Tonight in game 6 at Houston, the Astros hope to win their second title in 3 seasons. Meanwhile the Nationals hope to force a 7th and decisive game tomorrow night.
This is the 16th World Series with this calendar (i.e. today October 29th is a/was a Tuesday) and more than half of the World Series played in such a calendar year (8) went to a decisive 7th game, those being (’02, ’91, ’85, ’68, ’57, ’46, ’40 and 1912). Twice 3 straight World Series with this calendar went to a seventh and deciding game (’85, ’91 and ’02 and before that ’40, ’46 and ’57).
Yesterday I cited the road team is an incredible (17-3) in the last 20 MLB, NHL and NBA final round games.
The road team has 7 straight World Series wins which broke the record of 6 set in the last 4 games of the 1949 World Series and first two in 1950.
The road team went (5-2) in the NHL final and (5-1) in the NBA final, manifesting in first time titles for the NHL St. Louis Blues and the NBA Toronto Raptors.
It would take a (7-0) road team World Series record to give another franchise, (the Nationals) a first time title. I do not believe any series in NBA, NHL or MLB annals has ever produced road team victories in the first six games.
Two baseball World Series resulted in road teams winning the first 5 games and the home team clinching the crown in game 6.
Those series were 90 years apart (the White Sox winning in 1906 and the Yankees in 1996).
Doc White, pictured above saved game 5 and won game 6 as the 1906 “Hitless Wonders,” Chicago White Sox upset the (116-36) Cubs in the World Series.
The 107 win Astros hope to follow the pattern of ’06 and for that matter ’96 and “6” the 93 win, wild card Nationals tonight.
The Houston Astros are on the precipice of a second World Series victory in a 3 seasons/2 year span, after totally dominating all three weekend games at Washington, to take a (3-2) World Series lead into game 6, at Houston tomorrow night.
This is just the third time (second in a series that was not intracity and also alternated home teams, as was the case in 1906, an eventual Chicago White Sox 6 game triumph vs the Chicago Cubs) the road team has won the first five games of the World Series. The other time, ’96 Yankees, who 90 years after the White Sox did so, won a home 6th after the road team won the first 5 games.
Houston never trailed in any of the “at Wash tilts,” led after 25 of their 27 at bats (only the ’49 Yankees did not trail in winning games (3-5) on the road in a World Series, in their case clinching the World Series at Brooklyn (Dodgers) in 1949.
In 4 and 5, Astros starting pitchers, Jose Oquindy (#4) and Gerrit Cole turned in excellent performances.
Yordan Alvarez, (3 hits including a go ahead to stay 2 run homer, in his first start at Washington), Robinson Chirinos, (homers in #’s 3 and 4) and Michael Brantley (5 hits, 3 runs and RBI’S in #’s 3 and 4) are among the Houston offensive stars in this series.
None of the five Astros’ players cited above were on the ’17 title team. The Astros are roughly 8 to 5 favorites to win the title tomorrow night (to my knowledge, there has never been any series in baseball,NBA or NHL annals in which the road team won the first six games), however must do so in a (Justin) Verlander start. (He is (0-5) in World Series play, his teams (0-6) in his World Series starts.
I will have more on this tomorrow. Incredibly, starting with the 108 Wins Red Sox games 4 and 5 World Series wins at L.A. (Dodgers) to clinch the ’18 title, road teams are (17-3) in the World Series, NHL and NBA final.
Wouldn’t it be nice (cue The Beach Boys) if Gerrit Cole, pictured above, with his original team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, would stay in Houston? Alas, even nicer if players stayed with their original teams.
Today another compelling episode of “What’s My Line?”
There are two mystery guests, Janet Leigh and Ralph Houk.
The show aired on Sunday October 23, 1960, a scant 10 days after key home runs by Hal Smith and Bill Mazeroski had lifted the Pittsburgh Pirates over the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series, costing the great Casey Stengel, his job as Yankees’ manager.
Of course Houk replaced him and won titles in his first two seasons (’61 and ’62).
The panelists are Dorothy Kilgallen, Martin Gabel, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf.
John Charles Daly is the show’s host. Enjoy.
The Astros helped Fox and won (4-1) at Washington in #3, to perhaps get back into the ’19 World Series, still trailing 2 games to 1, in what has been an all road team World Series, to this point.
This is in contrast to the last World Series (1933), in which a Washington team gained entry (no need to add D.C. as the Seattle, (Washington) Mariners are the only one of baseball’s 30 teams, never to have gained World Series entry), when the home team won the first three games.
Then, the New York Giants playing at home won the first two games, before the Washington Senators won game 3 at home.
In game 1 in both World Series 86 years apart, the home team took a (2-0) lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Giants in ’33 went on to win, not so, the ’19 Astros.
A similarity in the two game 2’s, the winning team, the Giants in ’33 and Nationals in ’19 had a 6 run inning, to take the lead to stay.
In game 3 both times, the team trailing 2 games to none, the Senators at home in ’33 and the Astros, also in Washington, but of course as a road team, won by similar scores. (Wash (4-0) in ’33, Houston (4-1) last night).
34 years ago Dane Iorg, pictured above as a St. Louis Cardinals’ player, with whom he won the ’82 World Series, got THE big hit vs them in #6 ’85 W.S. as a pinch hitter for the Kansas City Royals.
Click below to view Iorg’s game winning hit. Al Michaels called the play for ABC Sports.
This is the fourth time a Washington D.C. team is in the World Series and the first time since 1933.
The other three times, the “D.C.” representative was the Washington Senators, who are now the Minnesota Twins.
In that last Washington D.C. World Series appearance in ’33, the great Mel Ott, who hit 511 big league home runs, led the New York Giants to victory in 5 games.
Washington’s lone baseball crown to date was won by the Senators in a thrilling 7 game series vs the Giants in 1924.
The next season the Pittsburgh Pirates won in another great 7 game Fall Classic vs the Senators.
The Washington Nationals took a two games to none World Series lead with a second straight win in Houston.They routed the Astros (12-3).
Washington catcher, Kurt Suzuki, who also has been a defensive stalwart, again started the key “Wash” rally, putting them ahead to stay with a home run vs losing pitcher Justin Verlander (he is the first pitcher in World Series history to lose in his first 5 World Series decisions).
In game 1 Suzuki walked to start the decisive, 3 run Nationals 5th inning.
Last night, failure by the excellent Houston third baseman, Alex Bregman, to make the play on what was properly scored a Howie Kendrick rbi single, made the score (4-2) Nationals. They added 4 more runs in the inning and went on to a (12-3) win.
The Nationals will take the field for the first World Series game in the U.S. capital in 86 years, having won 18 of their last 20 games, eight straight and (10-2) in post-season.
They joined the 1970 Baltimore Orioles, who won it all led by the great Brooks Robinson, as the only teams to win the first two games of both an LCS and World Series on the road in the same season.
Kurt Suzuki, pictured above.
20 year old Juan Soto drove in 3 runs while Adam Eaton singled in the “go ahead to stay” run, in a 3 run top of the 5th, to lead the Washington Nationals nee Montreal Expos, to a (5-4) win OVER the Houston Astros, in the franchise’s first World Series game.
Tonight in game 2 Houston starts Justin Verlander, nary a World Series win in 5 such starts (0-4) record, vs Stephen Strasburg , in a bid to square the 20th straight World Series and 22nd overall with Joe Buck as the lead television broadcaster.
After three teams (’66 Dodgers, ’70 and ’72 Reds) in a 7 year period (’66-’72), lost the first two of the World Series at home and lost said series, only the ’99 Braves have “suffered” such a fate.
The Astros, way too big a favorite in the games so far (9 to 5 tonight) and series itself, hope to become just the second team to lose both the LCS and World Series opening games at home and still capture the crown. (’83 Orioles are the other).
No team has done so since best of 7 LCS play began in 1985.
Juan Soto, pictured above delivered the big hit in Washington’s “10 teams to 8” game win, hit a tying home run in the decisive 5th game at L.A. and now stars in the World Series opener.
Today, another great episode of the iconic television show, “What’s My Line?”
Debbie Reynolds makes another appearance as the mystery guest, (“The Unsinkable Molly Brown will soon open) in this March 1, 1964 episode.
The panelists are Dorothy Kilgallen, Woody Allen (that rhymes) plus Arlene Francis and Martin Gabel (they are married to each other).
John Charles Daly is the host.
What an honor it was for me (pictured above) to meet the great Debbie Reynolds!
Tomorrow night, the roughly two to one favored Houston Astros (game 1 and series), will host the Washington Nationals, as the 2019 World Series commences.
Some notes follow that you likely will not find elsewhere.
When the SF Giants won the 2014 World Series in 7 games at Kansas City vs the Royals (K.C. won it all the next season, but as a small market team had to give up its fine nucleus of players), they became the first team in 8 tries to win the subsequent World Series after winning its LCS “at the plate,” when not facing a team that also won its LCS “at the plate.” (In ’76 both the Reds who swept the subsequent World Series, and Yankees won their LCS while batting.)
The Astros are seeking to be just the second to do so. (The ’03 Yankees, ’06 Tigers of the A.L. and ’92 and ’99 Braves, ’72 Reds, ’78 Dodgers and ’02 Giants of the N.L. all lost their subsequent World Series, after winning its LCS “at the plate.”)
One more: In game 3 of the 1964 World Series, “the great Mickey Mantle” (Jack Nicholson’s “Cuckoo’s Nest’s” character’s words regarding #7), homered to end game 3 of a (1-1) World Series. However, the St. Louis Cardinals came back to win that series in 7 games.
Since that point, 7’s are operative as teams winning game 3, of a (1-1) post-season series in New York (Yankees or Mets) are (14-1) in that series. (7 wins each in series involving the Yankees and Mets).
The Astros made it (7-0) in series involving the Yankees (the ’19 Astros and ’10 Texas Rangers doing so in ALCS while the ’05 Angels and ’18 eventual champion Red Sox did so in “div” series. Meanwhile the Yankees won the ’76 and ’78 ALCS, the latter en route to the title and an ’00 “div” series, also “en route” in the aforementioned situation).
Teams are (7-1) in said series, throughout Mets post-season history after winning at New York in game 3 of a (1-1) series. The lone exception being the Dodgers winning the series and in fact, eventually their last title in ’88, despite losing game 3 of a (1-1) NLCS at New Yok vs the Mets.
The Mets won the ’69 World Series, ’73 and ’86 NLCS (the latter en route to their last title) and “div” series in ’99, ’00 and ’15 in that situation. Meanwhile the Oakland A’s won the ’73 World Series after winning such a game 3.
Click below to view Mantle’s game ending ’64 W.S. #3 home run. The great Curt Gowdy’s radio call is the audio.
The Houston Astros rode Jose Altuve’s 2 out, 2 run home run, B9 to a (6-4) win over the Yankees in game 6, yielding a third pennant for the team.
Houston now has 2 A.L. pennants, both clinched in Saturday night ALCS home wins vs the Yankees, who have 40 pennants, but have now lost 4 straight ALCS, dropping their still very good record in such play to (11-6).
As was the case in the 2005 NLCS vs the Cardinals, the Astros failed to clinch the pennant despite a lead with a chance to do so, in the top of the 9th inning.
Then Albert Pujols capped a 2 out, 3 run rally and the Cards won game 5, only to lose #6 and the series.
Last night, D.J. LeMahieu hit a one out, game tying 2RHR, just over a leaping George Springer’s glove.
However, after Springer walked with 2 outs, B9, Altuve laced a (2-1) pitch from Aroldis Chapman, for a 2 run, pennant winning home run.
Houston will be a nice favorite vs the upstart, wild card Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series, which begins on Tuesday night in Houston.
One would think the first two games will feature pitching battles between stars. Houston has Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander while Washington will counter with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg.
Jose Altuve, pictured above.
Andy B Sports 