Chat here for NLDS Openers!

A few quick notes of mine below the line.

 

@Cardinals 9, Pirates 1 — A.J. Burnett’s game score of 12 was the worst ever by a Pittsburgh postseason starter. Their top three marks were set in the 1971 World Series, two by Steve Blass (83 and 78, games 3 and 7) and one by Nellie Briles (83 in game 5). A.J.’s 7 earned runs tied their postseason high, set by Lee Meadows in the ’27 WS (close game until a 6-run 7th). Burnett’s postseason ERA is 6.37 in 8 starts, with 27 walks (and 7 HBP) against 31 Ks in 41 IP.

Adam Wainwright’s 5 postseason starts hold one disaster (last year’s NLDS finale), and 4 games allowing exactly 1 run. It adds up to a 3.00 ERA, with 36 Ks and 4 walks in 30 IP.

With RISP, the Cards went just 2 for 10 — but one was Beltran’s 3-run crusher.

__________

Carlos Beltran has 15 HRs in 35 postseason games, good for an all-time best .783 slugging average, plus a .357 BA, and .462 OBP (10th), making him the OPS leader as well. Even drawing a lot of walks, his total bases per game projects to 467 TB per 162 G. The season record is 457, and only Ruth (1921) and Hornsby (’22) had a 100-G season matching Beltran’s rate. He’s also 11-for-11 in postseason steals.

Add this to his regular-season rankings on career CF lists — 8th in HRs, RBI and WAR, 6th in extra-base hits (tied with Joe D.) and 10th in total bases. Beltran had eight 100-RBI years in CF, tied for 2nd with DiMag and Griffey; only Mays had more (10). Who still doubts Beltran’s Hall of Fame credentials? And why?

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Darien
10 years ago

I saw people on Twitter *still* saying that Beltran is overrated because he watched strike three to end game seven of the 2006 NLCS. Unbelievable.

Bryan O'Connor
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  Darien

I don’t have a PI subscription, so I’m winging it with this assumption, but I’m pretty sure no actual Hall of Famer ever struck out looking.

Jonas Gumby
Jonas Gumby
10 years ago
Reply to  Bryan O'Connor

FALSE. Michael Jordan struck out exactly 114 times in 1994.

Jonas Gumby
Jonas Gumby
10 years ago
Reply to  Jonas Gumby

Dammit! You were right — none were looking.

Jimbo
Jimbo
10 years ago

Based on who is in the Hall, Beltran is easily qualified.

His post season career is what puts him over the top, if he was to retire as a borderline player otherwise.

Doug
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  Jimbo

Except Beltran and the World Series are still strangers. Just sayin’.

bstar
10 years ago
Reply to  Doug

You’re not one of those bizarre Beltran haters, are you, Doug? It was one goofin’ AB.

Beltran’s knees were hardly the only ones to be buckled by Adam Wainwright that postseason.

Doug
Editor
10 years ago
Reply to  bstar

I’m a big Beltran fan.

John @7 summed up my thoughts perfectly.

Brendan
10 years ago

The Tomahawk Chop is the worst thing in baseball. I hate the Braves and their fans so much.

Luis Gomez
Luis Gomez
10 years ago
Reply to  Brendan

I got the Braves on a school pool, so I´m rooting for them. Also, there is this thing against the team they´re playing 🙂

Luis Gomez
Luis Gomez
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Actually yes. When I was growing up I idolized Fernando and his team. But when they released him I just couldn’t root for them anymore. So I spend a few years as a “free agent fan” (or more like Baseball fan), until ´96, when the Padres made a run at the playoffs and won the NL West on the last day of the season against the Blue ones in LA. Been a Padres fan ever since. I worked in Tijuana for 11 years and it was an easy commute to watch the Padres in Jack Murphy Stadium and later PETCO… Read more »

bstar
10 years ago

FWIW, I had the Braves down for 13 K’s tonight. Rrrright on schedule!

bstar
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

I’ve found that keeping my expectations low for the playoffs helps me stay (relatively) sane.

Evan
Evan
10 years ago

The 2 for 10 number is a bit deceptive considering they also had 2 BB and a HBP with RISP, all in the 3rd inning.

Doug
Editor
10 years ago

Tonight in Atlanta was the 39th post-season game of 9 innings or less with a team having 10+ strikeouts and 3 times as many strikeouts as hits. 9 of those 39 games have come since 2010, more than the number (8) that occurred before 1995 (there were 3 games from 1903 to 1908, and 5 games from 1965 to 1972).

Atlanta has 10 of those 39 games. The Yankees are second with 4 such games.

PaulE
PaulE
10 years ago

I know I’m going to get a boatload of feces for this statement, but if Carlos Beltran had been signed by the Yankees in 1995, or even in 2005 as a free agent, they’d have a parade for him in Manhattan every fall.
Mr. October?
St. Derek of November?
No. Carlos Beltran is, along with that undermedicated lunatic, Lenny Dykstra, one if the two greatest post-season players in the history of the sport. Both very good players who played even better in the playoffs……no, actually, unconcious.

Ed
Ed
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

John: I give you Vlad the Impaler.

http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2013/09/vlad-impaler.html

According to Joe Pos, from 07-11 Vlad hit .303 and slugged .490 while swinging at 45% of pitches out of the strike zone!

Best line of the article: “The guy would swing at anything. The guy would swing at pitches in OTHER GAMES.”

Now that’s definitely a free swinger!!!

Doug
Doug
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Manny Sanguillen. Something like Vlad. Would swing at anything, high or low (the tomahawk swing was his specialty), but he could make contact. And, he didn’t strike out much.

Among 154 retired catchers with 3000 PA, Sanguillen is one of only 11 with more hits than games played (10 of whom, incl. Sanguillen, are over 5000 PA).

RJ
RJ
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

Whenever I hear “free swinger” I think Pedro Feliz. Feliz had the added “bonus” of only taking a walk about once a week.

bstar
10 years ago
Reply to  John Autin

JA: you nailed it.

donburgh
donburgh
10 years ago

Alvarez is the first Pirate to homer in consecutive playiff games since Stargell in 1974 vs. LA.

Doug
Doug
10 years ago
Reply to  donburgh

And the first Pirate ever to homer in the first two games of any post-season series. His streak of RBIs in the first 3 post-season games of his career ties him with Tim Foli for the longest such streak by a Pirate.