Friday finale – what an LDS round!

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Two series down and the final two to be decided tonight. What an LDS round we have had:

first time all series have gone the distance
first comeback from 0-2, having to win every road game
most strikeouts in an LDS series (Justin Verlander‘s 22 Ks)
most game 5 LDS complete games (two; tied with 1981)
two HR performance by a pinch-hitter, for a 9th inning tie and an extra-inning win
melt-down by a closer (actually, make that two melt-downs) with a 2-run lead and 3 outs to win the series
four walk-off games and counting, already the most ever in an LDS round (thanks to ATarwerdi96 for confirming this)
a chance for both wild cards (or neither) to advance (both advanced to LCS in 5 out of 6 seasons from 1999 to 2004, but in no other year)
the league’s highest paid player (I think that’s still true) benched for the deciding game (that’s actually happened before, in the LCS round)

Enjoy the games and tell us what catches your attention.

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Voomo Zanzibar

11 years ago

And through two and a half innings in New York, both pitchers are in line for a Perfect Game.

11 years ago

Reply to Voomo Zanzibar

John clearly designated his jinxing power to you! 🙂

ATarwerdi96

11 years ago

The postseason batting event finder confirms that four is the most for a single LDS round: http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/jUFPd

Author

Doug

11 years ago

Reply to ATarwerdi96

Thanks ATarwerdi96, I’m going to have to learn how to use that event finder tool.

Josh

11 years ago

Record is 7 walk-off games in a postseason, 2004. Baseball-Reference search postseason event finder, search all Plate Appearances and click Walk-Off.

11 years ago

Dating back to the 2009 WS, Jeter has 4 walks and 32 strikeouts!

Voomo Zanzibar

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

What?!
Cherry picking negative stats against Captain Clutch?!

Chad Mottola had 1034 RBI in the minors.

11 years ago

I wonder if anyone has had a postseason stolen base with a worse record than Teixeira’s regular season 1 SB per 71 games.

11 years ago

Reply to RJ

How about Carlos Pena in 2008? In the 2008 postseason, he stole 3 bases in 5 attempts over 15 games. In the regular season, he only attempted 2 steals in 139 games (he was one for one).

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Oops…should say “he was one for two”.

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Teixeira still has a larger number of games per SB career-wise (the numbers I was using). But yeah, in terms of one season, stealing three in the postseason after only one in regular season is pretty incredible.

bstar

11 years ago

What the….the Nats get to play a baseball game at night! It’s been 10 whole days; I hope their eyes adjust properly.

Voomo Zanzibar

11 years ago

Most clutch Carsten of all time.

Mike L

11 years ago

Them Birds deserve all the credit in the world. I’m glad to win, but that’s a tough bunch of guys and a great manager.

11 years ago

Got a bit of a Giants-Reds situation going on in Washington, with one team grabbing a 6-0 lead but the other crawling their way back into it. I reckon Washington needs another run before St Louis gets any World Series Game 6 thoughts into their heads.

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

The Yankees have played post-season games against 23 different franchises over the years. They are over .500 in post-season games against 18 of those 23 franchises. Only five franchises have a record over .500 in post-season games against the Yankees. Three of those, the Indians, Angels and ‘Backs, are just one game over .500 in post-season games vs. the Yanks. One franchise, the Marlins, is two games over .500 in post-season games against the Bombers. And lastly, one franchise is three games over .500 in post-season games against the Yankees: that’s the Detroit Tigers, who will now take on the… Read more »

Andrew Daly

11 years ago

Hey I think you should clear up Verlander’s record as being the most strikeouts in a Divisional Series. It didn’t make sense to me and my first guess of Koufax was right who put up 29 k’s in the 1965 WS vs. the Twins. Now does anyone know if that’s the all time series record or has anyone broken 30 k’s in a series??

e pluribus munu

11 years ago

Reply to Andrew Daly

Gibson had 35 in the ’68 Series. That was one the Cardinals lost. I wonder whether they’ll ever lose again . . .

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to Andrew Daly

Division Series:
Justin Verlander 22 Ks
Kevin Brown (1998) and Cliff Lee (2010) 21

LCS:
Mike Mussina (1995) 25
Dwight Gooden (1988) 20

World Series:
Bob Gibson (1968) 35
Bob Gibson (1964) 31
Sandy Koufax (1965) 29
Bill Dineen (1903) 28
Curt Schilling (2001) and Bob Gibson (1967) 26

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Beltran is the first player to get on base five times in a sudden death post-season game without benefit of an error.

Paul E

11 years ago

Reply to birtelcom

I believe Beltran has the highest post-season OPS all-time amongst players with 100 PA’s….and possibly the highest regular season SB% amongst players with at least 200 attempts….and a few Gold Gloves, etc…

He sure had a mediocre second half; however, he certainly appears rested

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Reply to Paul E

If you drop the minimum PAs from 100 to 90, here is the top 10 list as of this morning for OPS in post-season games:
1. Carlos Beltran 1.306 (129 PAs)
2. Babe Ruth 1.211 (167 PAs)
3. Lou Gehrig 1.208 (150 PAs)
4. David Freese 1.185 (96 PAs)
5. Len Dykstra 1.094 (136 PAs)
6. Lou Brock 1.079 (92 PAs)
7. Paul Molitor 1.050 (132 PAs)
8. Albert Pujols 1.046 (321 PAs)
9. Hank Greenberg 1.044 (101 PAs)
10. George Brett 1.023 (184 PAs)

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to birtelcom

Nice list there birtelcom, and after last night’s game David Freese is #1 all time in batting average for players with a minimum of 90 PAs with a .393 BA in 96 PAs. Lou Brock is #2 at .391 in 92 PAs. Nice company for fellow Cardinals.

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

Very poor strategy to ever let the Cardinals get to one strike from elimination.

11 years ago

Reply to birtelcom

I’m sure the Giants have picked up on this and will be desperately trying to induce double play grounders with one out in the ninth, so as to never let this whole last strike business happen.

Stuart

11 years ago

Trailing 7-5 in the ninth inning with two on, two outs, and two strikes on David Freese…and the Cardinals come back to win it…where have I seen this before?

Jacob

11 years ago

Reply to Stuart

That’s unbelievable – I had forgotten it was 7-5 in 2011, too.
Either the Cardinals are fabulously lucky or, or… Well, they’re just fabulously lucky.

Jason Z

11 years ago

It was deja vu all over again.

Jim Bouldin

11 years ago

The Yankees apparently (according to ESPN) are going to start Sabathia on three days rest on Tuesday, giving us at least one, and possibly two Verlander vs Sabathia matchups, the second of which would be in game seven. However, if the Yankees go up 2-0 it seems possible that they would move Sabathia back to game four.

Mike L

11 years ago

Reply to Jim Bouldin

I think that may be a mistake. he’s thrown 240 pitches his last two starts and while he’s moose size, rushing him to go against verlander, who may give up nothing at all, doesn’t seem like the best strategy.

Jim Bouldin

11 years ago

Reply to Mike L

On the other hand,if the Yanks are down 0-2, I don’t see that they have much choice but to start him in game three. Otherwise they likely go down 0-3 and that would be the end of it.

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Jim Bouldin

According to the B-ref splits, during regular season play Sabathia has pitched 4 games on 3 days rest in his career, going 3-1 with a 1.01 ERA over 26 innings, with 26 K’s, 6 BB’s, and a 0.825 WHIP. As for postseason play, in his Game 4 start on 3 days rest against the Angels in the 2009 ALCS he went 8 innings, while allowing 1 earned run in a 10-1 Yankees win. In the World Series that same year he once again pitched on 3 days rest in a Game 4 win over the Phillies in which he went… Read more »

Editor

birtelcom

11 years ago

All four of the LCS teams are among the 16 “original” franchises that date back to at least 1901. First time that’s happened since 1996. Which also means that the absolutely inviolate tradition that every World Series must include at least one of the Original 16 franchises will continue at least another year. Since the expansion franchise surge of 2001-2003, when expansion franchises won three World Championships in a row, the Original 16 have mounted a big comeback, with the expansion franchises having won only five games in the World Series over the 2004-2011 period, compared to 35 World Series… Read more »

Mike L

11 years ago

Reply to birtelcom

Maybe economics play a role. The original 16 were concentrated in a swath of large industrial/port cities in the Northeast and Midwest (Washington is always an outlier, because of the politics), and travel was difficult. As those cities began to decline in relative importance, teams left, but before expansion, they had their pick of places. The Dodgers and Giants left for economically greener pastures in emerging markets (leaving the Yankees to grow). Both the Braves and the Athletics moved twice (Mil.and KC were the discards) leaving the Phillies and the Red Sox in better shape. The rounds of expansion tended… Read more »

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Mike L

Nice post Mike, and up until your last sentence you’re right on the money. But, as I’m sure you probably already know, both Washington Senators franchises were entirely different teams. The original Senators moved to Minnesota in 1961, and that same year the “new” Washington Senators formed as an expansion team, the same year that the Angels were also formed as an expansion team. After 11 years, the “new” Washington Senators moved to Texas to start the 1972 season. Maybe that’s what you meant when you said: “and Washington (by way of Minn) scarfed that one up.” If so, my… Read more »

Mike L

11 years ago

Reply to Brooklyn Mick

That’s what I meant, Mick. I was inarticulate (I’m often inarticulate). Thanks for the clarification.

MikeD

11 years ago

Reply to birtelcom

Birtelcom, I submit the expansion teams are doing much better because the NY Yankees are not one of the 16 “orginal” franchises, but instead represent the junior circuits very first expansion franchise, formed in 1903. Yes, the legend is they were the Baltimore Orioles, but I’m not buying that printed legend!

Larry

11 years ago

Birtelcom, I can’t quite sink my teeth in that list. Obviously prior to 1969 “post season” was synonymous with “World Series”. This year 10 out of 30 teams made the post season whereas it used to be 2 out of 16. It’s not even apples and oranges, that is more like apples and watermelons. To get 100 World Series plate appearances, a player had to have been fortunate enough to play in at least 4 World Series as a full time regular. I wonder what percentage of players prior to 1969 could claim that distinction? I’d guess around 12 to… Read more »

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

I have to go out now but by taking a quick look on the PI it looks like less than 5% of the players have 100 WS PA.

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

From 1903 to 1968 there have been 8235 players in ML baseball of whom 1323 made it to the WS and 42 of them accumulated 100 or more PA. (I have not corrected for 1904).

From 1969 to 2011 there have been 8058 players of whom 2206 made it to post-season and 217 of them have accumulated more than 100 PA.

Larry

11 years ago

When Beltran led off the ninth with a double, I had the exact same feeling as when Dykstra led off the ninth with a triple in the Astros/Mets 1986 NLCS. At least this time the team I was rooting for won.

Larry

11 years ago

Richard, I was thinking of the era from 1901 to 1961/1968. For the sweet 16 “Original Franchise” era there were probably around 30 players per team with around 480 Big Leagers each year. Of those, 50 got to play in the WS. My impression is that line-ups tended to be more “set” and rosters had less turnovers. Nowadays we have 30 teams running through 35 players per season for about 1000 Big Leagers per season with still only 50 to be in the World Series. So I can see where in all of MLB history it would be less than… Read more »

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

My post #36 covers the years 1903 to 1968.

kds

11 years ago

After the Nats lost I still managed to sleep like a baby. Woke up and cried. Woke up and cried….

The team that greatly overperformed their Pythag expectations is gone while the team that greatly underperformed is in the NLCS.

Larry

11 years ago

Kds, I experienced the yang to your yin. I doubt the Nats will garner much sympathy be it from Pythagorus or Euclid after ticking off Zeus. For teams not named the Yankees, such seasons don’t come along that often and the hubris shown in the mollycoddling of Strasburg deserved condign punishment. Here’s hoping that he leads y’all to 12 consecutive winning seasons of 82 – 80. It just doesn’t pay to diss the BBGs

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Three of the four remaining teams have won the last three World Series. This is first going back to when divisional play started in 1969. 2009 – Yankees 2010 – Giants 2011 – Cardinals 2012 – ??????? That aside, it’s amazing to think of the number of Championships, Pennants, and Playoff Appearances between the 2012 Final Four. Yankees: 27 World Championships, 40 Pennants, and 51 Playoff Appearances. Cardinals: 11 World Championships, 22 Pennants, and 25 Playoff Appearances. Giants: 6 World Championships, 21 Pennants, and 24 Playoff Appearances. Tigers: 4 World Championships, 10 Pennants, and 14 Playoff Appearances. Total: 48 World… Read more »

Larry

11 years ago

Well, fully one-third of all teams made it, so I would imagine there would be some gaudy cumulative numbers. If you throw out the Yankees 27 Championships that leaves about 40 which is about what you would expect for one third of the teams for not quite one third of MLB World Series history. I’d imagine the TV ratings will set records especially from the nadir of the 2005 ChiSox/Astros flop.

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Well sure Larry, but the fact remains that the Yankees and A’s are 1st and 2nd in World Series Championships for AL teams, while the Tigers are 4th, and the O’s are tied for 5th. If the Red Sox (3rd) had gotten in instead of the Rangers you’d have seen the top 5 franchises in AL history. On the NL side of the ledger, the Cardinals are 1st for NL teams, the Giants are tied for 2nd with the Dodgers, the Reds are 4th, and the Braves are 6th. If the Dodgers and Pirates got in instead of the Nats… Read more »

Larry

11 years ago

Awesome, Richard. So, of the 8,000 players since 1969, how many have made it to the WS? And of those who made it to the WS, how many have accumulated 100+ PAs in the WS? That would be a way to apple to apple the pre- and post- divisional eras

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Between 1969 and 2011 1176 players have made it to the WS. 15 of them accumulated more than 100 PA.

Doug

11 years ago

I guess I should have said “pop quiz”. Nobody asked about the earlier time when the top paid player got benched in a series deciding game. Any takers?

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Doug

Doug, I’ll go with Reggie being benched by Billy Martin for Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS. He wasn’t very happy, but he came off the bench to pinch hit for Cliff Johnson and got an RBI single in the 8th to make the game 3-2 in the Royals favor until the Yanks came back in the top of the 9th to go up 5-3 before Reggie got the final out of the inning. Sparky Lyle put the Royals down 1-2-3 in the bottom half and the Yanks took the series. Reggie went on to have his crazy 5 homer… Read more »

11 years ago

Reply to Brooklyn Mick

Reggie was benched for that one game but Roy White was benched for the entire postseason. After playing in 143 games (135 starts) and garnering 606 PAs, White only appeared in 6 postseason games and only had 8 PAs. Anyone remember why?

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Ed

Ed, I found an AP article that was titled: “Yanks shuffle lineup by benching White.” As it turns out, it wasn’t for the whole series. He pinch-hit in Game 1, sat out Game 2, then started in Game 3, going 2-4 with 2 doubles and a run scored. The gist of the article was that Billy wanted both Pinella and Cliff Johnson in the lineup against lefties, and the only way to do it was to put Lou in left-field and Cliff at DH. It left no room for Roy in the lineup. The Royals were lefty heavy, with Paul… Read more »

Doug

11 years ago

Larry @ 46,

Limiting 1969 and later still doesn’t make for an apples-to-apples comparison. The earlier teams didn’t have to make it through 1 or 2 addition playoff rounds. So, not surprising the recent years have such a small number og guys with 100 WS PAs.

Doug

11 years ago

You nailed it, Brooklyn. My other recollection of that time was how incredible Reggie’s new 750K per contract seemed.

Like A-Rod, Martin had good reason to bench Reggie – he was 1 for 14 in the series to that point.

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Doug

And it figures that Arod would come up with the bases full and two outs and …ground out.

Maybe Reggie was on to something when he made his disparaging remarks a few months ago.

And yes Doug, that 750K seemed like a big deal then, and if my memory serves me, I believe Mike Schmidt was the first million dollar man, and that was only about 30 years ago.

Robbs

11 years ago

Reply to Brooklyn Mick

Plus the rookie minimum in 1976 was $16,500. Which is what Fidrych made for going 19-9 and leading the league in ERA 2.34; ERA+ at 159 and complete games with 24. I paraded a home-made sign through the center field bleachers –price 50 cents stating: $16-five keeps us alive. (Team won 74 games).

Mike L

11 years ago

Reply to Brooklyn Mick

A-Rod is finished as a top tier player. Age and the hip, and maybe a little desire as well. He will be somewhat productive over the next few years, but with numbers more like Swisher. I don’t think there’s any question that GM’s who give ultra long contracts need to look at A-Rod as the ultimate cautionary tale. I think he works hard, but the body breaks down, and sometimes even the will to excellence.

Larry

11 years ago

Doug, I am still fuzzy on your reasoning.. MLB had 16 to 20 teams from 1903 to 1961/68. Two of those teams had to play in the WS. Now there are 30 teams and still only two play in the WS. Hence, a player in the pre-divisional era had a better chance of appearing in a WS and by the same reasoning, of accumulating 100 WS plate appearances. There were about 65 pre- WS compared to about 43 post- WS, a 150 percent augmentation factor for the old guys. At the new guy rate of 15, that would be adjusted… Read more »

Richard Chester

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Of the 65 WS played between 1903 and 1968 the Yankees played in 29 (almost half) of them, bunched into a 44 year time frame. The longest gap between pennants was 3 years. 24 of the 42 players (a little more than half) with more than 100 PA played in at least 1 WS with them, most played for more than 4 years. That produced an environment highly conducive for a high number of players more than 100 PA. For the 43 WS from 1969 to 2011 the Yankees played in 11 (just over 1/4) of them. 4 were bunched… Read more »

Larry

11 years ago

Brooklyn, I’m almost positive that when Nolan Ryan signed with the Astros in 1980 that he was the first “million dollar player”. To which the Angel’s GM said, “No problem. I’ll just go sign two 9-9 pitchers”.

MikeD

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

He was either the first million-a-year player or first million-a-year pitcher…I think.

Jason Z

11 years ago

Reply to MikeD

I do believe Nolan Ryan was the first Million Dollar
per year player.

IMO Mike Schmidt was merely the greatest third baseman
who ever lived.

Luis Gomez

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

I remember reading that the Angels GM said he’ll sign two 8-7 pitchers, because Ryan went 16-14 the season before.

Brooklyn Mick

11 years ago

Reply to Larry

Larry, you’re right, and my memory failed me. I was thinking about an SI cover with Mike Schmidt on it and his name at the top of the list of the highest paid players in baseball. Turns out the cover was from March 4, 1985, and he and Jim Rice are at the top with salaries of $2.13 million for Schmidt and $2.09 for Rice. So now I’m wondering if he was the first 2 million dollar man.

Here’s a link to the SI Vault. Hope it works.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/cover/featured/8946/index.htm

Larry

11 years ago

http://www.smackbomb.com/nolanryan/astros.html

Nolan signed the first contract for at least a million per year 3 years for 3.25 million. Three years earlier Catfish Hunter signed with the Yankees for less than a million

Larry

11 years ago

(continued) and Catfish had been given a one million dollar signing bonus. Interesting story with Nolan – John McMullen – the New Jersey Devil wanted Nolan to take a 20 per cent pay cut after a 8-16 season in 1987 in which he led the league in ERA and Ks and almost won the Cy Young that went to Steve Bedrosian. The rest is history as Saint Nolan went on to sign with the Rangers with the ultimate goal of being the personal proctologist of the Houston franchise until he goes to the great Hall of Fame in the sky

Jason Z

11 years ago

Raul “freakin” Ibanez!!

RichW

11 years ago

What was Leyland thinking?

Jason Z

11 years ago

Raul Ibanez is having one of the most impactful postseasons ever.

I have a feeling he may yet win this game too.

Larry

11 years ago

@ Richard – that makes sense. The Yankee domination surely is the heaviest weighted factor for the pre-divisional era