Game Notes, 10/10/2024 – LDS Day 6

Two innings after Willie Mays saved the day with The Catch, there was still no guarantee that Mays’ brilliance – likened to an optical illusion – would be remembered as an instrumental pivot in a Giants’ victory or a footnote in a loss.  After all, this was Game 1 of the World Series, a space where fortunes and narratives twist, turn, grow, shrink and sometimes burst.  

And there Mays stood – at second base (after a walk and a steal), his teammate Hank Thompson at first – in the bottom of the 10th inning, one out, New York and Cleveland tied at two.  And there Dusty Rhodes stood – in the left side of the batter’s box, about to face Bob Lemon.  Just introduced as a pinch-hitter, Rhodes saw a pitch he liked, lifted it just into the seats, and gave the Giants a Game 1 victory and the World Series record books the very first instance of a pinch-hit home run ending a Fall Classic duel.  Especially at this time of year, there’s something magnetic about the situation – a guy coming to the plate, fresh off the bench, tasked with doing something with one swing to maybe swing a series.  

David Fry clocked a pinch-hit, two-run home run and added another RBI later in the game to help the Guardians defeat the Tigers 5-4 and move this ALDS to a win-or-go-home Game 5.

~Fry’s pinch-hit homer represents the 80th in postseason history but just the fourth to turn a deficit into a lead.  Some details:

1988 World Series, Game 1:  With his Dodgers trailing the Athletics 4-3, Kirk Gibson hits a two-out, two-run homer to end the game.

1992 World Series, Game 2:  With his Blue Jays down 4-3 to the Braves in the top of the 9th, Ed Sprague hits a one-out, two-run homer.

2010 NLDS, Game 3:  With his Braves down 1-0 to the Giants in the bottom of the 8th, Eric Hinkse hits a one-out, two-run home run.

2024 ALDS, Game 4:  With his Guardians down 3-2 to the Tigers in the top of the 7th, David Fry hits a two-out, two-run homer.

~In Cleveland’s postseason history, Fry’s home run stands as the second to come in the seventh inning or later and transform a deficit into a lead.  In Game 2 of the 1997 ALCS, Marquis Grissom hit a two-out, three-run shot in the top of the eighth to give his club a 5-4 lead over the Orioles.

~Fry is the second player in Cleveland postseason history to deliver a pinch-hit home run, following Hank Majeski in Game 4 of the 1954 World Series.  Majeski’s came in the fifth inning:  a three-run dinger to cut into the Giants’ 7-0 lead.

~In his regular season career, Fry has one home run in 41 pinch-hit at-bats.

~Fry is one of 26 players to come off the bench in a postseason contest and drive in at least three runs.  He’s the second player to do this in this ALDS, following the Tigers’ Kerry Carpenter from Game 2.  Detroit’s Andy Ibáñez also did it this year, in Game 2 of the ALWC round.  No previous postseason year had ever seen three such instances, and only three other playoff series – aside from this 2024 ALDS – have witnessed multiple instances of this particular feat.

1954 World Series:  Dusty Rhodes (NYG) in Game 1 and Hank Majeski (CLE) in Game 4.

1995 NLDS:  Mark Lewis and Mike Jackson (both CIN) in Game 3.

2018 World Series:  Eduardo Núñez and Mitch Moreland (both BOS) in Games 1 and 4, respectively.

Steven Kwan added three hits to his ALDS ledger, giving the Cleveland leadoff hitter an 8-for-16 line in the four games.  

~There have been seven players in LDS history to accumulate at least 12 plate appearances out of the leadoff spot in a series and conclude it with at least a .500 average.  By average:

.615 – Carlos Gonzalez in 2009 NLDS for the Rockies

.600 – Ichiro Suzuki in 2001 ALDS for the Mariners

.600 – Fernando Viña in 2002 NLDS for the Cardinals

.545 – Marcus Semien in 2020 ALDS for the Athletics

.524 – Marquis Grissom in 1995 NLDS for the Braves

.500 – Rafael Furcal in 2009 NLDS for the Dodgers

.500 – Jacoby Ellsbury in 2013 ALDS for the Red Sox

~Kwan has recorded three hits in back-to-back contests.  Two players – Tim Anderson in the 2020 ALWC and Lou Brock in the 1968 World Series – share the longest streak, with at least three hits in three straight games.  Kwan is the first Cleveland player to have a streak of two games with three-or-more hits since Francisco Lindor in 2016. Omar Vizquel (1998) is the only other player to do this for the franchise.  

For the series, Detroit’s hurlers have limited Cleveland’s offense to a .605 OPS.  Detroit’s postseason record book has seen the franchise participate in a World Series, LDS or LCS 24 times (including this season).  This .605 mark would be the fifth lowest in any single series.

~1984 ALCS v. Royals | .412 OPS-against in three games

~2012 ALCS v. Yankees | .488 OPS-against in four games

~2012 ALDS v. Athletics | .553 OPS-against in five games

~1972 ALCS v. Athletics | .573 OPS-against in five games

~2024 ALDS v. Guardians | .605 OPS-against so far (four games)

Gerrit Cole surrendered a run in seven innings and picked up the win as the Yankees defeated the Royals 3-1 to advance to the ALCS.  

~Cole’s entire postseason record stands at 11-6 with a 2.94 ERA, but his Division Series tallies do a lot of that work.  In 11 DS starts, Cole is 8-1 (.889 winning%) with a 2.05 ERA and 88 K’s in 70.1 innings.  There are 12 pitchers with at least 10 Division Series starts.  Among them:

Cole owns the lowest ERA, with Justin Verlander (2.86) second

Cole owns the second highest winning percentage , behind Verlander (.900)

Cole owns the best K/9, at 11.26.  Clayton Kershaw is second (10.56)

~Cole’s effort and the individual outcome gave him his first ‘W’ in a postseason series clincher for New York.  He’s the 25th different starter in Yankees history to record a victory in a win that clinched a series.  Andy Pettitte had six such games*, while five others are tied for the second most, with two:  Lefty Gomez, Vic Raschi, David Cone, Roger Clemens and Orlando Hernandez.  

*Pettitte’s six are the most ever.  Dave Stewart and Nathan Eovaldi are tied for the second most, with four apiece.  Eight players have had three:  Jim Palmer, Catfish Hunter, Roger Clemens, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Chris Carpenter, Madison Bumgarner and Charlie Morton.

In New York’s victory, Giancarlo Stanton singled in a run to go along with a double and a walk .  The slugger finished the four-game series with a .375/.444/.688 line (in 18 plate appearances).

~In ALDS play, the Yankees have seen a batter post a .300/.400/.600 line 25 times (min. 12 PA).  This 2024 effort marked the first time Stanton has done it for New York.  Derek Jeter appears the most times, six (1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2009).

~In ALDS play, the Yankees have seen a batter post an OPS of at least 1.100 on 27 occasions (min. 12 PA).  Stanton’s 1.132 ranks 26th on this list, with Bernie Williams’ 1.567 in 1996 holding the top spot.  Stanton’s 1.381 in 2020 is tied for the sixth highest.  With two such performances on this list of 27, Stanton is one of six to show up more than once; the others – Jeter (5), Paul O’Neill (3), Jorge Posada (3), Williams (3), Alex Rodriguez (2).

The Yankees are headed to the ALCS for the 19th time – the most for any franchise.  The Dodgers have the second most LCS appearances, with 15.  

In Kansas City’s loss, Tommy Pham had three hits and finished the series 5-for-11 (.455).  In 130 career postseason at-bats, Pham carries a .315 average.  Among the 279 players in AL/NL history to own at least 125 postseason plate appearances, Pham is one of 31 to hold a .300-or-better average.  Pham’s .315 ties him with Victor Martinez for 19th on the list.  Paul Molitor (.368) leads the group.

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