October 6, 2021

AL Wild Card Game Factoids

AL WC factoids, thanks to Doug Kern's Twitter.

First-Inning Home Run For Red Sox In A Winner-Take-All Game

Nomar Garciaparra off Charles Nagy (Cleveland), 1999 ALDS 5
David Ortiz off Kevin Brown (Yankees), 2004 ALCS 7
Dustin Pedroia off Matt Garza (Rays), 2008 ALCS 7
Xander Bogaerts off Gerrit Cole (Yankees), 2021 ALWC

Red Sox Hitting A Multi-Run Homer In First Inning Of A Postseason Game Against Yankees

John Valentin off Roger Clemens, 1999 ALCS 3
David Ortiz off Kevin Brown, 2004 ALCS 7
J.D. Martinez off J.A. Happ, 2018 ALDS 1
Xander Bogaerts off Gerrit Cole, 2021 ALWC

Xander Bogaerts also homered in the first inning of 2017 ALDS 4 (Astros). Other Boston players to hit multiple first-inning postseason homers: David Ortiz (3), Dustin Pedroia, John Valentin, and Kevin Youkilis.

Alex Verdugo is the second Red Sox player to hit a multi-run bases-loaded single in seventh inning or later in the postseason. The first was Rico Petrocelli, off Will McEnaney (Reds), 1975 WS 1.

Most Strikeouts In A Winner-Take-All Game, Red Sox Postseason

8 -  Pedro Martinez, 1999 ALDS 5 at Cleveland
8 -  Pedro Martinez, 2003 ALCS 7 at Yankees
8 -  Jon Lester, 2008 ALCS 7 at Rays
8 -  Nate Eovaldi, 2021 ALWC vs Yankees

Nate Eovaldi is the first Red Sox pitcher to record 8+ strikeouts and no walks in any game against the Yankees since Rick Porcello, August 3, 2018.

Nate Eovaldi is the only pitcher in Red Sox postseason history to strike out eight or more batters in fewer than six innings. (I dug this one up.)

Yankees Starters Giving Up 2 Home Runs And Pitching Fewer Than 3 Innings In A Winner-Take-All Game

Ivan Nova, 2011 ALDS 5 vs Tigers
Luis Severino, 2017 ALWC vs Twins
Gerrit Cole, 2021 ALWC at Red Sox

Gerrit Cole is the first Yankees starting pitcher to give up two homers while recording fewer than six outs at Fenway Park since Andy Hawkins, September 1, 1990.

Gerrit Cole has allowed five career home runs in Wild Card games. No other pitcher has given up more than two.

Yankees Struck Out 11+ Times And Drew 0 Walks, Postseason

1949 WS 1 vs Dodgers
2012 ALDS 3 vs Orioles
2021 ALWC at Red Sox

The only other game at Fenway Park in which the Yankees struck out 11+ times and drew zero walks was April 23, 2014 against John Lackey.

1 comment:

allan said...

While Eovaldi struck out 8 in 5.1 innings and any Sox pitcher who had 8+ strikeouts pitched 6 or more innings, I realized another pitcher could have struck out 8 in fewer than 6 innings, but kept pitching and thus had a longer start. So he might be the only one, he might not.