NLCS game 2: Quick postgame hits

The Cardinals’ 1-0 win in game 2 of the NLCS was the eighth postseason win by a team getting no more than 2 hits.
The prior seven:

 

Rk Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF ROE GDP SB CS
1 1974-10-09 ALCS 4 OAK BAL W 2-1 39 28 2 1 1 0 0 2 11 2 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 0
2 1947-10-03 WS 4 BRO NYY W 3-2 37 26 3 1 1 0 0 3 10 1 5 0 1 0 0 0 2 0
3 2001-10-13 ALDS 3 NYY OAK W 1-0 32 29 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 7 2 0 0 1 1 0 0
4 1997-09-30 NLDS 1 ATL HOU W 2-1 28 25 2 2 1 0 1 2 2 0 6 0 0 1 1 0 0 1
5 1963-10-06 WS 4 LAD NYY W 2-1 26 24 2 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 4 0 0 1 1 1 0 0
6 1948-10-06 WS 1 BSN CLE W 1-0 29 24 1 2 0 0 0 1 3 1 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 0
7 1944-10-04 WS 1 SLB STL W 2-1 32 29 2 2 0 0 1 2 3 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used / Generated 10/12/2013.

 

It’s the third 1-0 postseason win with a sacrifice fly. The other two:

Rk Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB IBB SO HBP SH SF ROE GDP SB CS
1 1987-10-13 NLCS 6 STL SFG W 1-0 29 28 1 5 0 1 0 1 0 0 9 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2 1980-10-10 NLCS 3 HOU PHI W 1-0 42 31 1 6 1 2 0 1 8 5 3 0 2 1 0 2 0 1
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used / Generated 10/12/2013.

 

Out of 23 postseason losses by starting pitchers allowing just 1 run with pitch counts known, Clayton Kershaw’s 72 pitches are tied for 2nd-fewest. Phil Hughes was given a very short least in 2012 ALCS game 3, pulled after 59 pitches when he gave up a HR and a walk to start the 4th inning. Dave Mlicki also left after 72 pitches in the 2001 NLDS game 2, lifted for a pinch-hitter in the home 5th with the tying run on 3rd and 1 out.

 

By my count, through seven postseason games, the Cards with runners in scoring position are 7 for 35, plus a sac fly. A breakdown:

  • Carlos Beltran with RISP is 4 for 5 with 8 RBI, a HR and a double.
  • All other Cards with RISP are 3 for 30 (all singles), with 5 RBI.

 

Trevor Rosenthal is the first to save a 1-0 postseason game by striking out all of at least three batters faced. There were five other such saves regardless of score; all (including Rosenthal’s) began with the bases empty:

Rk Player Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO HR Pit Str IR IS BF
1 Kenley Jansen 2013-10-07 NLDS 4 LAD ATL W 4-3 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 14 10 0 0 3
2 Sergio Romo 2012-10-28 WS 4 SFG DET W 4-3 10-10f,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15 10 0 0 3
3 Kazuhiro Sasaki 2000-10-04 ALDS 2 SEA CHW W 5-2 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 12 9 0 0 3
4 Trevor Hoffman 1998-10-03 NLDS 3 SDP HOU W 2-1 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 14 10 0 0 3
5 Randy Myers 1990-10-08 NLCS 3 CIN PIT W 6-3 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 3 0 11 9 0 0 3
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used / Generated 10/12/2013.

 

Rosenthal logged the 14th save in a 1-0 postseason game. The others, ranked by Win Probability Added:

Rk Player Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO IR IS BF SH GDP SB CS WP WPA
1 Dick Donovan 1959-10-06 WS 5 CHW LAD W 1-0 8-9f ,S 1.2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0.601
2 Al Holland 1983-10-04 NLCS 1 PHI LAD W 1-0 8-9f ,S 1.1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 0.379
3 Mariano Rivera 2001-10-13 ALDS 3 NYY OAK W 1-0 8-9f ,S 2.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0.360
4 Roger Mason 1991-10-14 NLCS 5 PIT ATL W 1-0 8-9f ,S 1.1 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0.306
5 John Smoltz 2001-10-10 NLDS 2 ATL HOU W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0.219
6 John Rocker 1999-10-15 NLCS 3 ATL NYM W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.213
7 Jose Mesa 1997-10-15 ALCS 6 CLE BAL W 1-0 11-11f,S 1.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.213
8 Bobby Jenks 2005-10-26 WS 4 CHW HOU W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 0.204
9 Alejandro Pena 1991-10-16 NLCS 6 ATL PIT W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 1 0 0 0 1 0.184
10 Calvin Schiraldi 1986-10-18 WS 1 BOS NYM W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.184
11 Mark Wohlers 1995-10-28 WS 6 ATL CLE W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.169
12 Willie Hernandez 1984-10-05 ALCS 3 DET KCR W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0.160
13 Clay Carroll 1972-10-18 WS 3 CIN OAK W 1-0 9-9f ,S 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.153
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used / Generated 10/12/2013.
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birtelcom
Editor
10 years ago

The Cards today became the first post-season winner supported by fewer than five times on base and no home runs. There are usually about three such games per season in the majors.

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Sanchez also joins Charles Nagy as the only two post-season starters with no more than 6 IP and at least 12 strikeouts.

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

The bigger question is: why do they have Peralta playing LF to begin with? He’s only played five games there in his entire career, all this season (3 regular, 2 playoff). IMO, the post-season is not the time to start placing veterans in unfamiliar positions. Having Tuiasosopo on the roster or starting Dirks would at least give them someone who is familiar there.

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

That’s a fair point, John. I myself think that Fenway’s idiosyncrasies would only serve to magnify Peralta’s inexperience and expose him out there. After all, a career shortstop never has to play a ball caroming off a service door or negotiate a line drive off a 37 foot wall made of hard plastic. Regardless, it all worked out for Leyland and company.

AlbaNate
AlbaNate
10 years ago

It’s almost the opposite of what the Tigers did with Mickey Stanley in 1968 (Outfielder moving to short stop.) That one worked out pretty well. Of course, Stanley had a bit more regular season playing time in his new position than Peralta, but he was playing the more difficult position.

birtelcom
Editor
10 years ago

Let’s see, no-nos by the visitors at Fenway:
Jim Bunning, 1958
Ted Lyons, 1926
Walter Johnson, 1920
George Mogridge, 1917
George Davis, 1914

birtelcom
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

Still the full list.

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
10 years ago
Reply to  birtelcom

It wasn’t meant to be, but still qualifies as another rare event: this is the first time that the Red Sox have been shutout at home in the post-season since the Cubs did it in Game 6 of the 1918 World Series. Wow.

dannyc
10 years ago

That 1987 StL-S-F game pitcher Todd Worrell moved to right field as Ken Dayley retired the last 2 batters

dannyc
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

If memory serves me right Herzog was saving him if needed. There were plenty of OFs on the bench. No mgr today would have the cajones to do that. Maybe because of the scrutiny of todays social media. Look at poor Mattingly he can’t burp without being questioned 1000 times til Sunday.

Evan
Evan
10 years ago

Rosenthal’s WPA of .151 slots in as lowest on the 1-0 list.
If Benoit records the save he’ll have a .205.

Luis Gomez
Luis Gomez
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Ohhhhhh, so close!

wx
wx
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

And with that, we can still say that no American League has ever thrown a postseason no-hitter and failed to win the World Series 🙂

birtelcom
Editor
10 years ago

A 1968 sort of day. Which would make a Cards/Tigers Series appropriate.

birtelcom
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

None in the post-season, but 164 during the 1968 regular season. That was an average of over one in every ten games (essentially one every day, on average) in the twenty-team MLB of that period. Compare that to 96 this season by thirty teams or about one every 25 games. Or compare to 1999, about one every 45 games.

Daniel Longmire
Daniel Longmire
10 years ago

Other near-misses from the Sox-Tigers game:

-Zero no-hitters on the road in post-season history.
-Zero combined no-hitters in post-season history.
-Zero no-hitters in LCS history.

RJ
RJ
10 years ago

Last year’s World Series featured a 2-0 game with the only runs coming on a sac fly and a double play. Was that a postseason first?

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
10 years ago
Reply to  RJ

It looks like it happened in the second game of last year’s WS. The Giants beat the Tigers 2-0. One run was scored on a DP hit into by Brandon Crawford and the scored on a SF by Hunter Pence. That’s the only such game I found. My, how quickly we forget.

Richard Chester
Richard Chester
10 years ago

Whoops, I read too quickly, sorry.

JA in post #30. I ran R = 2, RBI = 1, SF = 1 and GIDP equal to or greater than 1 and just that game came up in the PI run. Of course I had to check the box score to see if the run scored on the DP.

CursedClevelander
CursedClevelander
10 years ago

Scherzer is the 3rd straight Tigers starter to have a no-hitter through at least 5 IP. Which, if my perfunctory check was correct, has never happened before in the postseason.

robbs
robbs
10 years ago

All Tiger fans can blame me for the loss yesterday. I had been carefully avoiding watching the opposing team bat as it was working from game four of the ALDS after I got home for work (it REALLY worked for the starters, who basically pitched zero to 2-hit shutouts for six to eight innings). I broke down before bedtime (I was getting up very early) and decided to turn on the TV (all I knew was a 5-1 lead from the smart phone and that Scherzer pitched well)about 5 seconds before Big Papi went yard. I am the Billy Goat… Read more »