Game Notes, 10/9/2024 – LDS Day 5

Seven years ago, Francisco Lindor walked to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning, the glare and tension of postseason baseball emanating all around – a reality throttled up by a line score showing the home team losing and running out of outs to make up the difference.  Seven years ago, in the bottom of the sixth inning, Francisco Lindor stood at the plate with the bases juiced, an opportunity to – with a single swing – reshape the tenor and tone of the contest.  Seven years ago, Francisco Lindor did just that.  

Postseason baseball is the best.

Francisco Lindor clocked a sixth-inning grand slam for the only scoring the Mets needed as they defeated the Phillies 4-1 and advanced to the NLCS.

~Lindor’s slam is the second in Mets postseason history, after Edgardo Alfonzo’s four-run shot in the ninth inning during Game 1 of the 1999 NLDS.  That blast broke a 4-4 tie.  

~Lindor’s slam is the 81st in postseason history.  It is one of 11 to come in the sixth inning or later and with the batter’s team trailing.  Before Lindor’s game-turner for the Mets, the last to do this was … Francisco Lindor*, for Cleveland in Game 2 of the 2017 ALDS.  In that affair, Lindor hit his slam in the sixth inning to get the Indians to within one run of the Yankees (and Cleveland ultimately won the game). Before that one, Shane Victorino (Game 6, 2013 ALCS) had been the last to do this.

*Lindor is the only player to appear twice on this list of 11 events

~Lindor is the third player in postseason history with multiple grand slams, joining Jim Thome and Shane Victorino.

~Lindor has produced multiple 4-RBI games out of the leadoff spot during his postseason career.  Johnny Damon is the only other leadoff batter with two such efforts.  

~Lindor is one of 45 players to drive in at least four runs to help his team clinch an LDS, LCS, or World Series.  Three players – Bill Skowron, Fred McGriff and Shane Victorino – each had two such efforts.

Bill Skowron:  Game 7 of the 1956 WS; Game 7 of the 1958 WS

Fred McGriff:  Game 4 of the 1995 NLDS; Game 7 of the 1996 NLCS

Shane Victorino:  Game 6 of the 2013 ALCS; Game 6 of the 2013 WS

In the Mets’ win, Mark Vientos extended his postseason multi-hit streak to four games, going 2-for-4 with a double.  

~Vientos tied Todd Zeile (2000) and Daniel Murphy (2015) for New York’s longest-ever multi-hit streak in the playoffs. 

~Vientos batted .563 for the series.  It’s the highest average (min. 12 PA) for any Mets player in any NLDS, NLCS, or World Series.  The high marks for each of those three rounds:

NLDS: .563 – Mark Vientos in 2024

NLCS: .538 – Art Shamsky in 1969

WS: .455 – Al Weis in 1969 

~Vientos’ .563 average in the NLDS stands as the 15th highest mark for any player (min. 12 PA) in a Division Series.  With his .714 in 2007, David Ortiz claims the top spot.

~Vientos – thanks in part to a pair of doubles, a pair of homers and a pair of walks – assembled a 1.674 OPS for the series.  That figure is the second highest in Mets’ history for any LDS, LCS, or World Series (min. 12 PA).  In the 2015 NLCS, Daniel Murphy posted a 1.850.

Six Tigers pitchers combined for a six-hit shutout as Detroit toppled Cleveland 3-0 and took a 2-1 series lead.

~With this effort following Detroit’s 3-0 win in Game 2, this year’s Tigers became the 20th club to post consecutive shutouts in a postseason.  They are the first to do this since the 2021 Braves and the first AL team to do it since the 2016 Indians.  The Tigers had done this once before, in Game 5 of the 2013 ALDS and then Game 1 of the ALCS.  

~Among the 20 clubs to have consecutive postseason shutouts, the 2024 Tigers are one of 18 to do this within the same round.  That full list:

1905 Giants:       Games 3,4,5 of the World Series

1966 Orioles:      Games 2,3,4 of the World Series

1908 Cubs:         Games 4-5 of the World Series

1917 Giants:       Games 3-4 of the World Series

1919 Reds:         Games 4-5 of the World Series

1920 Indians:      Games 6-7 of the World Series

1921 Yankees:    Games 1-2 of the World Series

1974 Athletics:    Games 2-3 of the ALCS

1987 Cardinals:  Games 6-7 of the NLCS

1991 Braves:      Games 6-7 of the NLCS

2012 Giants:       Games 2-3 of the World Series

2016 Dodgers:    Games 2-3 of the NLCS

2018 Dodgers:    Games 1-2 of the NLDS

2018 Brewers:     Games 2-3 of the NLDS

2020 Braves:       Games 1-2 of the NLWC

2020 Braves:       Games 2-3 of the NLDS

2021 Braves:       Games 2-3 of the NLDS

2024 Tigers:        Games 2-3 of the ALDS

~Before these back-to-back blankings, the Tigers had never before issued two shutouts in the same postseason series.  

~The 2016 Indians hold the top spot for postseason shutouts in one year, with five.  That playoff run, Cleveland had one in the ALDS and two each in the ALCS and World Series. 

Steven Kwan collected three of Cleveland’s six hits in the loss to Detroit.  The leadoff hitter has reached safely in all three ALDS contests and is batting .455 with a .538 on-base percentage for the series.  The highest marks in franchise history for both categories (min. 12 plate appearances):

~ .500 batting average:  Vic Wertz (1954 WS), Omar Vizquel (1997 ALDS), José Ramírez (2016 ALDS)

~ .583 on-base percentage:  José Ramírez (2016 ALDS)

Giancarlo Stanton homered, doubled and singled, drove in two and even picked up a stolen base:  all part of a 3-2 Yankees win over the Royals to go up two games to one in the best-of-five series.

~Stanton’s homer broke a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth inning.  Before this blast, the Yankees had enjoyed 23 home runs that gave the team the lead in the eighth inning or later, with the most recent coming in Game 3 of the 2012 ALDS, courtesy of Raúl Ibañez’s 12th-inning walk-off.  Of the now 24, Bernie Williams had three – the most for the club.

~A box score containing a line of at least one home run and one other extra-base hit, at least two RBI, and at least one steal – how often does this happen in the postseason?  Well, it’s now occurred 26 times.  Sam Crawford was the first to author this kind of line, in Game 5 of the 1909 World Series.  Three other Yankees occupy a spot on the list:  Chris Chambliss (Game 5, 1976 ALCS), Bernie Williams (Game 3, 1995 ALDS; Game 4, 1996 ALDS) and Alex Rodriguez (Game 4, 2009 ALCS).

Salvador Perez went 1-for-4 to move his career postseason hit tally up to 32.  He is now tied with Frank White for the seventh most knocks in Royals postseason annals.

The Yankees drew nine walks in the win, giving them 22 for the series.  The most ever in an LDS is 32, by the 1995 Yankees.  

Eight Dodgers pitchers combined for a shutout as Los Angeles blanked San Diego 8-0 to force a decisive Game 5.

~The eight pitchers used falls one shy of the most ever for a club in a postseason shutout for nine-inning games.  The Padres used nine in Game 3 of the 2020 NLWC – a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals.

~The Dodgers have recorded 22 postseason shutouts – third most for any NL club.  The Giants have 27 and the Braves have logged 26.

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