The Tampa Bay Rays advanced to their second World Series with a (4-2) win vs the Houston Astros in game 7 of their ALCS.
It will be the Rays’ second such “appearance,” having lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008.
Meanwhile the L.A. Dodgers won (3-1) vs Atlanta in game 6, to force a decisive 7th game of their NLCS tonight.
The winner will meet the Rays in the World Series, which begins on Tuesday.
Both LCS were extended yesterday, one in historic fashion as the Houston Astros joined the 2004 Boston Red Sox, who went on to not only win game 7, but sweep the subsequent World Series, for the franchise’s first title in 86 years, as the only baseball teams to force a game 7 in a series they trailed 3 games to none.
Tonight in #7 San Diego in front of cardboard fans, two hurlers that combined in both Astros’ game 7 wins as they won their lone title in 2017, Lance Mc Cullers Jr. for Houston and Charlie Morton for Tampa Bay (Rays) are the starting pitchers, with much bullpen work expected.
Astros’ manager Dusty Baker, so often denied as he still is seeking a first managerial World Series win and bidding with a (29-31) team did win a title as a player in the strike marred 1981 season.
Then Baker’s Dodgers faced elimination 5 times, 3 times in non decisive games and that is the same number of non decisive games Baker’s Astros have won so far in these ‘offs. Tonight is the decisive 7th game, with the winning team moving into the World Series, which starts Tuesday night in Arlington or near it, Texas.
Their opponent is still undecided as yesterday the Dodgers’ Will Smith hit a 3 run home run vs the Braves’ Will Smith, in the first such “confrontation” in post-season annals, keeping the top ranked Dodgers’ hopes alive.
Atlanta (Braves) still lead the NLCS, 3 games to 2. Yesterday’s game was the 10th in a Braves’ series that stood 3 games to 1 either way. In the first 8 (1948 World Series, 1958 World Series, 1992 NLCS, 1992 World Series, 1995 World Series, 1996 NLCS, 1998 NLCS and 1999 NLCS) the team trailing (3-1) won game 5. The trailing Dodgers’ win yesterday made it 9 of 10.
In 2001, the lone time it happened, the Arizona Diamondbacks wrapped up the NLCS vs the Braves with a game 5 win.
Another Will Smith, an actor, who portrayed sports great and then quite a bit more, Muhammad Ali in what is a fine acting career, is pictured above.
Also, let’s cite William Smith, who portrayed the villain type, “Falconetti” in the great mini-series “Rich Man Poor Man,” based on the Irwin Shaw novel, that among other things, foresaw malls and associated demographics.
Yesterday was a day, Carlos Correa whacked the second ALCS game ending home run of his career (in #2 ALCS last year and he also had a game ending double in #2 ALCS in ’17, a year/season in which the ‘Stros won their lone title), to force a 6th game with “T.B.” ahead (3-2) vs Houston, the Atlanta Braves “bombed” perennial ‘offs failure, Clayton Kershaw in a big 6th inning en route to a (10-2) win and a (3-1) series lead, vs the top seed, L.A. Dodgers.
The Braves are in their 10th best of 7 NLCS (they were swept in 3 straight games by eventual title winning Mets (’69) and Cards (’82) teams in best of 5 NLCS) and have a (3-1) series lead for the second time.
In ’92 up (3-1) in the series vs Pittsburgh (Pirates) Atlanta needed Francisco Cabrera’s all-time type clutch two run single to win in game 7 while in ’99 they actually led the Mets (3-0) and needed an extra inning game 6 win to take the series.
Teams down 3 games to 1 in Braves’ NLCS are (4-1) in game 5 as Atlanta won games (5-7) to take the Cards in ’96 and forced a 6th game in a series in which they trailed (3-0) to San Diego in 1998. Both the ’96 Braves and ’98 Padres, who won that aforementioned ’98 NLCS in 6, lost to the Yankees in the subsequent World Series.
Only in ’01 when the Arizona Diamondbacks secured the second of three Sunday night series clinchers (they were (4-0) in Sunday games that post-season, certainly a mark that has not been topped and likely not matched (not researching it) for a post-season record on a particular day) that culminated in a World Series crown, did a team up (3-1) in a Braves’ NLCS win said series in 5 games.
Meanwhile the Houston Astros have joined the referenced above ’98 Braves and ’99 Mets as 3 of the four teams in the now 39 times a team has trailed (3-0) in a best of 7 (for that matter best of 9 series which were played in 1919, 1920 and 1921) to have forced a 6th game.
As cited both the ’98 Braves and ’99 Mets lost in 6 to teams that lost the subsequent World Series. One team, the only one to ever accomplish the feat in baseball or basketball annals, the 2004 Boston Red Sox, not only overcame a (3-0) ALCS deficit to “7” the Yankees, again the only such occurrence, but also proceeded to sweep the Cardinals in the subsequent World Series and win their first title in 86 years, Three other Red Sox titles have followed.
Above a program from the World Series played 110 years ago and won by the Philadelphia Athletics under Connie Mack and with an elephant as their symbol vs the Chicago Cubs (hence the bears in the picture).
That W.S. was the first of only three, in which a team trailing (3-0) won game 5 (the others were the Giants in 1937 behind the great pitcher, Carl Hubbell, but the Yankees titled in #5 and the ’70 Reds, now 50 years since “The Big Bopper, ” Lee May, later traded for Joe Morgan, whom we lost this week, hit a 3rhr, that meant no Orioles’ celebration on a day H. Gross’ father died. Alas, the O’s won #5 behind Mike Cuellar with Brooks Robinson the World Series MVP. Another “Big Bopper,” real name J.P. Richardson was tragically killed in a plane crash over 61 years ago that also took the lives of two other musical greats, Buddy Holly and Richie Valens.)
Jack Coombs won his 3rd W.S. game of 1910 as the A’s won game 5. In addition to the 3 (one the ongoing 2020 ALCS) LCS in which a team trailing (3-0), at least forced a 6th and the ’04 Red Sox incredible series win, two other teams, the ’16 Toronto Blue Jays and ’17 Chicago Cubs forced 5th games down (3-0) in an LCS.
Both the ’16 Indians who were 7’d by the Cubs, who won their first crown in 108 years in doing so and ’17 Dodgers, also 7’d, by you guessed it, the Astros, won game 5/LCS but lost the subsequent World Series.
No team has ever led an LCS (3-0), lost game 4 and won that year’s World Series. The Yankees lost that LCS, the ’98 Padres and ’99 Braves needed 6 games to win the LCS, they led (3-0) and then lost the World Series. Both the ’16 Indians and ’17 Dodgers won the referenced LCS in 5 games but lost in the subsequent World Series.
Let’s see what fate awaits the 2020 Rays.
Nobody even if they are great, (Joe Buck, at best is adequate) should have the power and opportunity this man was given, first being Jack’s son and then gaining even more, from his pushy mother. (If you think this “attack” is below the belt, maybe it is, but listening to Buck and others worse, have all kinds of “nuts” implications, not the least of which manifesting in a rising venom. Believe me, I could have written worse.)
I was faked out by the fact Buck, who gets to do his 23rd World Series starting Tuesday will be on the much hyped, yet not all that important even in a football sense, INTERDivision G.B. at T.B. this Sunday.
That means if somehow Atl/L.A. baseball goes 7, the Emperor (Buck) would miss a game 7. That can not happen, I thought and by a slim margin, still do. However, I was so wrong, as baseball got wins from its trailing LCS teams last night.
As bad as Buck is, John Smoltz is worse, even much worse. He can’t take the time to state things correctly as he never shuts up. Early on, but after an ELEVEN run, L.A. top of the first, Smoltz in full “whore mode,” not only told us it is not easy to pitch with such a lead and the usual “B.S.” to try and get us to stay tuned, he said L.A. was within one OUT of victory the night before.
No John, they were within one RUN and that is quite a difference!!
From the perhaps vitriol to the facts: As both Brooklyn, where they were but (1-8) in post-season series, all World Series–but were never swept or down (3-0), and L.A. the Dodgers have been in 33 best of 7 series (20 World Series with a (6-14) mark and this is their 14th LCS, (7-6 in those 13) and were swept or down (3-0) only once, that in the 1966 World Series, vs the Baltimore Orioles.
It still looks as though Fox will have the longer or at least, as long LCS as TBS, for the 13th time in 14 such possibilities, however, Houston/TBS stayed alive with a win vs Tampa Bay, in game 4.
The TBS broadcast is a slower version of hell. Brian Anderson called “dull as dishwater” here, years back, is no better. Ron Darling did his thing KOing the Yankees for at least the 5th time, so let him go back to ripping former teammates such as Len Dykstra, who unlike Darling, came through in big games. Someone named Jeff Francoeur, is a totally unnecessary third person.
Cosell/ Gifford or Jackson/ and Meredith worked, so did Enberg/Packer and Al McGuire, but no other such configuration did/does or likely ever will.
Joe Morgan, who could do it all on a baseball field and often elsewhere all the while, maintaining eloquent class, died far too young, at the age of 77, days back.
Having not seen the 1961 New York Yankees and arguably even if I had, Morgan was part of the best baseball team I ever saw, the so called “Big Red Machine,” especially the 1975 and 1976 “models.”
Those Cincinnati Reds teams did what similar, but not quite as great Reds’ teams failed to do, despite first place finishes in ’70 (before the man they called “Little Joe” arrived in Cincinnati along with Jack Billingham and Cesar Geronimo, as Bob Howsam engineered a great trade with Houston (Astros), ’72 and ’73 and a fine effort in ’74, namely win it all.
It was as a 2 time National League MVP and more important World Champion that Mr. Morgan (cue Ray and Bruno Sammartino) took the time to listen to me, via the phone in 1977. He hoped things would go well for me. That did not manifest, and now Joe is dead at age 77, a sixth great (saying Hall of Famer means so much less, as ‘they’ continue to keep one of Joe’s teammates on those great Reds’ teams, Pete Rose out of there, which is an utter disgrace) from better baseball and days, that died this year and fifth in a roughly (rough is the operative word) six (6) week period. (Al Kaline who wore #6 died months back, followed by Tom Seaver, Lou Brock, Bob Gibson, Edward “Whitey” Ford and Joe Morgan).
I will always remember Joe’s kindness, even as I sometimes move my elbow the way he did at bat.
The looping hit to win the classic ’75 World Series called by Curt Gowdy and one Joe said he would not have attained years earlier, was THE highlight of a great career.
So many others could be cited, I will mention B1, game 1, ’76 World Series and Joe homered off Doyle Alexander, to set the tone for a Reds’ sweep of the Yankees, a series in which Cincy trailed for at most 4 innings, probably less.
I repeat the obvious and what you have read, Joe could hit, even for power, walk, steal a base, field and think! What a great player and man.
The angels are moving their elbows in greeting you Joe, but it happened too soon.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves are now a very likely, but far from certain, World Series pairing.
Tampa Bay has a seemingly commanding (3-0) series lead vs the Houston Astros. The Rays won in their only other ALCS appearance, that in 2008, when they won games (2-4) for a (3-1) series lead vs the defending champion Boston Red Sox. (Boston had garnered (James?) 2 crowns in 4 seasons after being sans such for 86).
However, due to their manager Joe Maddon, he who lucked out to guide the Chicago Cubs to a first crown in 108 years in 2016, not bringing in one of three left handed pitchers available to face the great hitter, David Ortiz, the Rays lost #5 and needed 7 games to win that ALCS.
At that point “Bye bye intangibles” and the Phillies 5’d them in the World Series, the great announcer Harry Kalas, who would die early in the next season, getting to call a Phils’ title clincher.
In the NLCS, with the never silent and so annoying John Smoltz there with the “Emperor,” Joe Buck ( Buck apparently made the Football Hall though I heard him at a tribute , to his father Jack, stating the famed “Ice Bowl”/1967 NFL Title Game was played in 1969—standards there are none!!!) his once team, recall the under achieving Atlanta Braves (8 straight NLCS appearances from ’91-’99, but one crown–though of the 3 so called star pitchers, Smoltz was best and great, not so Maddux and certainly not Glavine) have a (2-0) Freddie Freeman led series lead, vs the top ranked Dodgers, a team sans a title since 1988–despite 2 W.S. appearances and in this their 4th NLCS in 5 seasons and seventh in 13 seasons.
Atlanta, which before this “season,” lost 8 straight division series and 10 series entities, since last winning a “div” series to make the 2001 NLCS, a 5 game loss to eventual champion Arizona (Diamondbacks), has a (2-0) NLCS lead for the fourth time. (’92,’95, and ’99 are the other such occasions).
The Braves won the ’92 NLCS but needed Francisco Cabrera’s incredibly clutch hit, to do so in 7, swept Cincy (Reds) en route to the city of Atlanta’s lone title in ’95 and needed 6, up (3-0) vs the Mets in the ’99NLCS.
First of all, the Lakers and Lightning from Los Angeles and Tampa respectively, copped the NBA and NHL crowns.
Meanwhile the league top seeds, Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays, the latter after a Diego Castillo win in the decisive 5th vs the Yankees and a 5 out save in the ALCS opener vs the ‘Stros, are each over 2 to 1 favorites to advance to the World Series.
Really esoteric: The “L”akers and “L”ightning winning respective NBA and NHL crowns marks the 13th time in 73 possibilities (the NBA, then the B.A.A. began in 1947 and there was no NHL season in 2005), that teams with the same first letter in their nickname took the crown.
Nine times it was the Boston “C”eltics (they have just 1 title in the last 34 sesons, after accounting for an incredible 40 percent (16) of the loop’s first 40 titles (’47-’86) and Montreal “C”anadiens (they have but 2 titles in the last 40 completed NHL seasons, none in the last 26, after an also incredible 15 in 24 seasons (5 of every 8= 62 and a half percent) from 1956-1979) winning titles together.
The other 3 are the Miami “H”eat and Carolina “H”urricanes in 2006, the San Antonio “S”purs/ Dallas “S”tars in 1999 and the Houston “R”ockets/New York “R”angers in 1994. Of course the Lakers beat the Heat and Lightning took the Stars to win it all this year.
On Friday October 2nd, first the San Diego Padres won a decisive third game to eliminate the St. Louis Cardinals from this year’s 16 team field ‘offs, followed by news that a great Cards’ pitcher, Bob Gibson had died.
A week later on Friday October 9th, first news came that a great New York Yankees’ pitcher, Edward “Whitey” Ford had died and then the Rays won the aforementioned (2-1) tilt (Mike Brosseau’s decisive B8, home run and all it entails, including the fact the Yankees, still easily major North American professional sports league’s greatest record,— guess what the Lakers are now in the “mix” and I do not mean Steve Mix—, who played well in defeat the night the Lakers won the ’80 crown, now have just one more title (27) than failures to title, despite ‘offs appearances (26), that eliminated the Yankees from post-season play.
Click below to view a recent post about great pitchers on a day in May, 1963, in which there were losses exponentially less significant for Gibson/Cards and Ford/Yankees.
So when what I knew and feared would happen, it did so in a devastating Lakers’ rout of the Miami Heat, who until the game 6 debacle, had played so well.
The Lakers, I believe would have titled no matter, but face it the Heat and Denver Nuggets paved the way for an easy L.A. crown, by beating the Bucks and Clippers respectively.
L.A. went (16-5) straight up and I will say (12-8-1) vs the spread. Miami was (14-7) st. up and 15-5-1 ATS.
The Lakers title in 6 for the 6th time (half of their 12 L.A. crowns, they won 5 Minneapolis “such”) as L.A. and clinch on a Sunday for the 5th time as L.A. (the glorious first with Wilt and Jerry West in ’72, ’85 a first ever title round win vs the Celtics, ’87 with Earvin “Magic” Johnson the MVP and ’09 with the late, great player, Kobe Bryant “copping” the honor are the others. The ” ” among much else, including this title, in my opinion, remind of what went wrong).
Surely Mr. James won the Final Round MVP, I think his 4th such honor.
Anthony Davis was tremendous and I cite Ra Rondo, who helped best L.A. in ’08, their last final round loss.
The Lakers have won 3 straight NBA final rounds and 6 of their last 8. They are (12-14) as L.A. in final round play, after starting (0-7).
He was 91, lived a good life and was a great pitcher, however, the wave of greats dying is a bit much–Whitey Ford at 91, the latest, he being one of the greatest.
His .690 win percentage (236-106) is the greatest for any pitcher during the twentieth century and he won a record 10 World Series games (so many reports left out the fact he also lost the most. Why?!!).
Certainly, it only slightly diminishes, if that, Ford’s greatness, as he was on 6 Yankees’ title teams and 10 pennant winners.
It is often written that 1961 was a bad year for the “Babe,” (the great Ruth) even though he had been dead for 13 years (13 is an unlucky #), as first Roger Maris, with a famed asterisk ruling, once explained by Dick Van Dyke as “Rob Petrie” on the Carl Reiner (another great we lost in 2020) created, “Dick Van Dyke Show,” broke his single season home run mark and then Whitey broke the Babe’s World Series consecutive scoreless innings mark.
I could “Chairman of the Board” it or cite his friendship with Mickey Mantle, with whom he went into the “Hall,” when that really meant something, back in 1974.
Instead I recall Joe Green, my friend, who praised me for helping my mother when she got (supposedly) very ill, telling me he and Jack Molinas marveled at the Sandy Koufax vs Whitey Game 1, ’63 W.S. matchup. They were in a horrible human creation, called jail, at the time. They had committed no violent acts, yet as with so many they were caged.
’63 #1 was also discussed in the great movie “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” as Jack Nicholson’s McMurphy queried “who do you like in the opener?”
My best praise for Whitey is twofold. One is I had a nice interview with him at a golf event, I guess still promoted by Phil Rizzuto to benefit St. Joseph’s School For The Blind in New Jersey. Whitey was all class, friendly and forthright.
The aforementioned Green and the certainly unsavory, but brilliant Molinas were where they were for bribing players. Even with those bribes in, often the results did not go their way. Not great stuff and Joe warned me of the evils of gambling. Now baseball teams promote it, all the while excluding Pete Rose from the “Hall.”
That is as with jail, “cruel and unusual punishment.” An aside: Whitey gave Pete the nickname “Charlie Hustle,” as the latter played the game right and great.
My final praise and it applies to so many Whitey Ford games (25-4 in ’61, 24-7 in ’63–he did lose twice to Sandy in the World Series, allowing but 2 hits in the second loss) is #6 of the ’60 World Series.
Joe Green was not a big bettor but he put up 1300 to win a “thou” (cue that “animal” H.S. Gross) on Whitey Ford. He always told the story as ON Whitey Ford not the Yankees.
Whitey, I hope you and Joe have a muffin and share some stories up there. If it is heaven, there probably is no need for money, but it will be Joe’s treat, as you earned it, Whitey!
While the Yankees forced their 9th decisive 5th game, in this their 21st division series (10th in 22 if you count strike marred 1981) with a game 4 win vs the Tampa Bay Rays, the other 3 “div” series concluded.
Both the Dodgers (now 2 to 1, person to person NLCS “faves” vs Atlanta) and the Atlanta Braves completed sweeps while the Astros advanced to their 4th straight LCS, something only the Braves, who yesterday ended a “div” series loss streak at 8, with double that (8) (“Hockey Bob would say “8, get it 8”) and the Oakland A’s, the team Houston just (3-1’d), have topped.
The A’s won 3 titles and five straight one fourth A.L. West crowns (’71-’75) to make those 5 straight ALCS appearances.
The Yankees of (1998-2001) made 4 and won all 4 ALCS and 3 subsequent World Series.
Atlanta swept the Florida Marlins, a first ever post-season series loss for them and only the second time (2012 ALCS vs the Detroit Tigers) that a Marlins “exec” and once Yankees star, Derek Jeter team was swept in a post-season series.
The Dodgers, the top betting choice to title by a fairly significant margin, swept the San Diego Padres to advance to their third NLCS in 4 seasons and 7th in 13 seasons, bidding for a 7th title and first since 1988.
Andy B Sports 