World Series: Did You Know?

Game three of the 2018 was the longest ever. And in terms of innings, it broke the previous record set in 1916 in a World Series between the Red Sox and Dodgers. Them again?

The Los Angeles Dodgers came home for the third contest in the 2018 Fall Classic with a pair of losses to show for their Fenway Park visit (8-4 and 4-2). So they needed a win, or be faced with the possibility of a sweep.

Well, the Boston Red Sox weren't about to let them just have the game, were they?

The home team struck first and Joc Pederson hit a solo shot in the last of the third. The way Walker Buehler was pitching for the Dodgers, one run seemed like enough. Buehler went seven innings. He did not allow a run. Could Los Angeles' bullpen hold the fort?

Kenley Jansen came in to pitch the top of the eighth. Six more outs. Kenley got the first two batters out. Four more outs. But then, Jackie Bradley tied the game with a solo home run of his own for Boston! And it stayed that way for a while.

In the top of the thirteenth, the Red Sox took the lead on a walk, a steak of second, and a single by Eduardo Nunez! Suddenly, it was Boston three outs away from a 3-0 lead in the World Series. But the home team wasn't about to pack it in for the night. Nope. The thirteenth was not an unlucky inning after all for the Dodgers, who scored a run in a very unusual sequence.

Max Muncy walked. The next two Los Angeles batters had no luck. 2 outs. But the second out actually advanced Muncy to second base. Cody Bellinger had popped to third. But in foul territory. The momentum of the catch carried Eduardo Nunez, the Boston third sacker, right into the stands. Seeing all this, Muncy was able to get to second base!

This was crucial, as Yasiel Puig singled up the middle. The ball didn't actually make it to the outfield, but in the end, Muncy scored. How, you ask? Well, Red Sox second basemen Ian Kinsler made the stop backhanded. But his throw to first was way to the left. Christian Vazquez, the first basemen, could not get to it. Max motored on home! Wow! 2-2, end of 13.

Well, the game continued, as many-a-pitcher came in to throw, but ended up putting the number "Zero" on the scoreboard. This continued on, if you can believe it, until the bottom of the eighteenth. The game had become essentially a doubleheader.

That's when Max Muncy came back up. Again, as in the bottom of the thirteenth, he was leading off. On the mound was Boston's ninth pitch of the ballgame, Nathan Eovaldi. He was working his seventh inning of relief. The count went full. And then Max delivered. He launched one over to the left-field corner. It went...Out! Hey! Los Angeles had that elusive win, 3-2!


Boston wasn't through, though. They took game four, 9-6 to put Los Angeles on the brink. But even if the Red Sox win game five and wrap this thing up, let their be no doubt: Any long, marathon game from here on in, during the World Series, will be, "Like that one in LA!"


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Highlight, Heaven. “Boston Red Sox vs. LA Dodgers World Series Game 3 Highlights | MLB 2018.” YouTube, YouTube, MLB, 27 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILKn8gutsN0.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 28 Oct. 2018.

Weinstein, Arthur. “World Series 2018: Red Sox, Dodgers Set Records For Longest Game In Series History.” Sporting News, Perform Media, 27 Oct. 2018, Web, 28 Oct. 2018. <www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/world-series-2018-red-sox-dodgers-epic-game-3-record-longest-game-world-series-history/1m58pjrmr5wgq1elwkf7f31kqr>.

World Series: Did You Know?

The last time the Red Sox and Dodgers met was 1916. The Dodgers were in Brooklyn then. They weren't even called the Dodgers in '16. Rather, the Robins. And Boston had a pitcher named Babe Ruth. Brooklyn had the colourful Casey Stengel.

It took the Red Sox just five games to win back then. The Fall Classic itself did offer some excitement. The very first game saw Boston, at home, up 6-1 after eight. Babe Ruth was still only a pitcher (More on that later) and did not appear in the game. Brooklyn came alive in the top of the ninth.

Stengel had singled after and walk and before a hit by pitch. The Robins ended up scoring four runs and had the bases loaded with Jake Daubert at the dish. Jake had led off the inning with that walk that started the carnage. Here, however, he grounded to short to end the game.



The second contest was even closer. Babe Ruth did appear. He pitched a gem of a game. He was in beast mode on the mound. Brooklyn managed to score a run off him in the top of the first, then got shutout the rest of the way.

"The rest of the way," was fourteen innings. Brooklyn held Boston to just a single run through nine as unheralded Sherry Smith (114-118 for his career) matched The Babe inning for inning with the zeros.

Alas, it was Smith who blinked first in extras. Ruth got 'em 1-2-3 in the top of the fourteenth, as it was the Red Sox who were going to win this in the bottom of the frame. Dick Hoblitzell got it all going with a walk. Duffy Lewis layed down a sac bunt. The set the stage for pinch hitter Del Gainer.

Mike McNally entered the game to run for Hoblitzell. Gainer singled to left, and McNally motored on home! A 2-1 Red Sox win!

Brooklyn came home and took came four in a nail-biting fashion, just like Boston had in the two previous contests. Did Casey Stengel have anything to do with it?

The game was scoreless going into the bottom of the third. Carl Mays, who'd gotten the save for the Red Sox in game one, got Hi Myers to ground out. But then the Robins woke up.

First it was Jake Daubert with a single. Then Stengel came through with one of his own. Zack Wheat was out on a liner. However, George Cutshaw stroked a two-out hit and it was 1-0, Brooklyn.

By the last of the fifth, it was 4-0 Brooklyn. Boston rallied, though. They scored twice in the top of the sixth, and again in the top of the seventh via a Larry Gardner home run. Jeff Pfeffer came in to pitch for the Robins and retired all eight men who faced him. His fine work helped Brooklyn win 4-3.

The 1916 World Series had been quite close through three games. The last two contests weren't, alas.

Brooklyn touched home twice in the bottom of the first in game four, but that was it for their offence. Boston erased that lead on another home run by Larry Gardner. It came in the top of the third. Not only was it a three-run shot, but it was an inside-the-park job! The Red Sox had the lead for good. They weren't through. They added three more runs and won, 6-2.

The fifth contest was a little closer, but Boston won it all at home. Brooklyn again scored in the second inning on a passed ball. But Ernie Shore, who'd won game one, was back on the hill and pitching great again.

When the game was over, he had a three-hitter. That run by the Robins in the second proved to be their lone tally. The home team scored once in the last of the second, twice the next inning, and again in the fifth. The 4-1 Boston win gave them the world championship.


References


Enders, Eric. 100 Years Of The World Series. New York: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2005. Print.

Neft, David S., Richard M. Cohen, and Michael L. Neft. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball, 1992. 12th ed. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. Print.

Neft, David S., and Richard M. Cohen. The World Series: Complete Play-by-play of Every Game, 1903-1989. 4th ed. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print.

Nemec, David et all. 20th Century Baseball Chronicle: A Year-by-year History of Major League Baseball. Collector's Edition. Lincolnwood, Ill: Publications International, 1993. Print.

Retrosheet. Retrosheet. Web. 18 Oct. 2018. <www.retrosheet.org>.

Sports Reference LLC. Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. http://www.baseball-reference.com/. Web. 18 Oct. 2018.

Johnson's Big Year, Part 2

So Johnson second set of stats are not quite up to par as his first set. Tom did save 15 games, but was credited with just 1 hold. He blew 7 saves, so that makes his conversion rate just 0.682. In addition, Johnson's WHIP was high (1.806), and his strikeouts and WAR rating were not very good.

Stat Set 2

	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Walsh	1904	1	?	?	?	2.60	57	4.6	1.102	0.1
Griffith	1905	1	?	?	?	1.68	46	4.1	0.954	3.3
Keefe	1907	3	?	?	?	2.50	20	3.1	1.387	2.0
Chappelle	1908	0	?	?	?	1.79	23	2.9	1.095	0.3
Leever	1909	2	?	?	?	2.83	23	3.0	1.257	-0.1
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Phillipe	1910	4	?	?	?	2.29	30	2.2	0.986	2.0
Baskette	1912	1	?	?	?	3.18	51	4.0	1.336	2.2
Crandall	1913	6	?	?	?	2.86	42	3.9	1.290	0.5
Wolfgang	1914	0	?	?	?	1.89	50	3.8	1.073	1.8
Mays	1915	7	?	?	?	2.60	65	4.4	1.063	1.0
Danforth	1917	9	?	?	?	2.65	79	4.1	1.324	3.2
Dubuc	1919	3	?	?	?	2.66	32	2.2	1.182	0.6
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Morton	1921	1	?	?	?	2.76	45	3.8	1.207	2.3
Baumgartner	1925	3	?	?	?	3.57	18	1.4	1.368	2.5
Marberry	1926	22	?	?	?	3.00	43	2.8	1.348	3.1
Haid	1928	5	?	?	?	2.30	21	4.0	1.064	0.4
Rommel	1929	4	1	0.800	1	2.85	25	2.0	1.484	1.6
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Lindsey	1931	7	1	0.875	?	2.77	32	3.9	1.634	1.1
Quinn	1932	13	?	?	?	2.66	24	3.5	1.383	1.1
Russell	1933	13	?	?	?	2.69	28	2.0	1.218	3.1
Malone	1936	9	1	0.900	0	3.81	72	4.8	1.515	2.9
Brown	1938	5	?	?	?	3.80	55	3.7	1.500	0.4
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Beggs	1940	7	4	0.636	0	2.00	25	2.9	1.161	2.2
Murphy	1941	15	7	0.682	0	1.98	29	3.4	1.397	2.2
Adams	1943	9	2	0.818	0	2.82	46	3.0	1.254	3.0
Heving	1944	10	?	?	0	1.96	46	3.5	1.228	1.9
Maltzberger	1944	12	?	?	0	2.96	49	4.8	1.095	1.8
Christopher	1947	12	2	0.857	0	2.90	33	3.7	1.277	1.4
Page	1949	27	11	0.711	0	2.59	99	6.6	1.315	4.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Konstanty	1950	22	4	0.846	0	2.66	56	3.3	1.039	4.7
Aloma	1951	3	1	0.750	0	1.82	25	3.2	1.096	3.2
Wilhelm	1952	11	1	0.917	1	2.43	108	6.1	1.155	2.7
Paige	1952	10	5	0.667	1	3.07	91	5.9	1.254	3.4
Kinder	1953	27	8	0.771	4	1.85	39	3.3	1.140	4.5
Mossi	1954	7	0	1.000	0	1.94	55	5.3	1.022	3.3
Narleski	1955	19	2	0.905	6	3.71	94	7.6	1.281	2.5
Freeman	1956	18	3	0.857	2	3.40	50	4.1	1.344	2.6
Farrell	1957	10	3	0.769	0	2.38	54	5.8	1.320	2.4
Zuverink	1957	9	8	0.529	0	2.48	36	2.9	1.278	2.7
Hyde	1958	18	5	0.783	0	1.75	49	4.3	1.136	4.9
Duren	1959	14	7	0.667	1	1.88	96	11.3	1.200	3.8
Staley	1959	15	4	0.789	2	2.24	54	4.2	1.169	2.5
Face	1959	10	9	0.526	1	2.70	69	6.7	1.243	3.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
McDaniel	1960	26	6	0.813	1	1.29	95	8.2	0.863	6.0
Brosnan	1960	12	2	0.857	2	2.36	62	5.6	1.020	2.7
Arroyo	1961	29	10	0.744	1	2.19	87	6.6	1.109	3.3
Fox	1961	12	2	0.857	3	1.41	32	5.0	1.012	2.6
Radatz	1963	25	3	0.893	0	1.97	162	11.0	1.096	5.7
Perranoski	1963	21	8	0.724	0	1.67	75	5.2	1.202	4.5
Lee	1964	19	8	0.704	1	1.51	111	7.3	1.058	4.3
Ellis	1964	14	2	0.875	1	2.57	125	9.2	1.054	3.1
Miller	1965	24	1	0.960	1	1.89	104	7.8	0.997	4.3
Regan	1966	21	7	0.750	1	1.62	88	6.8	0.934	5.0
Hoerner	1966	13	3	0.813	4	1.54	63	7.5	1.026	3.0
Drabowsky	1967	12	5	0.706	3	1.60	96	9.1	0.955	3.2
Abernathy	1967	28	6	0.824	1	1.27	88	7.4	0.978	6.2
Wood	1968	16	5	0.762	7	1.87	74	4.2	1.006	5.4
Tatum	1969	22	1	0.957	2	1.36	65	6.8	1.042	4.3
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Williams	1970	15	4	0.789	7	1.99	76	6.0	1.032	2.8
McMahon	1970	19	5	0.792	0	2.96	74	7.1	1.219	3.0
Sanders	1971	31	4	0.886	0	1.91	80	5.3	1.064	4.1
Giusti	1972	22	5	0.815	0	1.93	54	6.5	1.058	2.3
Knowles	1972	11	3	0.786	5	1.37	36	4.9	1.310	2.5
Hiller	1973	38	4	0.905	0	1.44	124	8.9	1.021	8.1
Borbon	1973	14	5	0.737	6	2.16	60	4.5	1.421	2.5
Marshall	1974	21	12	0.636	9	2.42	143	6.2	1.186	3.1
Gossage	1975	26	5	0.839	1	1.84	130	8.3	1.193	8.2
Eastwick	1976	26	9	0.743	1	2.09	70	5.9	1.115	2.8
Lyle	1977	26	8	0.765	1	2.17	68	4.5	1.197	3.7
Sutter	1977	31	9	0.775	0	1.34	129	10.8	0.857	6.5
Johnson	1977	15	7	0.682	1	3.13	87	5.3	1.806	2.5
Stanley	1978	10	5	0.667	1	2.60	38	2.2	1.242	4.1
Blair	1978	28	5	0.848	2	1.97	91	8.2	1.246	4.1
Tekulve	1979	31	6	0.838	8	2.79	75	5.0	1.176	3.2
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
McGraw	1980	20	5	0.800	0	1.46	75	7.3	0.921	4.7
Fingers	1981	28	6	0.824	0	1.04	61	7.0	0.872	4.2
Caudill	1982	26	6	0.813	0	2.35	111	10.4	1.045	4.4
Reardon	1982	26	8	0.765	2	2.06	86	7.1	1.128	3.5
Smith	1983	29	4	0.879	1	1.65	91	7.9	1.074	4.8
Hernandez	1984	32	1	0.970	0	1.92	112	7.2	0.941	4.8
Lamp	1985	2	5	0.286	8	3.32	68	5.8	1.164	1.3
Eichhorn	1986	10	4	0.714	7	1.72	166	9.5	0.955	7.4
Righetti	1986	46	10	0.821	0	2.45	83	7.0	1.153	3.8
Henke	1987	34	8	0.810	1	2.49	128	12.3	0.926	3.3
Burke	1987	18	4	0.818	5	1.19	58	5.7	0.890	4.3
Henneman	1988	22	7	0.759	2	1.87	58	5.7	1.051	3.3
Lancaster	1989	8	3	0.727	7	1.36	56	6.9	1.032	3.9
Russell	1989	38	6	0.864	0	1.98	77	9.5	0.950	2.5
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Eckersley	1990	48	2	0.960	0	0.61	73	9.0	0.614	3.3
Thigpen	1990	57	8	0.877	0	1.83	70	7.1	1.038	3.4
Henry	1991	15	1	0.938	3	1.00	28	7.0	0.833	2.2
Aguilera	1991	42	9	0.824	0	2.35	61	8.0	1.072	2.4
Ward	1992	12	4	0.750	24	1.95	103	9.1	1.135	3.1
Rojas	1992	10	1	0.909	13	1.43	70	6.3	1.043	3.9
Wetteland	1993	43	1	0.977	0	1.37	113	12.0	1.008	4.2
Harvey	1993	45	4	0.918	0	1.70	73	9.5	0.841	4.0
Beck	1993	48	4	0.923	0	2.16	86	9.8	0.882	2.4
Hoffman	1998	53	1	0.981	0	1.48	86	10.6	0.849	4.1
Urbina	1998	34	4	0.895	0	1.30	94	12.2	1.010	3.2
Williamson	1999	19	7	0.731	5	2.41	107	10.3	1.039	2.8
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Rhodes	2001	3	4	0.429	31	1.72	83	11.0	0.853	2.5
Smoltz	2003	45	4	0.918	0	1.12	73	10.2	0.870	3.3
Timlin	2005	13	7	0.650	24	2.24	59	6.6	1.320	2.9
Nathan	2006	36	2	0.947	0	1.58	95	12.5	0.790	3.3
Ryan	2006	38	4	0.905	1	1.37	86	10.7	0.857	3.6
Putz	2007	40	2	0.952	0	1.38	82	10.3	0.698	4.0
Rivera	2008	39	1	0.975	0	1.40	77	9.8	0.665	4.3
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR
Bell	2010	47	3	0.940	0	1.93	86	11.1	1.200	1.9
Aceves	2011	2	3	0.400	11	2.61	80	6.3	1.105	2.7
Axford	2011	46	2	0.958	0	1.95	86	10.5	1.140	2.3
Cook	2012	14	7	0.667	21	2.09	80	9.8	0.941	2.6
Chapman	2012	38	5	0.884	6	1.51	122	15.3	0.809	3.6
Johnson	2012	51	3	0.944	0	2.49	41	5.4	1.019	2.4
Smyly	2013	2	4	0.333	21	2.37	81	9.6	1.039	2.6
Davis	2014	3	3	0.500	33	1.00	109	13.6	0.847	3.7
Clippard	2014	1	6	0.143	40	2.18	82	10.5	0.995	1.5
Rondon	2015	30	4	0.882	8	1.67	69	8.6	1.000	2.2
Britton	2016	47	0	1.000	0	0.54	75	9.9	0.836	4.2
Osuna	2016	36	6	0.857	0	2.68	82	10.0	0.932	2.1
Brach	2016	2	5	0.286	24	2.05	92	10.5	1.038	2.5
Miller	2016	12	2	0.857	25	1.45	123	14.9	0.686	3.8
Robertson	2017	14	2	0.875	8	1.84	98	12.9	0.849	2.9
Jansen	2017	41	1	0.976	1	1.32	109	14.4	0.746	2.9
Albers	2017	2	4	0.333	14	1.62	63	9.3	0.852	2.5
Kimbrel	2017	35	4	0.897	1	1.43	126	16.4	0.681	3.6
Morrow	2018	18	1	0.947	0	1.46	25	9.1	1.135	1.1
Trivino	2018	4	1	0.800	12	1.22	50	10.2	0.947	2.2
Treinen	2018	25	4	0.862	0	1.06	65	11.5	0.980	2.4
Jeffress	2018	4	4	0.500	17	1.29	63	10.2	1.006	2.4
Yarbrough	2018	0	0	0.000	1	3.88	123	7.9	1.280	0.8
Hader	2018	11	4	0.733	20	2.31	138	15.9	0.795	2.3
Pitcher	Year	S	BS	S%	H	ERA	K	K/9	WHIP	WAR

Notes


Baumgartner appeared as a starter twelve times

Wolfgang and Baskette appeared as a starter eleven times.

Danforth and Malone appeared as a starter nine times.

Phillipe and Walsh appeared as a starter eight times.

Morton and Griffith appeared as a starter seven times.

Paige, Mays, Chappelle, Rommell and Yarbrough appeared as a starter six times.

Marberry, Mossi, Lee, Ellis and Dubuc appeared as a starter five times.

Leever and Aceves appeared as a starter four times.

Russell, Stanley, Adams and Keefe appeared as a starter three times.

Brown, McDaniel, Wood, Crandall, Brosnan and Lindsey appeared as a starter two times.

Beggs, Quinn, Narleski, McGraw and Aloma appeared once as a starter.

Maltzberger, Hyde, Konstanty, Duren, Brosnan, Tekulve and Henke all wore glasses.

Morrow's stats are through July 1, 2018.

Trivino's stats are through July 18, 2018.

Treinen's stats are through July 25, 2018.

Jeffress stats are through August 13, 2018.

Yarbrough stats are through Sept 19, 2018.

Hader's stats are through September 24, 2018.


References


Sports Reference LLC. "Tom Johnson Pitching Stats" Baseball-Reference.com - Major League Statistics and Information. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/j/johnsto02-pitch.shtml. Web. 17 Oct. 2018.