Sorry folks, I just can not handle Buck or Smoltz, the latter botching whether Atlanta’s Riley led in homers or rbis, early so off went the sound and at (3-0) Atlanta, to sleep.
The 88 win(s) Braves ended an 8 game World Series loss skein, all at the hands of the Yankees (’96 and ’99, also since going up (3-1) vs the Yankees in the ’58 W.S.-the Braves went (2-11) vs the “Bronx Bombers”) with their easy (6-2) win in the opener.
Meanwhile the ‘Stros have now, somewhat incredibly, lost 5 straight home World Series games, having lost all four in the all road 2019 World Series won by the Washington Nationals.
Mr. (Jorge, mine not shopping) Soler set the tone blasting a home run as the first World Series batter, the first time that happened in the World Series’ 117 entities.
Tonight the Houston Astros, who are roughly 6 and a fraction to five series favorites, host the Atlanta Braves in game 1 of the 2021 World Series.
It is the third time ever, second this season, each involving the Astros, that teams which had clashed in post-season play in one league, meet in such an entity after one of the teams had switched leagues.
Both instances this year are World Series and “div series,” leaving the Cards/Brewers two clashes, one a World Series and the other an LCS, as the only such W.S. and LCS clashes between teams. (For the record, the Cards 7’d the Brewers in the ’82 W.S. then 6’d them in the 2011 NLCS, in route to their 11th and to this point last/most recent title. Already this season, the Astros “avenged” a 2005 World Series sweep at the hands of the White Sox in the 2005 World Series, with a (3-1) “div” series win and now they face their 5 time N.L. division series opponent, the Braves in the World Series. Atlanta won those entities in ’97,’99 and 2001 while Houston prevailed in ’04 and ’05, the ’05 series ending on Chris Burke’s 18th inning home run in game 4).
3 big trends from Dodgers’ history prevailed this year, all or at least part in the Braves/Dodgers NLCS.
As stated here, teams down (2-0) and playing a home game 3 in a Dodgers best of 7 post-season series went to (13-1) with the L.A. win in game 3 vs the Braves.
I also cited (TBS “said” the Braves are (0-5) in a game 5 with a (3-1) series lead, not counting (likely correctly said Atlanta Braves), the ’58 Milwaukee Braves, who not only lost game 5 but that World Series to the Yankees. Alas did they get spurred on to the #5 note via my research, as I did send it?!) that teams up (3-1) in a Braves’ post-season series are now (1-10) in game 5 of that series after the other L.A. series win.
Finally and there are more, but what is the point, (Richard Pryor: “The point is, there is NO point”), the game 4 indicator in Dodgers’ post-season series “bounced back” with 2 “wins” this season after 2 losses last season and said indicator is (10-5) after an incredible 25 straight “wins” from 1955 (Brooklyn Dodgers’ lone title was with a game 4 World Series win) until the Mets, having lost #4, won the decisive 5th at L.A. to win their division series.
The details on that incredible streak are a click away from a post the day after that 2015 division series concluded.
I will add to the following paragraph in Sarah Langs notes/story regarding Dusty Baker being back in the World Series.
“Between World Series appearances, Baker managed 54 postseason games — from the 2003 Cubs through Game 6 of this year’s ALCS. That’s the most postseason games managed between World Series games, surpassing a 48-game stretch by La Russa between a 1990 AL pennant with the A’s and a 2004 NL pennant with the Cardinals, according to Elias.”
La Russa, at least she got the separation in his name correct, won the ’90 pennant with the A’s, thus managed in the subsequent World Series, a point not made all that clear by Ms. Langs, getting swept in 4 games, by the big underdog, Cincinnati Reds. (Michael Kay picked the A’s in 5 games).
La Russa, after losing that ’90 World Series got into the ‘offs once more with Oakland, losing in 6 to the eventual champion Toronto Blue Jays in the ’92 ALCS.
Next with the St. Louis Cardinals he and his team(s) won the ’96 div series in 3 straight vs San Diego, before dissipating a (3-1) NLCS lead and losing to the Braves in 7 games. In 2000, his Cards swept the Braves in 3 straight in the “div” series before getting 5’d by the Mets in the NLCS.
In ’01 his Cards lost in the maximum 5 games to the eventual champion Arizona Diamondbacks as Tony Womack, who later delivered, arguably baseball’s most important hit in #7/2001 World Series, for which a la Hal Smith 41 years earlier and also vs the Yankees, gets so little credit. That is 29 games managed since his loss in #4 World Series in ’90.
The other 19 were in a 3 game sweep vs defending champion Arizona and 5 game loss (the latter to Dusty Baker’s Giants, who were in route to Baker’s only other W.S. appearance as a manager) NLCS loss in ’03, before a 4 game “div” series triumph vs L.A. (Dodgers) and a 7 game win vs Baker’s current team, the then National League member, Houston Astros, propelled La Russa back into the World Series.
Let’s say via Elias, Langs got the point out and I provided additional details. Coming up, a few more World Series and other notes, you likely will not find elsewhere.
The Atlanta Braves with a (4-2) game 6 and 4 games to 2, NLCS win, won their first Pennant in 22 years, having last done so, also in a home game 6 win back (Wil Shorts said “back” as I typed) in 1999.
Series MVP, Ed Rosario, the star of the three even numbered series tilts, had the big hit, a 3RHR in the bottom of the fourth, that gave Atlanta the lead to stay.
Atlanta will face the Houston Astros, who have won three consecutive odd year, American League Pennants, clinching all 3 at home.
Tyler Matzek, appearing after another poor performance by third game losing pitcher,” Luke Jackson, fanned the “over the hill,” Albert Pujols and two others with L.A. runners at second and third none out, T7 and the score (4-2).
Let’s cite Ehure Adrianza, whose pinch, broken bat double to the right field corner, set up Rosario.
Our first picture in a while is that of Eddie Rosario, wearing #13 in 2013.
He led the A.L. in triples in 2015 as a Minnesota Twins’ player and homered on the first pitch he faced in the big leagues, that of Scott Kazmir.
Yet he has come out of nowhere, putting on one of the great post-season series performances.
Commencing with Jose Altuve’s key game tying home run in #4, the Houston Astros dominated the last three games of their ALCS and 6’d the “4 time champions this century after an 86 year title drought,” Boston Red Sox to claim their third A.L. crown in 5 seasons. (3 straight in odd year seasons, ’17,’19 and 2021).
Series MVP Yordan Alvarez and second game. “knocked around losing pitcher,” Luis Garcia led Houston (5-0) in the Friday night game 6 clincher. After Fox (If L.A. a 3 to 2 fave , prevails in tonight’s #6, TBS will have a longer LCS than Fox for just the second time in 15 “competing” seasons (’07-2021) showed a creative sign “King Tuck,” for Kyle Tucker, his 3RHR completely wrapped up manager Dusty Baker’s second pennant, the other 19 years ago with the N.L. Giants.
Only Stanley “Bucky” Harris (he won flags in 1924 and 1925 with the Washington Senators and then a still high 23years later with the Yankees. Also Harris won the World Series in 1924 and 1947. Baker lost in his only previous managerial World Series and only in strike marred 1981, among his 3 appearances as a player did his team (the Dodgers) prevail) went longer (23 years) than Baker between managed pennants.
Teams ko’ing the Red Sox in previous ALCS went (1-4) in the subsequent World Series. (only the ’99 Yankees won while the A’s in both ’88 and ’90, the Yankees in ’03 and the Rays in ’08 lost.)
Baker is the ninth manager to win pennants in both leagues. Nobody but me, it would seem and certainly not Joe Buck, noted that Michael Brantley, who also delivered a big 3 run double insurance hit in the Astros’ 7 run 9th inning/game 4, who caught the Bogaerts fly vs Pressley (maybe think about Humphrey and Elvis), to end this series, made the last out when the Nationals “washed” away the Astros in the all road 2019 World Series.
Thoughts abound after this no win/too many futures/too much “hedging” ALCS: 2019, the Bellman, the Astros with the above cited “Brantley notes” win the pennant on the day Bellman is “Ted Hendricks” and my friend Chris MacLeod is “Sam Huff.”
Buck, a Neil Freigenberg coined term, at least to me, for one born to it, failed to cite Hal Smith in referencing the ’60 World Series and the once Yankee Stadium locale of 161st Street when “Horning” (his researcher is named Horn and when Buck snidely said “raise your hand if you are going to Cleveland for Thursday night football, “barf bags” overflowed with and in “use”) over that 161 post-season tilts have been played there, some further north at 167th.
By the way, the Astros are a near great team, that did not need to steal signs. I knew it was to be Houston when some writer in the Boston Globe, not only “preached vs Houston, but “chirped’ far too soon up (2-1), regarding the series outcome.
It was a good season for the Red Sox, however, though they fell to (6-6) in ALCS play. They are (9-4) in World Series play!!
Baseball network executives had a good day Tuesday as series trailing teams, L.A. (Dodgers) and Houston won, a not so good one in that regard on Wednesday, as Atlanta for a second straight year went up (3-1) vs the Dodgers and home advantage/game 6 home team Houston took a (3-2) ALCS lead vs Boston (Red Sox), but bounced back Thursday, with Chris Taylor’s 3 homer game leading an L.A. rout win that forced a #6 on Saturday (at night if Houston wins its game 6 tonight, late afternoon if Boston prevails in a perceived even game tonight).
Teams trailing 3 game to 1 in a post-season series involving the Braves, encompassing series in all 3 Braves’ locales, Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta, are now (10-1) in game 5 of that series. The details follow.
5 time N.L. “div” series opponents, (the Braves won the first 3, going (9-1) while Houston won the last 2, going (6-3) in games), the Atlanta Braves, up (3-1) in the NLCS vs the Dodgers for a second straight year and Houston Astros, up (3-2) and heading home, vs the Boston Red Sox are each one win away from a World Series berth.
After a “horror show” loss in #3, (MY stat that teams down (2-0) in a Dodgers’ best of 7 are now (12-1) in a home 3rd game and that man Bellinger again) Edward Rosario, the game 2 star had 4 hits including 2 HR’s as Atlanta scored 9 and won (9-2) at Dodger Stadium and lead the NLCS vs L.A. 3 games to 1.
Last year in a “bubble/neutral” Texas venue, L.A. overcame deficits in games 5 and 7 and took the series in 7 games, in route to a first crown in 32 years. This time games 6 and 7, if necessary would be in Atlanta.
Meanwhile the Astros also scored 9 runs, doing so for a second straight game/win/late over, this an Alvarez led (9-1) “cruise job,” after a 7 run 9th yielded a (9-2) win that squared the series in game 4.
There have been other contributors for the Astros, now a win away from a third straight odd year W.S. appearance, after but one “app” in the (no longer) “Fall Classic,” in the franchise’s first 54 completed seasons (’62-2016, no W.S. in 1994), that in another “odd year,” 2005.
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.
Yesterday amidst the baseball, pro pig and tennis action (I went to the dentist and hope to keep missing it), the (16-16) Chicago Sky (8-2) in the ‘offs, including 2 single elimination game wins, overcame an 11 point 4th quarter deficit and (minus 4 plus) (80-74) vs Phoenix (Mercury) to win their first WNBA crown.
Their NBA counterpart, Bulls have 6, none since ’98 when a certain “Mr. Jordan,” not the character in “Heaven Can Wait or “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” or even the one named Michael that dated the lovely Dale Alden, outside my (still) window stopped playing there, and this “Chi” comeback at home in a Sunday clincher, evoked memories of the Bulls game 6, second title clincher, coming from way back to beat Portland in ’92.
On a day the local Arizona Cardinals went to (6-0) the city of Phoenix, first the Suns, like the Mercury series “faves” with home advantage now has lost both the 2021 NBA and WNBA final.
Maybe, even hopefully the Atlanta Braves, sans a World Series appearance since 1999 and a World Series winner just once in their 22 previous ‘offs appearances as Atlanta (they split in 2 W.S. appearances, the only ‘offs scheduled in both Boston and Milwaukee. Also, in noting this is the third time the Dodgers and Braves have met in an entity to decide the National League champion, the teams met in an unscheduled best of 3 ‘off, to determine the ’59 N.L. crown. Already, in L.A. from Brooklyn, the Dodgers won 2 straight in ’59 and last year 7’d the Braves, in the “bubble type” ‘offs, in route to their first World Series win in 32 years) will circumvent their Sunday ‘offs jinx and take a (2-0) NLCS lead vs the Dodgers. Maybe, even hopefully, they will win the series.
For now they lead (1-0), no big deal. Austin Riley was the hero, but ESPN.Com with incredible shoddy research put the following out:
“With the twin heroics, Riley continued a breakout season and joined an exclusive list of players in Braves history to have a game-tying hit and a game-winning hit in the same playoff contest: Tony Gonzalez (1969), Hank Aaron (1969), Michael Tucker (1998) and Brian Jordan (1999).”
Oddly the game last night was on the 52nd anniversary of the Mets glorious 1969 World Series clinching win. They achieved it, first SWEEPING the Braves, then winning (4-1) vs a great Baltimore Orioles team. There were just 2 rounds of ‘offs and the Braves failed to win a game. Thus neither the great, late Mr. Aaron, whose #44 adorns the current Braves uniform as tribute, or Mr. Gonzalez achieved what was said above. They did NOT get a game winning hit as Atlanta did NOT win a playoff game in 1969.
Andy B Sports 