The Royals lead the Blue Jays 3-1 going into Game 5 this afternoon (4 PM) in Toronto. Edinson Volquez - who allowed only two hits in six scoreless innings in Game 1 - takes the ball for Kansas City, with Marco Estrada on the hill for the Jays.
The Mets have won the first three games of the NLCS and are looking to sweep the Cubs aside in Game 4 (8 PM). New York will go with Stephen Matz, while the Cubs counter with Jason Hammel.G1: Royals 5, Blue Jays 0 G2: Royals 6, Blue Jays 3 G3: Blue Jays 11, Royals 8 G4: Royals 14, Blue Jays 2
40 Years Ago Today: Carlton Fisk's 12th-inning home run gave the Red Sox a 7-6 win in World Series Game 6 over the Cincinnati Reds. (Fisk's homer actually came on October 22 as the game was played 34 minutes beyond midnight.) As the Fenway park crowd continued to celebrate, the Globe's Peter Gammons typed out what remains my favourite opening sentence to a game story:G1: Mets 4, Cubs 2 G2: Mets 4, Cubs 1 G3: Mets 5, Cubs 2
And all of a sudden the ball was there, like the Mystic River Bridge, suspended out in the black of the morning.Jason Varitek has reportedly interviewed for the job of Mariners' manager.
When it finally crashed off the mesh attached to the left field foul pole, one step after another the reaction unfurled: from Carlton Fisk's convulsive leap to John Kiley's booming of the "Hallelujah Chorus" to the wearing off of the numbness to the outcry that echoed across the cold New England morning.
At 12:34 a.m., in the 12th inning, Fisk's histrionic home run brought a 7-6 end to a game that will be the pride of historians in the year 2525, a game won and lost what seemed like a dozen times, and a game that brings back summertime one more day. For the seventh game of the World Series.
Rangers pitcher Derek Holland? Not a Jose Bautista fan.
ReplyDeleteAs you pointed out in one of the game threads yesterday: if Toronto loses the series, then there will be no one remaining in your postseason contest.
ReplyDeleteAt the very least, I'm rooting for both series to go seven games, if for no other reason than the fact that the World Series is not scheduled to begin until next Tuesday, which means almost a week with no baseball should KC and NY win tonight.
Since the 2004 ALCS, there have been eight instances in a best-of-seven series in which a team assumed a 3-0 lead.
ReplyDelete2004 Red Sox vs. Cardinals
2005 White Sox vs. Astros
2006 Tigers vs. A’s
2007 Rockies vs. Diamondbacks
2007 Red Sox vs. Rockies
2012 Tigers vs. Yankees
2012 Giants vs. Tigers
2014 Royals vs. Orioles
In all eight instances, the series ended in a sweep.
In the Gammons article, it should be noted (okay, I just WANT to note it) that his choice of future year in the phrase "in the year 2525" is not random--that was the name of a #1 song from six years earlier. (I still would have used 2727!)
ReplyDeleteThat's really the only clunky note in Gammons's opening.
ReplyDeleteGo Jays. Kinda.
ReplyDeleteActually don't care either way, but it will be fun around here if the Jays are in the WS. I will root for any team to beat the Mets, any time, any day, any way.