OTDIB – May 25th, 2002 – Shawn Green carnage continues
On this date in baseball May 25th:
May 25th , 2002 – Shawn Green stays hot
With four homers on Thursday (5/23), one on Friday (5/24), and two more on Saturday (5/25), Shawn Green becomes the first major leaguer to hit seven round-trippers in three games. The Dodger outfielder’s nine big flies in a week also breaks a National League record, established by Ralph Kiner with eight and tied by Ted Kluszewski and Nate Colbert.
Might as well throw in this little bit about Shawn Green. In early May of 2002, Shawn Green was having a horrible start to the year. On May 19th he came into the game hit-less in his previous twelve at-bats and had a season OPS below .700. I went to the May 19th game and was chatting up the game with some fans. In his first ab-bat Green struck out looking. A woman turned around and said she was worried about Greeny, he was her favorite player but something looks wrong with him. I told her I was worried too but that he was to good a hitter to have simply lost it. In his 2nd at-bat he walked. In his 3rd at-bat he struck out again. She turned around again and said “are you sure he’s going to be OK”?. I like to think I gave her encouragement but I don’t really know. Finally, in the bottom of the 8th Shawn would hit a deep double to LCF in his last at-bat before heading to Milwaukee. I hope that lady watched that series.
In Milwaukee, Shawn Green had the greatest series in the history of baseball. In three games Shawn went nine for fourteen, hit six home runs (4 in one game), one double, and one triple.
He wasn’t done. He went to Arizona and collected seven more hits in just thirteen at-bats, three home runs, and another double.
In as span of six games, Shawn Green had sixteen hits in twenty seven at-bats, nine home runs, two doubles, and a triple. That was twelve extra base hits in six games.
His OPS after the carnage was .927, six games prior it was .685. In late May.
May 25th, 1935 – The Bambino’s last hurrah
At Forbes Field, Boston Braves outfielder Babe Ruth hits three homers and a single in an 11-7 loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The ‘Sultan of Swat’s’ seventh-inning solo shot off Gary Bush, a blast which clears the ballpark’s roof, will be the Bambino’s 714th and final home run
Now that is how you go out. The greatest of his time, it is a shame that Hollywood has done an awful job in capturing Ruth. I always thought a mini-series would do here because his life as an orphan at the Catholic school up through signing in the minors would be a great part one. His pitching exploits with the Red Sox as part two. And finally his trade to the Yankees that changed baseball forever.
This is how you lose five of six with an ERA of 1.50
Joe Davis was wondering how the Cardinals could be losers of five of their last six games when the rotation had an ERA of 1.50. Which made me wonder.
This is how:
May 16th – Lose to Boston 6 – 3. Lance Lynn starts, gives up only two earned runs but four total runs. The team gives up three unearned runs with errors by Gyorko, Pham, and Wong. That is seven errors for Wong which sounds like a lot because it is.
May 17th – Lose to Boston 5 – 4. Mike Leake started and gave up two earned runs in seven innings. The Cardinals blew a four run lead with Leake giving up a two run home run in the 7th, and Trevor Rosenthal giving up the tying runs in the 8th.
May 19th – Lose to Giants 6 -5. Michael Wacha started and gave up zero earned runs in six innings. The Cardinals had a 2 – 0 lead headed into the top of the 7th. Broxton gave up two runs in the 7th, and Oh blew the game in the 9th when he gave up two more runs.
May 20th – Lose to Giants 3 – 1. Another thirteen inning affair that Joe Davis called on National TV. Carlos Martinez throws nine scoreless innings but Kevin Siegrist gives up three runs in the 13th.
At this point the Cardinal starters have thrown 15 straight scoreless innings and lost both games. Twenty two innings of two earned runs and lost three straight games. Twenty eight innings of four earned runs and lost four straight games.
They finally win on May 21st, when the offense pounds Matt Cain while Adam Wainwright gives up only one earned run in six innings.
Lost to the Dodgers on May 23rd 2 – 1 as they run into the buzzshaw making Lance Lynn’s eight innings of one run ball pointless.
That is five losses in six games with the starters giving up only six earned runs in forty two innings.
That is how it is done.
OTDIB-May 24th-3-Dog goes for 6
This date in baseball on May 2th
May 24th, 1973 – The 3-Dog goes for six
In a 19-inning marathon, LA outfielder Willie Davis collects six hits in a 7-3 loss to the Mets at Dodger Stadium. The two clubs establish a National League mark by hitting into a combined nine double plays.
How many LAD have had six hits in a game you ask?
Player Date Rslt PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB Willie Davis 1973-05-24 L 3-7 9 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 Paul Lo Duca 2001-05-28 W 11-10 6 3 6 0 0 1 4 0 Shawn Green 2002-05-23 W 16-3 6 6 6 1 0 4 7 0 Chase Utley 2016-07-06 L 4-6 7 2 6 2 0 0 0 0
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Generated 5/24/2017.
Evidently if you are going to get six hits in a game, late May is the time to do it.
May 24th, 1986 – Anyone remember this?
A “drunk” Billy Martin is “fired” as the co-host of Saturday Night Live by executive producer Lorne Michaels after slurring his lines during a skit. In retaliation, the often-unemployed Yankee manager “sets fire” to his dressing room at the end of the show, which is the season finale.
This is National League baseball
Dave Roberts had a big decision to make, and only in the National League does this decision get to be made. His team was leading 1 – 0, his best starting pitcher, the best starting pitcher of his generation was pitching. It was the bottom of the 8th, and Clayton Kershaw was due up with a runner in scoring position.
Does Roberts pinch hit for Kershaw knowing he has Kenley Jansen ready to close out the current 1 -0 game while giving him a better chance at scoring a 2nd run?
Does Roberts let Kershaw hit, close out his own game?
Roberts let Kershaw hit, he walked, but Logan Forsythe struck out for the 4th time in the game and the runner was left stranded at second. In the top of the 9th, the Cardinals scored the tying run on a fluke play and the critics of the move felt that Kenley Jansen should have been pitching the 9th.
I think in this case you could argue either way. I was okay with the Roberts decision, though I could understand the thought process of those who felt Roberts should have pinch hit, gone aggressively for the second run, and let Jansen close it out.
What I can’t get behind is that this was a slam dunk decision. I really think it was 50/50 with good arguments on either side and that it just didn’t work out.
Pro Roberts Decision:
- Kershaw was cruising as only Kershaw can cruise
- Kershaw pitch count was completely under control and there were no signs of struggle
- Even in today’s game, a CG/Shutout means something to the pitcher. Does that make him bigger than his team by letting him go for it? Maybe. In this case Jansen was available. But what if this is October, and Jansen has pitched two straight games and is tired, and you have a cruising Kershaw? If he had bagged this game, that is just one more mental component that would help him in that October game if you don’t have a Jansen fall back. Or in a more simple sentence, Roberts went for the long game.
Anti Roberts Decision:
- Getting the second run with Jansen on the mound makes the lead just about 99.9% in the bag
- Jansen in the 9th, is better than Kershaw in the 9th
- A team win is more important than letting a pitcher go for CG/Shutout
I get it either way, I just don’t think either decision was a slam dunk.
Kershaw updates LAD/Cardinal Dodger Stadium leaderboads
Last night Clayton Kershaw twirled a gem, posting a game score of 87 with ten strikeouts. Yesterday I posted the LAD/Cardinal Game Score and Double Digit strikeout leaderboards of games pitched at Dodger Stadium.
With that game last night, Kershaw wedged himself into those leaderboards so I have to update them. Which is why I post them, hoping I’ll have to update them.
His game score of 87 is now good for fifth best ever against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium.
Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Fernando Valenzuela 1990-06-29 W 6-0 9.0 0 0 3 7 91 Don Drysdale 1965-05-25 W 2-0 9.0 1 0 0 6 91 Sandy Koufax 1963-07-03 W 5-0 9.0 3 0 0 9 90 Clayton Kershaw 2015-06-06 W 2-0 8.0 1 0 2 11 89 Sandy Koufax 1963-08-21 W 2-1 12.0 9 1 2 10 88 Clayton Kershaw 2017-05-23 W 2-1 9.0 3 1 0 10 87 Mike Morgan 1990-04-24 W 3-0 9.0 3 0 0 6 87 Fernando Valenzuela 1985-07-20 W 3-0 9.0 3 0 1 7 87 Fernando Valenzuela 1981-09-06 W 5-0 9.0 4 0 1 8 86 Al Downing 1973-05-06 W 3-0 9.0 2 0 2 5 86 Sandy Koufax 1965-09-25 W 2-0 9.0 5 0 3 12 86 Sandy Koufax 1962-06-18 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 0 9 86 Chad Billingsley 2011-04-17 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 2 11 85 Don Sutton 1970-06-11 W 2-1 10.0 6 1 0 9 85 Sandy Koufax 1964-08-16(1) W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 13 85
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2017.
Clayton also cracked the double digit strikeout leaderboard for the fourth time, giving Sandy Koufax and Kershaw nine of the fifteen games on the leaderboard.
Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Clayton Kershaw 2014-06-29 W 6-0 7.0 5 0 2 13 78 Sandy Koufax 1964-08-16(1) W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 13 85 Don Sutton 1973-07-11 W 3-1 9.0 7 1 3 12 78 Sandy Koufax 1965-09-25 W 2-0 9.0 5 0 3 12 86 Clayton Kershaw 2015-06-06 W 2-0 8.0 1 0 2 11 89 Chad Billingsley 2011-04-17 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 2 11 85 Clayton Kershaw 2017-05-23 W 2-1 9.0 3 1 0 10 87 Zack Greinke 2014-06-28 W 9-1 7.0 4 1 0 10 75 Clayton Kershaw 2010-06-09 W 4-3 7.0 4 3 2 10 65 Ismael Valdez 1999-04-24 W 6-1 9.0 6 1 2 10 79 Hideo Nomo 1997-06-07 W 5-2 9.0 6 2 3 10 74 Burt Hooton 1977-08-27 W 4-3 7.0 5 3 2 10 63 Sandy Koufax 1966-08-21 W 4-1 9.0 6 1 2 10 79 Sandy Koufax 1966-07-01 L 0-2 8.0 5 2 1 10 73 Sandy Koufax 1963-08-21 W 2-1 12.0 9 1 2 10 88
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/24/2017.
Forsythe has a triumphant return
For the first nine innings of last nights ballgame it looked like the Dodgers might have activated Logan Forsythe before he was ready. Logan struck out four times in his first four at-bats out of the lead off spot, but when it really counted he struck for gold connecting on a double to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 13th inning.
I was already set to add Logan to pantheon of LAD who had struck out five times in a game but alas he escaped the group with a walk and walk off double. But since I had it in the box here it is:
Player Date PA SO Andruw Jones 2008-07-12 5 5 Marquis Grissom 2002-08-26 6 5 Darryl Strawberry 1991-05-01 5 5 Bill Russell 1971-06-09 5 5
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Generated 5/23/2017.
I can kind of guess Jones/Strawberry/Grissom as they were all free swingers during their time with the Dodgers, but Bill Russell? Russell was the epitomy of a contact hitter so to find him on this list was shocking. In looking at his career at Fangraphs he constantly had a K rate < 10% and a career rate K rate of 8.3%. But in 1971 just as his career was starting his K rate was 17.5% more than double his career rate, and that game came in 1971.
This game will go into the categories as one of the top games of 2017 because:
- Clayton Kershaw was brilliant putting up a game score of 87 with double digit strikeouts
- Big NL managerial decision by Roberts to let Kershaw hit with a 1 – 0 lead in the bottom of the 8th with a runner on base.
- The bullpen was once again brilliant
- Several brilliant plays in the outfield involving Bellinger and Puig catching the ball while knocking Joc around like a bobblehead
- The crazy score from 2nd on a wild pitch even if for the opposing Cardinals.
- The Dodgers inability to make contact but still win the game
- From the start with Champ’s big smile to the end and Logan’s big smile
Here are some video’s of the game:
Another note. In the TBLA comments section Jon Weisman made an interesting point.
This is a little esoteric, even for Twitter, so I’m posting it here.
The Cardinals threw 209 pitches last night — 86 for balls, leaving 123 recorded as strikes. Of those 123, the Dodgers got three hits. Now, Baseball-Reference doesn’t have complete strike data, but for the games they do have, that 3/123 (2.4%) ratio is the worst for a game in Dodger history.http://bbref.com/pi/shareit/bz1OS
Posted by JonWeisman on May 24, 2017 | 7:05 AM
And one other note. While watching the Puig catch over and over in slow motion I was struck by how much ground he covered to catch the ball that was going to elude Joc.
Silverwidow over at TBLA comments showed me a link proving my thought process correct.
Roberts said nobody was to blame for the play, although Statcast™ showed that Pederson had a shorter patch to the ball than Puig, who was credited with his first five-star catch of the season. Puig had an 18 percent catch probability on the play, as he needed to go 93 feet in 5.0 seconds, according to Statcast™. Pederson had a 69 percent catch probability and was 87 feet away.
Best K games against Cardinals at Dodger Stadium – The Lefties own it
This isn’t a surprise, to be honest I expect Kershaw and Koufax to be at the top of this list every time. Which is why it was refreshing to see Nomo and Fernando hit the top now and then to change things up.
This list really is a who’s who of LAD pitching mountaintop. Good to see Burt Hooton show up.
Some notes:
- Koufax has five of the fourteen double digit K games
- Kershaw has three of the fourteen, giving the lefties, eight of the fourteen
- No one else has more than one game
- Sutton, Nomo, Billingsley, Valdez, Grienke, and Nomo round it out
Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Clayton Kershaw 2014-06-29 W 6-0 7.0 5 0 2 13 78 Sandy Koufax 1964-08-16(1) W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 13 85 Don Sutton 1973-07-11 W 3-1 9.0 7 1 3 12 78 Sandy Koufax 1965-09-25 W 2-0 9.0 5 0 3 12 86 Clayton Kershaw 2015-06-06 W 2-0 8.0 1 0 2 11 89 Chad Billingsley 2011-04-17 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 2 11 85 Zack Greinke 2014-06-28 W 9-1 7.0 4 1 0 10 75 Clayton Kershaw 2010-06-09 W 4-3 7.0 4 3 2 10 65 Ismael Valdez 1999-04-24 W 6-1 9.0 6 1 2 10 79 Hideo Nomo 1997-06-07 W 5-2 9.0 6 2 3 10 74 Burt Hooton 1977-08-27 W 4-3 7.0 5 3 2 10 63 Sandy Koufax 1966-08-21 W 4-1 9.0 6 1 2 10 79 Sandy Koufax 1966-07-01 L 0-2 8.0 5 2 1 10 73 Sandy Koufax 1963-08-21 W 2-1 12.0 9 1 2 10 88
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/23/2017.
Best game scores against Cardinals at Dodger Stadium
Top games scores by LAD pitchers against the Cardinals at Dodger Stadium. Wow, this seems like a lot. My cutoff point was 80, and a plethora of Dodger pitchers made the cut. Over 30 of them. Fernando leads the way with his “throw your sombrero to the sky” no hitter.
Some notes on the names;
- Some unusual names here belong to Mike Morgan the teen-age sensation. Morgan was drafted at age 18 in 1978 with the 4th pick and pitched in the major leagues the same season. It wasn’t until he turned 29 with the Dodgers that he started having above average success as a pitcher.
- Terry Adams the relief pitcher turned starter. Adams had made over 250 relief appearances before the Dodgers turned him into a starter in 2001. In 2001 he was the 3rd best starter in the Dodger rotation.
- Fernando must have loved pitching against the Cardinals, three of the six highest games scores belong to Fernando.
- Sandy Koufax had six games scores >= 80
- Don Sutton had five game scores >= 80
- Clayton Kershaw only one time but it was the 3rd best at 89.
- Only three pitchers in the 21st century made the cut, Kershaw / Adams / Billingsley
Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Fernando Valenzuela 1990-06-29 W 6-0 9.0 0 0 3 7 91 Don Drysdale 1965-05-25 W 2-0 9.0 1 0 0 6 91 Sandy Koufax 1963-07-03 W 5-0 9.0 3 0 0 9 90 Clayton Kershaw 2015-06-06 W 2-0 8.0 1 0 2 11 89 Sandy Koufax 1963-08-21 W 2-1 12.0 9 1 2 10 88 Mike Morgan 1990-04-24 W 3-0 9.0 3 0 0 6 87 Fernando Valenzuela 1985-07-20 W 3-0 9.0 3 0 1 7 87 Fernando Valenzuela 1981-09-06 W 5-0 9.0 4 0 1 8 86 Al Downing 1973-05-06 W 3-0 9.0 2 0 2 5 86 Sandy Koufax 1965-09-25 W 2-0 9.0 5 0 3 12 86 Sandy Koufax 1962-06-18 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 0 9 86 Chad Billingsley 2011-04-17 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 2 11 85 Don Sutton 1970-06-11 W 2-1 10.0 6 1 0 9 85 Sandy Koufax 1964-08-16(1) W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 13 85 Fernando Valenzuela 1986-05-03 W 3-0 9.0 5 0 1 8 84 Don Drysdale 1964-06-11 W 5-0 9.0 4 0 1 6 84 Alejandro Pena 1984-07-07 W 3-0 9.0 4 0 1 4 82 Bob Welch 1982-05-23 W 5-0 9.0 5 0 2 7 82 Bill Singer 1972-08-23 W 3-0 9.0 4 0 3 6 82 Sandy Koufax 1964-06-12 W 3-0 9.0 4 0 3 6 82 Don Drysdale 1965-09-26 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 0 4 81 Don Drysdale 1963-07-02 W 1-0 9.0 5 0 1 5 81 Terry Adams 2001-09-01 W 3-1 8.0 3 0 1 7 80 Ramon Martinez 1992-07-09 W 2-1 8.0 3 0 4 8 80 Don Sutton 1977-08-28 W 11-0 9.0 6 0 0 5 80 Don Sutton 1976-04-29 W 4-0 9.0 5 0 1 4 80 Don Sutton 1974-08-24 W 3-0 9.0 7 0 1 8 80 Andy Messersmith 1974-06-11 L 0-1 9.0 4 0 1 4 80 Andy Messersmith 1973-07-12 W 4-0 9.0 7 0 0 7 80 Don Sutton 1971-06-23 L 1-3 9.0 3 1 4 7 80 Sandy Koufax 1964-04-14 W 4-0 9.0 6 0 0 5 80 Johnny Podres 1962-09-30 L 0-1 9.0 5 1 0 7 80
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/23/2017.
Garvey has most TB against Cardinals at DS
Taking a look at the most total bases in one game against the Cardinals at home we find Steve Garvey at the top of the list. Quite a game by Garvey with three doubles and two home runs. Garvey’s game really stands out, that is a lot of total bases for one game.
Reggie Smith was a Cardinal before being a Dodger so he might have enjoyed that game a tad more than usual.
Player Date Rslt R 2B 3B HR TB RBI Steve Garvey 1977-08-28 W 11-0 5 3 0 2 14 5 Dusty Baker 1983-07-11 W 7-6 3 0 0 2 10 4 Reggie Smith 1976-07-21 W 7-6 3 0 0 2 10 2
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 5/22/2017.
How about the other side? Most total bases by a Cardinal against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Even before doing this search I’m expecting Fernando Tatis to be somewhere on the list.
Dang, Tatis doesn’t even make the cut. The guy hits two grand slams in one inning but can’t find another total base. The Cardinals haven’t had many big games against the Dodgers at the Ravine. I had to go below double digit total bases just to find Larry Walker some company.
Nice to see Pedro Guerrero on this list. Remember Juan Encarnacion as a Dodger? It was brief.
Player Date PA R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI Larry Walker 2004-09-12 5 3 4 1 0 2 11 3 Juan Encarnacion 2006-07-23 4 2 3 0 0 2 9 2 Jim Edmonds 2000-06-16 5 3 3 0 0 2 9 2 Mark McGwire 1999-05-22 5 3 3 0 0 2 9 3 Pedro Guerrero 1990-04-26 5 2 3 0 0 2 9 5
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Generated 5/22/2017.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 