Game Notes, 10/08/2025 – LDS Day 5

It’s October 10, 1948.  A reported 86,288 fans are on needles and pins at Cleveland Municipal Stadium to see if the Indians can clinch the franchise’s first World Series title since 1920.  The incomparable Bob Feller gets the start for Cleveland, a shot at redemption after losing Game 1 to the Braves and Johnny Sain, 1-0.  This was the situation as the first pitch drew near.  

Then, with one out and two men on in the top of the first, Boston third baseman Bob Elliott, the 1947 NL MVP, came to the plate to see what Feller had in store for him.  Whatever it was, it wasn’t enough (or, it was exactly to Elliott’s liking):  a swing and instant 3-0 lead for the visitors in a must-win contest for them.  Two innings later, Elliott strode to the plate to face Feller again, this time with no one on and two out and Boston holding a 3-1 lead.  Another offering led to another home run and a significant ascent in hero status for the 31-year-old Elliott.  By the time all was exchanged and done, Boston had pushed the series to a Game 6 and Elliott had become the first player in World Series history to pound out a pair of home runs with his team facing elimination.  

*Dodgers v. Phillies*

Kyle Schwarber homered twice to lead the Phillies to a series-continuing 8-2 win over the Dodgers.  

~Schwarber’s power game, representing the 188th multi-homer effort in postseason history, marked the 40th to come in an elimination scenario.  Teams with a multi-homer(er) in this construct are now 29-11.  Schwarber is the second Phillies batter in this group of 40, joining Chase Utley, who smacked two home runs in Philadelphia’s Game 5 win over the Yankees in the 2009 World Series.  

~Schwarber became the 27th player ever to have multiple multi-home run games in the postseason and the fourth Phillies rep on the list.  Schwarber, who also hit two out in Game 2 of the 2023 NLCS, joins Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Nick Castellanos.  

~Schwarber (23 longballs) climbed into the top three for most career postseason home runs, passing Bernie Williams and his 22.  The Phillies’ slugger now trails just Manny Ramírez (29) and Jose Altuve (27).

~Schwarber is one of 57 players to have amassed at least 250 postseason plate appearances.  Among this collection, his career slugging percentage (.548) trails only Carlos Beltrán’s .609, Albert Pujols’ .572 and Yordan Alvarez’s .551.  

In the game, Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper singled and doubled while Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts singled and tripled.  Both players are finishing off their age-32 seasons and both players are among the top 20 all-time in postseason extra-base hits.  With 34, Betts occupies the 12th slot, right behind Jorge Posada (35).  Harper (32) is tied with Carlos Beltrán for 16th, those two right behind the triumvirate of Reggie Jackson, David Justice and Justin Turner at 33.

Phillies left-hander Ranger Suárez picked up the win, throwing five innings of one-run ball in relief.  The postseason has witnessed 34 examples of a reliever picking up a win while committing to at least five innings of work.  21 of the 34, but not Suárez, finished the game.  The southpaw is the only Phillies representative in this association.  

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto doubled and homered in the win, and now has seven of each in his postseason career.  

Catchers (at Least 67% of Games at C) With 7+ Doubles and 7+ HRs in the Postseason

Yogi Berra          12 HR & 10 Doubles

Jorge Posada     11 HR & 23 Doubles

Jason Varitek      11 HR & 12 Doubles

Johnny Bench     10 HR & 8 Doubles

Javy López         10 HR & 14 Doubles

Travis d’Arnaud  10 HR & 8 Doubles

Will Smith            8 HR & 10 Doubles

J.T. Realmuto      7 HR & 7 Doubles

*Cubs v. Brewers*

In their win over the Brewers, the Cubs used a four-run first inning to speed to a never-relinquished lead and force a Game 4 

~As part of that first-inning lightning bolt, Cubs first baseman Michael Busch led off the inning with a home run.  It was his second leadoff homer in this series, following his blast to inaugurate the round in Game 1.  He’s the ninth player ever to have multiple leadoff home runs in a postseason career, the fifth to produce more than one in one year and the first to produce two in a single series.  The breakdown among the quintet with multiple blasts in a year:

2008    Jimmy Rollins – one in the NLDS, one in the NLCS

2012    Ángel Pagán – one in the NLDS, one in the NLCS

2018    David Freese – one in the NLCS, one in the World Series

2022    Kyle Schwarber – one in the NLCS, one in the World Series

2025    Michael Busch – two in the NLDS

Most Career Leadoff Home Runs in the Postseason

5    Kyle Schwarber

3    Derek Jeter, Jimmy Rollins

2    Brady Anderson, Johnny Damon, Ángel Pagán, David Freese, Shohei Ohtani, Michael Busch

Seiya Suzuki doubled in the Cubs’ victory, giving him extra-base hits in five of his first six career postseason games.  He’s the 14th player in postseason history with the authority to make that claim, continuing a line that begins with Pepper Martin in 1931.  Colby Rasmus (2009, 2015) gets special mention for being the only one to have an extra-base hit in all six of his first six games.  

Thus far in this NLDS, the Cubs and Brewers have used the first inning like no other frame.  All told, 18 of the 29 runs have come in the initial column, with the Brewers outscoring the Cubs, 10-8.  

Milwaukee’s Jackson Chourio doubled for his fifth career extra-base hit (two doubles and three homers) in his six postseason contests.  Five’s a lot for a player still shy of his 22nd birthday.

Postseason History:  Most XBH Before Turning 22

10    Evan Carter

8      Juan Soto

7      Bryce Harper, Ronald Acuña, Jr.

6      Mickey Mantle, Miguel Cabrera

5      Andruw Jones, Jackson Chourio

Christian Yelich doubled and scored a run in Milwaukee’s loss.  In his postseason career (all with Milwaukee), the 33-year-old has amassed 21 hits (six for extra bases) and 31 total bases while scoring 13 runs.  The Brewers’ top-five marks for all four of these referenced categories:

Brewers Postseason History – Most Hits

35   Ryan Braun

22   Paul Molitor

22   Robin Yount

21   Christian Yelich

17   Charlie Moore

Brewers Postseason History – Most Extra-Base Hits

13   Ryan Braun

8     Prince Fielder

6     Jim Gantner

6     Jerry Hairston, Jr.

6     Christian Yelich

Brewers Postseason History – Most Total Bases

52   Ryan Braun

32   Paul Molitor

31   Christian Yelich

30   Robin Yount

26   Prince Fielder

Brewers Postseason History – Most Runs Scored

13   Christian Yelich

11   Paul Molitor

11   Robin Yount

9     Ryan Braun

8     Jerry Hairston, Jr.

8     Orlando Arcia

*Yankees v. Blue Jays*

Eight different Blue Jays contributed at least one hit in a 5-2 victory over the Yankees that sent Toronto to the ALCS.  

Among those with a knock, George Springer doubled and added a run scored and one driven in.  

~Earlier, in one of the Kyle Schwarber notes, it was mentioned that Schwarber is one of 57 players to have amassed at least 250 postseason plate appearances.  Springer is another and owns the ninth highest slugging percentage among them, his .526 between Reggie Jackson’s .527 and Jayson Werth’s .524.

~Counting stat-wise, Springer is 21st all-time with 77 postseason hits, tied for eighth (with Carlos Correa and Corey Seager) with 37 extra-base hits, and is tied – with Mickey Mantle – for 23rd with 40 RBI.  

Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. was kept in the yard for the first time in the series but did manage to drive in a run with a first-inning single.  The first baseman has driven in a run in each of Toronto’s four postseason games this season, something no Blue Jay had ever done before.  Across the Majors, a four-game RBI streak to open a postseason has been accomplished 39 times, with nine players going beyond.  

Longest RBI Streak to Begin a Postseason

8    Ryan Howard (2009)

7    Álex Rodríguez (2009)

6    Pedro Álvarez (2013)

5    Danny Murphy (1910), Boog Powell (1970), Tony Pérez (1976), Jim Leyritz (1998), Mike Lowell (2007),            Giancarlo Stanton (2020)

Infielder Ernie Clement went 2-for-3 with a hit by pitch and scored two runs.  Clement has scored a run in each of his first four career postseason games, something no Blue Jay had ever done before.  Across the Majors, a streak this long has been accomplished 27 times, with seven players going beyond.

Longest Run-Scoring Streak to Begin a Postseason Career

9    Home Run Baker (1910-1911)

6    Charlie Keller (1939-1941)

5    Billy Herman (1932-1935)

5    Randy Bush (1987)

5    Brian Jordan (1996)

5    Nomar Garciaparra (1998-1999)

5    Ian Kinsler (2010)

As a team, Toronto bashed its way to a .338/.373/.601 line.  Among all 128 clubs in any ALDS, the .338 average is third best, the .373 on-base percentage is 12th best and the .601 slugging percentage is the third best.  In the first and third categories, the 2002 Angels – also facing the Yankees – own the top marks, with a .376 average and .624 slugging percentage, respectively.

Leading the way in this slash line brilliance, Ernie Clement authored a .643/.625/.929 line while Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. posted a .529/.550/1.059 line.  There are 33* instances of a player finishing his LDS with at least 12 plate appearances and, at the very least, a .500/.500/.900 slash line.  Before Clement and Guerrero, one other pair of teammates did this – Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler for the 2015 Cubs.

*One of the 33 was produced by Aaron Judge in this 2025 ALDS, with the slugger posting a .600/.684/.933 line.  A player going .600/.600/.900 with at least 12 plate appearances in any World Series, LCS or LDS?  There are a few.

.600/.600/.900 in a World Series (min. 12 PA)

1928   Babe Ruth for the Yankees

1990   Billy Hatcher for the Reds

1998   Ricky Ledée for the Yankees

2009   Hideki Matsui for the Yankees

2013   David Ortiz for the Red Sox

.600/.600/.900 in an LCS (min. 12 PA)

1989   Will Clark for the Giants

1989   Mark Grace for the Cubs

1992   Lloyd McClendon for the Pirates

.600/.600/.900 in an LDS (min. 12 PA)

1995   Luis Alicea for the Red Sox

2006   Jeff Kent for the Dodgers

2007   David Ortiz for the Red Sox

2020   Travis d’Arnaud for the Braves

2025   Ernie Clement for the Blue Jays

2025   Aaron Judge for the Yankees

~Judge finished off his eighth postseason going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a walk.  Some updated postseason numbers and rankings for Judge in Yankees annals; Judge has …

58 Hits – one behind Mickey Mantle for eighth

42 Runs – tied with Mantle for fourth

41 RBI – one behind Jorge Posada for fourth

40 BB – three behind Mantle for fourth 

117 TB – tied with Yogi Berra for sixth

101 ToB – one behind Mantle for seventh 

17 HR – one behind Mantle and Giancarlo Stanton for third

*Tigers v. Mariners*

Facing elimination, Detroit charged to a 9-3 win over Seattle to send this ALDS to a winner-take-all Game 5.  

Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres went 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk for his eighth career postseason home run.  Among middle infielders, his eight tie for the seventh most, matched with Robinson Canó, Daniel Murphy and Francisco Lindor.  Those with more:  Jose Altuve (27), Derek Jeter (20), Corey Seager (19), Carlos Correa (18), Chase Utley (10) and Jeff Kent (nine).  Torres’ keystone mate Javier Báez clocked his sixth career postseason longball.  In this same lens as used for Torres, Báez is matched with Davey Lopes, Rich Aurilia, Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner for 13th.

~Teams have seen their second base-shortstop combo each go yard in the same postseason game on 23 occasions; before Torres and Báez, Torres had been involved in the most recent, when he teamed up with Anthony Volpe for the Yankees in Game 4 of the 2024 World Series.  Of the full 23, this marks the first time the Tigers infielders have turned this trick.

~Báez’s day also featured an RBI single and a steal to go along with his two-run home run (he also drove in a run on a groundout).  He’s one of three shortstops in postseason history to produce a line with at least four RBI to go along with a home run and a stolen base, joining Zoilo Versalles in Game 1 of the 1965 World Series and Anthony Volpe in Game 4 of the 2024 Fall Classic. 

Cal Raleigh contributed an RBI single to Seattle’s cause and has hit safely in all four games of this year’s postseason.  Seven Mariners have opened a postseason with a four-game streak or longer:

9   Jay Buhner in 1995

8   Ichiro Suzuki in 2001

5   Tino Martinez in 1995

5   Mitch Haniger in 2022

4   Rickey Henderson in 2000

4   David Bell in 2000

4   Cal Raleigh in 2025

The Tigers have played in four previous winner-take-all ALDS Games, with wins in 2011, 2012 and 2013 and a loss in 2024.  The Mariners have two tastes of this, with wins in 1995 and 2001.

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