Game Notes, 10/09/2025 – LDS Day 6

The victims of the first-ever perfect game in World Series history, the 1956 Brooklyn Dodgers had little time to regroup and recharge in their return to the diamond just a day later:  a must-win Game 6 at Ebbets Field.  

A Duke Snider single in the first eliminated any concern about repeating perfection, but the Dodgers bats – a collective lumber company that had led the NL in runs (by nearly 100) and won the slash line Triple Crown in the league during the regular season – couldn’t manage to knock the zero off the runs column.  Fortunately, their starter – Clem Labine – was feeling stingy, too.  On and on and on and on and on the contest ticked, 0-0 after three, after six, after seven, after eight, after nine.  And on to extra innings, the Dodgers desperate to push the Fall Classic proceedings to a Game 7.  Labine set the Yankees down in order in the top half of the first extra frame and then popped out as Brooklyn’s first hitter in the bottom half.  No matter – a Jim Gilliam walk preceded a sac bunt from Pee Wee Reese, which moved Gilliam to scoring position but also unclogged first base and gave the Yankees (and their starter Bob Turley) an excuse to intentionally bypass Snider.  

Two outs, runners on first and second, 0-0 in the bottom of the 10th of Game 6 of the 1956 World Series.  

A 1-1 pitch came to the plate and soon after, the Dodgers had their first and only run, Jackie Robinson had a walk-off single to add to his legend and the franchise had its first-ever postseason walk-off win in extra innings.  Since then, they’ve had a few others, including one that won a pennant, one that required 18 innings to settle, one that burst from a grand slam, and the latest, one with a much different flair of conclusion.

*Dodgers v. Phillies*

Scoring the game-winning and series-clinching run on an error in the bottom of the 11th, the Dodgers slipped past the Phillies, 2-1, to advance to the NLCS.  

~The Dodgers had clinched a series in walk-off fashion on two previous occasions before this Game 4 in 2025.  In 1978, they won the pennant when in Game 4 of the NLCS – against the Phillies – Bill Russell drove in the winning run with a 10th-inning single.  In 2021, they won their Wild Card game against the Cardinals to advance to the NLDS thanks to Chris Taylor’s two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth.

~The Dodgers will be playing in the club’s 17th LCS and seventh in the past 10 seasons.  The 17 are the most for any NL club and trail only the Yankees’ 19.

~This NLDS marked the sixth time the Dodgers and Phillies have faced each other in the postseason, with this outcome in 2025 evening the scales.

Dodgers win:  1977 NLCS, 1978 NLCS, 2025 NLDS

Phillies win:    1983 NLCS, 2008 NLCS, 2009 NLCS

~17 teams have advanced to the next round/won the World Series in walk-off fashion in extra-innings …

Won the World Series:  1912 Red Sox, 1924 Senators, 1991 Twins, 1997 Marlins

Won the Pennant:  1978 Dodgers, 1999 Braves, 2003 Yankees

Advanced to the LCS:  1995 Mariners, 1999 Mets, 2004 Red Sox, 2005 Astros, 2011 Brewers, 2016 Blue Jays, 2025 Dodgers

Advanced to the LDS:  2014 Royals, 2016 Blue Jays, 2022 Guardians

This contest evolved as it did in large part due to the efforts of the two starters, Philadelphia’s Cristopher Sánchez (6.1 IP, 1 R) and L.A.’s Tyler Glasnow (6.0 IP, 0 R).  

~On the Phillies’ side of things, Sánchez, who fanned five while allowing one walk and five hits,  joined two dozen others as starters in potential elimination games.  By Game Score, his 63 comes in as the fourth-best effort.  The three ahead of him:

→Curt Schilling (80 Game Score) in Game 5 of the 1993 World Series (5-hit shutout, 6 K’s, 3 BB’s).  The Phillies defeat the Blue Jays, 2-0.

→Roy Halladay (72 Game Score) in Game 5 of the 2011 NLDS (8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 7 K’s, 1 BB). The  Phillies lose to the Cardinals, 1-0.  

→Larry Christenson (67 Game Score) in Game 3 of the 1981 NLDS (6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 8 K’s, 1 BB).  The Phillies defeat the Expos, 6-2.

~Concerning the Dodgers, Glasnow, with two hits and three walks allowed to go along with eight strikeouts, linked to 50 other Dodgers starters who were handed the ball with a chance to advance/win the World Series.  By Game Score, his 73 ties him with Johnny Podres’ mark in perhaps the biggest win in Brooklyn’s history:  Game 7 of the 1955 World Series.  In that effort, the 23-year-old lefty went the distance on an eight-hitter with four strikeouts and two walks as the Dodgers finally beat the Yankees, 2-0.  Incidentally, this 73 comes in as the 10th highest mark among the 50, with the highest score (88) shared by Sandy Koufax in Game 7 of the 1965 World Series and Clayton Kershaw in Game 2 of the 2020 Wild Card.  

Mookie Betts singled and drove in a run on a walk.  The recently turned 33-year-old will be entering his fifth LCS with the following career postseason numbers:  55 runs, 86 hits (34 for extra bases), 38 RBI, 16 steals, 42 walks and 137 total bases.  His all-time placements in these categories:

~55 R:  tied with David Justice and Corey Seager for the ninth most, two behind Albert Pujols.

~86 H:  tied with Pete Rose and Justin Turner for the 15th most, two behind David Ortiz.

~34 XBH:  12th, one behind Jorge Posada.

~38 RBI:  tied with Tino Martinez, Miguel Cabrera and Nelson Cruz for 30th, one behind Yogi Berra, Paul O’Neill, Hideki Matsui, Kiké Hernández and Yuli Gurriel.

~16 SB:  Seventh, two behind Derek Jeter.

~42 BB:  tied with Corey Seager for 15th, one behind Mickey Mantle and Jose Altuve.

~137 TB:  18th, one behind Kenny Lofton.

With three perfect innings, Dodgers reliever Roki Sasaki completed the NLDS with 4.1 IP and a 0.00 ERA.  Among all relievers in LDS history who’ve posted a 0.00 ERA, his 4.1 innings pitched are down the ladder a bit, tied for the 35th most.  Rich Gossage (6.2 IP in 1981) and David Price (6.2 IP in 2017) are tied for the most.

*Cubs v. Brewers*

Ian Happ’s three-run homer in the first inning was all the Cubs needed as they went on to defeat the Brewers, 6-0, and force a winner-take-all Game 5.

~Happ’s longball represented the 100th in Cubs history and the 28th to come in a potential elimination game (there would be two more of each by the end of the contest).  Breaking this subset down even further, here are those who came in the very first inning, perhaps relieving some of the tension in the ballpark (at least for those favoring the Cubs):

Cubs – First-Inning Home Runs When Facing Elimination

1932 World Series, G4 – Frank Demaree three-run homer (Cubs lose the game).

1984 NLCS, G5 – Leon Durham two-run homer (Cubs lose the game).

2016 World Series, G6 – Kris Bryant solo homer (Cubs win).

2016 World Series, G7 – Dexter Fowler homer to lead off the game (Cubs win).

2025 NLDS, G3 – Michael Busch homer to lead off the game (Cubs win).

2025 NLDS, G4 – Ian Happ three-run homer (Cubs win).

~Happ’s round-tripper gave him three career postseason jacks, tied with Frank Demaree, Jorge Soler and Willson Contreras for 10th on the Cubs’ lifetime list (more with this list later).

Matthew Boyd (4.2 IP, 2 H) and four relievers combined on the three-hit shutout, the 55th team shutout with a club facing postseason elimination.  These 55 include a couple of other Cubs teams on the good side of the outcome …

1918 World Series, Game 5 – Hippo Vaughn goes the distance in a 3-0 win against the Red Sox

2015 Wild Card (single elimination) – Jake Arrieta goes the distance in a 4-0 win over the Pirates

Michael Busch added a solo homer in the eighth inning to cap the scoring – his fourth jack of this year’s postseason and his third in this NLDS.  

~Busch’s fourth homer banded him with 23 others who had at least that many through their first seven career postseason games.  There’s the duo with six (Ken Griffey, Jr. and Carlos Beltrán), the trio with five (Juan González, Melvin (B.J.) Upton and Daniel Murphy) and then this large contingent with four:  

Michael Busch, Willie Mays Aikens, José Canseco, Vinny Castilla, Khris Davis, Carlos Delgado, Nomar Garciaparra, Troy Glaus, Paul Goldschmidt, Alex S. Gonzalez, Matt Holliday, Jeffrey Leonard, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Mike Moustakas, Bob Robertson, Cody Ross, Kyle Schwarber and Todd Walker.

~50 players have ripped at least three home runs in a single LDS, with Ken Griffey, Jr. (1995) and Juan González (1996) sharing the high mark, five.  Busch is the lone Cub to appear among the 50.  

~With four home runs in 2025, Busch already stands tied with Alex S. Gonzalez (2003) and Aramis Ramírez (also 2003) for the second most in any single postseason for a Cub.  Kyle Schwarber hit five in 2015 to claim top honors.  

~Lifetime, Most Postseason Home Runs in Cubs History

6    Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber

5    Javier Báez, Dexter Fowler

4    Alex S. Gonzalez, Aramis Ramírez, Addison Russell, Michael Busch

3    Frank Demaree, Jorge Soler, Willson Contreras, Ian Happ

Nico Hoerner was 3-for-5 in the win and now has hit safely in all seven of his postseason games (overall, he’s batting ..429).  

~Hoerner is one of 50 players ever to generate at least one hit in each of his first seven postseason games.  On the Cubs’ side of things, he joins Riggs Stephenson, Frank Demaree and Ryne Sandberg in the 50.

~There are 966 players in postseason history to amass at least 25 plate appearances through their first seven postseason games.  Among all these compilers, Hoerner arrives tied for the 25th best batting average, his .429 matching him with Chris Speier, Eddie Murray, Jason Bay and Mark Vientos.  Ichiro Suzuki’s .519 reigns supreme, followed by .500s from Chris Chambliss, Bob Watson and Carlos González.  

Looking ahead by glancing back …

~The Brewers have played in seven previous winner-take-all games, with mostly disappointing results.  They did win the 1982 ALCS Game 5 to capture the pennant and in 2011, they defeated the Diamondbacks in Game 5 to advance to the NLCS.  Losses came in 1981 (ALDS, G5), 1982 (WS, G7), 2018 (NLCS, G7), 2019 (NLWC) and 2024 (NLWC, G3).

~The Cubs’ affair with do-or-die games goes nine deep, starting with a Game 7 loss in the 1945 World Series.  The others after ‘45:

Wins:     2003 NLDS (G5), 2015 NLWC, 2016 World Series (G7), 2017 NLDS (G5), 2025 NLWC (G3)

Losses:  1984 NLCS (G5), 2003 NLCS (G7), 2018 NLWC

Milwaukee’s leadoff hitter Christian Yelich drew two walks in the shutout loss.  Postseason history has a long line of a leadoff hitter working a pair of (or more) free passes; usually, it doesn’t work into a formula that spits out the batter’s team being shut out.  Of the 215 times a club’s top-of-the-lineup batter has drawn at least two walks, nine of the occasions have been muted by a blanking.

1905 WS, G4:  Topsy Hartsel and his Athletics lose, 1-0

1958 WS, G3:  Bill Bruton and his Braves lose, 4-0

1969 WS, G3:  Don Buford and his Orioles lose, 5-0 

1970 NLCS, G1:  Matty Alou and his Pirates lose, 3-0, in 10 innings

1974 NLCS, G3:  Davey Lopes and his Dodgers lose, 7-0

1998 NLCS, G6:  Walt Weiss and his Braves lose, 5-0

2012 NLDS, G3:  Jayson Werth and his Nationals lose, 8-0

2012 WS, G3:  Austin Jackson and his Tigers lose, 2-0

2025 NLDS, G4:  Christian Yelich and his Brewers lose, 6-0

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