World Series And Dusty Baker Notes

First, esoteric me gets personal, citing that I have known Astros’ title winning manager, Dusty Baker for over 50 years. He praised my broadcasting, asked about my father’s bypass operation, left tickets and did interviews, all with grace. Once he called me while ordering lunch before a Saturday afternoon tilt and he confirmed that cornbread was part of his order.

I think the game 4 winner is (18-5) all-time in Dusty Baker post-season series. Such a game winner, won all 8 of Dusty’s post-season series as a player, (4 NLCS, 3 World Series and an extra round in the lone player title for Baker, that in strike marred ’81, vs the Astros).

Unlike, at least according to Gertrude Stein, regarding Oakland, California–much is “there,”  just mine for it, in Baker’s 55 years in professional baseball.

Regarding ’81 and vs Houston, Nolan Ryan retired Dusty to end his record breaking 5th no hit game, which broke the record he shared with Sandy Koufax.

2 weeks and a day later, L.A. beat Ryan in the decisive 5th game of that extra series on a Sunday afternoon.

There are 4 completed and one “in progress” instances of 2 losses then a win, in Baker and Phillies World Series annals.

Philly now (2-6) in World Series play (1-6) in Saturday games), (no Saturday game, probably due to rain in 1950), lost their first two World Series going (1-8)–all losses after Grover Cleveland Alexander’s game 1 win in 1915) before winning the ’80 title despite a Saturday game 4 loss.

They lost their next 2 World Series, 10 years apart in ’83 and ’93, getting eliminated on a Saturday in ’93 in a very similar, (eerily so and the fact I, unlike anyone else, cite it) decisive inning as 2022.

Next, the Phils won the ’08 World Series with their lone Saturday World Series win in game 3, a part of it. However, in ’09 and days back they lost in 2 straight W.S. appearances. It remains to be seen what the result will be in their next World Series.

Meanwhile Baker and L.A. lost in his first two World Series, each vs the Yankees ( ’77 and ’78), before winning vs them in the ’81 World Series.

In his first two World Series as a manager in ’02 and 2021 his teams lost before winning in 2022.

In 2022, Baker and Houston won both Saturday tilts, including the #6 clincher.

In ’02, after Baker’s San Francisco Giants won the Saturday night opening World Series game, they dissipated a 5 run lead as late as the Angels’ 7th inning, in a potential Series clincher in #6 on a Saturday night.

In ’77,’78,’81 and 2021 there was only one Saturday game and in all 4 cases, it was a game 4 and said winner won a “Dusty involved” World Series.

I add to the “Saturday games notes,” as in his only W.S. as a coach, that with the Giants in the so called 1989 “Earthquake Series,” the Oakland A’s (Gertrude died well before  some great A’s teams surfaced “there” in Oakland) swept the Giants, winning games 1 and 4, two weeks apart.

 

Yordan Alvarez, he of ups and downs in post-season play and pictured above,  had gone 5 for 42, before blasting a mammoth 3 run homer B6 of #6, to all but wrap up the 2022 title for the Astros.

Now the similar innings that beat the Phils, in Saturday night game 6, World Series ending games 29 years apart.

For Toronto in ’93, all-time type and this is a negative, “walk guy” Mitch Williams, BB’d (walked) all-time (a positive), “walk guy” Rickey (Henderson) to start B9.

After Devon White’s fly ball failed to advance Rickey, eventual World Series MVP, Paul Molitor singled, (I believe toward center with Henderson “Rickey-ing” only to second).

Joe Carter followed with one of sport’s most dramatic moments, a World Series ending, 3 run home run.

Last Saturday, Martin Maldonado in a “What in the name of Harry Wendelstedt?” –(write in, if you get the reference), was hit by a pitch, he did not lean into, but also made no effort to avoid.

Next, credit Altuve for avoiding the double play, but a la White in ’93 (need I cite Altuve’s contributions and in White’s case, he got the big hit in a rousing (15-14) Jays win in #4 at Philly in ’93 and both White and Altuve have 2 titles), he did not advance the runner.

As was the result 29 years earlier, the eventual World Series MVP, (Jeremy Pena) singled (to center, by the way), this, sending Altuve to third. 

Alvarez homered on Jose Alvarado’s (2-1) pitch. That, a 3RHR that again, essentially beat the Phils in a Saturday night game 6 World Series clinching game.