Cards 3, Giants 1

The Cardinals’ Señor Octubre (aka Carlos Beltrán) is out of the game with an injury, said to be his knee – will have to wait and see how serious it is. Losing Beltran didn’t hurt too much today as his replacement, Matt Carpenter, provided all the runs the Cards would need with a two-run homer in the 3rd. The two bullpens were stingy again, allowing a combined zero runs on only 2 hits and a walk in 4.2 innings of work. The Giants cranked 9 hits, but only one for extra bases, leaving 11 on base with an oh-fer in 7 RISP opportunities. In comparison, the Cards went 2 for 4 in those situations.

Yanks and Tigers go tonight, and it’s do or die time for the pinstripers. They have their ace on the hill, so they are set up to at least prolong the series, and maybe start a comeback to get the ALCS back to the Bronx.

If you were trying to think of the last left-hander before Phil Coke to save consecutive LCS games, well, it’s been a while. Hasn’t happened since Randy Myers in games 2 and 3 of the 1990 NLCS. Coke is the first to do it in the ALCS. Last time in the World Series – Tippy Martinez of the Orioles in games 3 and 4 of the 1983 classic.

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Tigers 3, Yankees 0

The early game is in the books, and Detroit is heading home up 2 games with their ace, Justin Verlander, to start game 3. The complexion of today’s game turned on a blown umpire’s call at second base with 2 outs in the Tiger 8th inning. The Yankees should have been out of the inning still trailing by just one but, to Detroit’s credit, the Tigers took advantage of their good fortune to add two more tallies in that frame.

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For the second time this post-season, Raoul Ibanez has delivered a 9th inning, game-tying HR, this time a two-run blast with 2 outs. Ibanez joins Joe Morgan (1983), Dave Winfield (1992) and Julio Franco (2001) as the only players aged 40+ with HRs in two games in the same post-season. With three HRs total, Ibanez stands alone among the over-40 crowd for the most HRs in a single post-season. Ibanez also stands alone among all players, with 3 HRs in the 9th inning or later in a single post-season.

For the second time in as many appearances, Tiger closer Jose Valverde failed to protect a 9th inning lead, this time giving up a 4-run advantage on twin two-run HRs by Ibanez and Ichiro. This is the 3rd time in Valverde’s post-season career allowing 3 or more runs in an appearance, tied for second all-time among relievers, trailing only Jeff Nelson with four such games. Valverde’s career post-season ERA now stands at 8.79.

Tigers score two in the twelfth off rookie David Phelps, the last man in the Yankee bullpen. Derek Jeter goes down and has to leave the game with what is now identified as a fractured ankle. No more Yankee magic in the home 12th. Tigers take the opener, with Delmon Young the unlikely hero with a HR and 3 RBI, including the game-winning tally.

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.

As the Tigers celebrate their ALDS victory, news comes (thanks to HHS reader Steven for this alert) of the passing of a former fan favorite in the motor city, albeit in a brief stint with the Tigers.

Champ Summers (so nicknamed, according to Wikipedia, by his prize-fighter father who remarked at Champ’s birth that he looked like he had just gone 10 rounds with Joe Louis) came up with Oakland in 1974 and, through 1978, bounced between the majors and minors with the Cubs and Reds, being used with the big club mostly as a pinch-hitter. His fortunes changed early in the 1979 season with a trade to Detroit where, under new Tigers manager Sparky Anderson, Summers finally got to play on at least a semi-regular basis.

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Four more games today, including two winner-take-all contests.

The early game is in the books, with the Giants completing their comeback from 0-2, the first team to do so with three straight away wins in a 5-game series.

Washington survived with a walk-off win (the third in less than 24 hours) on a Jayson Werth homer, to pull even with the defending champion Cardinals and force a deciding game tomorrow.

Tell us what’s caught your attention today!

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Nobody got swept, so we’re still in business with another quad-play day.

Let us know what grabs you about today’s games.

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Former major league pitcher Jim Kaat is providing the TV color commentary for MLB Network coverage of the Tigers-Athletics series. In an HHS reader discussion of that series (and others), a side discussion arose on Jim Kaat’s HOF credentials, during which I offered up the unusual factoid that Kaat’s “historical span” (for want of a better term) covers some 69 seasons of major-league baseball, from 1939 to 2007. This notion is based on the fact that Kaat pitched to both Ted Williams and Julio Franco.

HHS reader RJ thought this might make an interesting blog topic, so let’s find out.

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Following are the only players since at least 1918 with an unusual, three-part accomplishment. What have these players done that distinguishes them from all of their brethren?

Hint: a player active in 2012 is on track to join this list

Looks like HHS readers could solve only 2/3 of the puzzle. The three-part accomplishment for which the group above has exclusive domain reads like this:

1. played in the post-season of his rookie season (kudos to reader Josh)
2. had a hit streak of at least 4 games to start his post-season career (more kudos to reader RJ)
3. hit safely in each of the first two regular season starts of his rookie season (this was the stumper)

Congratulations to Yoenis Céspedes, who on October 10th joined this group with hits in his first four post-season games.

The 2011 card image on the left identifies Omar Vizquel as a third baseman. Vizquel, though, wrapped up his 24-year career this week as the all-time leader in games played at shortstop, a mark that Derek Jeter may surpass in 2014 or later. Over his career, Vizquel has competed against rival shortstops ranging from Alan Trammell to Elvis Andrus. Among all those opponents, I was curious which one, paired with Vizquel, represented the most combined game experience ever at the position.

After the jump, I’ll look at the question of which historical games featured  starters having the most combined games experience at each position.

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