Game Notes, 10/18/2024 – LCS Day 6

The very first time the Mets faced the wrenching possibility of postseason elimination – Game 5 of the 1973 NLCS against the defending pennant-winners, the Reds – the club received an imposing harmony of contribution.  The NL’s ’73 Cy Young Award winner, Tom Seaver, gave the club an ace-like line, spinning eight-and-a-third innings of two-run ball.  That suppression was more than enough for the offense, as Cleon Jones (three hits, two RBI) paced an attack that collected 13 knocks and generated seven runs.  The Mets, instead of going home to ponder what could’ve been, were on to the Fall Classic.  

The team’s latest response in a must-win felt and looked a little more unbalanced.

Facing elimination, the Mets crafted their highest run-scoring performance of this postseason and doubled up the Dodgers 12-6.  Los Angeles still leads the series, three games to two.

Starling Marte stroked three doubles, singled and drove in three runs in the Mets’ victory.  The right fielder tied franchise postseason records for extra-base hits and hits and set a new standard for doubles.  Additionally, Marte tied the LCS record for two-base hits in a game.

NYM, Most Hits (4):

Rusty Staub            1973 WS, G4

Lenny Dykstra         1986 WS, G3

Kevin McReynolds  1988 NLCS, G6

Carlos Delgado       2006 NLDS, G1

Daniel Murphy         2015 NLCS, G4

Starling Marte          2024 NLCS, G5

NYM, Most XBH (3):  

Gary Carter              1986 WS, G4

Lucas Duda              2015 NLCS, G4

Mark Vientos            2024 NLDS, G2

Starling Marte           2024 NLCS, G5

LCS, Most Doubles (3):

Fred McGriff           G2, 1995 for the Braves

Albert Pujols           G2, 2011 for the Cardinals

Ben Zobrist             G3, 2015 for the Royals

Howie Kendrick      G3, 2019 for the Nationals

Starling Marte         G5, 2024 for the Mets

Speaking of team records, Pete Alonso matched a franchise high with four runs scored.  The first baseman homered and singled, reached safely four times, and drove in three runs.

~Before Alonso’s Game 5 performance, the only Met to score four runs in a postseason contest was Carlos Beltrán, in Game 4 of the 2006 NLCS.  Beltrán and Alonso also share the NLCS record for runs scored, a mark reached by six others, including Shohei Ohtani in Game 4 of this year’s series.

~Alonso carries a career .580 postseason slugging percentage into the Mets’ next contest.  For the franchise, three players have higher figures (min. 50 PA):  Daniel Murphy (.724), Lenny Dykstra (.609), and one of this year’s breakout performers, Mark Vientos (.608).

Francisco Lindor posted his sixth multi-hit game of the 2024 playoffs and scored twice in the Mets victory.  

~Lindor is tied with John Olerud (1999) and Todd Zeile (2000) for the second most multi-hit games for a Met in a single postseason.  That trio trails Mark Vientos, who has seven this season.  The all-time record is nine, shared by Red Sox second baseman Marty Barrett (1986), Braves outfielder Marquis Grissom (1996) and Angels third baseman Troy Glaus (2002).

~Batting leadoff, Lindor has put together three multi-hit, multi-run games this postseason.  Among all leadoff hitters in a single postseason, Kenny Lofton (for the Giants in 2002) has the most such games, four.  For this postseason, Lindor is tied with Cleveland’s Steven Kwan for the most.

~Lindor carries an .897 OPS so far this postseason.  For all players with at least 50 plate appearances out of the number one spot in the order in a single postseason, that figure rests as the 12th highest.  Lenny Dykstra’s 1.179 in 1993 claims the top spot.

Some notes about the Mets offense in this must-win Game 5:

~In New York’s 104 postseason games, the club has surpassed 12 runs only once, in a 13-7 victory over the Dodgers in Game 3 of the 2015 NLDS. 

~Before Friday’s victory in Game 5, the Met’s previous high for runs when facing elimination was nine, in a Game 6 loss to the Braves in the 1999 NLCS.

~Buttressing their outburst, the Mets lineup finished with zero strikeouts.  10 previous clubs had gotten through a postseason contest unscathed like that, including the Pirates twice in the 1960 World Series (in fact, in Game 7 of the ’60 Fall Classic, neither the Yankees nor the Pirates suffered a single whiff).  Before the 2024 Mets, the 2002 Angels had been the last to do this, in Game 2 of the World Series.  

Playing in  his seventh career postseason game, Dodgers center fielder Andy Pages homered twice and drove in four runs.  

~Pages is the 26th player in postseason history to have a line with at least two homers and at least four RBI within one of the first seven games of his playoff career.  He is the second player to do it this postseason, after the Mets’ Mark Vientos in Game 2 of the NLDS.  Pages joins Dodgers Steve Garvey (1974 NLCS, G4) and Eric Karros (1995 NLDS, G2) on the list.  

~Pages is the third player in postseason history to hit ninth and produce a line featuring at least two longballs and at least four RBI.  Adam Kennedy was hitting ninth in Game 5 of the 2002 ALCS when he homered three times and drove in five for the Angels.  In Game 1 of the 2016 World Series, Cleveland’s Roberto Pérez had a two-homer, 4-RBI game while batting last in the order.

Max Muncy drew his ninth walk of the 2024 NLCS, putting him within one of the single-season LCS record.  With nine, Muncy is tied with Jim Wynn in 1974, Chipper Jones in 1999, Manny Ramirez in 2007, Willy Adames in 2020, and Muncy himself (2020).  Frank Thomas (1993) and Barry Bonds (2002) share the peak, with 10.

The Yankees got home runs from Giancarlo Stanton, Juan Soto and Austin Wells and defeated the Guardians 8-6 to take a 3-1 series lead in the best-of-seven ALCS.

~Stanton clubbed his third longball of this ALCS, giving him four in this year’s playoffs and 15 in his postseason career.   

*The three in an ALCS are one shy of the team record, set by Robinson Canó in 2010.

*The four in a single postseason are two shy of the franchise high mark, shared by Bernie Williams (1996), Alex Rodriguez (2009) and Stanton (2020).

*The 15 in his postseason career ties him with Aaron Judge, Kiké Hernández, Jayson Werth and Babe Ruth for 18th all-time.

~Stanton is slugging .767 in this year’s playoffs, and claims a .667 career postseason mark.

*The .767 this year is not all that historic.  Looking at the Yankees since 1969, that mark ranks 11th (min. 20 plate appearances).  Stanton’s 2020, on the other hand … his 1.038 that postseason is the highest mark for the club since the beginning of the Division Era in ’69. 

*Stanton’s .667 ranks as the fourth highest all-time (min. 100 PA).  Babe Ruth (.744), Lou Gehrig (.731) and Randy Arozarena (.690) are ahead of the Yankees slugger.

~Stanton’s career postseason OPS stands at 1.011, currently giving him rights to the 10th slot on the all-time list (min. 100 PA).  Ruth and Gehrig are again at the top.  Three other Hall of Famers reside near the top:  Paul Molitor, Hank Greenberg and George Brett.  Active players Randy Arozarena and Bryce Harper are also ahead of Stanton, as are Lenny Dykstra and Carlos Beltrán.  And that’s all nine.

~Soto has nine career postseason home runs.  That tally represents the fifth highest for any player before his 26th birthday (Soto turns 26 on October 25 this year).  On this list, Soto’s nine matches him with Mickey Mantle and Manny Ramirez.  

~With this win in this three-homer effort, the Yankees improved to 33-7 when hitting at least three round-trippers in a postseason contest.  Cleveland has been on the other side of the diamond in seven of the games where New York has amassed at least three homers (this is the most for any club against New York).  The Indians/Guardians have won three of those seven games. 

Steven Kwan – a game after going 0-for-4 to end his postseason hit streak at 12 – collected two knocks and scored three runs in Cleveland’s Game 4 loss. In the 2024 playoffs, Kwan has 15 hits (14 singles), has reached safely 21 times, and has scored 10 runs.  Cleveland’s postseason history features a lot of offensive prowess, and Kwan is holding his own.

~Single postseason – most hits: Kwan is tied for ninth, five hits shy of tying Sandy Alomar (1997) for the most.

~Single postseason – most times on base: Kwan is tied for 13th, 12 shy of tying Matt Williams (1997) for the most.

~Single postseason – most runs:  Kwan is tied for fifth, three shy of tying Williams in ‘97 for the most.

~Kwan’s tally of 14 singles matches him with a bunch of others for the 49th most in a postseason.  Marty Barrett (1986 for the Red Sox) and David Eckstein (2002 for the Angels) share the top spot, with 20.

In the loss, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase surrendered two runs in the ninth inning and took the loss.  In 7.0 innings this postseason, Clase has been charged with eight earned runs and has allowed three home runs.  In 74.1 innings during the 2024 regular season, the right-hander was charged with five earned runs and gave up two home runs. 

In Friday’s games, only one starter, the Yankees’ Luis Gil, even lasted a full four innings.  In this year’s playoffs, 42 starters have failed to complete five innings of work.  The 42 this year are third most in any postseason, behind 55 in 2020 and 44 in 2021.  The past two postseasons have finished with 36 (2023) and 23 (2022).

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