Alcides Escobar – Toured the bases for an inside-the-park home run in the first (of 14) inning(s).
Last night, the Mets and Royals gave baseball fans a real treat – a 14-inning Game One of the World Series (won by the Royals 5-4). A lot has been written about that contest:
- Tied for the most innings in World Series history.
- Second-longest WS game by time at five hours and nine minutes.
- Longest Game One in terms of innings and time.
- Alcides Escobar hitting just the 12th inside-the-park homer in World Series history.
- The Mets’ Bartolo Colon becoming the oldest pitcher to lose a WS game (42 years and 157 days)
- Two critical errors (Royals’ 1B Eric Hosmer and Mets’ 3B David Wright), both made by players with multiple Gold Gloves on their MLB resumes.
- Mets’ OF Mike Conforto becoming just the third player to play in the Little League, College and MLB World Series – and the first to drive in a run in all three.
I could go on, but I will leave that to other observers. In this post, BBRT would like to focus on the three 14-inning games in World Series history – and how different they were.
Those three contests were:
- Game Two of the 1916 World Series (Dodgers/Red Sox) on October 9, 1916.
- Game Three of the 2005 World Series (White Sox/Astros) on October 25, 2005.
- Game One of the 2015 World Series (Mets/Royals) on October 28, 2015.
Here’s a teaser to entice you to read on: The number of pitchers used in each game ranged from just two to 17; the time of each game ranged 5:41 to 2:32; two of the games featured first-inning, inside-the-park home runs; and the winning team in each game went on to win the Series. Interested? If so, read on.
Pitchers Used … 2-17-13
Babe Ruth went the distance in 14-inning, 2-1 Series win.
In the Red Sox’ 1916 win, the teams used a combined TWO pitchers. Boston ace Babe Ruth (who had been 23-12 for the Red Sox with a league-low 1.75 ERA in the regular season) went the distance in a 2-1 victory, setting the record for most innings pitched in a single World Series game (14). Ruth gave up just six hits and one run, walking three and fanning four. The Dodgers’ Sherry Smith (14-10, 2.34 in the regular season) also went the distance (13 1/3 innings completed when the winning tally scored), giving up two runs on seven hits and six walks, while fanning two.
In the 2005 White Sox’ win (by a score of 7-5), 17 pitchers were used – nine by the White Sox and eight by the Astros. Last night, the Mets and Royals combined to use 13 hurlers – seven by the Royals, six by the Mets.
Players Used … 43-22-21
In the White Sox/Astros’ contest, a WS single-game record 43 players were used – including five pinch hitters and two pinch runners. In the Mets/Royals’ game, 22 players took the field (just one pinch hitter and one pinch runner). The Dodgers and Red Sox used only 21 players (the Dodgers the minimum nine), with two pinch hitters and one pinch runner.
Time of Game
The White Sox/Astros’ tilt was the longest game in World Series’ history in terms of time at 5 hours and 41 minutes. Last night’s Mets/Royals’ game was the second-longest at five hours and nine minutes. The Dodgers and Red Sox took only two hours and 32 minutes to complete their 14-inning matchup. (My how the game has changed.)
Inside-the-Park Home Runs
The Dodger/Red Sox’ and Mets/Royals’ contests each featured an inside-the-park home run – and both came in the first inning (Dodger’ CF Hi Meyers and Royals’ SS Alcides Escobar). Total long balls: The Mets/Royals and White/Sox Astros each featured three home runs; the Dodger/Red Sox just one.
Walks and Whiffs
The Mets/Royals featured nine walks and 22 strikeouts; with the Royals being most efficient at three free passes and 15 strikeouts. The White Sox/Astros’ game saw a whopping 21 walks in 14 innings, with 25 strikeouts. The Astros’ staff walked nine and whiffed 11, while the Sox walked 12 and struck out 14. The Dodgers/Red Sox put the ball in play – a total of only nine walks and six strikeouts combined.
Attendance – Pretty Darn Close
Mets/Royals … 40,320
White Sox/Astros … 42,848
Dodgers/Red Sox … 47,373
Total Hits, Runs and Errors
Last night’s Mets/Royals’ contest featured 22 hits, nine runs and two errors. The White Sox/Astros combined for 22 hits, 12 runs and four errors. The Dodgers/Red Sox were stingier at 13 hits, three runs and three errors.
Who Won the Series?
Omen? Who knows. In the 1916 and 2005 World Series, the teams that won the 14-inning contests went on to win the Series.
How the Games Ended
Mets/Royals … With the Mets’ Bartolo Colon on the mound in the bottom of the 14th, Royals’ SS Alcides Escobar led off by reaching third base on an error by NY third baseman David Wright. 2B Ben Zobrist singled to put runners on first and third. CF Lorenzo Cain was walked to load the bases and 1B Eric Hosmer hit a “walk-0ff” sacrifice fly to right to end the game – on an unearned run. Colon, the Mets’ sixth pitcher got the loss. Chris Young, the Astros’ seventh pitcher got the win (three innings of hitless, scoreless relief – one walk, four strikeouts).
Dodgers/Red Sox … With starter Sherry Smith still on the mound for the Dodgers, Red Sox’ 1B Dick Hoblitzell led off the bottom of the fourteenth with a walk. LF Duffy Lewis bunted him to second. At this point, the Red Sox brought in Mike McNally to run for Hoblitzell and Del Gainer to pinch hit for 3B Larry Gardner (zero-for-five at that point). The moves worked, Gainer singled to left, bringing home McNally with the winning run – in what we would now term “walk-off” fashion.
White Sox/Astros … Unlike the Dodgers/Red Sox and Mets/Royals, this game did not end in a walk-off. The White Sox scored the winning run(s) in the TOP of the fourteenth.
The two teams went into the fourteenth tied at 5. The Astros pulled a double switch – bringing Ezequiel Astacio in to pitch (and bat sixth), pulling 2B Craig Biggio and putting Jose Vizcaino (who had pinch hit in the bottom of the 13th) in at 2B. White Sox RF Jermaine Dye led off with a single to right field, but 1B Paul Konerko hit into a 5-4-3 double play. So, two outs and no one on base. That’s when things got ugly. ChiSox 2B Geoff Blum (the sixth player to hold the number-five spot in the batting order), who had come into the game defensively in the 13th, homered to give the Sox the lead. BBRT note: It would be Blum’s only at bat in the Series.
Next came a single by CF Aaron Rowand, a single by 3B Joe Crede and a walk to SS Juan Uribe to load the bases. Astacio then walked C Chris Widger to force in an insurance run – and was replaced on the mound by Wandy Rodriguez, who fanned LF Scott Podsednik to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Damasco Marte and Mark Buehrle combined to hold the Astros scoreless – although, thanks to a walk and an error, the tying runs were on base when Buehrle got Houston SS Adam Everett to pop out to end the game. Marte, the Sox’ eighth pitcher got the win, Buehrle the save. Astacio, the Astros’ seventh hurler, took the loss.
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Member: Society for American Baseball Research (SABR); The Baseball Reliquary; Baseball Bloggers Alliance.
