Tonight in Los Angeles, where the temperature is hovering around 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the 113th World Series will commence, matching the Houston Astros, who in their 56th season are seeking their first World Series title and game win (they were swept by the White Sox in ’05) and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are bidding for the franchise’s 7th title, 6th in L.A. (the first was in ’59 vs the White Sox, a franchise that has made but 2 World Series appearances in 97 completed baseball seasons (1920-2017, the ’94 season was not completed, with both ’17 W.S. teams having played them in their first World Series and in the first World Series for both the huge states of California and Texas) and first in 29 years.
L.A. is roughly an 8 to 5 favorite and has the home advantage. After teams with the home advantage won a very impressive 23 of 28 Fall Classics starting in 1985 (the first year of best of 7 LCS play), the team sans home advantage, the ’14 Giants and ’16 Cubs won the title, winning road 7th games at Kansas City and Cleveland respectively, in two of the past three seasons.
The Astros are of course the first team to make the World Series from both the National and American Leagues and there is ‘offs history between the ‘Stros and Dodgers.
In 1980, L.A. had to win the final 3 “reg” tilts at home vs Houston to force a one game Monday afternoon one game playoff for the N.L. West crown.
They did win 3 straight to force the playoff, but Joe Niekro pitched Houston to their first N.L. West crown in that tilt.
The next year, neither L.A. or Houston had the best record in the N.L. West but a player’s strike led to split seasons and since L.A. won the first half and Houston the second half, it was deemed they and not the Cincy Reds, who did have the best record in the one quarter “div,” would meet in a best of 5 series for the crown.
Again, after losing the first two games in Houston, the Dodgers needed 3 straight wins but this time if they got them, it meant the N.L. West title and not an ‘off game.
The Dodgers again won 3 straight from Houston and eventually won their first World Series title in 16 seasons. (The other day Chris Russo on his show “High Heat, ” incorrectly stated it was the Dodgers’ first title in 18 years).
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Baseball Scene (Kinetic Typography)
In the iconic film, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest,” for which Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher each won best acting awards and more important(ly?)–the question mark is for usage not what I feel— which is they each made an indelible impression on many, certainly me with their performances, Jack’s character “R.P” asks “who is pitching the opener of the 1963 World Series?
That fiction was set in a not so nice place, what was commonly called a mental institution.
In real, not “reel life,” but also in a not nice place, a prison, that year, Joe Green and the infamous, brilliant but misdirected Jack Molinas discussed whom they thought would win that opener, matching two of the greatest pitchers ever, Sandy Koufax and Edward “Whitey” Ford.
I was in third grade, a school year enriched with “ups” having a great teacher, June Drusin and another for Hebrew School, Rabbi Harry Goder and one horrible “down” when President Kennedy was assassinated, on that “bright” (another Harry, Mr. Bright lamented how he waited his whole life to appear in a World Series, only to have his home crowd root for him to strikeout, as to have Sandy Koufax break Carl Erskine’s single game strikeout record, which he did) day.
The Philadelphia Eagles are 5 plus point(s) “faves,” to better their league best (5-1) record tonight at home vs Washington.
5 NFL teams sport (5-2) records, with perhaps Philly joining that group after tonight.
Win, lose or tie (despite overtime being 10, not 15 minutes, there still has not been a tie in the NFL), the Eagles join the two NFC (5-2) teams, the L.A. Rams and Minnesota Vikings as fairly big, positive surprise teams, the Rams the biggest of those positive surprise teams.
It is more or less the opposite in the AFC as defending champion, New England (projected for 12 to 13 wins), Pittsburgh, projected for ten plus and Kansas City (considered at 9) are the three (5-2) teams.
The late Earl Morrall’s surviving ’72 ‘Phins celebrated early this year as Pitts’ win at K.C. in just the sixth week of play, took out the last unbeaten NFL team.
Remember the ’73 Dolphins (15-2) with one meaningful loss, the second was in a meaningless game, dominated in the post-season as few if any NFL teams ever have, and were, therefore, in my opinion, discernibly better than the ’72 team, which struggled in the ‘offs and by a great margin in comparison.
The Houston Astros won their second pennant, denying the Yankees a 41st, winning (4-0) in the first ever Saturday night decisive game in big league history.
Houston will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series, beginning Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
L.A. has been established as roughly an 8 to 5 series “fave.”
The Astros, once (0-3) in LCS play have now won 2 straight LCS.
Meanwhile the Yankees once (10-1) in such series have lost 3 straight and 4 of their last 5 and are now (11-5) in baseball semis.
A Houston team came home and won #’s 6 and 7 vs a New York team for the second straight time after the Astros failed to do so vs the Mets in the ’86 NLCS.
The NBA Rockets took the ’94 crown, winning games 6 and 7 at home vs the New York Knicks.
In less advanced, but also one game winner take the entity, Houston has three more wins vs no losses against New York teams, the Rockets best of 3, third game win vs the Knicks in ’75, the Oilers now the Tennessee Titans, wild card round win vs the Jets in ’91 and the ‘Stros 4 vs 5 game win at New York vs the Yankees in ’15.
As usual, who but me would know this, care?!!
Tonight in what I am pretty certain to be just the third decisive game to be played on a Saturday, in baseball history, the Houston Astros host the New York Yankees, in the seventh game of the 2017 A.L.C.S.
It is the first night, Saturday decisive game in baseball history.
The home team has won the first 6 games of the series. This is the ninth time in baseball history that has occurred.
Before tonight’s result tips the record in favor of one result, (the home/road have split in the previous eight), the road team breaking through to win the first four, all in World Series play, while the home team has prevailed in the last four, all but one in World Series competition.
Houston was involved in the only previous LCS in which the home team won the first six games. St.Louis prevailed in the “all home team victories,” 2004 NLCS.
The Yankees have been involved in three previous such series, splitting in the first two when first Brooklyn broke through on the road to win their lone title in the 1955 World Series, with the Yankees reversing the result, winning game 7 at Brooklyn in 1956 and then losing in an all home World Series vs Arizona (Diamondbacks) 45 years later.
Brooklyn/L.A. Dodgers were also involved in three such series, the two cited above and a second win/breakthrough on the road at Minnesota, vs the Twins, in the 1965 World Series.
The Minnesota Twins, on the wrong end of the third loss for the home team in the first four loss skein as cited above, won the first two in the all home, 4 game win skein, taking all four at home to win the ’87 title vs St. Louis (Cardinals) and the ’91 crown vs the Atlanta Braves.
Pittsburgh, led by the great Roberto Clemente, who died less than 15 months later, hopefully, helping to put this all in perspective, and Steve Blass, were the last team to win game 7 on the road, after the home team prevailed in the first six games.
In the home in the first six, road 7th that the Yankees won, Don Larsen, pictured above, pitched a perfect game in #5,’56 World Series.
The Los Angeles Dodgers eased to victory in game 5 last night and won their 19th National League Pennant.
L.A. avenged last year’s NLCS loss to the Cubs and will be in their first World Series since “fiving” the favored Oakland Athletics in 1988.
This is the second L.A. series in the last four, in which the game 4 winner did not win the series.
Previous to the New York Mets division series victory over the Dodgers in 2015 (L.A. had won game 4), the game 4 winner of a Dodgers’ post-season series had won said series, 25 straight times encompassing a period of time of just over 60 years, (1955-2015).
Click below for the link to the AndyBSports.com post after the Mets’ victory ended that streak in 2015.
New York Mets’ Win Ends a 25 Time Streak on October 16, 2015
The streak started when John Podres, pictured above with catcher Roy Campanella and I believe third baseman, Don Hoak, won (2-0) in #7, 1955 W.S. at Yankee Stadium, giving the then Brooklyn Dodgers their first and only title.
Again tonight, in Wrigley Field vs the World Champion, Cubs, their 2016 NLCS conquerors, the L.A. Dodgers will try to win their 19th N.L. title, at least, it would be 19, with a World Series appearance to follow.
Thrice, post-season underachieving pitcher, Clayton Kershaw was the game’s losing pitcher in a game in which L.A. (sans even a World Series appearance since winning it all in ’88), was eliminated from the ‘offs. That includes last season when he was asked to leave early as the Cubs routed him in game 6 at Wrigley Field and ended a 71 year pennant drought.
Tonight he has a chance and is an 8 to 5 game “fave,” to start a game in which L.A. wraps up their 19th World Series appearance (they are 6-12 in W.S. play but were once (0-7). They are (3-8) in W.S. play vs their probable World Series opponent, the Yankees. Once their record vs the Yankees in W.S. play stood at (0-5).
It is not enough that the Yankees have won 27 World Series and the Astros none. Nor is it enough, that if the Yankees win the ALCS they squared at two games apiece, overcoming a (4-0) after 6 and a half innings deficit in #4 to do so, that they would have FORTY MORE pennants than the Houston Astros.
Houston has two “jinxed” team members, at least in a baseball sense, in “BP,” current player Carlos Beltran and coach Gary Pettis.
Beltran has the quantity when it comes to post-season failure, but unless his Astros fail to win this series (even with Keickel and Verlander in the next two, I would neither count on it nor of course, rule them out, they once had Vernon Ruhle on one of their many post-season horror teams, the ’81 team, that lost 3 straight to L.A.) he really has not been on a team that blew a post-season series.
Not so Gary Pettis, who in fairness, was a coach on two of the three “crushed” post-season failures and a reserve player on the other.
Now both are part of a Houston team, a franchise that lost decisive series games in ’80 (blowing a 3 run lead, at home top 8, with Nolan Ryan pitching, Pete got a big hit, but of course, there are wild card teams, extra rounds–the wild card Yankees already sank another cursed franchise/100 plus win “div winner,” (Cleveland),but Pete is not in the sham Hall of Fame), ’81(blowing a 2-0 series lead with Nolan Ryan losing the decisive 5th), ’04 and ’15(this “Hinch bunch” blowing a (2-1) best of 5 series lead, in which they blew game 4 despite a 4 run lead at home, in the 8th inning) plus being ousted in a game 6, 16 inning 1986 NLCS classic , in which they blew a 3 run lead at home, in the top of the ninth inning).
“Quantity” Beltran has lost one “4 vs 5” game that, coincidentally, with the Yankees, vs Houston, one “div” series, that last season when his top seed team Texas, was swept by Toronto, 3 NLCS, (none with anything near a significant blown lead in a potential clincher, though his ’12 Cards dissipated a (3-1) series and the other two (’04 Astros and ’06 Mets) also lost in decisive 7th games) and one World Series (his Cards up 2 games to 1, lost in 6 to the Bo Sox, but did not blow any significant lead in the 3 straight losses. By the way to emphasize the “non blowing leads” aspect of this, his ’12 Cards never led in any of the 3 losses, games (5-7), vs eventual World champion, SF in ’12).
Not so for Mr. Pettis, who again was just a reserve player (’86 Angels) and a coach with the ’11 Texas Rangers and ’15 Astros, with whom he is still a coach (having successfully waved in Altuve in #2–consider the Gary Sanchez juxtaposition games 2 and 4—).
The ’86 Angels, bidding for their first pennant, had a three games to one ALCS lead and a (5-2) home, game 5 lead, but lost the game and series to the Red Sox. I recall the horses on the field and feeling negative about that “law and order” Orange (certainly not black,Orange was/is the old (anti/no) black(s) County approach. It turned out the horses and security were not necessary!
In ’11 Pettis’ Texas team twice was one strike away from a World Series win, but failed to get it. Need I say more!
Houston in ’15 as referenced, blew a (2-1) “div” series lead to eventual champion, K.C. in which 4’s were operative, a dissipated 4 run lead, in #4, as late as top 8 at home.
The Angels were also one strike away from victory in ’86, but Angels’ hurler Donnie Moore, who later committed suicide, partially due to that game, surrendered a 2rhr to Dave Henderson, who now also is dead.
People forget the Angels tied that tilt and a Doug DeCinces failure (runner on third < than 2 out, actually not sure which way the “less than” sign points) kept them from winning the pennant.
Additionally Pettis himself, who did nothing “wrong” in any of this, himself made a bid to win the pennant for ’86 “Cal,” but Jim Rice made a very good and obviously incredibly clutch catch, on Gary’s extra inning drive toward left.
So on the exact 39 year anniversary of clinching their incredible 1978 title, the Yankees, (5-0) at home in these ‘offs, matching their ’09 team under Joe Girardi, who may use went/gone incorrectly, but who guided them to a title then and has had nary a losing season in ten years as Yankees’ manager, staged an incredible comeback and thus squared the series, which is the first of 32 best of seven ALCS, in which the home team won the first four games.
Perspective: Moore, Henderson and Thurman Munson, who grabbed the last out in the ’78 W.S. but died less than a year later should/could and maybe will remind us INCLUDING and ESPECIALLY me, this is not life and death.
Tomorrow, now today, is another day, with another game, the pivotal 5th game at 5 Eastern Time on Fox (Sports One), which with L.A. (6-0) in these ‘offs and up (3-0) vs the Cubs in the NLCS, is very likely, but not definitely, going to get a longer LCS than their TBS “competitor” for the 5th straight time (’09, ’12, ’14, and ’16 were the others). There were 4 “ties.” Bye bye!!!
“Did’i DID it again, not the star of the game, but 2 key hits.
Two days ago, playing on the exact 39 year anniversary of being routed by the Yankees in #5 ’78 W.S, the L.A. Dodgers rode Justin Turner’s 2 out, 3 run home run to (4-1) the Cubs and take a (2-0) LCS lead, for the first time since 1985.
That year, as was the case this season, both LCS stood (2-0) and for the only time in 31 seasons of best of seven LCS play (’85-’16, no playoffs in ’94), both trailing teams, each from Missouri “showed” it could be done, the Cards overcoming L.A. in 6 when Dodgers’ manager Tom Lasorda pitched to Jack Clark and the ball is still going while K.C. in the second “Bob Costas ALCS,” overcame not only a (2-0), but a (3-1) series deficit, to beat Toronto.
Only twice have the Dodgers both gone up (2-0) and won that NLCS. Both times they went (4-0) in the commonwealth/state of Pennsylvania and split at home, in ’74 vs the Pittsburgh Pirates and in ’78 vs the Philadelphia Phillies.
Alas, much is being made of Turner’s post-season game ending/winning home run, having occurred on the anniversary of Kirk Gibson’s far more important and dramatic home run, vs the too often loser in post-season, Dennis Eckersley.
Forget the fact Gibson limped to the plate that Saturday night and that it was a round later, namely the World Series, (the Turner homer, obviously still dramatic/important, was on a Sunday, by the way as only I will note, a day the Cubs have lost on in ALL SIX of their LCS appearances, including ’84 when they lost a decisive game 5 at San Diego and blew a (2-0) LCS lead) in that game L.A. a big series underdog, TRAILED by a run.
In this one, L.A. was a big series “fave,” bigger when they won the opening game, and most of all, the score was TIED with L.A. the home team, still a nice game favorite, had the game gone to extra “frames.”
“Bowl” on folks.
There are three NFL teams with the number 57 immersed in their franchise history, this season.
They are the Philadelphia Eagles, whose (5-1) record is the best in the NFC and tied with the K.C. Chiefs, the one team to beat them, for the best in the NFL, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
“Philly” last won the NFL crown 57 (FIFTY SEVEN) years ago in 1960. They took the title game (17-13) on the day after Christmas, a Monday, 26 days before John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as United States President, Robert Frost read and my once only, “Trivial Pursuit” partner, the fabulous Karen was born.
The Eagles’ title gave the state/commonwealth of Pennsylvania both the baseball and football crowns of 1960 as key home runs by Bill Mazeroski, Hal Smith and an early one by Rocky Nelson had vaulted the Pittsburgh Pirates to their first title in 35 years, winning game 7 on October 13th, 25 days before the above events and the day/night of the last presidential debate between Mr. Kennedy and his opponent/1946 friend, when both were freshman U.S. senators, R.M. Nixon.
Minnesota is (4-2) thus far this season, which is their 57th (FIFTY SEVENTH) having entered the NFL in 1961 with the Eagles’ title winning quarterback Norm Van Brocklin as their coach.
The Vikings have made 4 Super Bowls but never as much as had a lead in any of them.
Detroit which fell to (3-3) with a (52-38) loss in New Orleans yesterday, last won an NFL title 60 years ago in 1957 (nineteen FIFTY SEVEN).
While the Vikings have at least made 4 Supes/NFL final, the Lions have not only not made such, but have been in but one “semi”/NFC title tilt, that a loss to the eventual champion “Wash” in the 1991 game.
Speaking of Washington D.C. sports, after a 4th loss in as many “quarterfinals/div series, all in the past 7 seasons, the four current “Wash” sports teams have made as much as a semi-finals appearance, but once in a combined 90 seasons (’92-’16 for the currently (3-2) Redskins, who sojourn to Philly next Monday night, (’92-’17 for both the NHL Capitals and NBA Wizards nee Bullets and 13 for the baseball Nationals).
For just the third time in their 15 post-season series,(two this season, with Carlos Correa leading the offense in both game 2 wins), the Houston Astros have grabbed a two games to none lead.
Correa’s double scored Jose Altuve with the winning run in game 2, a second straight Houston (2-1) win “under/vs” the New York Yankees in the ALCS.
The Astros opening an LCS at home for just the second time (the other was vs another New York team, the Mets in 1986) are bidding for just their second pennant and are now nice favorites to become the first team to play in a World Series from both major leagues.
The Yankees lost to a home team in extra innings, falling down (2-0) in the best of 5 “div” series but overcame Cleveland. They have won 40 American League Pennants, the Astros have one National League Pennant, none in the American League and nary a World Series win having been swept by the Chi Sox in the ’05 World Series.
This is the fifth straight season, the last 4 in the ALCS that the team winning Friday night came back and won Saturday afternoon to take a (2-0) LCS lead.
The previous four teams won said series,
The Astros are (4-0) at home in these ‘offs, have never won both an LCS opener and the series. This is their 5th LCS.
They head to New York where the Yankees are (3-0) this post-season. The Yankees (11-3) in previous ALCS, (the Astros were (1-3) in 4 NLCS), have never lost game 1 of an LCS on the road and won the series.
The vaunted Yankees’ franchise has won 40 pennants, the Astros have won just one.
Houston has won 6 of its last 7 LCS games while the Yankees, once (10-1) in LCS have lost 6 straight LCS games and 10 of 11 since the Yankees opened with a win at Texas in the 2010 LCS opener.
Suggestion for the Astros: go up (3-0) and certainly get it done in New York.
The “fix on Fox” scares me especially after they lost money, as the U.S. soccer team did not qualify for World Cup play.
Also the ‘Stros did not exactly rout the Yankees in either tilt, but are (7-2) counting “reg” (alot “reg” meant as Cleveland and Washington, each at one time the home city for the great football player, Bobby Mitchell, found out).
Why do I care? Maybe because the Astros (The Jetsons’ dog was named Astro) have suffered so greatly in post-season, maybe because despite progress, I still root vs the Yankees, maybe both.
Andy B Sports 