The League Championship Series are behind us – and here’s a look back at what caught Baseball Roundtable’s attention in this round.
First – and, perhaps, most important – the two teams with the best records are moving on to the World Series. As the Astros advanced, I did fear the expanded “tournament” format might render the season-long results relatively meaningless.
Second, we are seeing two teams at opposite end of the financial spectrum. According to MLB.com, the Dodgers have the highest pro-rated payroll, while the Rays have the third-lowest.
Third – at least this far into the post season – the two squads took different paths to the Fall Classic. This post season, for example, the Rays have scored 72 percent of their runs via the home run, compared to 42 percent for the Dodgers. As the “The Tale of the Tape” charts below show, you might have expected the Dodgers to look to the long ball more than the Rays. I was also a bit surprise to see that the Dodgers used an average of 5.1 pitchers per game, while the Rays used an average of 4.3. (I fully expected the Rays would make more pitching changes.)
Then there is the traditional BBRT Trot Index (plate appearances that result in a trot to first base or back to the dugout, rather than action on the field). As you can see, the percentage of overall plate appearances resulting in a “trot” were fairly level across the regular season and post season – with between 37 and 39 percent of plate appearances ending in a trot. Still, we have seen a bit of an uptick in home run frequency in the post-season (perhaps in part due to the Rays’ newly found power).
Now, a few highlights from the League Championship Series.
Ouch. Hard to Dodge(r) Those Bullets
In Game Three of the NLCS (October 14), the Dodgers put up 11 runs in the first inning against the Braves. The 11 tallies are the most scored by any team in any inning of a post-season contest. That Dodger big inning featured three home runs (Joc Pederson, Edwin Rios, Max Muncy); two doubles; two singles; three walks; and one hit-by-pitch.
Good to the Very Last Out
Ten of the eleven runs scored in the Dodgers’ big inning versus the Braves came after two outs. Going into the 11-run inning, Braves’ pitchers had given up just 12 runs in 67 2020 post-season frames (1.61 ERA).
There’s Always a First Time
On October 14, in Game Three of the Dodgers/Braves NLCS, Atlanta’s number-nine hitter, rookie CF Cristian Pache, hit his first major league home run. It came in the bottom of the third inning and, while the Braves were trounced 15-3, Pache did make a little bit of history. He became just the seventh major leaguer to hit his first long ball in the post season. The 21-year-old rookie had just four at bats in the regular season (one hit, two strikeouts). In four minor-league seasons, Pache hit .283 with 21 home runs.
Here’s a snapshot of the others on this list. Four of them were pitchers and for three it was the only MLB home run of their careers.
Rosy Ryan, Giants, Pitcher – October 6, 1924 – World Series Game Six
Ryan, who came on in relief in the top of the fourth inning of the 1924 World Series sixth game, took the Senators’ Allen Russell deep (solo shot) in the bottom of the inning – expanding the Giants’ lead to 4-2 in a game they eventually won 6-4. Ryan played in ten MLB seasons, going 51-47, 4.14. As a hitter, he was .190-1-12 in the regular season and .250-1-2 in four post-season at bats.
Frank Demaree, Cubs, CF – October 2, 1932 – World Series Game Four
Frank Demaree was just 22-years-old, with only 22 regular-season games for the Cubs, when he started in CF, batting fifth, for Chicago in Games Two and Four of the 1932 World Series (against the Yankees). Demaree had an RBI single in four trips in Game Two, then marked his place in post-season history with his first MLB home run (a three-run shot) in the bottom of the first inning of Game Four. Demaree went on to play 12 MLB seasons, hitting .299-72-591.
Mickey Lolich, Pitcher, Tigers – October 3, 1968 – World Series Game Three
Mickey Lolich hit his first AND ONLY MLB home run in Game Two of the 1968 World Series (Tiger versus Cardinals). The solo shot came in the top of the third inning of a Tigers’ 8-1 win in St. Louis. Lolich also drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth inning, had a single in the eighth and pitched a complete-game, six-hitter – for a pretty good day at the ballpark. Lolich went 217-191, 3.44 in sixteen MLB seasons – and hit .110-0-31.
Don Gullett, Pitcher, Reds – October 4, 1975 – NLCS Game One
Gullet’s first MLB home run was a two-run shot in the bottom of the fifth inning of the Reds’ 8-3 win over the Pirates in Game One of the 1975 NLCS. Gullett also had an RBI single in the second inning and tossed a three-run, eight-hit complete game. Like Lolich, Gullet’s post-season dinger was his ONLY MLB home run. Gullet pitched in nine MLB seasons, going 109-50, 3.11 and hitting .194-0-36. He was a better post-season hitter, going .292-1-6 in 24 at bats over eleven post-season series.
Melvin Mora, CF, Mets – October 13, 1999 – NLCS Game Two
Melvin Mora, a 27-year-old rookie, replaced Ricky Henderson in the second inning Game Two of the 1999 NLCS, (versus the Braves). In 31 regular-season at bats, Mora had hit .161 with no home runs and just one RBI. In the fifth inning of this game, he hit his first MLB home run, a solo shot off Kevin Millwood that tied the game at one apiece. Mora would play 13 MLB seasons, hitting .277-171-754. His best campaign was 2004, when he hit .340 with 27 home runs, 101 RBI, 111 runs scored and 11 stolen bases for the Orioles.
Joe Blanton, Pitcher, Phillies – October 26, 2008 – World Series Game Four
Joe Blanton’s home run in Game Four of the 2008 World Series was his first AND ONLY MLB long ball. The solo shot came against the Rays’ Edwin Jackson in the top of the fifth with the Phillies leading 5-2. Blanton would pitch 13 MLB seasons going 101-97, 4.38 and hitting .106-0-6 (216 at bats). The home run off Jackson was Blanton’s only hit in 15 post-season plate appearances (one hit, one walk, ten strikeouts).
Bookends, Indeed
On October 15, as the Astros topped the Rays in Game Five of the ALCS. Astros’ leadoff hitter George Springer hit the very first pitch in the bottom of the first inning for a home run to deep LF. Eight innings later, in the bottom of the ninth, with the game knotted at 3-3, Astros; SS Carlos Correa hit the last pitch of the game (a 1-1 offering from reliever Nick “Anderson) out of the park to CF for a walk-off game winner. To prove that “in baseball we track everything,” it was noted that this was the first instance of a team hitting the first and last pitch it saw in a post-season game for a pair of home runs.
What a Relief to Start
On October 16, in Game Five of the NLCS, southpaw A.J. Minter of the Braves made his first-ever MLB start – holding the Dodgers to one hit and no runs, while walking none and fanning seven (over three innings). The Dodgers, by the way, won the Game 7-3. Up until that game, the 26-year-old Minter had made 139 regular-season and five post-season appearances – all in relief. While he came away with a no-decision, he did make a mark as the first MLB pitcher to make his very first start in the post season.
K-Rod … Post-Season Decision-Maker
Francisco Rodriguez made his MLB debut (with the Angels) on September 18, 2002 and went on to appear in five 2002 regular-season games (5 2/3 innings pitched and 13 strikeouts) – with no decisions (wins, losses or saves). In the 2002 post-season, he appeared in 11 games and picked up five wins and one loss (18 2/3 innings pitched, 28 strikeouts). Thus, Rodriguez tied (Randy Johnson, 2001) for the record for the most wins in a single post-season (five) before having a single regular-season decision. (Stephen Strasburg joined Johnson and Rodriguez with five wins in the 2019 post season.)
Rodriguez went on to pitch 16 MLB seasons (2002-2017), was a six-time All Star, and led the AL in saves three times. He holds the MLB record for saves in a season, with 62 in 2008. His final career stat line was 52-53, 2.86, with 437 saves and 1,142 strikeouts in 976 innings.
Which Mr. Smith was That?
On October 16, as the Dodgers topped the Braves 7-3 in Game Five of the NLCS, Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith was a hero, hitting a go ahead three-run home in the top of the sixth inning. But it was not all celebration for the game’s Wil Smith(s). Dodger Will Smith hit his homer off Braves’ reliever Will Smith – who earned a blown save and a loss.
Not in the Post Season, but in the Same Vein as the Two Will Smiths
On August 15, 1962, the Phillies topped the Mets 9-3 in the first game of a doubleheader at the Polo Grounds. No big surprise there, as the Mets’ record going into the game was 30-88. What was more surprising was that Phillies’ outfielder Don Demeter hit his 19th and 20th home runs of the season in the game – off a right-handed and a left-handed “Bob Miller.” Oh yes, and he did it while playing two different defensive positions.
In the third inning, with the Phillies’ up 2-0, Demeter (who had started the game in left field and in the five-spot in the order) smacked a solo shot off starter (right-hander) Robert Lane Miller. Then in the ninth inning, Demeter – who had moved to center field in the seventh – hit a three-run homer (extending the Phillies’ lead to 9-2) off southpaw reliever Robert Gerald Miller. Two homers, in one game, off two Bob Millers, a right-hander and a port-sider.
Demeter, notably, was on the way to his best-ever major league season. In 1962 (his sixth of eleven MLB seasons), he achieved his career highs for average (.307), home runs (29), RBI (107), runs scored (85), hits (169) and doubles (24). The two Millers? Starter Bob Miller went 1-12, 4.89 in 1962 (69-81, 3.37 with 52 saves in 17 MLB seasons). Reliever Bob Miller went 2-2, 7.08 in 1961, the last of his five MLB seasons (6-8, 4.72).
Another There’s Always a First Time
On October 17, Braves’ starter Max Fried took a loss for the first time in 2020. Fried had gone 7-0. 2.25 in 11 regular-season starts and had three no-decisions in his three 2020 post-season assignments. (He had gone 0-0, 2.65, with 18 whiffs in 17 innings in those three starts.) In the October 17 start versus the Dodgers, Fried gave up three runs in the first inning of a 3-1 loss. Then pitched 5 2/3 scoreless frames.
MVP-MVP
Photo by apardavila 
The MVPs of the two Championship Series were Rays’ rookie Randy Arozarena – who became the first rookie position player to win a League Championship Series (or World Series) MVP Award – and Dodgers’ SS Corey Seager.
Seager came close to literally “tearing the cover off the ball.” In the seven-game NLCS, he hit .310, with five home runs and 11 RBI – the only National Leaguer to reach those homer and RBI numbers in a single post-season series.
Cruzin’ to a Record
Nelson Cruz holds the AL and MLB record for the most home runs in a single post-season series. In the 2011 ALCS, Cruz (then with the Rangers) hit six home runs and drove in 13 tallies, as Texas topped Detroit in six games
Arozarena hit .321 in the ALCS (9-for-28), with four home runs, four RBI and six runs scored. Over the first three rounds of the playoffs he hit .382, with seven homers and ten RBI. Note: While the 25-year-old outfielder retained his rookie status this season, he did see post-season action in 2019 (after an August call up to the Cardinals); going 0-4 in five NLDS and NLCS games with the Redbirds. His seven homers are an MLB rookie record for a single post-season and he is only one dinger off the overall MLB record of eight (Barry Bonds, 2002; Carlos Beltran, 2004; Nelson Cruz, 2011). He’s got plenty of time to join or surpass that trio of stars.
A Winner in Winner-Takes-All
Photo by jmd41280
Rays’ Game Seven ALCS starter Charlie Morton picked up his MLB-record fourth victory in a “Winner-Takes-All” contest. In addition to this year’s ALCS Game Seven, he picked up victories in Game Seven of the 2017 ALCS and Game Seven of the 2017 World Series (as a member of the Astros), as well as for the Rays in last season’s Wild Card Game.
In those four contests, he pitched a total of 19 2/3 innings, giving up 11 hits and just one earned run (two runs), while walking six and fanning 19. In the 2020 post-season, Morton is 3-0, with a 0.57 earned run average in three starts (15 2/3 innings pitched).
—–Top 2020 Post-Season Hitters Going into the World Series—-
AVERAGE
Dodgers: Mookie Betters (.311); Corey Seager (.298) Cody Bellinger (.250)
Rays: Randy Arozarena (.382); Manuel Margot (.256); Joey Wendle (.225)
HOME RUNS
Dodgers: Corey Seager, Dodgers (6); Cody Bellinger, Dodgers (3); Enrique Hernandez (2); Max Muncy (2); Edwin Rios (2)
Rays: Randy Arozarena (7); Manuel Margot (5); Ji-Man Choi (2); Austin Meadows (2)
RBI
Dodgers: Corey Seager (15); Will Smith, Dodgers (11); Cody Bellinger, Dodgers (10)
Rays: Manuel Margot (11); Randy Arozarena (10); Mike Zurino, Rays (8)
RUNS SCORED
Dodgers: Corey Seager (13); Mookie Betts (10); Justin Turner (10)
Rays: Randy Arozarena (14); Manuel Margot (7); Joey Wendle (7)
—–Top 2020 Post-Season Pitchers Going into the World Series—–
EARNED RUN AVERAGE (at least ten innings pitched)
Dodgers: Julio Urias (0.56); Walker Buehler (1.89); Clayton Kershaw (3.32)
Rays: Charlie Morton (0.57); Blake Snell (3.20); Tyler Glasnow (4.66)
WINS
Dodgers: Julio Urias (4); Clayton Kershaw (2)
Rays: Charlie Morton (3); Tyler Glasnow (2); Blake Snell (2)
STRIKEOUTS
Dodgers: Walker Buehler (30); Clayton Kershaw (23); Julio Urias (16)
Rays: Tyler Glasnow (25); Blake Snell (19); Charlie Morton (17)
APPEARANCES
Dodgers: Blake Treinen (8); Brusdar Graterol (6); Kenley Jansen (6)
Rays: Nick Anderson (7); Diego Castillo (7); John Curtiss (6); Pete Fairbanks (6); Ryan Thompson (6)
SAVES
Dodgers: Kenley Jansen (2); Brusdar Graterol (1); Joe Kelly (1)
Rays: Pete Fairbanks (3); Diego Castillo (2); Nick Anderson (1)
WHO WIN THE WORLD SERIES? I LEAN TOWARD THE DODGERS, BUT THIS SHOULD BE A GREAT ONE TO WATCH.
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