The World Series begins (at last) on Wednesday. Both teams can use a designated hitter in the games in Boston — games 1 and 2, and games 6 and 7, if necessary. So here’s a quick, stats-centric overview of the DH in the World Series.
The 2013 World Series is expected to be the first in 55 years with a particular quirk. Something happened in the 1958 series between the Braves and Yankees that has not occurred in any subsequent World Series. Until this one.
What is this unusual occurrence?
Congratulations to John Autin! He identified that this is the first World Series since 1958 in which the game 1 starters both have 95 career wins with a .600 career winning percentage, and have both previously appeared in a World Series clinching game playing for their current teams.
In fact, neither of those two answers was the unusual occurrence I had detected. So, I’ll add a third answer – that Adam Wainwright and Jon Lester, like Whitey Ford and Warren Spahn in 1958, are both 29 years old or older and, unlike 18 other pairs of age 29+ game 1 starters since 1959, Wainwright and Lester have both played for only one franchise.
This post is for voting and discussion in the 34th round of balloting for the Circle of Greats. This round adds to the ballot those players born in 1941. Rules and lists are after the jump. Continue reading
Nolan Ryan crept as close as one vote back during this week’s voting but Fergie Jenkins, in his first ballot appearance, ultimately pulled away with a strong showing. Jenkins appeared on well over half the ballots to become the 33rd player inducted into the High Heat Stats Circle of Greats. More on Jenkins, and the balloting results, after the jump (or you can click here first for another Fergie: Fergalicious ). Continue reading
With the Red Sox and Cardinals meeting each other for the fourth time in World Series history, a list of the matchups that have occurred most frequently might be appropriate. Here is a list of all the combinations that have occurred more than twice:
11 World Series meetings: Yankees/Dodgers
7 World Series meetings: Yankees/Giants
5 World Series meetings: Yankees/Cardinals
4 World Series meetings: Yankees/Braves, Athletics/Giants, Tigers/Cubs, Red Sox/Cardinals (including 2013)
3 World Series meetings: Yankees/Reds, Tigers/Cardinals
I count a total of ten matchups that have occurred exactly twice: the Yankees with the Cubs, Phils and Pirates; the A’s with the Cubs, Reds, Dodgers and Cards; the Indians with the Braves (Native American nickname vs. Native American nickname); the Senators (now known as the Twins) with the Giants; and the Orioles with the Pirates.
Michael Wacha held L.A. to two hits over 7 innings, leading the Cards into the World Series with his second win of the NLCS and third in this postseason (totals 21 IP, one run, 8 hits, 4 walks, 21 strikeouts). St. Louis pitchers allowed just three baserunners, matching the fewest in a series clincher. (The Mets’ Bobby Jones one-hit the Giants in the his third win in the 2000 NLDS.) They faced 29 batters, one off the clincher record set by Atlanta in the 1996 NLCS, game 7.
On September 1st, Houston’s rookie starter Brett Oberholtzer shut out the Mariners 2-0 as the Astros became the last team to record a complete game in the 2013 season. This is the first time in 3 years that every team has recorded a complete game.
While it’s certainly not news that complete games have been on a seemingly never-ending decline, I thought it would be interesting to take a statistical look at some of the resulting impacts on the game.
More on the complete game and the ever-changing dynamics of pitching after the jump.
With one blip, pitching has dominated both LCS series. How much so?
The 15 total runs scored in games 1-4 of the NLCS? New low water mark.
13 total runs in games 1-3 of the ALCS? Never had less, and equaled only in Oakland’s 1970s dynasty years.
More after the jump.
A few quick notes, as I try to hold it together….
Until this year, the Tigers had participated in just one postseason game that ended 1-0: the clinching game of the 1984 ALCS. They have three in eight games this year, losing ALDS game 2, and in this ALCS, winning game 1 (Boston’s first 1-0 loss) and losing game 3 (Boston’s third win).
Following Carlos Beltran’s heroics Friday night–which continued his history of tremendous postseason results (save one forgettable at bat in the 2006 NLCS)–I witnessed the following discussion on Twitter between two high-profile writers regarding his Hall of Fame chances:
.@JeffPassan Beltran is better, as a Hall candidate, than every BBWAA HoF outfielder in the last 20 years save Rickey.
— Joe Sheehan (@joe_sheehan) October 12, 2013