Game Notes, 10/31/2025 – World Series Game 6

Three times in his career, Whitey Ford accepted the starting assignment in a Game 6 with his Yankees facing the dire commandment – win or go away.  The first time this not so impossible mission presented itself, Ford got to stand atop his home mound of dirt, and, perhaps feeling a little extra comfort from the familiarity, projected all the colors and shapes of an ace:  a four-hitter in a 5-1 win to send the 1955 Fall Classic to a Game 7 where the Dodgers claimed their first and only title during their Brooklyn days.  Three years later, Ford took the hill in Milwaukee and failed to make it out of the second inning, but his teammates pulled off a win in 10 innings to force a Game 7:  one where they took down the Braves of Henry Aaron and Eddie Mathews in an epic comeback from being down three games to one in the series.  Two years after that, Ford again toed the rubber on enemy ground, but this time, spun another gem – a seven-hit shutout over the Pirates to set the stage for Bill Mazeroski and everyone else who would converge on the Forbes Field stage to act out a Game 7 for the gilded books.  

What did Yoshinobu Yamamoto and his Dodgers just set in motion? – we shall see.  

*Dodgers @ Blue Jays, World Series Game 6*

Facing elimination, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (6.0 IP, 1 R) and three Dodgers relievers did enough to make three runs hold up:  iIn sum, a 3-1 Dodgers win in this Game 6 to force one last contest for all the marbles. 

~Yamamoto improved to 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA for the 2025 postseason – presumably his final numbers for the run.  If so, he’s tied the team record for wins in a postseason and his 1.56 ERA comes in as the sixth lowest among the 23 Dodgers hurlers who’ve amassed at least 20.0 innings in one year.  

Dodgers – Most Wins in a Postseason

4    Burt Hooton in 1981

4    Clayton Kershaw in 2020

4    Julio Urías in 2020

4    Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 2025

Dodgers – Lowest ERA in a Postseason (min. 20.0 IP)

0.38    Sandy Koufax in 3 starts in 1965

0.82    Burt Hooton in 5 starts in 1981

1.05    Orel Hershiser in 5 starts (and 1 relief appearance) in 1988

1.17    Julio Urías in 2 starts (and 4 relief appearances) in 2020

1.50    Don Sutton in 4 starts in 1974

1.56    Yoshinobu Yamamoto in 5 starts in 2025

~Yamamoto’s 34.2 innings represent the fourth-highest tally for any Dodgers pitcher, behind Orel Hershiser’s 42.2 in 1988, Fernando Valenzuela’s 40.2 in 1981 and Jerry Reuss’ 36.2 in 1981.

~There are 28 pitchers who’ve recorded at least four wins in a single postseason (the high mark comes in at five).  Among these 28, Yamamoto’s 1.56 ERA is hanging as a top-10 (lowest 10) mark.  As referenced above, the years from Burt Hooton (4-1, 0.82 in 1981) and Julio Urías (4-0, 1.17  in 2020) make the grade above Yamamoto, with Hooton’s ERA the lowest among all 28.*  The rest of the top-10, the non-Dodgers, comes in the form of these guys:

0.95    John Smoltz in 1996 (4-1)

1.03    Madison Bumgarner in 2014 (4-1)

1.12    Curt Schilling in 2001 (4-0)

1.20    Josh Beckett in 2007 (4-0)

1.52    Randy Johnson in 2001 (5-1)

1.53    Orel Hershiser in 1995 (4-1)

1.56    Cliff Lee in 2009 (4-0)

1.56    Jon Lester in 2013 (4-1)

*The fourth Dodger with four postseason wins in a year – Clayton Kershaw in 2020 – posted a 2.93 ERA that year, tied for 23rd among the 28 hurlers.  

~Yamamoto’s effort and results gave the Dodgers room to play another contest, making him the 16th starter* for the franchise to record a win in a potential elimination game.  Thanks to his work in Game 5 of the 2024 NLDS, the righty was also the 15th member of this club.  He joins Burt Hooton and Fernando Valenzuela as twice-appearing names in this collection of 16.  All four examples of those guys’ work came in 1981:  Game 3 of the NLDS and Game 4 of the NLCS for Hooton; Game 4 of the NLDS and Game 5 of the NLCS for Valenzuela.

*Dodgers starters in potential elimination games are 16-23 with 19 no-decisions.  

*Among all teams, Curt Schilling, Justin Verlander and Charlie Morton share the belt for the most wins (in starts) in potential elimination games, all with four.  

~Yamamoto was the 21st Dodgers World Series starter to take the hill in a potential elimination game and made himself the sixth to record a win within the crucible.  Going backward from Yamamoto to pinpoint the other winners, we then run across Don Sutton in Game 5 in 1977, Sandy Koufax in Game 7 in 1965, Clem Labine in Game 6 in 1956 and Johnny Podres in Game 7 in 1955.  

All the Dodgers’ scoring came in the third inning, with Will Smith producing a run-scoring double and Mookie Betts piling on with a two-run single.  

~Smith has been part of the Dodgers postseason picture since 2019 and in his 71 playoff games, has accumulated 36 RBI.  He’s tied with Yadier Molina for the third most among backstops (at least 75% of games at catcher) in postseason history.  The top five are identified below, with the parenthetical revealing their individual RBI/game numbers.

Most Postseason RBI by a Catcher

42    Jorge Posada (.34 RBI/game)

39    Yogi Berra (.52 RBI/game)

36    Yadier Molina (.35 RBI/game)

36    Will Smith (.51 RBI/game)

33    Jason Varitek (.52 RBI/game)

~Betts has been a part of postseason baseball since first appearing in the 2016 ALDS with the Red Sox, and in his career, has played 90 games (15th most).  His other counting stat numbers are commensurate with that experience …

→His 92 hits are 10th most

→His 26 doubles are third most

→His 35 extra-base hits are tied for 11th most

→His 42 RBI are tied for 15th most

→His 144 total bases are 17th most

~Betts’ two-RBI night came while he was batting cleanup – the first time he’s swatted from that slot in a postseason circumstance since Game 4 of the 2017 ALDS with the Red Sox.  In honor of the production given the circumstances, it’s worth assembling some company in Dodgers blue for Betts.  Whether in Brooklyn or Los Angeles, the Dodgers have played in 58 games in which they faced elimination.  Nine cleanup hitters came out of the high-stakes contest with a multi-RBI line (everyone had exactly two RBI):  Steve Garvey (twice), Adrián González (twice), Bill Madlock, Jeff Kent, Justin Turner, Will Smith and now, Betts.  Betts is the only one of the nine to have his timely effort come in the World Series.

The Dodgers franchise will be experiencing its seventh deciding Game 7 in a World Series.  The club dropped the first two of these (in 1947 and 1952), won in 1955 and then lost in 1956, won again in 1965 and then fell in 2017.  The Blue Jays will be experiencing a World Series Game 7 for the first time.

Deciding Game 7s in the World Series have arrived 40 times (this is counting Game 8 in 1912, a necessary contest because of a tie earlier in this best-of-seven series).  The first – in 1909 – was won by the visiting Pirates.  The most recent – in 2019 – was won by the visiting Nationals.  The last four have all been won by the visiting team.  Altogether, the home team is 19-21 in these 40 contests, with the most recent winner appearing out of the 2011 Fall Classic, when the Cardinals defeated the Rangers.  The last time an American League team won a World Series Game 7 at home:  2002, when the Angels got the better of the Giants.

In this Game 6 loss, Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement doubled and singled to extend his hitting streak to 12 games.  13 players – including Clement – have put together a streak this long or longer inside a single postseason, including one other Blue Jay, Pat Borders in 1992.  The full list as it looks right now:

Longest Hitting Streak in a Single Postseason

16    Ketel Marte (2023 Diamondbacks)

15    Alcides Escobar (2015 Royals)

14    Marquis Grissom (1995 Braves)

14    Manny Ramírez (2004 Red Sox)

13    Mark Lemke (1996 Braves)

13    David Freese (2011 Cardinals)

12    Pat Borders (1992 Blue Jays)

12    Derek Jeter (1999 Yankees)

12    Benny Agbayani (2000 Mets)

12    Darin Erstad (2002 Angels)

12    Nelson Cruz (2010 Rangers)

12    Elvis Andrus (2010 Rangers)

12    Ernie Clement (2025 Blue Jays) 

George Springer singled twice and drove in the Blue Jays’ lone run.  Obviously, depending on how things play out in Game 7, this could be the final meaningful alteration in Springer’s career postseason tallies … so, a good opportunity to snapshot them.

Runs

Springer is at 56, 10th all-time and one behind Albert Pujols/Mookie Betts

Hits

Springer is at 90, one behind Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel for 11th   

Extra-Base Hits

Springer has 44, four behind Manny Ramírez and Jose Altuve for third

RBI

Springer has 48, tied with Reggie Jackson and Corey Seager for 10th 

Total Bases

Springer has 180, the fifth most ever (he’s 40 behind Jose Altuve for fourth)

Times on Base

Springer is at 130, tied with Tino Martinez for 15th 

Games Played

Springer sits with 82, 21st 

Addison Barger doubled twice – his fourth straight multi-hit game and fifth in this World Series.  Barger joined 11 others who’ve produced at least five multi-hit games in a World Series – a glittering collection that hadn’t added a member in many years.

Most Multi-Hit Games in a World Series

6    Sam Rice (1925), Bill Skowron (1960)

5    Joe Jackson (1919), Pepper Martin (1931), Billy Martin (1953), Bobby Richardson (1960, 1964), Lou                Brock (1967), Amos Otis (1980), Marty Barrett (1986), Marquis Grissom (1996), Addison Barger (2025)

~Barger’s 10 hits in this World Series have him within three of tying the World Series record, shared by Bobby Richardson (1964), Lou Brock (1968) and Marty Barrett (1986).  Barger needs two more knocks to tie Roberto Alomar (1993) and Paul Molitor (1993) for the most by a Blue Jay.

~Barger’s two doubles in four at-bats pushed his slash line for this 2025 postseason to .357/.419/.589.  Any excuse to dive into the narrative history of the .300/.400/.500 line in the postseason …

The first player to finish a playoff run with a .300/.400/.500 line with at least 50 plate appearances came shortly after the League Championship Series was introduced in 1969.  In 1971, World Champion (and World Series MVP) Roberto Clemente slashed .383/.420/.596 to open up shop.  It would be another 14 years till he had company – George Brett’s .360/.475/.600 effort in 1985 making this a club of two. 

In the next 38 postseasons from 1986-2024, 65 others joined the two Hall of Famers, including Derek Jeter and David Ortiz, each of whom cleared the bar on three separate occasions.  Álex Rodríguez, Manny Ramírez, Albert Pujols, Hideki Matsui, Lance Berkman, Carlos Beltrán and Corey Seager appear twice.  

So far, in 2025, one guy has entered the club:   Cal Raleigh, whose final numbers this postseason came in at .304/.407/.674.  And that gets us back to Barger.

Barger is one of three Blue Jays in 2025 currently holding their bats above the cut line, along with Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (.412/.506/.824) and Ernie Clement (.397/.403/.544).  One team has seen a quartet of players do the work in the same postseason, four others have seen a trio.  Let’s outline those five clubs and then get out of here  and get ready for Game 7…

Most Players on a Team in a Postseason With a .300/.400/.500 Line (min. 50 plate appearances)

4    2007 Red Sox (Mike Lowell, David Ortiz, Manny Ramírez, Kevin Youkilis)

3    1995 Mariners (Jay Buhner, Ken Griffey, Jr., Edgar Martínez)

3    1995 Braves (Marquis Grissom, Chipper Jones, Fred McGriff)

3    2009 Yankees (Derek Jeter, Hideki Matsui, Álex Rodríguez)

3    2020 Astros (Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley, Carlos Correa)

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