Just your basic pennant clinching game at the Ravine
Sometimes you need a nudge to get off your ass and yesterday Joe Benardello harangued me enough over at truebluela about going to the game last night, that I finally scored a ticket and made the journey.
Thank God for Joe, because that was one hell of a clinching game. I’ve been to three now this century (I can’t remember the previous century), and each one will hopefully stay stored in the databanks.
While everyone wanted the clinching game, I was more interested in Clayton ending the season at 21 – 3 because I knew the pennant was inevitable but 21 – 3 is historic. It took me a while to get on the Kershaw MVP bandwagon that started over six weeks ago, simply because he’s a pitcher, but this year Clayton Kershaw is Cy Young, MVP, and hell give him the Hank Aaron trophy to boot.
This game had all the flavors:
- Clayton hitting a triple to tie the game
- Dee Gordon swinging at the 1st pitch after his pitcher had hit a triple. I might have been swearing at Dee.
- Clayton doing the snag behind his back with a runner at 3rd when the game was tight. Might have been the best play you will ever see a pitcher complete in a clutch situation
- Puig simply blowing our minds with his throw from CF to 3rd, that cut short, and basically slit the Giants throat for the evening. Throws like that, that you see live, remain forever. The emotional jolt I simply can’t adequately describe.
- Puig giving the Dodgers the lead with the shot to RF
- The eighth inning that would never end as every Dodger came up big
But best of all, it had my Dodger fans with me, and that made it the sweetest taste of all.
This usherette was the best. Our group had commandeered the drinking/Standing area right behind home plate loge level. David Young and CtB scored it around 05:30. The usherette handled the box next to us, and the aisle. She was as into the game as any usherette we had ever witnessed. By the 9th we moved down the seats and spread out. She inexplicably plopped herself down next to Joe. I thought she was going to carry him home.
Going right from left, we had David Young, Bobby Down, CtB, Kelley Stephen and his talkative son.
Smiling Joe, backside of Craig, CtB, and David
CtB, Berko, David, Craig
Kelly and his son spent the whole game us. Berko left before the game started, Bobby Bruin stopped by for a long while, and eventually Bobby Down showed up to finish the game. I may have broken my high-five record for a game.
Dodger outfield is as hot as the San Fernando Valley in Sept
All the Dodgers starting team, and key bench players are on fire, but leading the charge has been the starting outfield. All stats are courtesy of Fangraphs.com. Notice that three of them have a plus .600 slug %. Strangely enough, it is Carl Crawford with the highest Slug%. SVS has the strange stat of a lower OB than Average. This sure beats having to write about how no one can hit who plays Centerfield.
September Dodger Outfield Stats as of Sept 21st
| Outfielder | PA | Hits | XBH | HR | Avg | OBP | Slug% |
| Matt Kemp | 73 | 24 | 12 | 7 | 0.329 | 0.369 | 0.685 |
| Yasiel Puig | 69 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 0.319 | 0.405 | 0.464 |
| Carl Crawford | 53 | 23 | 9 | 2 | 0.434 | 0.448 | 0.698 |
| Scott Van Slyke | 24 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 0.417 | 0.400 | 0.625 |
I guess facing the likes of the Rockie/Cub pitching staffs can do wonders for a teams statistics.
Using total bases, Dodger 1st base coach, Davey Lopes reigns supreme at Wrigley Field
On Aug 20th, 1974 Davey Lopes had one of the all time great offensive games the LA Dodgers have ever produced from an infielder, when he accounted for fifteen total bases against the Cubs. Included in that total are three home runs and one double. With a score of 18 – 8 you can expect that everyone chipped in. Ron Cey and Willie Crawford both had four hits, while Steve Garvey drove in four runs. Jimmy Wynn had a perfect game doing what he always did, hit a home run and take a few walks.
It was strange to see Billy Grabarkewitz on this list from his 1970 season. Not because Billy didn’t have a great 1970 season but because most of his damage in 1970 came before the all-star game. Billy was hitting .341 at the all-star game, but hit just .232 afterward. Games like the one he had on Aug 14th had to be far and few between after the break. This is a great box score to look at if you love Dodger history. Maury Wills had five hits, and Bill Russell was playing RF. Combined, the old SS, and the future SS went eight for nine. Grabarkewitz who did play a lot of SS in 1970 was playing 3rd base.
Ron Cey had the large RBI game with seven, again in 1974. Looks like the Dodger infield beat the crap out of the Cubbies that year.
The Bull, Al Ferrera had two games of two home runs at Wrigley. That extra single is what got him on this leaderboard.
Player Date Rslt AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI Davey Lopes 1974-08-20 W 18-8 6 3 5 1 0 3 15 4 Billy Grabarkewitz 1970-08-14 W 13-9 4 3 3 0 1 2 11 2 Pedro Guerrero 1982-08-18 W 7-4 5 2 3 1 0 2 10 5 Roger Cedeno 1996-06-18(1) W 9-6 5 1 4 2 0 1 9 4 Ron Cey 1974-06-01 W 10-0 4 3 3 0 0 2 9 7 Willie Davis 1967-09-04(2) W 8-6 5 3 4 0 1 1 9 2 Al Ferrara 1967-05-20 L 3-20 4 2 3 0 0 2 9 2 Al Ferrara 1966-06-07 W 8-6 5 2 3 0 0 2 9 2 Willie Davis 1962-04-26 W 12-5 5 2 3 0 0 2 9 2 Frank Howard 1961-04-29 W 9-4 4 2 3 0 0 2 9 6 Duke Snider 1960-05-29 W 4-0 4 2 3 0 0 2 9 4
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Generated 9/19/2014.
Breaking down Adrian Gonzalez – A platoon player in waiting
Just in case you have also missed what Don Mattingly has missed, Adrian is what some might call a platoon player in waiting. Meaning, that his manager still remembers when he could hit both sides of a pitcher, however the stats now say something has changed, and eventually the winds of change will be upon Adrian.
Or not, maybe this is just a one year anomaly. The last time Adrian had an OPS below .700 against LHP, was 2008, and he bounced back quite well. He was also only 26 not 32, so I’m not sure how much I’d be betting on 33 year old Adrian to rediscover the magic of hitting the MLB southpaw.
I’m only pointing this out on Sept 19th, 2014 because the postseason beckons and given that SVS or Juan Uribe (Turner at 3rd) offer alternatives to giving away at bats against LHP, it might be best if Donny put his best team on the diamond. Unless of course over the next 10 games, Adrian magically discovers how to hit LHP again, in which case you can use this for silly things bloggers have written fodder.
| Batting Against | AB | Hits | XBH | HR | Avg | OBP | Slug% |
| Right Handed | 409 | 125 | 52 | 21 | 0.306 | 0.362 | 0.535 |
| Left Handed | 151 | 30 | 10 | 2 | 0.199 | 0.262 | 0.291 |
Besides not being able to hit left hand pitching, Adrian has been a very streaky hitter in 2014. I’ve created these data points by using the Bref game logs and taking the high and low OPS. For example on May 1st Adrian’s OPS peaked at 1.043 and bottomed out on July 20th at .735.
Every hitter has streaks of good and bad, but Adrian this year seems to have taken those streaks to Hee Sop Choi levels.
| Date From and To | AtBats | Hits | XBH | HR | Avg | OBP | Slug% |
| 03/22 – 05/01 | 109 | 35 | 18 | 9 | 0.321 | 0.392 | 0.651 |
| 05/2 – 07/20 | 255 | 56 | 17 | 5 | 0.22 | 0.277 | 0.325 |
| 07/21 – 08/07 | 57 | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0.316 | 0.385 | 0.491 |
| 08/08 – 09/09 | 106 | 38 | 16 | 8 | 0.358 | 0.403 | 0.66 |
| 09/10 – 09/18 | 33 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0.242 | 0.286 | 0.333 |
Fernando sets rookie record with eighth shutout thirty three years ago today
Fernando started the season with five shutouts in his first seven major league starts. Basically every game Fernando started he was rewriting history during Fernandomania.
What Fernando did in his first 8 starts was a streak for the ages: 8 wins, 7 complete games, 5 shutouts and 4 earned runs surrendered in his first 72 innings. In streaks of over 80 innings, only Bob Gibson’s 3 earned runs in 103 innings In 1968 was better than Fernando’s 4 earned runs in 89 2⁄3 innings dating back to 1980
His fifth shutout came on May 8th, he would not pitch his sixth shutout until Aug 16th. Of course the MLBP strike shut him down for two months (June 12th – Aug 10th). From Aug 16th – Sept 17th Fernando would throw three shutouts as readied himself for his historic 1981 postseason run.
These eight shutouts still rank as the best in baseball for a rookie. Note the age compared to others who are on the leaderboard. Many rookies have thrown five shutouts, I’ve included only the Dodger pitchers who accomplished the feat. You can also note the name of Don Newcombe. Newcombe in his Rookie season also won the ROY and Cy Young award, just like Fernando. Strange to see they were the only two pitchers to even win ROY on this leaderboard.
Player SHO Year Age Tm IP H ER SO ERA FIP ERA+ Fernando Valenzuela (RoY-1st) 8 1981 20 LAD 192.1 140 53 180 2.48 2.44 135 Reb Russell 8 1913 24 CHW 316.2 250 67 122 1.90 2.68 154 Russ Ford 8 1910 27 NYY 299.2 194 55 209 1.65 1.88 160 Jerry Koosman (RoY-2nd) 7 1968 25 NYM 263.2 221 61 178 2.08 2.70 145 Pete Alexander 7 1911 24 PHI 367.0 285 105 227 2.57 2.83 133 Harry Krause 7 1909 20 PHA 213.0 151 33 139 1.39 1.91 174 George McQuillan 7 1908 23 PHI 359.2 263 61 114 1.53 2.31 157 Irv Young 7 1905 27 BSN 378.0 337 122 156 2.90 2.53 106 Harvey Haddix (RoY-2nd) 6 1953 27 STL 253.0 220 86 163 3.06 3.40 139 Gene Bearden (RoY-2nd) 6 1948 27 CLE 229.2 187 62 80 2.43 3.89 168 Fred Glade 6 1904 28 SLB 289.0 248 73 156 2.27 2.17 110 Don Newcombe (RoY-1st) 5 1949 23 BRO 244.1 223 86 149 3.17 3.13 130 Dazzy Vance 5 1922 31 BRO 245.2 259 101 134 3.70 3.64 111 Henry Schmidt 5 1903 30 BRO 301.0 321 128 96 3.83 3.74 84
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Generated 9/17/2014.
Here is the box score from Sept 17th, 1981 – a few notes:
- This was the last year of the Garvey/Lopes/Russel/Cey infield but on this day Cey and Russel took the day off with Gary Weiss playing SS, and super utility player Derrel Thomas manning 3rd
- Fernando who also add the Silver Slugger to his trophy mantle that year, got a hit and drove in one of the two runs. Strangely enough it was an infield hit to second and scored the slowest runner in baseball Mike Scoscia who was on 3rd base.
- This win would put the Dodgers up by two games, but they would lose the next five and end the year four games out. But it did not matter, because they won the first half of the strike shortened season and Reds could only claim to have the best record but no invitation to dance.
Hideo Nomo does the improbable eighteeen years ago today – No No at Coors
On Sept 17th, 1996 Hideo Nomo did what no one thought could be done. Pitch a no – hitter in the hitters paradise known as Coors Field.
Rich Westcott, author of No-Hitter, wrote the following, “A pitcher has about as much chance of firing a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver as someone would have sliding down Pike’s Peak in a canoe.”
Dodger Nation wrote about the no hitter earlier this year. Note the 20th no – hitter in LA Dodger History. would need to update this by two later with Josh and Clayton adding to the LA Dodger total.
On Sept. 17, 1996, Hideo Nomo threw a no-hitter in a 9-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. This feat is all the more impressive because it was the first no-no ever thrown in the hitter-friendly setting at Coors Field. Furthermore, it came down the stretch of the regular season and during a highly competitive pennant race. This made Nomo the seventh Dodger to throw a no-hitter, and his performance marked the 20th no-hitter in Los Angeles Dodgers history.
Here is the box score – a few notes:
- The Dodger outfield was Wayne Kirby / Curtis playing CF (combined to go 4 for 5), and two ROY Todd Hollandsworth / Raul Mondesi
- Just like Tom Brownings perfect game, this game was also delayed by rain, but in this case it was two hours instead of three
- Because of the rain delay, Nomo pitched from the stretch from the 1st inning on
NFBC Update – Kershaw, Kemp, and Uribe keep moustacheball team afloat as Stanton goes down
NFBC Payouts and Sept 3rd Update
Mike Stanton took a ball to the face but it felt like a kick in the nutts to me since he was the offensive ringleader of my team. An hour later McGee gave up a three run home run instead of collecting a save, and it seemed the roto gods had finally had enough of toying with my affection. The final straw came in a 9 – 0 drubbing by the Giants of the Dodgers. The team dropped to 10th and seemed ready to drop into oblivion but Saturday bought a whole new day.
Kemp and Uribe have had a great three games. Kershaw was Kershaw and as Tuesday dawns, the team is back in 7th, still knocking on a possible 5th spot. My final FAAB money went this weekend to Andrew Romine and Josh Fields. Yes, Andrew Romine now holds the key to my team, because stolen bases are what I lack. Polanco and Bourn were supposed to augment the stolen base category but Polanco couldn’t hit and lost his job, while Bourn simply decided to stop stealing bases.
With an 11 point lead in my league, I think I have that sewn up so at the very least I more than met my goals for the 2014 NFBC. Of course a flurry of injuries like what happened to Stanton could still change things, and with no more FAAB money I won’t be able to bring in replacements.
One final note, I’ve carried the Captain (Mr. Jeter) all year, and finally removed his carcass this past weekend. I was kind of keeping him as a good luck charm but some times those charms just go sour. When you get dumped for Andrew Romine you know your swan song season was nothing to chirp about.
| Rank | Owner | Batting Pts | Pitching Pts | Overall Pts | Change |
| 1 | Dale Morgan | 2,039.0 | 1,581.5 | 3,620.5 | +16.5 |
| 2 | Chas Nelson | 1,781.0 | 1,696.5 | 3,477.5 | +14.5 |
| 3 | Chad Schroeder | 1,627.0 | 1,837.0 | 3,464.0 | +42.0 |
| 4 | Neal Moses | 1,690.0 | 1,750.5 | 3,440.5 | +22.5 |
| 5 | Stephen Fiore | 1,677.5 | 1,737.0 | 3,414.5 | -30.5 |
| 6 | Kieran Lalonde | 1,598.5 | 1,807.0 | 3,405.5 | -13.0 |
| 7 | Moustacheball – Meercatjohn | 1,750.5 | 1,612.5 | 3,363.0 | -4.5 |
| 8 | Michael Makula | 1,795.0 | 1,563.5 | 3,358.5 | +0.5 |
| 9 | Jon Stadtmueller | 1,739.0 | 1,609.5 | 3,348.5 | +31.0 |
| 10 | Jon Stadtmueller | 1,847.5 | 1,494.0 | 3,341.5 | +11.0 |
Tom Browning is perfect against the Dodgers 26 years ago today
Reds’ Tom Browning pitches a perfect game against the Dodgers on Sept 16th, 1988. A few interesting tidbits:
Only eight balls were hit out of the infield
Over three starts Browning retired 40 consecutive batter, one shy of the major league record.
Tim Belcher was almost just as good, taking a no-hitter into the 6th inning
It was the first ever Cincinnati Red perfect game
The game started three hours late due to a rain delay, so many fans went home and missed the historic game
Matt Kemp passes Mike Piazza on LA Dodger home run leaderboard
Matt Kemp hit a huge home run on Sunday to help the Dodgers beat the Giants and inch them closer to a 2014 NL Pennant. Not as important but still significant it was the 177th home run of Matt Kemp’s Dodger career, tying him with Dodger legend Mike Piazza for fifth place on the all time LA Dodger home run leaderboard.
In his first at bat last night, Matt Kemp powered his 178th home run, and now stands alone in fourth place on the all time LA Dodger home leaderboard. Matt has a long way to go to catch Steve Garvey at 211, but at least you can see a path for Matt to accomplish this. When Matt signed his long-term contract it was assumed he would replace everyone on the Dodger offensive leaderboard, but two significant injuries later, no one knew if Matt Kemp could even stay healthy or productive enough to remain an everyday major league outfielder. The brooding player who had been replaced in CF, and was wondering why he was in LF, seems like a long way from the Matt Kemp showing up today.
Matt has been very consistent since moving to RF. It took a while for the long ball to come back for Matt but with twenty one home runs in 2014 it has arrived.
Player HR From To Age PA OPS Pos Eric Karros 270 1991 2002 23-34 6624 .782 *3/HD Ron Cey 228 1971 1982 23-34 6108 .804 *5/H Steve Garvey 211 1969 1982 20-33 7027 .796 *35/H7649 Matt Kemp 178 2006 2014 21-29 4452 .843 *89/H7D Mike Piazza 177 1992 1998 23-29 3017 .966 *2/HD3 Pedro Guerrero 171 1978 1988 22-32 4089 .893 59783/H4 Raul Mondesi 163 1993 1999 22-28 3765 .838 *98/7H Shawn Green 162 2000 2004 27-31 3462 .876 *93/DH8 Willie Davis 154 1960 1973 20-33 8035 .725 *8/H9
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Generated 9/16/2014.
In a ideal world we will be talking about Matt passing Steve Garvey at this time next year, but in a more realistic world it will probably be some time in 2016.
19 – 3 is even purtier as Kershaw catches Orel
On Sept 9th, I took a look at how Clayton Kershaw’s 18 – 3 record stacked up winning percentage wise in LA Dodger history. With the win this last Sunday that purty 18 – 3 is now 19 -3, and Clayton has tied Orel Hershiser for the best winning % in LA Dodger history for pitchers who have made at least 20 starts in a season. Clayton has two more starts to change how his historic season will stand.
Player W-L% GS Year Age W L IP ERA FIP ERA+ Clayton Kershaw .864 25 2014 26 19 3 185.1 1.70 1.86 210 Orel Hershiser .864 34 1985 26 19 3 239.2 2.03 2.73 171 Sandy Koufax .833 40 1963 27 25 5 311.0 1.88 1.85 159 Tommy John .813 22 1974 31 13 3 153.0 2.59 2.74 132 Clayton Kershaw .808 33 2011 23 21 5 233.1 2.28 2.47 161 Brad Penny .800 33 2007 29 16 4 208.0 3.03 3.63 147 Rick Rhoden .800 26 1976 23 12 3 181.0 2.98 3.90 113
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Generated 9/16/2014.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 