As was the case in 2003, the Chicago Cubs return home with a three games to two lead in the NLCS in a bid to end a long pennant drought.
In 2003, after losing game 5 at Florida vs the Marlins, the Cubs led (3-0) in the top of the 8th inning of game 6 in a bid to win their first pennant in 58 years. They failed to do so.
Now in 2016, the Cubs led by shortstop Addison Russell, who hit key home runs in both games four and five at L.A. vs the Dodgers, have the (3-2) series leads after winning a pair of seemingly interminable, essentially boring games, in numbers 4 and 5.
Game 6 is Saturday night in Wrigley Field.
He certainly bothers me less than he once did, as he does offer criticism, however, the unchanged allowance of Christopher Russo sprouting off factual mistakes, is starting to bring back the harsh reality that the need to be accurate, has taken a back seat to just saying anything, perceived mildly entertaining.
Russo and certainly the staff at MLB Network on the show “High Heat,” which really should not be cited, deserve criticism and then some, for lack of preparation.
Believe me, Russo makes many more factual errors as he rants on sans “fact checking,” but here are two from today.
Orel Hershiser, who had started in game 3 the day before, did NOT pitch 3 innings in game 4 of the 1988 NLCS as Russo said he did. He faced one batter, getting the Mets’ Kevin McReynolds to fly out to an oncoming John Shelby, to end the game.
The score of the Indians’ win in game 1 of the just completed ALCS was NOT (2-1), it was TWO to NOTHING.
Yesterday four Cleveland pitchers (none named Grover or Reggie) combined on a 6 hit shutout, at Toronto, vs the Blue Jays, in a (3-0) win, manifesting in the team’s 6th pennant.
(2-3) in previous World Series, the Cleveland team will open a World Series at home for the first time in history, a scant 11 days after opening a series as late as an LCS, at home, for the first time.
Truly amazing, is that on the night of the World Series opener, the basketball Cleveland Cavaliers will open defense of their NBA title. They ended a nearly 52 year title drought in Cleveland, and will receive honors the same night, a bit over a third of a year later.
Simultaneously, Cleveland will begin a best of seven World Series, hoping to end a drought that has lasted 68 years and included 3 World Series losses, since last winning it all in 1948.
Tonight in Minnesota, for the second straight season the WNBA title will be determined in a decisive game there. Last year, the Lynx prevailed to win a third straight “odd year” WNBA crown (2011, 2013 ,2015).
The Minnesota Lynx are 6 point favorites vs the Los Angeles Sparks as they bid for their fourth title in six seasons. the Sparks have not “titled” since ex Lakers’ great Michael Cooper coached them to consecutive WNBA crowns in 2001 and 2002.
Minneapolis was once the home of the Lakers, a team that won 5 NBA titles in 6 seasons (1949, 1950, and (1952-1954). In Los Angeles, the Lakers have won 11 NBA crowns.
There have been 8 previous “winner take all” WNBA finals games with the home team winning seven.
Speaking of 7, the Minnesota area has played in 5 “winner take all” game 7’s, all at home winning four.
The Lakers won such games in the 1952 and 1954 NBA Finals. Meanwhile the baseball Twins (11-1) in 12 World Series home games, won the title in a home game 7 in both 1987 and 1991. The only loss in a home World Series game for the Twins (0-9 as the Twins in World Series road games), was game 7 in 1965 when Sandy Koufax pitched the Dodgers to a (2-0) win and the ’65 title.
Now approximately 51 years and a week later also on a Thursday it is L.A. at Minnesota for a league crown and do not tell anyone but the Dodgers play a pivotal game 5 of a “semi-final” series at home tonight, as well.
All this while the NLCS stands 2 games to 1 in favor of the L.A. Dodgers vs the 103 win, top seed Cubs, here are some more notes about (3-0) baseball postseason series.
The win by the Jays broke a 9 game streak in which a series with a team up (3-0) ended in 4 games. That streak included 4 World Series (2004, 2005, 2007 and 2012), 3 ALCS (2006, 2012 and 2014) and two NLCS (2007 and 2015).
The 2004 ALCS when the Boston Red Sox overcame a (3-0) deficit and won the series was the last time a team down (3-0) won game four.
Before that, the last two times a team down (3-0) won the 5th game were in the only two series in which a team also won game 5 before bowing out in game six.
Those occurred in back to back years, each NLCS ending in Atlanta. In 1999, the San Diego Padres had a (3-0) NLCS lead but lost games 4 and 5 at home. However, they prevailed in game 6 at Atlanta to win the series.
The next year the Braves had a (3-0) NLCS lead before losing games 4 and 5 at Shea stadium vs the New York Mets. However, Atlanta prevailed in an extra inning thriller to take the series and N.L. pennant in game 6.
Both the Padres and Braves were swept in 4 straight games in the subsequent World Series by the New York Yankees.
There have been 3 World Series in which a team led (3-0) and won in 5 games. The first was in 1910 with the Philadelphia A’s beating the Cubs. Next was 1937 with the Yankees “5 ing” the New York Giants.
The other one was in 1970, the Brooks Robinson led Baltimore Orioles 5 game triumph vs the Cincinnati Reds. Then in game 5, the O’s leading (3-1) in games, beat a pitcher named Merritt, (Jim), though he was staked to a (3-0) 1st inning lead on the road.
In moments, the Indians hope to end a once (3-0) series in 5 games, this time with a Merritt (Ryan) the starting pitcher for the winning, road team.
Who but me, would cite these facts?!
The great Brooks Robinson, pictured above.
In the previous post, I wrote/typed that yesterday’s win by the Jays forcing a game 5, was just the second time in 7 such ALCS games, that a team down (3-0) in the series did so. That is correct.
Thus there is another mistake on ESPN.com to report, this one written by Jerry Crasnick. The incorrect information from Crasnick on ESPN.com is below.
“Since the advent of the best-of-seven format in 1985, seven teams have taken a 3-0 lead in an ALCS. The 2004 Boston Red Sox rallied to win, and the other six clubs were swept in four.”
For the record and to check my accuracy one more time, they are paid much more than me and yet they do not check, first I will list the FIVE, NOT SIX times a team was swept in 4 straight games in an ALCS.
Then I will actually give you the number of games in the other ALCS, since the best of 7 LCS format was instituted in both leagues, commencing with the 1985 season.
The five ALCS four game sweeps were the Oakland A’s over Boston (Red Sox) in both 1988 and 1990, the Tigers over the A’s in 2006 and vs the Yankees in 2012 and the K.C. Royals vs the “Balti” Orioles in 2014.
The other 25best of seven ALCS (remember there was no baseball postseason in 1994), went the following number of games starting in 1985, with the years 1988,1990, 2006, 2012 and 2014 skipped (7, 7, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 5, 6, 6, 5, 6, 5, 5, 7, 7, 5, 7, 7, 6, 6, 6, 6, and 6).
First my usual history type statistics which in no way foreshadow what will happen, but I believe are worth noting.
Yesterday, when the Toronto Blue Jays staved off elimination by forcing a 5th game in their ALCS vs Cleveland, it marked just the second time in 7 such games, a team won the 5th game of an ALCS down three games to none.
The only other time it happened was the only time in either baseball or NBA history, a team came back from a (3-0) deficit to win a best of seven series.
Then Cleveland manager Terry Francona was the Red Sox skipper, who orchestrated the incredible comeback ALCS win vs the New York Yankees.
Now he is one game from being truly worried, about dissipating the series lead and perhaps a horrible loss.
On the other hand, some possible good World Series result omens are in place for Cleveland if they survive this series.
This past Sunday, 23 points was not enough for a Baltimore based team in a football game at the New York Giants. Final score Giants 27 BALTIMORE Ravens 23.
In not so arguably,pro football’s most important game, 23 points were enough to secure an overtime NFL title win for the Baltimore Colts on December 28, 1958.
Last Sunday also marked the 47th anniversary (where did the time go?!) of a New York team winning a title in a game vs a Baltimore team.
On October 16, 1969, the New York Mets won (5-3) to clinch the World Series in game 5 vs the Baltimore Orioles.
The Mets were a 100 win team that upset a 109 win Orioles’ team.
In that 1969 game and in their other title clinching win, in game 7 vs the Boston Red Sox in 1986, the Mets trailed (3-0) in what was their last possible Shea Stadium home game, in both seasons.
The Boston Red Sox title drought was extended to 68 years, after their horribly painful World Series loss in 1986.
They ended the drought at 86 years, (86 as in 1986), with a 2004 World Series win, managed by current Cleveland Indians’ manager, Terry Francona.
This season Francona and the Indians almost certainly will be in the World Series, where they hope to end, you guessed it, a 68 year title drought.
Three consecutive “double digit” years, 1966, 1977 and 1988 share the same calendar as this year and also at least a semi-final/LCS appearance by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In ’66. ’77 and ’88 the Dodgers made the World Series, losing the first two while winning it in 1988. It remains to be determined if L.A. makes and possibly wins this year’s World Series. Currently they are (1-1) in games vs the Chicago Cubs, with game 3 tonight in Los Angeles.
The above, in a sense, “buries the lead,” as it was exactly 39 years ago on Tuesday October 18, 1977 that the great player, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs leading the New York Yankees to their 21st World Series win and first in 15 years, coming vs the Dodgers in game 6 that night in Yankee Stadium.
While the Dodgers lost game 3 of the 1988 World Series on this day and date at Oakland vs the A’s, they did win the title by winning games 4 and 5, exactly 28 years before the scheduled games 4 and 5 (they will be played as scheduled as “it never rains in Southern California) of the current NLCS to be played in Los Angeles on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
Any day is good to invoke ’70’s songs. Today I “Ernie Banks” it with two.
Click below to view Albert Hammond sing “It Never Rains in Southern California.”
Albert Hammond – It Never Rains In Southern California ( HQ ) orginal
The Dodgers win in game 2 of the NLCS came on the exact 28 year anniversary of another L.A. win behind an ace pitcher, in game 2 of the 1988 World Series with hurler, Orel Hershiser.
In the NLCS game this season, L.A. ace, Clayton Kershaw won. Unlike Hershiser, and in other great postseason pitching performances of the past, Mr. Kershaw, who is getting far too much positive publicity now and received far too much when he was not winning postseason games, did not pitch all nine innings, hurling only seven.
In game 1 of this year’s NLCS, L.A. was victimized by a dramatic home team pinch hit home run, (a bottom of the 8th inning grand slam in a tie game by the Cubs’ Miguel Montero) reversing their even more dramatic win on Kirk Gibson’s 2 out, bottom of the ninth inning, 2 run home run, that transformed a (4-3) deficit into a (5-4) win exactly 28 years earlier. (Has anyone other than me cited this and if so checked the time of day on each of those home runs? They had to be close in the time of day).
Orel Hershiser, pictured above.
Again concerning the dramatic pinch home runs, on the same date and day (Saturdays) 28 years apart in Dodgers’ postseason games, does anyone know what time the Kirk Gibson and Miguel Montero home runs were hit.
The latter was hit in Chicago and the iconic musical group of the same name, not only asked what time but if anyone cares? (what time it is). Click below to view “Chicago” sing that great hit.
Chicago – Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? – 7/21/1970 – Tanglewood (Official)
Andy B Sports 