Hippity Hop versus Mrs Upton
Game one was so important because in game two the Dodgers will be facing the hottest pitcher in the postseason in Justin Verlander. Much like how Clayton Kershaw has dominated the National League, Justin Verlander has done almost the same in the American League. Verlander may not have multiple CYA, but he won one, and been in the top five four other times including two finishes in second place.
His time at the top seemed like it was over this past summer as he struggled with the struggling Tigers, but once the Houston Astros added him he has been back to his Cy Young award-winning ways.
You could say that Verlander pitched Houston into the World Series and you wouldn’t be wrong. He made two starts, one was a complete game shutout, and other was a seven-inning gem to force a game seven after Houston had lost three straight in New York.
Verlander had the luxury of starting both his NLCS games at home instead of on the road. Verlander has not had to start a postseason game on the road yet, but he did pitch in relief in Boston in the clinching game four. He didn’t pitch well.
Rich Hill has been everything the Dodgers had hoped for when they signed him to a free-agent deal last winter. A deal that has worked out much better than I expected.
Amazingly this is already Rich Hill’s sixth career postseason start as a Dodger. He has kept the Dodgers in each of his games and they have won his last four postseason starts. Rich Hill has been on a short leash in the postseason and that probably won’t change tonight unless it is not a close game which seems doubtful. With an off day tomorrow, expect all hands tonight and don’t be surprised to see Jansen get five outs if needed.
The game two lineup has one surprise and one small one. Joc Pederson is playing left field not Andre Ethier, and Austin Barnes is still the starting catcher.
Houston has the exact same lineup that struggled against Kershaw and has struggled mightily on the road this postseason.
How great was Kershaw last night
Let me count the ways using Baseball Reference as my roadmap.
Clayton is only one of three pitchers to strikeout at least ten hitters and walk zero hitters in any World Series. It was last done by Cliff Lee in 2009. Before that you have to go all the way back to Don Newcombe in 1949, Big Kudos to Newk because he did that in an era where the strikeout % was very low compared to 2017.
Rk Player Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc 10 Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-24 WS 1 LAD HOU W 3-1 7.0 3 1 0 11 78 11 Don Newcombe 1949-10-05 WS 1 BRO NYY L 0-1 8.0 5 1 0 11 79 12 Cliff Lee 2009-10-28 WS 1 PHI NYY W 6-1 9.0 6 0 0 10 83
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2017.
How about double-digit strikeouts while pitching only seven innings? Only seven pitchers ever accomplished this in the World Series. The first was a relief pitcher named Moe Drabowsky who did it against the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series. The man pitched 6 2/3 of ridiculous relief. Still the greatest relief work in the history of the World Series. John Smoltz who called the game last night for Fox is on this list.
Player Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Moe Drabowsky 1966-10-05 WS 1 BAL LAD W 5-2 6.2 1 0 2 11 Blue Moon Odom 1972-10-18 WS 3 OAK CIN L 0-1 7.0 3 1 2 11 76 Orlando Hernandez 1999-10-23 WS 1 NYY ATL W 4-1 7.0 1 1 2 10 79 John Smoltz 1999-10-27 WS 4 ATL NYY L 1-4 7.0 6 3 3 11 61 Roger Clemens 2001-11-04 WS 7 NYY ARI L 2-3 6.1 7 1 1 10 64 Adam Wainwright 2013-10-28 WS 5 STL BOS L 1-3 7.0 8 3 1 10 58 Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-24 WS 1 LAD HOU W 3-1 7.0 3 1 0 11 78
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2017.
How about Los Angeles Dodger lore:
This game puts Clayton Kershaw among the big boys. It is hard to get a game score above 75 while pitching only seven innings but he managed to do it. Everyone else on this list pitched nine innings.
This list has the greatest postseason game ever pitched given context by Sandy Koufax. It has two Orel Hershiser 1988 gems against the Bash Brother A’s. It has the Don Drysdale game that humiliated the NYY and was the first postseason game ever pitched at Dodger Stadium in 1963 along with the game one by Sandy Koufax that set the modern day World Series strikeout record. It also has Burt Hooten and Jerry Ruess two of the most underrated Dodgers starters to ever grace Dodger Stadium.
It now has Clayton Kershaw. Welcome to the pantheon of Dodger World Series greatness.
Player Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Don Drysdale 1963-10-05 WS 3 LAD NYY W 1-0 9.0 3 0 1 9 89 Sandy Koufax 1965-10-14 WS 7 LAD MIN W 2-0 9.0 3 0 3 10 88 Sandy Koufax 1965-10-11 WS 5 LAD MIN W 7-0 9.0 4 0 1 10 88 Orel Hershiser 1988-10-16 WS 2 LAD OAK W 6-0 9.0 3 0 2 8 87 Burt Hooton 1977-10-12 WS 2 LAD NYY W 6-1 9.0 5 1 1 8 80 Sandy Koufax 1963-10-02 WS 1 LAD NYY W 5-2 9.0 6 2 3 15 79 Sandy Koufax 1963-10-06 WS 4 LAD NYY W 2-1 9.0 6 1 0 8 79 Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-24 WS 1 LAD HOU W 3-1 7.0 3 1 0 11 78 Don Drysdale 1965-10-10 WS 4 LAD MIN W 7-2 9.0 5 2 2 11 78 Claude Osteen 1965-10-09 WS 3 LAD MIN W 4-0 9.0 5 0 2 2 77 Orel Hershiser 1988-10-20 WS 5 LAD OAK W 5-2 9.0 4 2 4 9 76 Jerry Reuss 1981-10-25 WS 5 LAD NYY W 2-1 9.0 5 1 3 6 76
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2017.
The Kershaw dilemma
Even as Clayton Kershaw was pitching his gem last night it seemed that more folk were interested in mocking the haters and unbelievers than in enjoying one of the greatest World Series performances of the 21st century.
My thoughts on Kershaw entering every postseason is that the Dodgers will go as far as Clayton Kershaw can take them because every year he is the best player on this team. If Clayton falters the Dodgers falter, and the results bear this out.
Clayton Kershaw has to outpitch his opponent every time because his matchup is usually the best matchup the Dodgers will get in every postseason game.
In 2017 Kershaw has taken care of business and been the best pitcher on the mound in each of his four postseason starts. Sometimes just by a little.
You can’t measure Clayton Kershaw with a stat meant for mediocre pitchers like quality starts. Kershaw is a HOF pitcher who needs to be measured in a HOF way.
I won’t throw his postseason ERA at you because we know it is mostly based on 7th inning failures, so don’t throw the fact he’s thrown a whole bunch of quality starts at me. Did he outpitch his opponent in those quality starts? That is all I care about from the best pitcher in baseball.
I don’t know about the other Kershaw detractors, I don’t read them, I only know what I felt coming into 2017. Kershaw has pitched very well at times but the two times he really needed to pitch well he did not and those weren’t’ 7th inning implosion games, those were games the Dodgers needed to win to play another game and in both those games he never gave the Dodgers a chance. That is it. If you want to call that being a “hater” so be it. I call it an expectation based on a career of being the better pitcher over 90% of the time he takes the mound.
At no time I have ever said that Kershaw is not a good postseason pitcher, I have said repeatedly that the Dodgers will go as far as Kershaw can take them. You can validly say that is too much to put on one person. That is true, but I only expect Clayton to take care of his business every time he toed the mound, and I don’t think he has done that enough times given his pedigree. If the team has a weak bullpen he will need to overcome it. If he can’t (and he couldn’t) the team isn’t going to the World Series. I’m not sure why that is a controversial statement. If your best player has the chance to compensate for the weakness of a team and is unable to do so, it is likely not going to be a World Championship team.
This year he is taking them to a World Championship because this team has no weakness.
He just needs to keep doing his job.
Game one thoughts
Tomorrow will be filled with Clayton Kershaw and Justin Turner record-setting postseason stats courtesy of Baseball reference but for now, these are my World Series game one ramblings.
Before the game I was very calm, I have a lot of faith in this team and expect them to perform well in this World Series.
Keith Williams Junior sings the best National Anthem I’ve ever heard, and he does it consistently. I kind of feel if I was taking a knee as a protest and heard him sing, his performance would make me stand.
Josh Reddick is a good guy who had to know he was going to be booed after his comments the other day. He is a good player who had a horrible month and then did nothing in the postseason to help the Dodgers. I hope he hits a miserable single or two and that is all.
I don’t mind Joe Buck when the Dodgers are winning and he likes our players. At one point he did call Corey Seager the best player on the team, but I would beg to differ. He might eventually be the best player on the team, but in 2017 I would say that Chris Taylor/ Justin Turner/Cody Bellinger were all better players, though fWAR may not agree.
When Chris Taylor hit his leadoff home run I was happy and apprehensive. It was only last week that the Cubs kept scoring first on home runs only to lose.
Chris Taylor not only hit the leadoff home run on the first pitch but he barrelled up the ball three times, and got the key walk before the Justin Turner home run.
Justin Turner is someone I’d put on the stand right after Big Papi when trying to prove that clutch hitting is really a thing.
Cody struggled against a great left-hand pitcher. I expect him to show his colors against Morton/McCullers.
Kiké makes me comfortable while watching him play left field. With an outfield of Puig/Taylor/Kiké I can’t think of a better defensive Dodger outfield.
Corey Seager looks okay at the plate but I was surprised that Culberson did not replace him in the field after pinch hitting. I mean if you have Charlie Culberson on your World Series roster shouldn’t he be playing shortstop in a close game in the 9th inning?
Barnes has cooled off but caught a great game.
Clayton Kershaw was outstanding, and tomorrow we will show just how outstanding. I was thrilled they let him pitch the 7th, and that he handled the Corey Seager misplay with no problem.
Brandon Morrow kept up his outstanding work. What did Smoltz say, he has given up one extra-base hit to the last 150 hitters he has faced?
Kenley looks ready for two innings tomorrow
It was great to see Adrian Gonzalez doing the post-game show on the Dodger station.
Dodger fans got to see their first Dodger World Series victory in 29 years. For those who had to buy tickets in the secondary market was it worth it to spend at least 1,000 per ticket, deal with traffic and lines for several hours to get into the stadium, and several hours to leave the stadium?
I’m expecting the answer to be hell yeah it was.
Game one, Won
With a game one victory in the bank, let’s take a look at how other game one World Series played out.
1959 – Lost game one, won series 4 -2
1963 – Won game one, won series 4 – 0
1965 – Lost game one, won series 4 – 3
1966 – Lost game one, lost series 0 – 4
1974 – Lost game one, lost series 1 – 4
1977 – Lost game one, lost series 2 – 4
1978 – Won game one, lost series 2 – 4
1981 – Lost game one, won series 4 – 2
1988 – Won game one, won series 4 – 1
2017 – Won game one, series TBD
Dodger Organization will host packaging event for Nor Cal fires tomorrow
MEDIA ADVISORY—October 24, 2017
PRIOR TO GAME TWO, MLB AND DODGERS TO HOST VOLUNTEER PACKAGING EVENT FOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE VICTIMS
Commissioner Manfred & Dodger Legends
To Be On-Hand for Special World Series Community Event
WHO: Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr.
Orel Hershiser – 1988 World Series MVP; Three-time MLB All-Star; 18-Year MLB Pitcher
Steve Garvey – 10-Time MLB All-Star; 1981 World Series Champion; 19-Year MLB Infielder
Ron Cey – 1981 World Series MVP; Six-time MLB All-Star; 17-Year MLB Infielder
Nomar Garciaparra – Six-Time MLB All-Star; 14-Year MLB Infielder
Tom Brasuell – Vice President, Community Affairs, Major League Baseball
Frank Sanchez – National Vice President of Sports, Entertainment & Alumni Development, Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Calvin Lyons – Chief Executive Officer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles
Carlos Polanco – 2017-2018 Boys & Girls Clubs of America National Youth of the Year
WHAT: Major League Baseball and the Los Angeles Dodgers have put together a volunteer packaging event prior to Game Two of the 2017 World Series Presented by YouTube TV. Youth from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Los Angeles Challengers Clubhouse as well as Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholars & Alumni will join the effort to pack supply and comfort kits for victims of the Northern California wildfires. Supply kits will be distributed by Rebuilding Together (Petaluma) to those in need, while comfort kits will be donated to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Santa Rosa & Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Sonoma County.
MLB executives, including Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr., and Dodger Legends will be on-site and available for interviews.
WHEN: Wednesday, October 25th, 10:00 a.m. PST
WHERE: 5029 South Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90037
No final act for Granderson
The Dodgers finalized their World Series roster with one big surprise. Brandon McCarthy was added along with Corey Seager, with Curtis Granderson and Kyle Farmer being left off.
I understand Farmer getting let go instead of Culberson. With Barnes now the starting catcher they didn’t need the flexibility that Barnes added when he wasn’t starting.
Also with Andre now the starting left fielder against right-hand pitching that left Granderson as strictly a pinch hitter. The Dodgers decided they would rather have Joc Pederson than Curtis Granderson. For the second year in a row, the Dodgers have acquired an outfielder that simply didn’t cut it. Those two mistakes might be the only mistakes the front office has made over the past 16 months.
The big surprise for me was Brandon McCarthy over Pedro Baez. Baez made the NLDS roster but was left off both the NLCS and World Series roster. We probably won’t need to use Brandon McCarthy just as we didn’t need Baez in the NLDS.
I’m still not sold on our positional bench but with a DH in the American League, the whole pinch hitting thing becomes a moot point for three games. I also have to remember that with Adrian not playing and Grandal on the bench most of the time the need for pinch runners is also negligible as every starter can run for themselves. Andre might be the only person who you might want to run for.
I can’t pull the trigger
Anyone who knows me knows this story. At the age of fifteen, my mom let me cut school and stand in line for world series tickets for 1974. Back then the tickets were sold through outlets called ticketron and the local Sears in Glendale was our ticketron outlet.
My mom dropped me off early in the morning but not crazy early. I was already working so I had some money, it was all the money I had at the time and the plan was to buy the maximum tickets allowed which were four tickets. The Dodgers were the home team so I could buy tickets for game 1, 2, 6, or 7. I felt very confident the Dodgers would win the World Series but felt it would not be easy so I went with game six and game seven, thus starting a tradition of making bad decisions that has lasted most of my life. The line was fairly short. It was not like I spent the night to get a great spot in line. I don’t remember why, but I was about 10th in line and was able to get exactly the tickets I wanted. I went for the cheapest seats in the Pavillion as that was all I could afford at the time.
The Dodgers lost the series in five games and there was no game six. It was a very competitive World Series and it could easily have gone six games if a few breaks had gone the Dodgers way. I kept those tickets for a long time but eventually, they left as much of my possessions did as I tried to carve out a new life at the age of 30.
For whatever reason, I was never able to acquire tickets for any other World Series. 1977, 1978, 1981, and 1988 passed me by. From 1977 – 1981 I was working, going to college and living from check to check. I guess that is why, but I don’t really remember why. Seems like I could have figured out a way. I went out of my way to get two tickets for the 1980 play-in game against the Astros so I don’t know why I didn’t get World Series tickets in 1981. Maybe I felt my wife at the time would not approve of us spending that kind of money but I don’t even remember thinking about it.
It is very strange to me how blurry my mind is on something that should have been big moments in my life.
Anyway ever since 1988 when the Dodgers shocked me by beating Oakland I have sworn to myself that I would go to the next World Series. I didn’t expect it to take 29 years.
Starting in 2004 I got season tickets to make sure I would get World Series tickets. By 2010 I gave those tickets up and partnered up with someone else. From 2012 – 2015 I had season tickets with some one else but I was only going to ten of the forty games I had and was mostly giving them away to people at work. Once I stopped working, I couldn’t justify the season tickets anymore and let them go again. Another mistake.
Still I had a plan on buying World Series tickets. To help make that happen I sold my game seven Laker/Celtics tickets for $1500 in 2010. I have kept that cash in a bank in a special account specifically for buying World Series tickets.
In 1988 the highest World Series ticket was $750 for they best field box seats. That is the lowest price for the worst seat for game two.
1988 World Series tickets topped out at $750 https://t.co/E5jyo8eoqf via @latimes
— Phil Gurnee (@meercatjohn) October 24, 2017
So I have the money to buy the ticket to a game two. But I don’t want too.
At 58 I’ve found that watching a game at home is pretty damn sweet.
But the real reason.
Forty-five years may have passed but dammit I want to see a GAME SIX
The Dodgers better not win in five:)
The analysis no one asked for
Everyone has analyzed the World Series but I’ve tried to ignore the writing of the intelligent writers so as not to influence my subjective take on this series.
If the Astros are so good why did they look like the San Francisco Giants in NY?
If the Astros are so good why is their manager afraid to use their bullpen?
If the Astros are so good why are they playing a Venezuelan leprechaun at 2nd base?
If the Astros are so good how is Josh Reddick starting in right field for them?
If the Astros are so good why do they have Paul Bunyan on their team?
Ten things that Astro fans should know:
- Home boy Clayton Kershaw will own the biggest stage
- Kenley Jansen is big and bad
- Kenta Maeda is small and bad
- Rich Hill is a goof ball with a hippity hop who will curve you to death
- Yu Darvish is our 3rd starter. Our 3rd starter
- Justin Turner can’t possibly be this good, but he is
- Christ Taylor is named appropriately
- Puig don’t chase no more no more no more
- Cody Bellinger will beat you many different ways
- Chase Utley isn’t done yet
Kershaw finally reaches the biggest stage
It took Clayton Kershaw seventeen postseason starts to finally make it to the World Series and as he has done for most of his Dodger career, he will take the ball in game one.
Clayton has the advantage tonight given the game is at home, he’s facing a team who has rarely seen his stuff, and he’s Clayton Kershaw. Clayton has only pitched against the Astros once time since 2012 and he dominated them in a late August game in 2015. Just two years later the only starters for both teams from that game that will play today were Turner, Puig, and Hernandez for the Dodgers and Altuve, Correa, Gattis, and Gonzalez.
Baseball historians have said this will be the hottest day in World Series history as the temperatures are expected to hit 100 degrees at game time in Los Angeles. Living in the Valley, last night was one of the hottest nights of the year so I expect the forecast to hold true. It will also be a Winnie the Pooh type of blustery day with the hot wind making an appearance all day.
Mike Petriello says the ball could be jumping in the early going.
For once, when you hear “ball is flying tonight,” the numbers will back it up. G1 in LA at 100° should be fun.
MORE https://t.co/vmG0lXaVOf pic.twitter.com/8tkGBEXlBc
— Mike Petriello (@mike_petriello) October 23, 2017
The heat will be in the triple digits, I’m hoping for double digits from Clayton.
Date Series Gm# Opp Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc 2013-10-03 NLDS 1 ATL W 6-1 7.0 3 1 3 12 76 2015-10-09 NLDS 1 NYM L 1-3 6.2 4 3 4 11 61 2014-10-03 NLDS 1 STL L 9-10 6.2 8 8 0 10 36 2017-10-06 NLDS 1 ARI W 9-5 6.1 5 4 3 7 51 2016-10-07 NLDS 1 WSN W 4-3 5.0 8 3 1 7 45 2017-10-14 NLCS 1 CHC W 5-2 5.0 4 2 1 4 54 2009-10-15 NLCS 1 PHI L 6-8 4.2 4 5 5 3 34
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/24/2017.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 