Baseball L.C.S. Update And Great, Albeit Esoteric Notes

It is still an “underdog” for BOTH to cash, however, both the Red Sox and Braves are certainly in advantageous positions, with respectively a (2-1) ALCS lead vs the Astros and a (2-0) (both at home, won at the plate with hits by game stars Austin Riley and then Ed Rosario) NLCS lead vs the defending, albeit “bubble” champion, Dodgers.

Boston has hit 3 grand slam HR’S in their 2 rout wins after a tough (5-4) loss in the series opener. Thus far, albeit with a venue configuration change (i.e. in ’18 the ALCS opened in Boston, 3 years later it opened in Houston) the pattern is the same Astros then 2 Red Sox wins one in 2018. Boston won 4 and 5 to take that ALCS, raising their ALCS record to its current (6-5).

106 years after it happened for the first time, last night’s Red Sox game 3/home win in a (1-1) LCS or World Series was the first since the 1915 World Series which manifested in a third Boston crown, in 5 games vs the Philadelphia Phillies.

Meanwhile the Braves (5-7) in previous NLCS, (1-5) (1-4) in the subsequent World Series have a (2-0) NLCS lead for the second straight season vs L.A. Last year they lost #’s 3 and then (5-7) as L.A. raised their NLCS mark to (8-4) (3-5) in the subsequent World Series, with a 7 game triumph (Joe Davis, NOT Buck for the decisive 7th. Ike yesterday on the little break we get with a LITTLE LESS Buck).

Thirteen previous times (last year all games were at a “neutral site” and for the record L.A. down (2-0) batted first/was the “visitor” in their game 3 win) in a Dodgers’ best of 7 series a team has come home, down (2-0). Eleven of those times, said “down (2-0) and at home” team won game 3. Nine of those 12 instances were in the World Series.

For the record, (this new paragraph is in tribute to a writer, whose name, sadly escapes me, but suggested more paragraphs and also went to Louisiana Monroe, a team that “outrighted” Liberty last week as a 31 point and it is said a 40 to 1 underdog. No money line available to me or was there?!!! I can control my amounts but it hurts still and far too much, when one of these, even for a dollar, is not taken), the Dodgers are (8-0) in the previous such games 3, going into today. (They actually won #3 at home and the World Series in ’55 and ’81 vs the Yankees and in the ’65 World Series vs the Twins) In the 1916 and 2018 W.S. vs Boston Red Sox as well as in the ’47 and ’53 World Series vs the Yankees, the Dodgers won #3 but lost the World Series. The other instances were in the 2008 and 2013 NLCS, when L.A. won a home third game, but lost the series.

In ’13 they were KO’d in 6, with Mr. Kershaw, “told to leave early,” in the Friday night game 6. In ’08, under 4 times in 5 years, title winning manager, Joe Torre, they lost in 5, to the eventual champion Phillies. (Torre’s teams were (6-4) in LCS play, (4-2) in World Series action, as he lost his first and last 3 LCS, while in between winning 6 straight, all with the Yankees. He won his first 4 World Series and lost his last two.)

Opponents are (4-1), the Yankees not only winning #3 at home, but also “The Classic,” in both ’56 and ’78. The ’85 Cardinals, before losing the subsequent World Series to the Royals of K.C. won not only #3 but that NLCS. The A’s in the ’88 World Series won game 3 and Jack Buck, who gets far too much credit for his call and comments on Kirk Gibson’s homer in the ’88 opener made a similar call on McGuire’s aberration game winning homer, tied b9 in that tilt, but lost the W.S. in 5 with Ike, Angela, Mom, Dad also here for the Thursday night clincher.

The only loss in the 13 previous “such” was when L.A. went up (3-0) at Chi vs the defending champion Cubs, in the 2017 NLCS.