Here’s your
morning baseball briefing:
Game of the Day for Thursday August 15:
San Francisco Giants 4, Washington Senators 3
Giants
pinch-hitter Hector Sanchez stepped to the plate against Nationals closer
Rafael Soriano in the bottom of the ninth with two outs, two runners on, with his
team trailing 4-1, and held up on a 2-2 borderline pitch that was called a
ball, only to send the next pitch sailing inside the left-field foul pole for a
go-ahead three-run home run, his first of the year and a game winner for San
Francisco. The spectacular homer spoiled
a six-hit, one-run effort by Nationals starter Dan Haren in Washington and gave
the Giants a brief moment of utopia in an otherwise forgettable season. The defending champions are 17 games out of
first place and will need a miracle to make the playoffs.
Rest
of the day’s scores:
Consecutive
days with a walk-off win (where the home team scores the winning run in the
ninth inning or later that immediately ends the game): 5. The
St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox each walked-off winners on Thursday.
Longest
Winning Streak: 8, by the Los Angeles Dodgers
Longest
Losing Streak: 4, by the Chicago Cubs
A.L. MVP
Watch: Mike Trout, OF, Los Angeles Angels
Yesterday:
1-3, 1 run, 1 walk, 1 stolen base
Season: .330, 21 HRs, 78
RBI, 85 runs scored and 27 stolen bases
On pace
for: .329, 28 HRs, 106, 115 runs scored
and 36 stolen bases
N.L. MVP
Watch: Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds
Yesterday:
1-3 with a home run, RBI, run scored
and a walk
Season: .320, 18 HRs, 57 RBI
and 82 runs scored
On pace
for: .319, 24 HRs, 76 RBI and 110 runs
scored
A.L. Cy
Young Watch: C.J. Wilson, Los Angeles Angels
Yesterday:
6.2 IP, 11 hits, 1 run, and 3 K’s in
a won vs. New York Yankees
Season: 13-6, 146 K’s, and a
3.40 ERA
On pace
for: 17-8, 198 K’s and a 3.37 ERA
N.L. Cy
Young Watch: Zach Wheeler, New York Mets
Yesterday:
6 IP, 7 hits, 1 run and 12 K’s in a
no-decision vs. San Diego
Season: 5-2, 57 K’s, and a
3.43 ERA
On pace
for: 6-2, 79 K’s and a 3.39 ERA
News &
Notes: The New York Yankees signed free agent slugging first
baseman Mark Reynolds to a contract for the rest of the year. Reynolds was released by Cleveland last
earlier in the month.
According to reports made public from the Biogenesis PED Clinic
scandal that resulted in 13 player suspensions, Yankee third baseman Alex
Rodriguez, the only player appealing his suspension, leaked the names to
authorities of those involved, specifically Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee
Brewers.
History –
1967 World Series
Winner: The St. Louis Cardinals beat
the Boston Red Sox 4 games to 3.
In a rematch of the 1946 World Series won by
St. Louis, the Red Sox and Cardinals met in the 1967 World Series that would go
the distance and provide some incredible pitching performances. Boston was led offensively by outfielder and
1967 Triple Crown winner Carl Yasztremski, while pitcher Jim Lonborg was the
A.L. Cy Young winner and served as their ace.
The Cardinals fielded an all-star team, led by first baseman and N.L.
MVP Orlando Cepeda, and on the mound they had Bob Gibson, the 1964 World Series
MVP, who would once again show why he was the most feared pitcher in baseball.
Boston had
home field advantage in this series and Bob Gibson wowed Boston fans and
embarrassed Red Sox hitters by tossing a complete game six-hitter, striking out
ten in Game 1 as St. Louis won 2-1. In
Game 2, Jim Lonborg stymied the Cardinals and almost made history as he took a
no-hitter into the eighth inning, winning 5-0 behind Carl Yasztremski’s two
home runs.
The series
moved to St. Louis, and the Cardinals won Game 3 by a 5-2 score as they ran off
with three runs in the first two innings, taking a 2-1 series lead with Bob
Gibson scheduled to start Game 4. Gibson
dominated once again, this time pitching a complete game 6-0 win aided by four
first inning runs in support. With a 3-1
series lead, St. Louis now had control of the series knowing they could always
use Gibson again if they needed to.
In pivotal
Game 5, Boston sent their ace Jim Lonborg to the hill and he took a shutout
into the ninth inning as Boston held on to win 3-1, sending the series back to
Boston with St. Louis needing just one win to close out the Red Sox. Game 6 wasn’t that close as Boston won 8-4,
breaking the game open with a four-run seventh inning. Rico Petrelli hit two home runs, and Carl
Yasztremski and Reggie Smith one apiece to help the Red Sox fight off
elimination and force a Game 7 at Fenway Park.
The aces for
each team would face each other in Game 7 as Bob Gibson battled Jim Lonborg for
the third time in the series, with Lonborg pitching on just two days rest while
Gibson had one extra day to recover. The
extra rest proved to be the key as Lonborg labored through six innings, allowing
seven runs, while Gibson never lost his dominating stuff, giving up just three
hits in a complete game while striking out another ten hitters in a 7-2
Cardinals win. And for good measure, he
flexed his muscles at the plate too when he belted a solo home run in the fifth
inning, proving to everyone that he was the best pitcher in baseball and that
he had no equal. He allowed just three
runs in three complete games, while outfielder Lou Brock set a World Series
record with seven stolen bases, and it was the eighth overall World Series
title in Cardinals history, and second in the last four years.
For the series, St. Louis outscored Boston 25-21 and outhit
them 51-48. Hall of Famers in the series included for St. Louis: manager Red
Schoendeinst, pitchers Bob Gibson and Steve Carlton, outfielder Lou Brock and
first baseman Orlando Cepeda; and for Boston: manager Dick Williams and
outfielder Carl Yasztremski.
Tomorrow: 1968 World Series – Detroit Tigers vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Trivia -
Today’s Question: Who was the last pitcher to throw three complete games in a
single World Series?
Yesterday’s
Question: Who managed the 1966
Baltimore Orioles to their first World Series in franchise history?
Answer: Former
player Hank Bauer, who played for the New York Yankees from 1948-1959, winning
seven World Series. He also played for
the Kansas City A’s from 1960-1961.
Vegas Bet: Lastly, here’s an
actual bet you can make at a Las Vegas Sports Book: Over/Under 3.5 hours the Yankee-Red Sox game will
take to complete on Sunday night.
Yesterday’s
Bet: Over/Under
4 walks allowed by New York Mets starter
Zach Wheeler vs. San Diego.
Result: Under. Wheeler walked just 1 batter in six innings.
Standings
| American League | National League | |||||||||
| EAST | W | L | GB | STRK | EAST | W | L | GB | STRK | |
| Boston | 72 | 51 | - | Lost 2 | Atlanta | 74 | 47 | - | Won 2 | |
| Tampa Bay | 68 | 51 | 2 | Won 2 | Washington | 59 | 61 | 15 | Lost 1 | |
| Baltimore | 65 | 55 | 5.5 | Lost 3 | NY Mets | 55 | 64 | 18 | Won 1 | |
| NY Yankees | 62 | 58 | 8.5 | Lost 1 | Philadelphia | 53 | 67 | 21 | Lost 2 | |
| Toronto | 56 | 65 | 15 | Won 2 | Miami | 46 | 73 | 27 | Won 2 | |
| CENTRAL | W | L | GB | STRK | CENTRAL | W | L | GB | STRK | |
| Detroit | 71 | 49 | - | Won 2 | Pittsburgh | 71 | 49 | - | Lost 1 | |
| Cleveland | 65 | 56 | 6.5 | Won 2 | St. Louis | 69 | 51 | 2 | Won 1 | |
| Kansas City | 62 | 57 | 8.5 | Lost 3 | Cincinnati | 69 | 52 | 2.5 | Won 5 | |
| Minnesota | 54 | 65 | 16.5 | Won 1 | Chicago Cubs | 52 | 68 | 19 | Lost 4 | |
| Chicago Sox | 46 | 74 | 25 | Lost 2 | Milwaukee | 52 | 69 | 20 | Lost 2 | |
| WEST | W | L | GB | STRK | WEST | W | L | GB | STRK | |
| Texas | 70 | 51 | - | Won 1 | LA Dodgers | 70 | 50 | - | Won 8 | |
| Oakland | 68 | 52 | 1.5 | Won 1 | Arizona | 62 | 57 | 7.5 | Won 3 | |
| Seattle | 55 | 65 | 14.5 | Lost 2 | Colorado | 57 | 65 | 14 | Won 1 | |
| LA Angels | 54 | 66 | 15.5 | Won 1 | San Diego | 54 | 67 | 17 | Lost 2 | |
| Houston | 39 | 81 | 30.5 | Lost 1 | San Francisco | 53 | 67 | 17 | Won 1 | |
Weekend Schedule for Friday August 16 – Sunday August 18 with probable pitchers in parentheses. My picks to win
are highlighted. Yesterday’s Picks: 7-3
Overall: 696-524
Times EST
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