Thursday, October 31, 2024
Month of MLB: Final Episode
As previously indicated, I did not blog Game Five of the World Series, and in fact I didn't even watch it. But because it turned out to be such a significant game, I have decided to post comments on this thread as if I had watched it live.
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Here's the Dodger lineup:
ReplyDelete1. Ohtani, dh
2. Betts, rf
3. F. Freeman, 1b
4. T. Hernandez, lf
5. Muncy, 3b
6. K. Hernandez, cf
7. Edman, ss
8. W.D. Smith, c
9. Lux, 2b
The Dodgers' starting pitcher is Jack Flaherty, who went 13-7 with a 3.17 ERA in 28 regular season starts. For most of the year, he played for the Tigers.
ReplyDeleteHere's the Yankee lineup:
ReplyDelete1. Torres, 2b
2. J. Soto, rf
3. Judge, cf
4. Chisholm, Jr., 3b
5. Stanton, dh
6. Rizzo, 1b
7. Volpe, ss
8. A. Wells, c
9. Verdugo, lf
The Yankees are starting Gerrit Cole, one of the great pitchers of this generation. His lifetime record is 153-80, with an ERA of 3.18. This year, he went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts.
Here's my take: Cole is a much better pitcher than Flaherty, which gives the Yankees a significant edge in this game. Personally, I think the Dodgers will have to win this series -- if they win it -- in Game Six at home. The Dodgers will have Yamamoto ready to pitch that game, and that will be their best chance.
ReplyDeleteThis game is a pitching rematch of Game One, and Flaherty did pitch pretty well in that game. The Dodgers will have to hope he can repeat that performance.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 1st, Cole dominates the top of the Dodger lineup, and even retires Freddie Freeman without incident. Dodgers zero, Yankees coming to bat.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the first, Flaherty walks Juan Soto and then yields a towering two-run homer to Aaron Judge. That's very bad news for the Dodgers, because Judge was supposed to be in a slump. Yankees 2, Dodgers 0.
ReplyDeleteHold the phone! Jazz Chisholm follows Judge's home run with another deep shot to right. That's back-to-back home runs for the Yankees, who lead 3-0. The whole Flaherty thing isn't working out.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see you going back through this game in a relaxed state.
DeleteFox points out that it's the first time the Yankees hit back-to-back homers in the World Series since Game 5 of the 1977 World Series. Ironically, the Dodgers won that game 10-4. But they were up 10-2 when Thurman Munson and Reggie Jackson hit back-to-back homers in the top of the 8th. Jackson's homer, of course, proved to be a precursor of things to come.
ReplyDeleteThat's all for the Yankees. They lead 3-0 after 1. They now have a 78 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteCole puts the Dodgers down 1-2-3 in the top of the second. Yankees lead 3-0 after 1 1/2.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 2d, Volpe doubles and Verdugo brings him home with a single to make the score 4-0. That's all for Flaherty, who wears number zero. The Dodgers were not saved by zero tonight, as Flaherty leaves after 1 1/3 innings.
ReplyDeleteIn case you're wondering, the Yankees have not retired number zero, but they also don't have anyone wearing zero.
ReplyDeleteNow the Dodgers are in big trouble. They already had a bullpen game last night, and now they've got to have another one. It's amazing to me that they got this far with almost no starting pitching.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers turn to Anthony Banda (3-2, 3.08 ERA in 48 innings), who walks Soto and Judge, but escapes without further harm. Yankees lead 4-0 after 2. They now have an 86 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 3d, Cole walks Lux but retires the other three batters. Yankees lead 4-0 after 2 1/2.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 3d, the Dodgers turn to Ryan Brasier (1-0, 3.54 ERA in 29 appearances). Brasier promptly yields a towering home run to right by Giancarlo Stanton. This is really getting ugly now. Yamamoto better be ready to go in Game Six.
ReplyDeleteThis is where I tuned in.
DeleteBrasier retires the Yankees with no further damage, but they lead 5-0 after 3. They now have a 90 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Dodgers are just hapless against Cole. Betts gets a leadoff walk, but Freeman, T. Hernandez, and Muncy go down without a trace. Yankees lead 5-0 after 3 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteOn second thought, this isn't really fair to Freeman. He hit a huge drive to center, but Judge made a great leaping catch. That's the only time the Dodgers have really gotten wood on the ball so far tonight.
DeleteThe Yankees pulled Cole in the seventh inning of Game 1, when they had a 2-1 lead (and went on to lose, 6-3). At this point in Game 5, I figured Cole was going to go at least seven or eight scoreless innings for the victory, and then we were going to have one of those heroic, quick-to-return-to-the-mound starts for Cole in Game 7.
DeleteMuncy hasn't had a hit since Game Four of the N.L.C.S., back on October 17. He has been horrific in this series.
ReplyDeleteIn the first four games of the World Series, Muncy had zero hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts.
DeleteFor the record, the Dodgers have yet to score more than four runs in the first nine innings of any game in this series. Given that they're down 5-0, and that Cole has yet to give up a hit, the Yankees can feel pretty good about their chances of playing in Dodger Stadium on Friday night.
DeleteMeanwhile, this is the last game of the year in Yankee Stadium, and the Yankee fans are celebrating.
ReplyDeleteMichael Kopech pitches the bottom of the fourth for the Dodgers, and becomes the first Dodger to throw a scoreless inning. He gave up a walk to Verdugo and a single to Soto, but that was all. Yankees lead 5-0 after 4. They now have a 92 percent chance of winning. If it gets to 95 percent before the ninth inning, I will probably shut this blog down.
ReplyDeleteThere goes the no-hitter: Enrique Hernandez leads off the top of the fifth with a single to right. That's the most life we've seen from the Dodgers tonight.
ReplyDeleteOh, my! Edman hits a soft liner to center field, and Judge simply dropped it! It bounced off the heel of his glove. What a weird play. E. Hernandez -- who was staying close to 1st, expecting the catch -- beats Judge's throw to second, and the Dodgers have runners on first and second with no one out.
ReplyDeleteHold the phone! Will Smith, who has been pretty much useless at the plate, hits a grounder to Volpe -- and Volpe throws it away! He was trying to force E. Hernandez at third, but his throw goes wild. Everyone is safe! The Dodgers have loaded the bases with one single and two errors. There's still no one out.
ReplyDeleteAfter that bad feeling, Cole has just decided to deal with the Dodgers himself. He strikes out Lux. He strikes out Ohtani. He just needs one more out to end the inning.
ReplyDeleteBetts hits a grounder to Rizzo. That should end the inning -- BUT NO ONE COVERS FIRST! Betts beats Rizzo to the bag! E. Hernandez scores! Edman goes to third, Smith goes to second, and Betts is on first. What happened there?
ReplyDeleteCole just stood there near the mound instead of covering first -- it looks like he thought the second baseman would cover first. But that makes no sense, right? Anyway, the Yankees still lead, 5 to 1, and there are still two outs with the bases loaded. The Dodgers desperately need something from Freeman.
ReplyDeleteSo I was wrong about Gerrit Cole and the 2024 World Series.
DeleteThis is probably the Dodgers' last chance of the night:
ReplyDeleteCole v. Freeman (3 on, 2 out):
Pitch 1: Foul (0-1)
Pitch 2: Ball (1-1)
Pitch 3: Foul (1-2)
Pitch 4: Foul (1-2)
Pitch 5: Freeman hits a single to center. Edman scores. Smith scores. Betts goes to third. The Yankees lead is now 5-3.
So now it's up to Teoscar Hernandez -- and he hits a soaring drive to the deepest part of the ballpark. It's over Judge's head for a double! Betts scores. Freeman scores. THE GAME IS TIED!!! Unbelievable. The Yankee fans are stunned.
ReplyDeleteAs was I.
DeleteAnd that, kids, is why you always cover first base.
ReplyDeleteAt this point, the World Series game has gotten good enough that I'm watching more of it than WKU big over Kennesaw State on ESPN2, but I'm back and forth with the clicker. And one of the times I'm with the Hilltoppers down the street from my daughter's dorm, I note at the bottom of the screen that the Washington Wizards have come from behind to beat the Atlanta Hawks!
DeleteWe had done a trunk-or-treat with the kids at church and about a thousand of their closest friends earlier Wednesday night, and my primary job was keeping herd almost solo on about eight middle-schoolers around a basketball goal. There's a reason that the professional educators figured out that an hour is about as long as you can hope to keep middle- and high-schoolers focused on any one thing, and I had these kids for about an hour and 45 minutes. So by the time I got home to an empty house, as my wife was down at her parents' house, I was pretty juiced to sit down by myself in the living room with the remote control, the Tops and the baseball. And it totally delivered. Sports is great!
Muncy manages a walk, but Enrique Hernandez -- who started this inning with a single -- ends it by grounding out to short. The Dodgers get five runs on four hits, two errors, and Cole's failure to cover first. The score is tied 5-5 after 4 1/2.
ReplyDeleteOne big question now is whether the Dodger bullpen has enough innings of good pitching left to keep this game close. For the bottom of the 5th, they turn to Alex Vesia (5-4, 1.76 ERA in 67 innings).
ReplyDeleteAfter retiring Stanton and Rizzo, Vesia gives up a single to Volpe, then hits Wells with a pitch, and then walks Verdugo. That's one way to deal with the 7-8-9 hitters. That also loads the bases to bring up Gleyber Torres, which is usually a terrible idea. But Torres flies out to end the inning, and the Dodgers survive the bottom of the fifth. The score is still 5-all, and both teams have a 50 percent chance to win.
ReplyDeleteAmazing.
DeleteThis game had gotten boring to anyone who wasn't a Yankee fan, but now you can cut the tension with a knife. The Yankees send out Cole for the sixth, and he dominates Edman, Smith, and Lux. No one drops anything, and the score is still 5-all after 5 1/2.
ReplyDeleteBut as I've already mentioned, the Dodgers are quickly running out of pitchers. For the sixth inning, they turn to Brusdar Graterol (0--0. 2.45 ERA in 7 games). It doesn't go well. He walks Soto. Then he walks Judge. Chisholm grounds out but the Dodgers couldn't turn the double play. And then Stanton hits a fly ball to bring Soto home from third. Yankees lead 6-5 with two out.
ReplyDeleteGraterol walks Rizzo -- his third walk of the inning -- and Dave Roberts has seen enough. He brings in former Nat and A Blake Treinen (7-3, 1.93 ERA in 50 games).
ReplyDeleteTreinen gets Volpe to ground out and end the innings. But the Yankees now lead 6-5 after six innings. They have a 70 percent chance of winning.
ReplyDeleteHere's the Dodgers' pitching through six innings:
ReplyDeleteFlaherty: 1 1/3 innings, 4 earned runs
Banda: 2/3 inning, 0 ER
Braiser: 1 inning, 1 ER
Kopech: 1 inning, 0 ER
Vesia: 1 inning, 0 ER
Graterol: 2/3 inning, 1 ER
Treinen: 1/3 inning, 0 ER
TOTAL: 6 innings, 6 ER
And here's the Yankees' pitching through six innings:
ReplyDeleteCole: 6 innings, 0 ER
This game should be a blowout. But you do have to field your position.
In the top of the 7th, Cole retires Ohtani and Betts, before walking Freeman (and you can't blame him for that). Cole leaves with 6 2/3 innings pitched, 5 runs allowed, but no earned runs allowed. The Yankees turn to Clay Holmes.
ReplyDeleteHolmes gives Teoscar Hernandez nothing to swing at, walking him on four pitches. He then strikes out Max Muncy to end the inning. Muncy looks hopeless up there. Yankees lead 6-5 after 6 1/2.
ReplyDeleteTreinen mows down Wells, Verdugo, and Torres 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 7th. Yankees lead 6-5 after 7, and they have a 75 percent chance of victory.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the 8th, only six outs from a trip back to L.A., the Yankees bring in Tommy Kahnle (0-2, 2.11 ERA in 50 games).
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of Game Three of the Divisional Series, where the Dodgers fell way behind the Padres, almost caught them, and lost the game. Of course, the Dodgers then shut out the Padres two games in a row to end the series. I'll be surprised if that happens here.
ReplyDeleteAs he did in the 5th, Enrique Hernandez leads off with a single. Then Edman beats out an infield single. And then Smith is walked. The Dodgers 6-7-8 hitters have LOADED THE BASES with NO ONE OUT!
ReplyDeleteWell, that's all for Kahnle, who retired no one. Aaron Boone isn't wasting any more time -- he's turning to his closer, Luke Weaver, who toyed with the Dodgers last night.
ReplyDeleteLux and Weaver have a tremendous battle. Lux works the count full and eventually flies out to Judge. That scores E. Hernandez and THE GAME IS TIED AT SIX.
ReplyDeleteAmazing stuff here. Once again, the Dodgers have fought back to tie -- and now they can take the lead. Ohtani, who has been pretty hapless in this series since he injured his shoulder, comes to plate.
ReplyDeleteWeaver v. Ohtani (1st and 3d, 1 out):
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Ohtani swings and misses, but THE UMPIRE CALLS CATCHER INTERFERENCE. Inconceivable! Ohtani goes to first, and THE BASES ARE LOADED FOR MOOKIE BETTS.
Call confirmed on replay.
DeleteWeaver v. Betts (bases loaded, 1 out):
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Betts hammers a fly ball to deep center field. It's an easy out, but Betts pumps his fist, knowing that the fly will bring home Edman AND PUT THE DODGERS AHEAD FOR THE FIRST TIME TONIGHT: 7 TO 6.
Freeman has a chance to blow the game open, but he strikes out. The Dodgers lead 7-6 after 7 1/2.
ReplyDeleteSo the Dodgers have a one run lead, but they are out of pitchers. They've already used seven pitchers in this game, including all their good relievers. Treinen has already thrown 1 1/3 innings. How much further can he go?
ReplyDeleteSoto grounds out, but Judge is locked in now: after a seven pitch at-bat, he doubles down the left field line. Roberts leaves Treinen in anyway -- he doesn't have much choice. And that brings up Chisholm.
ReplyDeleteTreinen v. Chisholm, Jr. (man on 2d, 1 out):
ReplyDeletePitch 1: Ball (1-0)
Pitch 2: Ball (2-0)
Pitch 3: Ball (3-0)
Pitch 4: Called strike (3-1)
Pitch 5: Ball. So Chisholm represents the lead run on first with one out and Stanton coming to bat.
Roberts still leaves in Treinen -- he doesn't have anyone else.
ReplyDeleteTreinen v. Stanton (men on 1st and 2d, 1 out):
Pitch 1: Stanton flies out to right field
That was a huge out.
Treinen stays in to face Rizzo:
ReplyDeleteTreinen v. Rizzo (men on 1st and 2d, 2 out):
Pitch 1: Called strike (0-1)
Pitch 2: Swinging strike (0-2)
Pitch 3: Ball low (1-2)
Pitch 4: SWINGING STRIKE. Rizzo is RETIRED, and the Dodgers continue to lead 7 to 6, going into the ninth.
Huge sequence for us Denver A's fans.
DeleteNo team has ever needed an insurance run more than the Dodgers. They have a one-run lead, but Treinen has already thrown 2 1/3 innings, and they still need to get through the 9th. In the top of the 9th, they will be sending up Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy, and Enrique Hernandez.
ReplyDeleteTeoscar Hernandez leads off the ninth with a single. The Dodgers send in Chris Taylor to pinch run.
ReplyDeleteMuncy, who still doesn't have a hit in the Series, flies out on the first pitch.
ReplyDeleteBalk! Luke Weaver kept throwing over to first, and is called for a balk. Taylor goes to second.
ReplyDeleteWalk! Enrique Hernandez, who has been amazing in this game, walks to put runners on first and second with one out. The Yankees are pulling Weaver and bringing in Mark Leiter, Jr.
ReplyDeleteLeitner does his job. He strikes out Edman and gets Smith to groundout to third. That's all for the Dodgers. 7 runs on 7 hits in 9 innings. We'll see if it's enough.
ReplyDeleteOh, my! The Dodgers are going with Walker Buehler to pitch the ninth.
ReplyDeleteThere is some drama here. Buehler went to Henry Clay H.S. in Lexington, Kentucky, and then pitched for Vandy when the Commodores won the 2014 College World Series. He then went to L.A., and soon became a big-time starter. In 2018, he went 8-5 with a 2.62 ERA. In 2019, he was an All Star: 14-4 with a 3.26 ERA in 30 starts. In 2020 he made only eight appearances in the regular season, but won games against the Braves and the Devil Rays in the post-season. And in 2021 he was awesome: 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 33 starts and another trip to the All-Star game.
ReplyDeleteSince then he has struggled. In June 2022, he left a game with discomfort in his elbow, and ended up having to underscore season-ending surgery. In 2023, he missed the entire season. In 2024, he tried to return -- but he was obviously not his old self. By the end of the year, he had made 16 starts for the best team in the National League. In those starts, he went 1-6 with an ERA of 5.38.
ReplyDeleteBut when the playoffs came, the Dodgers had to use him -- they didn't have enough functional starting pitching. On October 8, he was shelled in Game Three of the Divisional Series with the Padres. He gave up six runs in five innings, and the Dodgers lost.
ReplyDeleteDave Roberts didn't give up on him. On October 16, Buehler started Game Three of the NLCS against the Mets. This time, he was much better -- zero runs and three hits in four innings. The Dodgers rolled to an 8-0 win.
ReplyDeleteSo Roberts tried him again in Game Three of the World Series, two days ago. This time, he was excellent: zero runs and two hits in five innings. The Dodgers won that game, 4 to 2. I was assuming that he would be the Game Seven starter (if it went that far). Instead, Roberts is using him now.
ReplyDeleteWalker Anthony Buehler was born on July 28, 1994, in Lexington, and he played his Little League baseball primarily at Ecton Park, which is just a little east of Tates Creek Road on the south side of town.
DeleteFor the record, Will Smith -- the Dodger catcher -- attended Kentucky Country Day School in Louisville. So it's an all-Kentucky battery for the Dodgers. Perhaps the spirit of Pee Wee Reese (who went to Louisville Manual H.S.) will watch over them.
ReplyDeleteThe second search result when you go looking for "Will Smith" on Wikipedia, William Dills Smith was born March 28, 1995, in Louisville and grew up in Douglass Hills--just south of U.S. 60 in the eastern Jefferson County.
DeleteVote no on Amendment 2.
Here's the situation: Buehler will face the bottom of the Yankees' order: Volpe, Wells, and Verdugo. If any of those guys get on base, then the top of the order will get its chance.
ReplyDeleteIT'S OVER! IT'S ALL OVER!!! Buehler got Volpe to ground out to third. He struck out Wells. And he struck out Verdugo. THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS HAVE WON THE 2024 WORLD SERIES!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing. They won with Ohtani being hurt, Muncy getting no hits, and almost no healthy starting pitchers. I will never criticize Dave Roberts again. That was incredible managing.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. And congratulations, GoHeath! I was very happy for you and all of the Dodgers. Your "Month of MLB" reports are an annual delight, and this, of course, was the best season of them so far.
ReplyDelete