Game Notes, 10/07/2025 – LDS Day 4

During the Yankees’ three-game sweep of the Rangers in the 1999 ALDS, Derek Jeter came to the plate 13 times and in that baker’s dozen opportunities to provoke a bit of chaos for the opposition, managed quite nicely, going 5-for-11 with a double, a triple and two walks.  All smashed together, Jeter posted a .455/.538/.727 line in the round; the sparkly slash was one of four times the Hall of Famer would finish an ALDS with a .400/.500/.700 line with at least 12 plate appearances, Jeter subsequently soaring to these heights in 2002, 2006 and 2009.  There have been many to cruise at this slash-line altitude in a Division Series, but most have taken the flight only once and no one has racked up more miles than Jeter.  

*Tigers v. Mariners*

The Mariners doubled up the Tigers, 8-4, to take a 2-1 lead in the best of five ALDS.  

In the win, Cal Raleigh^^^ contributed a two-run homer, an RBI single and a walk – through three games, the catcher carries a .462/.500/.769 line.  LDS history has seen 85 players end the round with at least 12 plate appearances and a .400/.500/.700 line, including one Mariner – Edgar Martínez in 1995, when the DH slashed .571/.667/1.000 in five games (27 plate appearances).

In the victory, Logan Gilbert allowed a run over six innings.  The right-hander is the eighth different Mariners starter to record a postseason win, joining Jamie Moyer and Freddy García (each with three) and these hurlers with one – Randy Johnson, Bob Wolcott, Jeff Fassero, Paul Abbott and Luis Castillo.  

J.P. Crawford produced something useful in each of his four plate appearances out of the ninth spot in the Mariners’ order, going 2-for-2 with a homer and a single, drawing a walk and adding a sac fly.  Incorporating his two runs scored to go along with his two RBI, It’s kind of fun to pick a performance like this and see what sort of postseason predecessors emerge.

Number 9 Hitters With 2+ Hits, 2+ Runs, 2+ RBI, 1+ HR – Postseason 

WS

Tim Laudner (1987, G2), Mark Bellhorn (2004, G1), Roberto Pérez (2016, G1)

ALCS

Pat Sheridan (1987, G3), Scott Brosius (1999, G1), Adam Kennedy* (2002, G5), Brandon Inge (2006, G1), Ryan Goins (2015, G3)

NLCS

Steve Carlton (1978, G3), Kiké Hernández (2024, G3), Andy Pages (2024, G5)

ALDS

Adam Kennedy* (2002, G3), Juan Uribe (2005, G1), Oswaldo Cabrera (2022, G3), J.P. Crawford (2025, G3)

ALWC

Danny Jansen (2020, G2)

*Kennedy is the only player to appear more than once.

Spencer Torkelson drove in two runs with a double and now has six RBI through Detroit’s first six postseason games.  Unless he really goes bonkers in Game 4, the Tigers are going to need to keep playing games in order for Torkelson to potentially pile up some historic RBI numbers*; still, he’s on his way.  

Most RBI Through 6 Games – Tigers Postseason

8   Al Kaline (1968)

7   Hank Greenberg (1934)

6   Hank Greenberg (1940), Pinky Higgins (1940), Hank Greenberg (1945), Jim Northrup (1968), Curtis                 Granderson (2006), Jhonny Peralta (2013), Spencer Torkelson (2025)

*Miguel Cabrera drove in 10 runs during the 2011 playoffs for the most in a season by a Tiger.  That year, Cabrera had three through Detroit’s first six games.

*Yankees v. Blue Jays*

Aaron Judge’s game-tying three-run homer in the fourth inning was part of a 3-for-4, four-RBI night as the Yankees staved off elimination to defeat the Blue Jays, 9-6.  

~Judge launched his 17th career postseason homer, tying Jim Thome, David Ortiz and Bryce Harper for the 15th most in history.  This four-bagger represented his sixth in a potential elimination game, tying Ortiz for the most.  

~With three hits and a walk, this game marked the fourth time in his postseason career Judge has reached safely at least four times.  

NYY – Most Postseason Games Reaching Safely 4+ Times

11    Bernie Williams

7      Derek Jeter

6      Álex Rodríguez

4      Lou Gehrig, Aaron Judge

~Judge became the 15th player in postseason history to have a line including four RBI and four times reaching safely in a potential elimination game.  All 15 led the way to a team win.  

World Series

Les Bell for the Cardinals in Game 6, 1926

Yogi Berra for the Yankees in Game 7, 1956

Al Kaline for the Tigers in Game 6, 1968

Anthony Rendon for the Nationals in Game 6, 2019

ALCS

Adolis García for the Rangers in Game 7, 2023

NLCS

Steve Garvey for the Padres in Game 4, 1984

Chris Taylor for the Dodgers in Game 5, 2021

ALDS

Edgar Martínez for the Mariners in Game 4, 1995

Trot Nixon for the Red Sox in Game 4, 1999*

José Offerman for the Red Sox in Game 4, 1999*

John Valentin for the Red Sox in Game 4, 1999*

Bernie Williams for the Yankees in Game 4, 2001

Aaron Judge for the Yankees in Game 3, 2025

*This is Boston’s 23-7 win over Cleveland

NLDS

Chipper Jones for the Braves in Game 4, 2003

Carlos Beltrán for the Astros in Game 5, 2004

~Some updated postseason numbers and rankings for Judge in Yankees annals – Judge has …

56 Hits – three behind Mickey Mantle for eighth

42 Runs – tied with Mantle for fourth

40 RBI – tied with Mantle for fifth

39 BB – four behind Mantle for fourth 

115 TB – two behind Yogi Berra for sixth

98 ToB – one behind Álex Rodríguez for eighth 

17 HR – one behind Mantle and Giancarlo Stanton for third

25 XBH – one behind Mantle, Paul O’Neill, Hideki Matsui and Stanton for fourth

~Judge is slashing .636/.714/1.091 in this year’s ALDS.  Entering 2025, 11 Yankees have concluded a Division Series with a .400/.500/.700 line and at least 12 plate appearances:

Derek Jeter (1999, 2002, 2006, 2009)

Bernie Williams (1995, 1996)

Paul O’Neill (1997)

Jorge Posada (2006)

Álex Rodríguez (2009)

Curtis Granderson (2010)

Didi Gregorius (2019)

The Yankees pulled out the victory despite their starter Carlos Rodón being tagged for six runs in two-and-a-third innings.  The left-hander is the 13th starter in a potential elimination game to yield at least six runs while failing to complete three innings.  In 11 of the previous 12 cases, the starter’s team dropped the game.  The 2025 Yankees join the 2012 Cardinals as the only clubs to withstand the poor start.  In that case 13 years ago, Adam Wainwright took the ball for a deciding Game 5 against the Nationals in the NLDS and promptly allowed six runs in two-and-a-third innings.  St. Louis completed the rally for a 9-7 win when they scored four runs in the top of the ninth.

Giancarlo Stanton drove in two runs, pushing his career RBI tally in the postseason to 44.  He’s three RBI shy of tying Chipper Jones for the 12th most ever.  For the Yankees, Stanton’s 44 are a distant third, behind Bernie Williams’ 80 and Derek Jeter’s 61.

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. homered in a 2-for-4, two-RBI night and has gone yard in each of the first three games of the series.  A dozen players have opened a postseason by producing a three-game (or longer) home run streak.

5    Giancarlo Stanton (2020)

4    Jeffrey Leonard (1987), Juan González (1996)

3    Johnny Mize (1952), Hank Bauer (1958), Henry Aaron (1969), Bengie Molina (2005), Matt Carpenter                (2014), Colby Rasmus (2015), Aaron Judge (2018), Yordan Alvarez (2023), Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (2025)

~Guerrero is slashing .615/.600/1.308 in this year’s ALDS.  Entering 2025, two Blue Jays have concluded a Division Series with a .400/.500/.700 line and at least 12 plate appearances, both in 2016:

Josh Donaldson (.538/.571/.846)

Edwin Encarnación (.417/.500/.917)

Ernie Clement doubled and singled three times in the loss.  

~Clement is the second Blue Jay in as many games to produce a four-hit line, after Daulton Varsho in Game 2.  Entering 2025, seven players for the franchise had produced four knocks in a postseason game (no one’s had more):  

Kelly Gruber (1989 ALCS, G4)

Roberto Alomar (1992 ALCS, G4)

John Olerud (1992 ALCS, G4)

Paul Molitor (1993 ALCS, G1)

Ed Sprague (1993 ALCS, G1)

Roberto Alomar (1993 WS, G3)

Josh Donaldson (2016 ALDS, G1)

~Clement also drove in one run and scored one.  The infielder has opened his postseason career by having at least one RBI and one run scored in each of his first three games; he’s one of seven with this statistical claim, joining Joe Morgan (1972), Tom Brunansky (1987), Juan González (1996), Nomar Garciaparra (1998), Jim Edmonds (2000) and Stephen Drew (2007).  González and Garciaparra each made it to four games, with Garciaparra extending all the way to five.  

^^^Near the top, it was mentioned that Cal Raleigh is slashing .462/.500/.769 and that LDS history has seen 85 players end the round with at least 12 plate appearances and a .400/.500/.700 line.  As of right now, Raleigh is one of five players this year hitting the marks, along with the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and a trio of Blue Jays – Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Ernie Clement and Daulton Varsho.  Three for one team would not be unprecedented – the Phillies had three players manage the feat in 2023:  Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Nick Castellanos.  The notes today began with mention of Derek Jeter’s four seasons slashing .400/.500/.700 in an LDS.  Here’s the list of all the players – among the 85 – who did this more than once.

Most LDS Rounds With a .400/.500/.700 Line (min. 12 PA)

4   Derek Jeter

3   Andruw Jones

2   Jose Altuve, Carlos Beltrán, Bryce Harper, Chipper Jones, David Ortiz, Hanley Ramírez, Justin Turner,             Bernie Williams

Thanks to Baseball Reference and its extraordinary research database, Stathead, for help in assembling this piece.