Freese delivered another RBI with a double in the fifth, he was double-switched out of the game after that and Milwaukee's fans with long memories could exhale. By then, the lead was in hand. The Brewers entered the day 3-for-35 with runners in scoring position and batting .219 as a team in the NLCS, though Counsell hoped aloud that some crowd noise would help apply pressure to Dodgers pitchers. Whether it was the crowd or misses by Ryu or better at-bats by Brewers hitters, the result was a nine-batter first-inning rally that featured five hits, beginning with Lorenzo Cain's leadoff infield single. Jesus Aguilar and Mike Moustakas were a combined 6-for-39 (.154) in the NLCS, including 0-for-8 with six strikeouts with runners in scoring position, as Aguilar stepped to the plate with two on and two outs, but they drilled successive doubles for a 3-1 lead. Erik Kratz, 1-for-11 in Games 1-5, followed with a run-scoring single to make it 4-1. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/brewers-win-nlcs-game-6-vs-dodgers/c-299349722 N.B. Craig Counsell, the Brewers Manager, did not use Josh Hader in Game 6. This means that Hader will be able to pitch at least 3 potential clutch innings in Game 7 due to the extra rest, and Hader has cemented his reputation in 2018 as the premier National League (if not Major League) 'lights out' reliever. To fully appreciate how important Hader is to the Brewers, Milwaukee have a 53-8 win-loss record in games this season in which Hader has played and a 48-62 win-loss record in games he hasn't. (ed - JohnS) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boozebag Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Go Brewers! Manny Machado is a dirty POS and doesn't deserve to play in the World Series. He spiked my favorite current player Dustin Pedroia last year, and he's still not playing. He pulled that same dirty BS sliding into second base, not once, but twice, against the Brewers.. then kicked Aguilars ankle running to first. He's dirty, and can get effed as far as I'm concerned. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BinBin Posted October 20, 2018 Share Posted October 20, 2018 Go RED SOX on to the World Series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 National League Championship Series - Game 7 Los Angeles 5 Milwaukee Brewers 1 (Dodgers win the NLCS 4-3) This article was printed from mlb, originally published October 21st, 2018. LA wins NL, setting up titanic WS with Red Sox By Ken Gurnick MLB.com @kengurnick 2:14 AM EDT MILWAUKEE -- Corey Seager's elbow blew out, and the Dodgers found a way. The entire starting rotation went on the disabled list, and they found a way. Kenley Jansen's heart raced, and they found a way. They even found a way to overcome a nine-game deficit in the National League West. And on Saturday, the Dodgers found their way back to the World Series. Game Date Results Highlights Gm 1 Oct. 12 MIL 6, LAD 5 Watch Gm 2 Oct. 13 LAD 4, MIL 3 Watch Gm 3 Oct. 15 MIL 4, LAD 0 Watch Gm 4 Oct. 16 LAD 2, MIL 1 (13) Watch Gm 5 Oct. 17 LAD 5, MIL 2 Watch Gm 6 Oct. 19 MIL 7, LAD 2 Watch Gm 7 Oct. 20 LAD 5, MIL 1 Watch With rookie starter Walker Buehler poised under pressure, NLCS MVP Cody Bellinger and Yasiel Puig launching crowd-silencing homers at Miller Park and Chris Taylor pulling off a miracle catch in left field, the Dodgers eliminated the Brewers in Game 7 of the NL Championship Series, 5-1, and will play the Red Sox in the World Series starting Tuesday night in Boston. "Every single person in this room has their fingerprints on this season," said Dave Roberts, who will be managing against his former Dodgers teammate, Boston's Alex Cora. "We haven't accomplished our goal yet. Four more wins. Let's go." The Dodgers are going to back-to-back World Series for the first time since 1977-78, when they lost both times to the Yankees. They'll be trying for their first World Series win since 1988, which was clinched 30 years ago to the day, the same year they last won a Game 7 in the NLCS against the Mets. This one secured their 20th appearance in the Fall Classic, tying the Giants for the most in the NL. "We found a way to get it done again," said Justin Turner. "You saw big swings from two guys [Bellinger and Puig] that didn't have the success this year they wanted. Walker Buehler gave us almost five innings, Ryan Madson is the unsung hero of the entire postseason and our bullpen was outstanding in a series when their bullpen got a lot of the press, a lot of attention. Our guys stepped up and got it done." The Dodgers' bullpen, outpitching a more celebrated Brewers bullpen, finished it off with 4 1/3 scoreless innings. Jansen struck out three of the four batters he faced, then handed the baton to Game 5 winner Clayton Kershaw, who struck out Mike Moustakas and was in the middle of the dogpile. "Where we came from this year, it's a testament to these guys," said Kershaw. "It's a great group, we're excited, we're going to celebrate but we don't want to lose again, so we'll be ready to go." Los Angeles' bullpen had a 1.45 ERA in the series. "All the heavy punches we took all season about the bullpen, including myself, and here we are celebrating," said Jansen. "We win another National League championship and we're going to the World Series. It was harder from the start and feels so much sweeter than last year." General manager Farhan Zaidi echoed Jansen's analysis. "We really had our backs to the wall in this game," he said. "Easy wasn't really in our playbook, so it was fitting it took us until Game 7. It was more of a joyride last year." Like everything else this season, though, the Game 7 victory was tougher than it looked. Milwaukee scored first on Christian Yelich's homer, his second extra-base hit and first RBI of the series, on a 98 mph Buehler fastball in the first inning. Teams scoring first in a winner-take-all Game 7 had been 36-19 and 11-5 in Game 7 of the LCS. But Brewers starter Jhoulys Chacin couldn't hold the lead for even a half-inning. Manny Machado, with boos echoing through Miller Park, shocked everybody by perfectly bunting a 3-2 hanging slider for a leadoff infield single in the second. Bellinger, batting .190 at the time, followed by crushing a two-run homer projected by Statcast™ at 425 feet for a 2-1 lead. Add that to the dazzling catch and walk-off hit to win the 13-inning Game 4 and Bellinger was named MVP. Before the top of the second ended, Milwaukee started warming up its most lethal weapon, Josh Hader, and after the inning ended, Kershaw walked from the dugout to the Dodgers' bullpen. And the plot thickened. Hader entered to start the third inning. He put up three zeros for the second time in the series. But it was Taylor -- co-MVP of last year's NLCS -- who at least matched Bellinger's catch in Game 4 with a spectacularly circuitous, lunging, sliding, over-the-shoulder catch of what would have been a game-tying double by Yelich with two outs in the fifth inning, saving L.A. reliever Julio Urias, brought in specifically to retire Yelich. "At that point in time, I thought the game was tied," said Roberts. "But C.T. gets a great break on the ball, and really a game-saving play." "That was the catch of the year," said Bellinger, who held the title for three games. Urias, pitching back to back for the first time in his life, also was pitching the day after the death of his grandmother, revealed to the team in the clubhouse by Enrique Hernandez before the champagne celebration began. The catch should put Taylor right there with Bellinger and Brooklyn's Al Gionfriddo and Sandy Amoros for the most crucial defensive plays in Dodgers postseason history. Usually soft-spoken and mild-mannered, Taylor made, for him, a scene celebrating. "You could feel the tension in the stands," he explained. "The stadium was going crazy, Julio facing the MVP and the tying run on second." That set up the key blow in the sixth after Max Muncy and Turner singled and Bellinger beat out a double-play grounder, as Puig hit a three-run blast off Jeremy Jeffress, who called Turner "lucky" after his Game 2-winning homer off Jeffress. Puig was 3-for-4. Buehler struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings. Madson followed Urias for five outs and was credited with the victory, Jansen came on with two outs in the seventh and Kershaw pitched the ninth, his first postseason relief outing since Game 7 of last year's World Series. "I think [World Series] Game 7 last year prepared us for Game 7 tonight," said catcher Austin Barnes. "If you make it bigger than it is, it works against you. I think we learned that last year. We executed." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Machado, who felt Chacin was quick-pitching him, effortlessly dropped a ridiculously perfect bunt single on a 3-2 pitch, which hadn't been done by anybody in any big league game since 2014. It silenced a crowd that had been raucously booing Machado and maybe it rattled Chacin, who served up the go-ahead home run to the next batter, Bellinger. SOUND SMART Puig is the third Cuban player to homer in a Game 7, joining Tony Perez (1975 World Series) and Bert Campaneris ('73 World Series). YOU GOTTA SEE THIS If Bellinger doesn't beat out the double-play grounder with one out in the sixth inning, Puig doesn't come up to slug the three-run homer. Statcast™ timed Bellinger's sprint speed from home to first at 30.5 feet per second (30.0 is considered elite). HE SAID IT "Puig was right." -- Barnes, on his teammate's prediction on a World Series return Ken Gurnick has covered the Dodgers for MLB.com since 2001. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-beat-brewers-nlcs-game-7-reach-ws/c-299398038 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 First look at Dodgers-Red Sox World Series: Rare showdown between baseball originals MILWAUKEE -- The 114th World Series matchup is all lined up, and for the first time it features a Boston vs. Los Angeles battle. The two cities have long been rivals on the hardwood, with the NBA Finals showcasing numerous Celtics vs. Lakers clashes. However, the NHL has never featured a Bruins-Kings meeting for the Stanley Cup, nor have the Patriots faced the Los Angeles-based Rams in the Super Bowl -- although that could change this season. You'll be hearing another round of Babe Ruth references the next few days because he starred in the one previous meeting between the Dodgers and Red Sox in the Fall Classic. The Dodgers were in Brooklyn then, and in 1916, when the meeting with Boston took place, they were known as the Robins. The Babe won Game 2 of that World Series, throwing a 14-inning complete game in a 2-1 Red Sox victory. The last 13 of those innings were zeros, the start of a 29-inning scoreless streak for Ruth in World Series play. Another note: The Brooklyn games were played at Ebbets Field, but the Boston games were played at Braves Field, then a larger venue than Fenway. So the Dodgers franchise has never made an appearance at Fenway Park in October. Nevertheless, if there isn't a lot of World Series history between the teams, it sure as heck feels historic. And perhaps the most unusual historical aspect is that this hasn't happened before. The wild-card era is in its 25th year, so that's 50 seasons combined for the Red Sox and Dodgers. Together, they've put up 42 winning seasons, 25 playoff appearances, six pennants and three titles (all won by the Red Sox). Despite the consistent success, sky-high payrolls, the market glitz and the grand old ballparks, this our first real taste of the Red Sox vs. the Dodgers on baseball's biggest stage. It should be a fitting new chapter in the baseball history book. Source:http://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/25028890/mlb-first-look-los-angeles-dodgers-boston-red-sox-world-series Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 Dodgers vs. Red Sox: A World Series rarity Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson and the Boys of Summer. Ted Williams to Yaz and the Impossible Dream. Manny Ramirez. Pedro Martinez. Bill Buckner. Fenway Franks and Dodger Dogs. Ebbets Field, the Green Monster. "Sweet Caroline" or "I Love L.A." Yet for all their rich history — dating back to Babe Ruth on the mound — the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers have rarely crossed paths heading into this World Series. Only once before in October, and that was more than a century ago. In fact, Clayton Kershaw has never even pitched at Fenway Park. Consider this: Going into Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Dodgers have beaten the Red Sox in Boston just one time. That came on June 12, 2004. And guess who scored and drove in a run for the Dodgers during that 14-5 romp? Alex Cora, now the rookie manager of the Red Sox. One of his teammates that afternoon — Dave Roberts, ready to lead Los Angeles into its second straight Fall Classic. Roberts is sure to draw a big cheer when the teams line up for pregame introductions. He's still a fan favorite in Boston for his daring stolen base that sparked an unprecedented comeback from a 3-0 deficit against Mariano Rivera and the rival Yankees in the 2004 AL Championship Series. The Red Sox went on to end their 86-year title drought by sweeping St. Louis in the World Series, boosted by Big Papi, Pedro and Manny. Starting next week, Boston will try for its fourth championship in 15 seasons. MVP candidate Mookie Betts, slugger J.D. Martinez and the Red Sox posted a team-record 108 wins, a big payoff for the team with the top payroll in the game. Boston pushed past New York in the AL Division Series and then quickly dispatched the defending champion Astros in the ALCS. Chris Sale is set to pitch the opener. He recently spent a night in the hospital because of a stomach illness, and no doubt watchful eyes will be on the lefty ace. Los Angeles is aiming for its first championship since Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser and Tommy Lasorda brought home the crown in 1988. A year after losing Game 7 to Houston at Dodger Stadium, Justin Turner and the crew with the third-highest payroll beat Colorado in a tiebreaker for the NL West title, chased Atlanta in the NLDS and topped Milwaukee in Game 7 for the pennant. New to the power-packed Dodgers this season is star shortstop Manny Machado, acquired in a July trade with Baltimore. Boston fans are plenty familiar with him — his late slide last year injured longtime Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, and led to a tense situation at Fenway with Sale throwing behind Machado. Soon as they see him, Red Sox rooters might even take up the familiar chant of "Beat LA!" It's been heard for years in Boston, albeit in a different arena. That's what Celtics fans echoed during the Larry Bird-Magic Johnson rivalry. Fitting, maybe, the former Lakers star is a part-owner of the Dodgers. On the basketball court, Los Angeles and Boston are certainly intertwined with championships on the line, going all the way back to the days of Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, Bob Cousy and Jerry West. On the diamond, not so much for these storied franchises. They first tangled for real in the 1916 World Series. The Babe pitched all 14 innings — in a tidy 2 hours, 32 minutes — as Boston beat Brooklyn 2-1 in Game 2. Though Fenway opened four years earlier, the game was played at Braves Field, home of the city's NL franchise, because it held more people. The Red Sox wound up winning in five games. Back then, the Dodgers weren't really the Dodgers. They were known by a collection of nicknames, and were often called the Robins because of popular manager Wilbert "Uncle Robbie" Robinson. And Ruth later coached for them. Over the years, the teams went their own ways, on and off the field. The Dodgers proudly broke baseball's color barrier when Jackie Robinson played in 1947. The Red Sox were the last team in the majors to have a black player, in 1959 with Pumpsie Green. Decades later, the teams made history together. They drew an announced crowd of 115,300 — the largest ever for a baseball game — for an exhibition at the Coliseum in 2008 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Dodgers' move to Los Angeles. Overall, the Red Sox are 8-7 against the Dodgers since interleague play began in 1997. Boston hasn't hosted LA since 2010, and the teams haven't squared off since 2016. Not much crossover for these clubs, either. Buckner was a young, fleet outfielder when he helped the Dodgers reach the 1974 World Series. He was a gimpy first baseman when he let that ball roll through his legs as Boston blew the 1986 Series. Pedro Martinez began his big league career as a reliever with Los Angeles before becoming a dominant starter for Boston. Manny Ramirez was an eccentric slugger for the Red Sox who took his act to Mannywood out West. Nomar Garciaparra, Adrian Beltre and Rickey Henderson are among the stars who spent time with both teams. So has Dodgers starter Rich Hill — in 2015, the Boston-area native was pitching with the independent Long Island Ducks when he resurrected his career with the Red Sox. And there was that late-season trade six years ago that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford from Boston to Los Angeles in a huge salary dump. Big names will be in the stands next week, too. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and a packed crowd bundled on a New England night, maybe. It could be in the upper 30s at Fenway, the oldest ballpark in the majors. Warren Beatty, Ashton Kutcher and sun-splashed fans basking in the glow of the San Gabriel Mountains. It was a record 103 degrees for the opener last year at Dodger Stadium, at 56 the third-oldest park. Whatever the temperatures, Dodgers-Red Sox, a hot World Series on deck. Source: https://www.wcvb.com/article/dodgers-vs-red-sox-a-world-series-rarity/24006416 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 Teams that lost WS and returned the next year By Andrew Simon MLB.com @AndrewSimonMLB Oct. 20th, 2018 If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That saying has applied to many teams throughout Major League history, when it comes to the World Series, and now the Dodgers are the latest. After the 2017 Dodgers made it all the way to Game 7 against the Astros, Los Angeles is back in the Fall Classic again to face Boston. Game Date Time Matchup TV Gm 1 Oct. 23 8:09 p.m. LAD @ BOS FOX Gm 2 Oct. 24 8:09 p.m. LAD @ BOS FOX Gm 3 Oct. 26 8:09 p.m. BOS @ LAD FOX Gm 4 Oct. 27 8:09 p.m. BOS @ LAD FOX *Gm 5 Oct. 28 8:15 p.m. BOS @ LAD FOX *Gm 6 Oct. 30 8:09 p.m. LAD @ BOS FOX *Gm 7 Oct. 31 8:09 p.m. LAD @ BOS FOX *- If necessary | All times ET Overcoming some tough challenges, the Dodgers advanced past the National League Championship Series with Saturday night's 5-1 victory over the Brewers in Game 7 at Milwaukee. Now the Dodgers' second straight appearance in MLB's showcase event begins on Tuesday night at Fenway Park. That makes the Dodgers the 28th team to lose a World Series but return the next year, including three that lost two in a row before qualifying for a third. Of those first 27, 15 succeeded where they had failed a season earlier and claimed a championship. The task of returning has grown significantly more difficult in recent years, however, since the beginning of the Divisional Era in 1969, when the postseason expanded to include the League Championship Series. Before the Dodgers, seven teams had made it back to the World Series following a loss in that time, including just two since the Division Series entered the picture in '95. Here is a look at each of those returning teams and how they fared. Royals: 2014-15 2014: Lost to Giants in 7 2015: Beat Mets in 5 In their first postseason appearance since winning the 1985 World Series, the 2014 Royals went all the way to Game 7 of the Fall Classic. They had the tying run 90 feet away in the bottom of the ninth, but Madison Bumgarner retired Salvador Perez after Alex Gordon was held at third on the previous play. Kansas City finished the job the next year, however, rallying for two runs to tie Game 5 in the top of the ninth at Citi Field and claiming its rings with a five-run 12th. Rangers: 2010-11 2010: Lost to Giants in 5 2011: Lost to Cardinals in 7 Texas' only two trips to the World Series came in back-to-back seasons. While the Giants outscored the Rangers, 29-12, in 2010, the next October brought a far more agonizing conclusion. Texas led the series, 3-2, and had St. Louis down to its last out in both the ninth and 10th innings before losing on David Freese's walk-off homer in the 11th. Chris Carpenter pitched the Cardinals to victory in Game 7. Braves: 1991-92 1991: Lost to Twins in 7 1992: Lost to Blue Jays in 6 Before dominating the NL in the 1990s, the Braves hadn't made it to the World Series since '57, when they still resided in Milwaukee. The '91 Series was a classic, with Minnesota's Jack Morris famously dueling John Smoltz en route to a 10-inning, 1-0 shutout in Game 7. The next season brought another close call, as Atlanta endured four one-run losses, including an 11-inning affair in Game 6. However, the Braves got their championship three years later. Athletics: 1988-89 1988: Lost to Dodgers in 5 1989: Beat Giants in 4 The 1988 A's won 104 games and swept the Red Sox in the ALCS. But in the World Series, the Dodgers took Game 1 on Kirk Gibson's iconic walk-off homer off of Dennis Eckersley, and they rolled from there behind two dominant complete games from Orel Hershiser. The '89 A's swept their crosstown foes, although the devastating Loma Prieta earthquake that struck the Bay Area just before Game 3 postponed the conclusion of the Series. Oakland returned for a third straight year in '90, but it was swept by Cincinnati. Dodgers: 1977-78 1977: Lost to Yankees in 6 1978: Lost to Yankees in 6 The Dodgers' old New York rival bested them two years in row, in the most recent instance of the same two clubs meeting in back-to-back Fall Classics. Reggie Jackson's three home runs in Game 6 sealed the deal in 1977. The '78 Dodgers took a 2-0 lead before dropping four straight, including a heartbreaking Game 4 loss in the Bronx in which the Yankees erased a 3-0 deficit before Lou Piniella's walk-off single in the 10th. However, the Dodgers got their revenge by beating the Yanks in the 1981 World Series. Yankees: 1976-77 1976: Lost to Reds in 4 1977: Beat Dodgers in 6 The Yankees snapped what was, for them, an interminable drought in 1976, making the World Series for the first time since '64. Their stay didn't last long, however, as the Big Red Machine romped to a sweep in which it outscored New York, 22-8. A year later, the Yanks won 100 games for the second straight season, before Jackson's heroics helped take down the Dodgers. Orioles: 1969-70 1969: Lost to Mets in 5 1970: Beat Reds in 5 Baltimore won the World Series over the Dodgers in 1966 and made it back three years later, only to run into the "Miracle Mets." The Orioles, who went 109-53 in the regular season and swept through the ALCS, scored just nine runs over five games against New York's pitching. They had far more luck against Cincinnati in '70, scoring 33 runs and blasting 10 homers, including two apiece from Boog Powell, Frank Robinson and World Series MVP Brooks Robinson. Baltimore made the Fall Classic for a third straight year in '71, but fell to Pittsburgh in seven games. PRE-DIVISIONAL ERA Yankees: 1963-64 1963: Lost to Dodgers in 4 1964: Lost to Cardinals in 7 St. Louis' Bob Gibson notched his second complete-game victory of the 1964 Series in Game 7, withstanding a late Yankees rally. Yankees: 1960-61 1960: Lost to Pirates in 7 1961: Beat Reds in 5 Recovering from Bill Mazeroski's walk-off homer in Game 7 in 1960, the Yankees won the next two World Series, also beating the Giants in seven games in '62. Yankees: 1957-58 1957: Lost to Braves in 7 1958: Beat Braves in 7 It looked like the Braves would get the better of the Yankees for the second year in a row when they took a 3-1 lead in 1958, but New York stormed back with three straight victories. Yankees: 1955-56 1955: Lost to Dodgers in 7 1956: Beat Dodgers in 7 The Yankees tormented the Dodgers in this era, beating them in five of their six World Series matchups between 1947-56, with '55 the lone exception. Dodgers: 1952-53 1952: Lost to Yankees in 7 1953: Lost to Yankees in 6 The Dodgers had a 3-2 lead in 1952 before losing the final two games in Brooklyn and couldn't take advantage of a rematch in '53. Cardinals: 1943-44 1943: Lost to Yankees in 5 1944: Beat Browns in 6 The Cardinals beat the Yankees in 1942, lost the rematch in '43, but then captured another championship in '44 in an all-St. Louis World Series. Yankees: 1942-43 1942: Lost to Cardinals in 5 1943: Beat Cardinals in 5 The Yankees allowed a total of three runs over three straight wins to finish the 1943 Series, capped by Spud Chandler's Game 5 shutout. Reds: 1939-40 1939: Lost to Yankees in 4 1940: Beat Tigers in 7 The Reds nearly fell short again in 1940, but won Games 6 and 7 in Cincinnati behind Bucky Walters' shutout and Paul Derringer's one-run complete game, respectively. Giants: 1936-37 1936: Lost to Yankees in 6 1937: Lost to Yankees in 5 The Giants couldn't hold down the Yankees' potent offense in either matchup, allowing roughly 6.5 runs per game over the two Series. Tigers: 1934-35 1934: Lost to Cardinals in 7 1935: Beat Cubs in 6 After falling just short against St. Louis' "Gashouse Gang" in 1934, Detroit claimed a championship on Goose Goslin's Game 6 walk-off single a year later. Cardinals: 1930-31 1930: Lost to Athletics in 6 1931: Beat Athletics in 7 St. Louis won a rematch in 1931 behind Pepper Martin's 12 hits and two victories apiece from Burleigh Grimes and Bill Hallahan. Yankees: 1926-27 1926: Lost to Cardinals in 7 1927: Beat Pirates in 4 A thrilling 1926 Series ended with Babe Ruth -- representing the tying run -- getting caught stealing. But Ruth had two homers and seven RBIs to help spur a sweep in '27. Giants: 1923-24 1923: Lost to Yankees in 6 1924: Lost to Senators in 7 The Giants won championships in both 1921-22 before losing two in a row, with the '24 Series coming down to Earl McNeely's walk-off double in the 12th inning of Game 7. Yankees: 1921-23 1921: Lost to Giants in 8 1922: Lost to Giants in 5 (including a tie) 1923: Beat Giants in 6 These were the Yankees' first three trips to the Fall Classic, and they finally triumphed in 1923, the debut season of the original Yankee Stadium. Giants: 1911-13 1911: Lost to Athletics in 6 1912: Lost to Red Sox in 8 (including a tie) 1913: Lost to Athletics in 5 The Giants' loss in 1912 was particularly hard fought, coming down to a winner-take-all Game 8, when they took the lead in the top of the 10th only to see Boston walk off against Christy Mathewson in the bottom of the inning. Tigers: 1907-09 1907: Lost to Cubs in 5 (including a tie) 1908: Lost to Cubs in 5 1909: Lost to Pirates in 7 Ty Cobb's Tigers couldn't quite break through, with Pittsburgh rookie pitcher Babe Adams twirling three complete-game victories in 1909, including a Game 7 shutout. Cubs: 1906-07 1906: Lost to White Sox in 6 1907: Beat Tigers in 5 (including a tie) After losing an all-Chicago Series in 1906, the Cubs beat the Tigers in both of the next two years, holding Detroit to six runs in five games in '07. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/losing-teams-that-returned-to-world-series/c-299350220 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 24, 2018 Author Share Posted October 24, 2018 World Series - Game 1 Boston Red Sox 8 Los Angeles Dodgers 4 (Red Sox lead World Series 1-0) Hot Red Sox bats chill Dodgers in Game 1 By Anthony Castrovince BOSTON -- Fate and fatigue abruptly intervened on the would-be wonder of two premier pitchers staging some World Series Game 1 dueling drama. Another ballgame entirely broke out Tuesday night at Fenway Park, where the Chris Sale-Clayton Kershaw playbill gave way to a hastily arranged alternative in which the Red Sox, who are now 116 wins deep into their 2018, defeated the Dodgers, 8-4, on the might of a more bullish bullpen, a more polished defensive effort and a back-breaking pinch-hit, three-run dinger off the bat of Eduardo Nunez. Nunez's shot off Alex Wood snuck over the top of the Green Monster in the seventh inning and broke open what had been a tense back-and-forth affair. "It seemed like it was a tight ballgame the whole entire time," Red Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi said. "And getting that extra three runs and that extra cushion was kind of like a deep breath, and an exhale." Because neither Kershaw nor Sale made it out of the fifth inning, this game fit the overarching October theme of postseason baseball becoming bullpen-dependent. The Red Sox simply had a few more key outs in their arsenal. Kershaw's first career start at Fenway Park had led to action on the hand-operated scoreboard right away, with Boston grabbing a quick 2-0 lead. Kershaw got little help from the missed popup that first baseman David Freese didn't snare in foul territory or Yasiel Puig's overthrown cutoff man that allowed Benintendi to get in scoring position on his RBI single. "I don't think [Kershaw] had the fastball command that he typically does, missing up in the zone," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I don't think his slider had the depth that we're used to seeing. And those guys, to their credit, put some good at-bats on him. And we didn't play the defense that we typically do. I thought we left some outs out there, and it didn't make Clayton's job any easier." Against a Dodgers team that became the first in Series history to start an all-right-handed lineup with no switch-hitters, Sale similarly abandoned his end of the alluring ace alignment when he squandered that 2-0 edge, with a big blow coming on Matt Kemp's second-inning homer. That was part of some early jockeying in which the Red Sox would ante up and the Dodgers would answer. J.D. Martinez's RBI double off the wall near the center-field triangle made it 3-2 in the bottom of the third, but the Dodgers knotted it up again in the top of the fifth. After Sale was chased by a leadoff walk to Brian Dozier, the Dodgers took advantage of a wild pitch from reliever Matt Barnes to help manufacture another game-tying run. A similar formula evolved in the bottom of the inning, with reliever Ryan Madson inheriting two runners from Kershaw before throwing a wild pitch of his own. He was able to strike out Martinez after walking Steve Pearce to load the bases with no outs, and he got a potentially inning-ending grounder from Xander Bogaerts. But Bogaerts beat out an uncomfortably close double-play relay throw to first to bring the go-ahead run home, and Rafael Devers followed with an RBI single to right to make it 5-3. Needless to say, any concern that the Red Sox might have been rusty after five days off were addressed convincingly. "From the first at-bat, we put pressure on them," Sox manager Alex Cora said. "And that's what we do. We stayed off the edges of the strike zone, we attacked pitches in the middle of the zone, and we did an outstanding job offensively." Manny Machado, who had an RBI single in the third and drove in a run on a groundout in the fifth, picked up his third RBI of the evening on a sacrifice fly in the seventh after the Dodgers loaded the bases against Ryan Brasier, making it a 5-4 game. But the combo of Eduardo Rodriguez, Nathan Eovaldi and Craig Kimbrel quieted the Dodgers' bats from there. And Nunez's seventh-inning swat, after he had been sent to the plate in place of Devers with two aboard, all but sealed Game 1. "I don't care about being a hero," Nunez said. "As long as we have the win, that's all that matters. We are here to win and lose together. Who cares who's the hero that night? As long as we have a hero, that's a good feeling because we have the win." The Red Sox have the win and a statistically significant edge. In the history of best-of-seven series with the 2-3-2 format, teams that win Game 1 at home have gone on to take the series 61 of 93 times (66 percent). However, in this year's National League Championship Series, the Brewers beat the Dodgers in Game 1 in Milwaukee before L.A. ultimately advanced. "Up and down the lineup, there isn't an easy out. We're going to grind out at-bats," Benintendi said. "We'll enjoy this one right now, but we've got to focus on tomorrow now." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Tacos for all: Before scoring the first run of the game on Benintendi's single in the first, Mookie Betts stole a base and stole the heart of taco lovers everywhere. Betts' steal won everyone in America a free taco on Nov. 1 from 2-6 p.m. local time, thanks to the "Steal a Base, Steal a Taco presented by Taco Bell" promotion. "I may go get me a taco because I haven't had Taco Bell in so long," Betts said. "I may go enjoy me one." Devers keeps delivering: Devers' insurance-adding RBI single in the seventh continued an impressive postseason for the Red Sox third baseman, who turns 22 on Wednesday. Devers had already become the fifth player to hit three or more postseason home runs before his 22nd birthday (joining Mickey Mantle, Bryce Harper, Miguel Cabrera and Andruw Jones). And when he grounded that single through the hole on the right side to bring home Bogaerts, he had notched an RBI in eight consecutive postseason starts, tying him with Lou Gehrig, Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Howard for the longest such streak in history. SOUND SMART At 34 years, 30 days old, Kemp became the fourth-oldest player to homer in his first World Series at-bat. Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the only players to do so who were older were Barry Bonds (38 years, 87 days in 2002), Bob Watson (35 years, 193 days in 1981) and Joe Harris (34 years, 140 days in 1925). Benintendi became just the fourth lefty hitter to record four hits off lefty pitchers in a World Series game, joining the Tigers' Claude Rossman (1907 Game 2), the Pirates' Dave Parker (1979 Game 1) and the Pirates' Willie Stargell (1979 Game 7). "You've got to put an asterisk by a few of those. I got pretty lucky, but we'll take it," Benintendi said of his success against Kershaw. "We had a solid approach against him tonight, and for the most part, we executed what we were trying to do." Of the previous nine times that the Red Sox have won Game 1 of the World Series, they have gone on to win the series six times, including each of the past three (1912, '16, '18, 2004, '07, '13). Of the previous 13 times that the Dodgers have lost Game 1 of the World Series, they have gone on to win the series four times (1955, '59, '65 and '81). MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY It would have been a very different third inning -- possibly a very different ballgame -- had the Red Sox not successfully challenged a play at first. With Benintendi at first and one out, Pearce grounded to Machado, who initiated what was initially ruled an inning-ending double play. The Sox challenged the out call at first base, and upon review, first-base umpire Kerwin Danley's call was overturned. The next batter, Martinez, brought Pearce home with a double to give the Sox a 3-2 lead. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/eduardo-nunez-red-sox-win-world-series-game-1/c-299550424 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 World Series - Game 2 Boston Red Sox 4 Los Angeles Dodgers 2 (Red Sox lead World Series 2-0) J.D.'s decisive knock derails LA, puts Sox up 2-0 By Anthony Castrovince MLB.com @castrovince 12:10 AM EDT BOSTON -- The guy who led off the bottom of the fifth inning grounded out. The next guy popped out. For the average offense, that's an inept way to open an inning. For the Boston Red Sox, it is, perversely, the start of something special. Channeling the bewitching brilliance in two-out situations that has defined their overpowering October run, the Red Sox mounted a three-run rally against Dodgers starter Hyun-Jin Ryu and reliever Ryan Madson to take a lead they would not squander in Wednesday's 4-2 victory at Fenway Park in Game 2 of this World Series. Among the many reasons the Sox now have a commanding 2-0 edge in this best-of-seven set, their prowess when the out count has them in a corner has been the biggest difference-maker. "If you can keep the inning alive," second baseman Ian Kinsler said, "anything can happen." It keeps happening for the team two wins away from its ninth World Series title. The two-out magic was certainly the difference in the game-changing fifth at a frigid Fenway. With Boston facing a 2-1 deficit after Los Angeles had put together a two-run fourth off starter David Price, Kinsler's groundout and Jackie Bradley Jr.'s popout made it appear as though the Red Sox would go down quietly in their second trip through the order against Ryu. To that point, Ryu had endured only one hiccup -- a second-inning sequence in which Xander Bogaerts ripped a double off the Green Monster and Kinsler brought him home with a ground-ball single. But it was the No. 9 spot of the Boston nine that got the big inning going, as Christian Vazquez, who had a .540 OPS this season and was down to his final strike, went the other way with a cutter on the outside edge to line a single to right. That brought the top of the order up a third time, and the so-called penalty proved plentiful for Ryu. He served up a single to Mookie Betts, then walked Andrew Benintendi to load the bases and end his evening. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to a trusted source of high-leverage help in waiver-trade acquisition Madson, despite Madson's shakiness in the Series opener. "Madson has been our guy for quite some time, and he's pitched out of big spots there," Roberts said. "The usage right there, I'm not worried about that. He's fresh. He pitched yesterday, didn't throw too many pitches. Had a couple of days off coming into the Series, has an off-day [Thursday]. So that part of it was pretty easy. And I just felt I really liked him against [Steve] Pearce." Madson had said prior to Game 2 that the cold conditions at Fenway called for an adjustment to his routine and his grip. It's possible that he was better prepared for the situation he faced in the fifth, but he was no more successful. Madson walked Pearce to bring in the tying run, then served up a single to right off the bat of J.D. Martinez that a deep-playing Yasiel Puig could not corral. Two more runs scored, and the red-hot Red Sox were back in their familiar place atop the runs count thanks to a familiar two-out outcome. "Everyone is talking about that, we're coming through with these two-out things," Martinez said. "But to me, I just feel that we do a really good job of not giving up, not giving that last out away." Martinez's hit was part of a trend in which the Red Sox are hitting .415 (17-for-41) with two outs and runners in scoring position. To put that in perspective, the next-highest team average for a postseason club with at least 30 at-bats in those situations belongs to the 1910 Philadelphia A's (.394). The two-out triumph wouldn't have mattered much if the Red Sox didn't pitch a little bit. But Price continued to shake off the October boogeyman with six effective innings in which he allowed just the two runs on three hits with three walks and five strikeouts. And a Boston bullpen that entered October a question mark and has instead emerged with an exclamation point took it from there. "I take a lot of pride in being able to evolve from pitch to pitch or day to day, whatever it is," Price said. "Just being able to make adjustments on the fly. "But like I said before this postseason, I'd rather go winless and we win the World Series than me going 4-0 or 5-0 and we lose. We're playing good baseball right now, but that's a very good team over there. We need to go to L.A. and not let it come back to Boston." Of the 51 teams that have jumped out to a 2-0 lead at home in a World Series with the 2-3-2 format, 41 (or 80 percent) have gone on to win the championship. And since 2004, when the Red Sox rallied from an 0-3 deficit against the Yankees in the American League Championship Series, the past 15 teams to grab a 2-0 lead at home in a best-of-seven series have gone on to take the series. That also includes Boston's '07 title team. As for the Dodgers, they're not quite down to their final out, but they need a rally of their own. "We've got to start fresh," said L.A. outfielder Chris Taylor. "We're going home in front of our home crowd. We've got to win a game. Our focus is winning [the first game] at home. It's always comforting to get in front of your home fans, but we're going to have to win games here, too. We can't use it as an excuse." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Sweet relief: It doesn't have to be conventional; it just has to work. And once again, Red Sox manager Alex Cora's decision to use a starting pitcher in the setup role worked wonderfully. For the second time in as many games, Nathan Eovaldi was called upon to pitch the eighth against the Dodgers. And for the second time in as many games, he turned in a quick 1-2-3 inning. This was Eovaldi's third time pitching out of the 'pen this postseason, and he's responded with 3 1/3 scoreless innings, though it remains to be seen how the back-to-back appearances will affect his availability for a starting assignment in Saturday night's Game 4. Rick Porcello and Chris Sale have also provided a combined 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief this October. "Like I've been saying all along, we're all-in every day," Cora said. "If we feel there's a chance to close the door with [a starter], we'll use him. ... If we have a chance to be up 3-0 with [Eovaldi] on the mound and [Craig Kimbrel, who tossed a perfect ninth for the save], we'll do it. And then we'll figure out Game 4." First and last: The good news was that Puig's fourth-inning RBI single gave the Dodgers their first lead of this World Series. The bad news is that it was their last hit of the ballgame. Los Angeles had loaded the bases against Price with no outs thanks to consecutive singles from David Freese and Manny Machado and a Taylor walk. Matt Kemp's sacrifice fly got the Dodgers on the board, and Puig's single gave them the 2-1 edge. From that point forward, though, L.A. went 0-for-16 with four strikeouts. "I thought the compete was there," Roberts said. "You've got to give credit to Price. He made pitches when he needed to. We had him, we had him on the ropes. I thought that early on we stressed him. We had some situational at-bats, got some baserunners, took our walks. And the difference is they got the big hit when they needed, and we didn't." SOUND SMART • The Red Sox are now in sole possession of the fourth-highest combined regular season and postseason win total, with 117. If they win the World Series and finish with 119, they will pass the 1906 Cubs (118) and trail only the '98 Yankees (125) and the 2001 Mariners (120). • Boston is 14-2 in its past 16 World Series games, dating back to 2004. The Yankees are the only other team to go 14-2 or better in any 16-game stretch of World Series play, going 16-1 in a 17-game stretch in the Fall Classic from Game 3 in 1996 to Game 5 in 2000. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Benintendi's grace: The Dodgers still had a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth, when Brian Dozier led off with a drive to left. The ball had just a 14-percent hit probability, according to Statcast™, but that didn't make what followed any less eye-catching. Benintendi, whose diving game-ending snag of a sinking Alex Bregman liner in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Astros was one of the defensive highlights of this postseason, made a beautiful galloping grab of Dozier's liner just in front of the Green Monster for the first out of a 1-2-3 inning for Price. "Benintendi made a heck of a play, and that was a game-changer," Dozier said. "If that ball falls, they probably get somebody else up [in the bullpen]. Little things like that can make a big difference." Bellinger's athleticism: Not to be outdone, Dodgers center fielder Cody Bellinger flashed some leather of his own, denying Martinez of extra bases to lead off the eighth inning with a running, sliding catch on a ball that had just a 14-percent catch probability, according to Statcast™. HE SAID IT "Cold." -- Price, on what it's like to win a game at Fenway in late October. Wednesday's first-pitch temperature was 47 degrees and falling. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-win-world-series-game-2-have-2-0-lead/c-299632208 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 26, 2018 Author Share Posted October 26, 2018 Here's how Dodgers can turn Series around By Jesse Sanchez MLB.com Oct. 25th, 2018 BOSTON -- The Dodgers also saw the scoreboard. They know the game's history, too. They are just not going to panic. In the wake of Wednesday night's 4-2 loss to the Red Sox, the 2018 World Series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3 on Friday with the Dodgers trailing, two games to none, but there will not be any dramatic changes to the formula that got them to the Fall Classic for the second consecutive year. Remember, this is a club that started the season 16-26. These Dodgers fell behind the Brewers, 2-1, in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series and then defied the odds. They'll have to do it again. In the history of best-of-seven postseason series with the 2-3-2 format, teams that win the first two games at home have gone on to take the series 41 of 51 times. The last 10 teams to win the first two games of the World Series were later crowned champions. "We've got to find a way to win a baseball game," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "I think, coming in here, I thought we played these guys pretty straight up. Obviously, we come out of here going home down, 2-0, but they made pitches when they needed to. And when we stressed them, they made the pitch. And then when it flipped, they got the hit, and we didn't." The Dodgers won 92 games during the regular season because they believed in their approach at the plate, their offensive depth and their starting pitching. They haven't lost faith, but they are two losses from the start of the offseason. These are the four things the Dodgers need to do to turn around the World Series: 1. Score first and score often The Red Sox are 9-0 this postseason when they score first, and they were a Major League-best 74-15 when they scored first during the regular season. That trend can't continue if the Dodgers, who are 4-2 this postseason when they score first, want to win their first World Series since 1988. They'll also have to improve with runners in scoring position. Los Angeles is 11-for-47 (.234) with two outs and runners in scoring position this postseason and 1-for-4 in those situations during the World Series. Overall, the Dodgers are 18-for-94 (.191) this postseason, and they are 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position during the World Series. They expect to be better when they get to Dodger Stadium. They have to be. "Going home, that can be rejuvenating," second baseman Brian Dozier said. "We lost back to back, but this team has been resilient. You can wallow in self-pity, or do something about it." 2. Get the third out Misplays, lack of execution on pitches in key counts and giving the opposing team extra outs is never a good strategy, and failing to close out an inning is magnified during the postseason, especially during the World Series. In Games 1 and 2, Boston had seven hits with two outs and went 4-for-8 with two outs and runners in scoring position. What's more, the Red Sox have scored 10 of their 12 runs in the World Series with two outs. It's mind-boggling when you consider they are 17-for-41 (.415) with two outs and runners in scoring position this postseason. L.A.'s defense, while not committing an error, was shaky in Game 1, but it was solid in Game 2. Sometimes you have to give credit to a team that won 108 games during the regular season. But it all comes down to execution, and if Dodgers pitchers can execute their pitches, it gives them a chance to shut down a potential Red Sox rally before it gets started. Game 2 starter Hyun-Jin Ryu had a 2-1 lead with two out, nobody on and two strikes on No. 9 hitter Christian Vazquez in the fifth inning. But Ryu got too much of the plate and let Vazquez slap a single to right. Then the lefty allowed a single to Mookie Betts and an eight-pitch walk to Andrew Benintendi. One pitch from getting out of the inning, Ryu departed with the bases loaded. Ryan Madson walked in the tying run before giving up a two-run single to J.D. Martinez that gave Boston a 4-2 lead it wouldn't relinquish. 3. Get things right by going left The Dodgers will get a chance to start their left-handed hitters against righty Rick Porcello in Game 3, and possibly against Nathan Eovaldi in Game 4. That's a good thing for Los Angeles. Put simply, the presence of lefty sluggers like Cody Bellinger and Max Muncy has the potential to flip the Series in the Dodgers' favor. During the regular season, L.A.'s left-handed batters combined to post a Major League-leading .837 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Muncy, Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Yasmani Grandal combined to hit 90 home runs and post a .901 OPS over more than 1,500 plate appearances during the regular season. "It's hard to have guys that slug like Pederson, Muncy, Bellinger on the bench, but this is something that we've done a lot in September and throughout the postseason, and it's proven to be successful," Roberts said. "And those guys are still getting in games and staying current. But, again, when guys are in there, they've just got to be productive." 4. Get more length from starting pitchers Rookie right-hander Walker Buehler is the ace of the future, and on Friday in Game 3, he's going to have to pitch like an ace of the present. Neither Game 1 starter Clayton Kershaw nor Ryu made it out of the fifth inning, and a third consecutive short outing has the potential to handcuff the bullpen. Only Kenley Jansen and Dylan Floro have yet to pitch in the World Series, and it's unclear how effective or available lefty Julio Urias and Madson will be after pitching in Games 1 and 2. The good news? Everyone will get much-needed day of rest Thursday. Source: https://www.mlb.com/dodgers/news/how-the-dodgers-can-turn-around-world-series/c-299651292 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 World Series - Game 3 Los Angeles Dodgers 3 Boston Red Sox 2 in 18 innings (Red Sox lead World Series 2-1) Los Angeles walks off on Muncy Home Run in 18th, trails World Series 2-1 By Anthony Castrovince MLB.com @castrovince 5:43 AM EDT LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers blew a lead in the eighth. They made a seemingly deadly defensive gaffe in the 13th. They watched the first of Max Muncy's would-be walk-off winners hook just right of the right-field foul pole in the 15th. But they somehow survived the wildest game of this postseason -- indeed, the longest game in postseason history -- and have salvaged their stake in this World Series. Muncy connected on Nathan Eovaldi's 97th pitch of relief to swat an 18th-inning solo shot that gave the Dodgers an exhilarating-but-exhausting 3-2 victory over the Red Sox in Game 3 early Saturday morning. That cut their deficit down to 2-1 in a best-of-seven set that has suddenly shifted from one-sided to simply scintillating, with Boston's pitching plan torn to shreds and L.A. riding the kind of out-of-body energy that can only come from surviving a near-death experience. "You know, it's big time," Muncy said. "This was a gut-wrenching game for both sides. This is one of those games that whoever came out on top is going to have a lot of momentum going into [Saturday night]. This was an extremely long game, 18 innings. A lot of pitchers were used. Every position player was used. Injuries on both sides. Their guys are banged up, our guys are banged up. It's one of those things when you're able to come out on top from a game like this, you have to feel it gives you a little momentum going to the next one." No team has ever come back from a 3-0 hole in a World Series. That's the daunting definition the Dodgers faced if they would have lost this game. They won it -- seven hours, 20 minutes and 561 pitches after it began -- because Muncy, one of the surprise stars of this 2018 season, came through in the midnight hour, tying the Astros' Chris Burke (18th inning, Game 4, 2005 National League Division Series) for the latest walk-off hit in postseason history. That, specifically, is how the Dodgers won this wild one. As for everything leading up to that moment? Well, it's complicated, of course. The Dodgers got seven scoreless innings from rookie Walker Buehler, whose back-against-the-wall brilliance was reminiscent of Dodgers rookie Fernando Valenzuela's Series-saving gem in Game 3 against the Yankees in 1981, and they got an early solo homer from Joc Pederson off Rick Porcello. They were four outs away from victory in the eighth, when Jackie Bradley Jr. continued the two-out artistry that has defined his October by connecting on a Kenley Jansen cutter for the solo shot that tied it up at 1. "It felt great," Bradley said of his blast. "Put us back in the game. As you can see, runs were at a premium tonight." It remained tied into the 10th, when the Red Sox put runners on the corners with one out against Pedro Baez. But pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez's fly ball to center set up Cody Bellinger's catch-and-throw that nabbed advancing pinch-runner Ian Kinsler well in front of home plate, with a perfect stretching tag applied by catcher Austin Barnes. On the game crept, deeper into extras. Red Sox manager Alex Cora maintained his October strategy of going all-in every night. He had already called on Game 2 starter David Price in the ninth by the time he summoned Eovaldi -- the guy who had already pitched in Games 1 and 2 and was scheduled to start Game 4 on Saturday night. "He got up [to warm up] a few times," said Cora, "and that's when I decided, 'Well, if he warmed up twice, we should just let him go, because he's not going to start tomorrow.' And we just kept going." That they did. There was no way of knowing Eovaldi's 1-2-3 12th would merely be the start of a marathon outing that would last longer than Porcello's. At the time, it merely put the Red Sox in position for what looked to be a lucky 13th. Brock Holt drew a leadoff walk against Scott Alexander and swiped second. During Holt's stolen-base attempt, the ball bounced in front of Barnes, who knocked the batter, Nunez, to the ground in pursuit of the ball. A gimpy Nunez stayed in the game and sent a chopper to the right-hand side. Both Alexander and first baseman Muncy converged at the ball, leaving nobody covering first base. And when Alexander's toss to streaking second baseman Enrique Hernandez went out of Hernandez's reach, the throwing error allowed Holt to dash home to give the Sox a 2-1 edge. But the bottom of the 13th was even crazier. Facing Eovaldi, Muncy barely managed to check his swing on a full-count pitch to draw ball four. Manny Machado flied out and Bellinger popped up to the left-hand side. Nunez stormed to his right to chase down the ball and caught it in foul territory just before tumbling over the wall. Muncy advanced on the play, because, as stated within Rule 5.06, "If a fielder, after having made a legal catch, should step or fall into any out-of-play area, the ball is dead and each runner shall advance one base, without liability to be put out, from his last legally touched base at the time the fielder entered such out-of-play area." So, in other words, the Dodgers had a runner at second and two outs. Yasiel Puig hit a hard grounder up the middle and hustled to first. Kinsler slipped as he fielded the ball and rushed his throw to first. The ball skipped into foul territory, allowing Muncy to score to even it up at 2, and the Dodgers had breathed new life into this impossible, unscriptable ballgame. "I had the last out in my glove and we ended up playing however many innings," Kinsler said. "I had an opportunity to end the game right there and it didn't happen." Instead, it carried on into the 18th, when Alex Wood worked a scoreless inning. Muncy led off the bottom of the inning, which was Eovaldi's seventh of work, working the count full before lifting a 90-mph cutter over the left-center-field wall. "Getting a chance to hit a walk-off home run, obviously there's not many words I can use to describe that," Muncy said. "The feeling was just pure joy and incredible excitement. That's about all I can think of, because it's hard to describe how good a feeling it is." The odds are still daunting for the Dodgers, but they're improving. In the history of best-of-seven series with the 2-3-2 format, teams winning Game 3 to pull within 2-1 have gone on to take the series 12 of 42 times (29 percent). That includes nine of 33 times (27 percent) when the trailing club wins Game 3 at home. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Joc-tober: It happened so early that it might as well have happened in another ballgame altogether, but Pederson's third-inning homer in his first start of the Series was his fourth in a World Series (he hit three against the Astros last year) and ended a stretch dating back to the fifth inning of Game 2 in which the Dodgers had been held hitless. "Joc has really matured over the last three years, and he looks over the baseball very well," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "And when he can stay in the strike zone, he's very dangerous. And you look at his career in the postseason, he's had a lot of big homers, against some very good pitching, obviously. He doesn't let the moment get too big for him. And that hit to get us going was big." Nunez on the ground: Nunez had a night emblematic of the overall insanity of this ballgame. He fell into the stands in pursuit of a foul ball. He fell by the mound in pursuit of a popup. And he fell when Barnes ran into him while chasing down a breaking ball in the dirt. The play at the plate was the most damaging one, as it wrenched Nunez's ankle. "After the dirt ball, when the catcher ran over him, he felt he was in bad shape," Cora said. "He's like, 'I'm not coming out.' I said, 'Well, you can't come out. We have no more players.'" Eovaldi keeps going: Though he wound up taking the loss after going six-plus impressive frames, Eovaldi's willingness to go back out, inning after inning, in extras drew raves from both clubhouses. "That's what the World Series is all about," Roberts said. "What he did for that club, for me on the other side, we were kind of victim of it, but it was fun to watch." SOUND SMART • According to STATS LLC, Game 3 lasted longer than the entirety of the 1939 World Series, in which the Yankees swept the Reds in four games that took a combined seven hours and five minutes to play. • Bradley is now one of only eight players in postseason history to notch 10 or more RBIs with two outs in a single year. The others are Sandy Alomar Jr. (14, 1997 Indians), Rich Aurilia (13, 2002 Giants), David Freese (11, 2011 Cardinals), Shane Victorino (11, '08 Phillies), Yogi Berra (10, 1956 Yankees), David Ortiz (10, '04 Red Sox) and Benito Santiago (10, '02 Giants). • The aforementioned Game 4 of the 2005 NLDS between the Astros and Braves and Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS between the Giants and Nationals are the only other postseason games to go 18 innings. Game 3 was longer than both of those games in terms of total time. • The 18 combined pitchers used were the most in history for a postseason game. MITEL REPLAY OF THE DAY Kinsler's errant throw on the Puig grounder became the subject of a replay review to determine whether Puig, who stopped running after getting to first because he was celebrating Muncy's game-tying run scored, should be at first or second base. The umpires in the replay-review center in New York checked to confirm whether the ball had bounced into and out of a camera well. It was ruled that the ball had stayed within the boundaries, so Puig remained at first. Barnes then flied out to end the inning. HE SAID IT "It's kind of waking me up. But I don't want that. I want to go to sleep." -- Muncy, on his postgame Gatorade shower Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/dodgers-walk-off-in-world-series-game-3/c-299740862 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 Muncy: Minor Leaguer to World Series hero in 1 year By Ken Gurnick MLB.com @kengurnick 5:36 AM EDT LOS ANGELES -- Max Muncy, a Minor Leaguer in April, has a new chapter to recite when he retells his incredible story of resurrection as a baseball player, having revived the Dodgers' season early Saturday as a World Series hero. Muncy's walk-off home run leading off the bottom of the 18th inning ended the longest game in World Series history, a 3-2 win over the Red Sox in a must-win Game 3 for the Dodgers, who were one out away in the 13th inning from sinking to an 0-3 deficit and almost certain elimination. Muncy was on both ends of the scoring in that 13th inning. Playing first base in the top of the frame, he strayed too far off the bag on a dribbler back to the pitcher, leaving nobody to cover and resulting in a go-ahead run. In the bottom of the inning, he walked and scored with two outs on Ian Kinsler's throwing error on a Yasiel Puig grounder up the middle. "As far as the dugout went, there was no deflation, no [giving up], nothing at all," said Muncy, echoing the motto of a team resilient enough to erase a nine-game deficit and win its sixth consecutive National League West title, one determined enough to win Game 7 on the road in the NL Championship Series. "They got that run, and we said, 'We've got to get another one.' There was no panic or anything, just, 'Let's just get to work.' That was pretty good to see from the guys." Muncy nearly ended the game in the 15th inning, turning on a 3-2 offering from former Dodger Nathan Eovaldi for what came close to being a home run. "I got it good off the bat, and I was kind of walking down the line," Muncy said. "I wasn't sure if it was going to be fair or foul. From where I was standing, when I saw it land in the seats, I saw how far back it was, which was only a couple of rows, and then I looked how far over it was, and I knew immediately there was no way it could have went behind the pole, just from where it landed. Doesn't mean I didn't get my hopes up when I'm looking in the dugout and they're checking the replay to see if they want to check it or not. From my vantage point, I was pretty positive it was foul right away." Muncy then struck out, but even with Eovaldi cruising through six innings of scoreless relief, the Dodgers kept hacking. Three innings later, Muncy caught Eovaldi's 97th pitch, a 3-2 backdoor cutter, and turned it around for a towering opposite-field homer, his third of the postseason following a year in which he led Los Angeles in home runs, with 35. "I got 3-0 and he was able to work back two strikes, full count," Muncy said. "The at-bat before, he had got me on a really good backdoor cutter. He had really good stuff all night long, and he wasn't missing a spot. Next at-bat, he tried to go backdoor cutter again, but he left this one a little over the plate, and thankfully for me he did that, because I was able to get my bat to it." It was the first walk-off homer of Muncy's career, the fourth in Dodgers' World Series history and the first since Kirk Gibson's in 1988. It was the first walk-off homer in the World Series since teammate David Freese's for the Cardinals in 2011. "It happens in this dream right now, this exact one," said Muncy. "This whole year has been [such] a surreal experience that it's hard to put into words. But just getting a chance to play in the World Series has kind of capped it off. And then getting a chance to hit a walk-off home run, obviously there's not many words I can use to describe that. The feeling was just pure joy and incredible excitement. That's about all I can think of, because it's hard to describe how good a feeling it is." Muncy was released by the A's at the end of Spring Training in 2017 and picked up by the Dodgers, and he spent the rest of the season at Triple-A. He went to Spring Training this year as a non-roster invitee, was impressive there when he wasn't nicked up, and opened the season at Triple-A until getting the callup when third baseman Justin Turner went down with a broken wrist. Talk about making the most of an opportunity -- Muncy wound up the Dodgers' nominee for the Hank Aaron Award as the best offensive player on the team. Muncy struggled through the NLCS, going 4-for-22 with 13 strikeouts, but now is etched into Dodgers World Series lore -- not to the level of Gibson, but if L.A. rallies to win this thing, it will be Muncy's homer that turned the series. "This was a gut-wrenching game for both sides," he said. "This is one of those games that whoever came out on top is going to have a lot of momentum going into tomorrow." With the win, the Dodgers became the first club in World Series history to win after trailing in the 11th inning or later. In the history of best-of-seven series with the 2-3-2 format, teams winning Game 3 to trail 2-1 have gone on to take the series 12 of 42 times (29 percent). That includes nine of 33 times (27 percent) when the trailing club wins Game 3 at home, as Los Angeles did. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/max-muncy-goes-from-minor-leaguer-to-ws-hero/c-299761386 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 18 amazing facts from marathon Game 3 of World Series By Andrew Simon and Manny Randhawa MLB.com 6:27 AM EDT Game 3 of the World Series between the Red Sox and Dodgers on Friday night was one of the wildest Fall Classic contests in recent memory. In an 18-inning, 3-2 Dodgers victory, which ended on a Max Muncy walk-off home run, Los Angeles and Boston combined to use a postseason-record 18 pitchers in the longest World Series game in history, both in terms of time (seven hours, 20 minutes) and innings. Here are 18 facts, one for each inning, to know about Game 3: • Muncy's walk-off homer was the first in the World Series since his current teammate, David Freese, delivered one for the Cardinals in Game 6 in 2011. Coming in the 18th inning, it tied for the latest in postseason history with the Astros' Chris Burke, who beat the Braves in Game 4 of the 2005 National League Division Series. Muncy joined Kirk Gibson (Game 1 in 1988), Jackie Robinson (Game 6 in '56) and Cookie Lavagetto (Game 4 in '47) as the only players in Dodgers history to have walk-off hits in the World Series. • Previously, the Dodgers' latest postseason homer was Kirk Gibson's 12th-inning shot against the Mets at Shea Stadium in Game 4 of the 1988 NL Championship Series. Even in the regular season, the Dodgers had homered in the 18th or later only once (since 1925), when Rick Dempsey's solo shot off Dennis Martinez broke a scoreless tie in the top of the 22nd inning at Montreal on Aug. 23, 1989. • Game 3 was the longest postseason game in MLB history at seven hours, 20 minutes. It surpassed the previous record of six hours, 23 minutes, which was set in Game 2 of the 2014 NLDS between the Giants and Nationals in Washington (San Francisco won that game, 2-1, in 18 innings). • Game 3 was only the eighth game of any kind (regular season or postseason) since at least 1908 to exceed seven hours in length. The last was on Aug. 24, 2013, between the Phillies and D-backs, which lasted seven hours, six minutes (Arizona won, 12-7, in 18 innings). • In terms of longest World Series games, Game 3 eclipsed Game 3 of the 2005 World Series in total length -- that game between the White Sox and Astros was five hours, 41 minutes, ending in a 7-5 Chicago victory in 14 innings at Minute Maid Park. The White Sox went on to sweep the Astros for their first World Series title in 88 years. Friday's Game 3 between the Red Sox and Dodgers also set a new record for longest World Series game in terms of innings, at 18. The aforementioned Game 3 in 2005, as well as Game 1 in 2015 (Royals 5, Mets 4) and Game 2 in 1916 between the same two franchises that are playing in this year's Fall Classic (Dodgers 2, Red Sox 1) held the previous mark at 14 innings. • To put the time it took to play Game 3 in perspective, consider this note from STATS: The entire 1939 World Series finished in less time, wrapping up in a tidy seven hours, five minutes. The Yankees swept the Reds in that one, with none of the four games lasting longer than two hours, four minutes. • When Eduardo Nunez hit a dribbler up the first-base line that was fielded by pitcher Scott Alexander in the top of the 13th, Alexander threw the ball high and past second baseman Enrique Hernandez, who was covering first base. Brock Holt came around to score on the play, which represented the first instance of a go-ahead run scoring on an error in extra innings of a World Series game since the Mets' Mookie Wilson's ground ball went between Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner's legs in Game 6 in 1986, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run. • When Dodgers reliever Alex Wood took the mound to pitch the top of the 18th, he became the 44th player to participate in the contest, setting a new World Series record. The previous instance in which two teams combined to use 43 players in a World Series game was Game 3 in 2005 between the White Sox and Astros. • The Red Sox and Dodgers each used nine pitchers in the game, tying a postseason record. The 2017 Dodgers (World Series Game 2) and the '05 White Sox (World Series Game 3) also utilized nine pitchers. The 18 total pitchers used set a record not only for the World Series, but any postseason game. • The teams combined to use 46 players, including Clayton Kershaw, who served as a pinch-hitter. The only players who didn't get into the game were pitchers -- Boston's Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale, and L.A.'s Rich Hill and Hyun-Jin Ryu. That broke the postseason record of 45 players set by the Braves and Mets in their 15-inning battle in Game 5 of the 1999 NLCS. • When Maeda struck out counterpart Nathan Eovaldi in the top of the 16th, it was the Red Sox's 18th strikeout of the game, setting a new World Series record. The prior mark was held by the 1968 Tigers, who struck out 17 times against Hall of Famer Bob Gibson in Game 1. Boston hitters struck out 19 times in Game 3, while Los Angeles struck out 15 times. The combined 34 strikeouts are also a World Series record. • When Christian Vazquez moved from catcher to first base in the 11th inning, he became only the second player to play those two positions in a World Series game, joining Oakland's Gene Tenace in Games 3, 6 and 7 of the 1973 World Series. • When Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen gave up a game-tying homer to Jackie Bradley Jr. in the eighth inning, it was the second time a L.A. pitcher had given up a game-tying home run in the eighth inning or later of a World Series game. The other: Jansen gave up a game-tying homer to the Astros' Marwin Gonzalez in the top of the ninth inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series. Houston went on to win that game, 7-6, in 11 innings. • Eovaldi's 97 pitches were the most in a relief appearance in the World Series, and he was the first reliever to complete six innings in a Fall Classic game since the Dodgers' Rick Rhoden went seven in Game 4 in 1977 against the Yankees. • Eovaldi had two at-bats, becoming the first relief pitcher to have two plate appearances in a World Series game since the Cardinals' Bob Forsch, who went 0-for-2 in Game 4 of the 1987 World Series against the Twins. • The top four spots in Boston's lineup went a combined 0-for-28, with leadoff man Mookie Betts contributing an 0-for-7 line and No. 2 hitter Xander Bogaerts going 0-for-8. That set a record -- regular season or postseason -- for hitless at-bats by any team's top four hitters in the live-ball era, according to STATS. • The Dodgers have never lost a Game 3 of the World Series at home when trailing, 2-0, improving to 7-0 in such games. They also won Game 3 in 1981 against the Yankees (won the Series in six), '65 against the Twins (won the Series in seven), '55 against the Yankees (won the Series in seven), '53 against the Yankees (lost the Series in six), '47 against the Yankees (lost the Series in seven) and '16 against the Red Sox (lost the Series in five). • The Dodgers became the first team to win a World Series game after trailing in the 11th inning or later. Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/2018-world-series-game-3-amazing-facts/c-299795560 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LLC Posted October 27, 2018 Share Posted October 27, 2018 I watched the whole game, ended around 3:30am. I think it is a big momentum changer and it will be interesting to see how Boston manages the game tonight. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 27, 2018 Author Share Posted October 27, 2018 The game had everything, in regards to errors and great plays, heroes and villains etc. As a lover of baseball, I'm sure many would agree here in that I'd like to see a competitive and hard fought series. I hope at least we can go back to Fenway Park (in Boston) for a Game Six because of the history of the game, as there have been famous and epic World Series Game Sixes in the past. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 World Series - Game 4 Boston Red Sox 9 Los Angeles Dodgers 6 (Red Sox lead World Series 3-1) Down 4, Red Sox score 9 to take 3-1 World Series lead By Anthony Castrovince 3:19 AM EDT LOS ANGELES -- The dugout was dead, the bats silent, and the concern was growing that, perhaps, a Game 3 that had featured double the innings might have, in a sense, featured double the losses for the Red Sox. With their pitching plan ripped up, Rich Hill locking down their lineup and Yasiel Puig doing his bat-dropping, arm-raising, bicep-kissing dance around the basepaths, a Boston ballclub that had dominated the first two games of this World Series was in serious danger of seeing its edge eliminated. But the relentlessness that colored 108 regular-season wins and a steady run through a daunting American League playoff picture remains with the Red Sox, and it carried them in a Game 4 on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium. Scoring all nine of their runs from the seventh inning on, with four RBIs from Steve Pearce, the short-on-sleep-but-long-on-life Sox deflated and defeated the Dodgers, 9-6, and are back in a commanding and mathematically momentous position in this best-of-seven set. "With our mindest," said Mitch Moreland, whose three-run homer in the seventh sparked the surge, "we can change a game quick." The Dodgers, who will throw staff ace Clayton Kershaw up against short-rested, surprise Boston option David Price, had better change this Series quick. The Red Sox are one win away from their ninth World Series title, playing with an air of invincibility and inevitability. It took a game of historic length to beat Boston on Friday, and it's going to take a comeback of seismic proportions to catch the Sox now. In the history of best-of-seven series with the 2-3-2 format, teams that won Game 4 on the road to go ahead 3-1 have gone on to take the series 38 of 45 times (84 percent). All four previous times that the Red Sox have led a World Series 3-1, they went on to win the Series. All four times the Dodgers have trailed 3-1 in the World Series, they have lost in five games. "Now we're in a situation where we're do or die," Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts said. "To their credit, they fought back and won a baseball game." Down, 4-0, going into the seventh, after Puig's big blow prompted a violent spike of the glove from Boston starter Eduardo Rodriguez, the Red Sox broke out of their offensive trance and then broke the Dodgers' hearts. For perspective, the Dodgers were 54-0 when leading by four runs at any point this season, including the postseason. They were the only team not to lose such a game. Furthermore, only once in the past 10 World Series, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, had a team lost a game in which it led by four runs or more at any point (though, because baseball can be cruel, that infamy also belonged to L.A., in Game 5 of last year's Classic match with Houston). So up to that moment when Rodriguez's glove hit the ground, it appeared the postgame criticism would be reserved for Red Sox skipper Alex Cora. He had opted to ride Rodriguez, who had pitched in Game 3 but whose starting assignment was necessitated by Nathan Eovaldi's losing-but-leviathan relief effort, a little too long, and Puig made him pay the price. "I pushed him too hard," Cora said. The more pressing questions, however, would be reserved for Roberts. He sent veteran starter Hill, who ordinarily operates with an inordinately short leash, out for the seventh inning of what was a rousing start. But he yanked Hill, who had hinted to Roberts that he was nearing the end of his rope, two batters into the inning, with Xander Bogaerts aboard via a walk. "He said, 'Keep an eye on me, I'm going to give it everything I have, [but] let's go hitter to hitter and just keep an eye on me,'" Roberts said. "So right there, I know Rich did everything he could, competed, left everything out there." Brock Holt drew another walk off reliever Scott Alexander, and Roberts, who had been burned by Ryan Madson twice in Boston, went back to Madson and got burned again. Madson elevated a first-pitch changeup to Moreland, who socked it into the right-field seats to make it 4-3. Another pattern repeated itself in the eighth. For the second time in as many nights, Roberts went to Kenley Jansen for the six-out save. And for the second time in as many nights, Jansen, who has been homer-prone all year, gave up the game-tying solo shot -- this time to Pearce, who took him deep to left. Jansen became just the second pitcher to give up game-tying homers in back-to-back games of a World Series, joining the D-backs' Byung-hyun Kim (Games 4 and 5, 2001). "They're a good team," said Jansen, "and it was just one bad pitch." And then, in the ninth, the Red Sox brought the dagger. With Dylan Floro on the hill, Holt bounced a double down the third-base line with one out and roared back at Boston's bench. That set up a dazzling display of depth. Rafael Devers came in cold to swat a run-scoring single. The midseason pickup Pearce, who faced Kenta Maeda with the bases loaded, doubled everybody home. And Bogaerts tacked on an insurance RBI single to make it 9-4. The Dodgers offered some measure of response with Enrique Hernandez's two-run shot off closer Craig Kimbrel in the ninth, and perhaps Kimbrel's 28-pitch outing will have Game 5 repercussions. But this was a night when Los Angeles' hopes were crushed and the Red Sox reached the cusp of a crown. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Joltin' Joe: Boston's late-inning offensive surge is rendered meaningless if somebody doesn't put a roadblock in front of the Dodgers' bats. In Game 4, that someone was Joe Kelly, who delivered two scoreless innings of relief in which he gave up three hits with three strikeouts. His biggest moment came when he K'd pinch-hitter Yasmani Grandal with runners on the corners and two outs in the eighth to preserve a 4-4 tie. "The only pressure I felt was to not let my teammates down," Kelly said. Squandered inheritance: Madson had inherited five baserunners in Boston. All five scored. So why did Roberts trust Madson with two on and one out in the seventh, when the left-handed-hitting Moreland's pinch-hit homer made it a perfectly imperfect 7-for-7? Roberts said he was trying to stay away from Pedro Baez, who threw two innings in Game 3, and Julio Urias, who threw one inning in Game 3. "Ryan has a very good track record of getting righties and lefties out, and actually left-handers considerably more, and we just didn't execute," Roberts said. "Moreland hit a changeup, first pitch, that was up -- and [Madson] got the prior hitter to pop up to the [second baseman] -- and he made a bad pitch, and unfortunately Mitch took a really good swing on it. So in that spot right there, considering who you have left in the 'pen, you have to make a decision. And I felt that Ryan still had a very good chance to get him out." YOU GOTTA SEE THIS Devers came through with his bat off the bench in the top of the ninth, and he came through with his glove and arm in the bottom of the inning. With a runner aboard, one out and Kimbrel trying to preserve the 9-6 lead, Manny Machado hit a bullet to Devers' right. The young third baseman slid to make the stop, gathered himself and fired to first for the inning's second out. "I think the last time was in Little League, probably, making a play like that," Devers said through an interpreter. "I just came in with the mentality of trying to help the team in any way that I can. And I was given that opportunity tonight to do that." SOUND SMART • The last team to score nine-plus runs in a World Series game in the seventh inning or later, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, was the 1997 Marlins, in Game 3. • Four clubs have come back from a 3-1 hole in the World Series by winning Game 5 at home and Games 6 and 7 on the road -- the 1958 Yankees, '68 Tigers, '79 Pirates and 2016 Cubs. The Dodgers will try to join that exclusive list. • When Kershaw and Price square off Sunday, it will mark the fourth lefty-lefty matchup of this Series. That has only happened one other time in World Series history. The 1973 Fall Classic between the Mets and A's had five lefty-lefty games to set a record. HE SAID IT "Sometimes in October, we talk about mechanics and how you feel at the plate and all that, [but] sometimes it's will. You will yourself to do great things. And it started very simple. A few good at-bats and then the big swing, and we kept rolling and we didn't stop playing." -- Cora Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/red-sox-rally-to-win-world-series-game-4/c-299820938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckme10 Posted October 29, 2018 Share Posted October 29, 2018 “Congratulations to the Red Sox 2018. Dodgers, again, better luck next year.” - lifelong Giant’s fan. Celebrate the good times! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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