The Briefing Room
General Category => Sports/Entertainment/MSM/Social Media => Topic started by: EasyAce on October 20, 2019, 12:03:57 am
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The scenario at Minute Maid Park: Brad Peacock will start (open) Game Six for the Astros . . . one day after he pitched the last Astro pitching inning of Game Five in New York.
The last pitcher to do that: Firpo Marberry of the 1924 Washington Senators. The arguable great-granddaddy of the relief specialist. Who relieved Tom Zachary to get the last out of Game Two (he struck out dubious Hall of Fame Giant Travis Jackson), then started Game Three. (He surrendered three runs---two unearned, one scoring on an infield ground out---in three innings' work.)
In the same Series that the Old Nats won with---the horror!---what we'd call a bullpen game and starters-as-relievers in Game Seven.
Player-manager Bucky Harris, the boy wonder (he was 24), opened with righthander Curly Ogden just to deke Hall of Fame manager John McGraw into loading his lineup with lefthanded hitters . . . knowing full well that Ogden (who was on board fully with the plot) wouldn't face more than two hitters before Harris would lift him---for his Game Four starter George Mogridge, a lefthander. The game ended up tied going to the ninth; Marberry relieved Mogridge for the sixth and, after surrendering a game-tying sacrifice fly, telegraphed hapless Jeurys Familia in the 2015 World Series when a pair of Senators infield errors later in the inning let the Giants take a 3-1 lead.
The Old Nats tied in the bottom of the eighth when Harris's own grounder took the notorious high hop away from Giants third baseman Freddie Lindstrom and sent two runs home. For the top of the ninth, then, Harris reached for his fourth pitcher of the day: Hall of Famer Walter Johnson. Who'd pitch four scoreless until the Old Nats won the game and Washington the city's still-only World Series triumph in the bottom of the twelfth.
And to think the Old Nats bullpenned a World Series win in the same year J. Edgar Hoover was named to run the FBI, Native Americans were finally awarded official American citizenship, and Macy*s held its first Thanksgiving Day parade!
So the questions before the house tonight are:
* Will the Astros bullpen their way to the pennant in Game Six?
* Or, will the Yankees bullpen their way into a Game Seven showdown?
Game Six is about to begin . . .
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. . . and Brad Peacock gets a swinging strikeout and two quick ground outs to start.
No score, the Astros coming up to bat . . .
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A one out double (Jose Altuve), a two-out walk (to Alex Bregman), and Yuli Gurriel hits a three-run homer off Yankee opener Chad Greene!
3-0, Astros after one full . . .
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A double and a single give the Yankees their first run, a walk gives them first and second and prompt the first pitching change of the night, Josh James comes in for the Astros and catches Brett Gardner looking at a changeup for strike three and the side.
3-1, Astros, middle second . . .
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Plate umpire Marvin Hudson has a wide Rocky Horror Show strike zone tonight---a little to the left, a little to the right, let's do the Time Warp again . . .
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J.A. Happ in from the pen for the Yankees, gets the Astros three-and-three, but the Astros still lead, 3-1 after two full . . .
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It's so shitty to listen to these guys get sexually aroused whenever the Yankees put the ball in play.
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The Yankees load the pillows and coax Josh James out and Ryan Pressly into the game for the Astros, he gets a grounder back to himself for the side. And he may have injured himself making the play, possibly rolling his ankle. Jose Urquidy warming up now for the Astros.
Still 3-1, Astros, after two and a half . . .
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It's so shitty to listen to these guys get sexually aroused whenever the Yankees put the ball in play.
I'm afraid to ask which guys you're listening to . . .
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The Astros push George Springer to second but can't cash him in, but they still lead 3-1 after three full . . .
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Plate umpire Marvin Hudson seems hell bent on pissing off both teams and their fans with his back-and-forth wide strike zone . . .
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Yankee third baseman Gio Urshela hits one the other way into the Astro bullpen with one out but that's all they get . . .
The gap closed to a run, the Astros lead 3-2 in the middle of the fourth . . .
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Big dilemna for the Astros: Ryan Pressly injured and they may have to consider taking him off the roster if the injury's too severe (he may have rolled his ankle making that inning-ending putout) to get another pitcher on, which would mean Pressly wouldn't be eligible if the Astros go to the World Series . . . your game within the game brought to you by the pause that refreshes. Drink Pause.
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Update: Pressly didn't roll his ankle but his right knee flared up. They list him day-to-day now.
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Yankee reliever Luis Cessa has to work for it but he gets the Astros in order.
3-2 Astros after four full . . .
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It's a three-and-three for Astro reliever Jose Urquidy working his second inning, and the Astros still lead 3-2 in the middle of the fifth . . .
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A leadoff bunt single by Martin Maldonado ends a strikeout later when George Springer fights a solid at-bat but dials Area Code 4-6-3.
But it's still 3-2 Astros after five . . .
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Josh Reddick makes a highlight-reel diving faceplant catch on a sinking liner with first and second . . . then Will Harris relieved Jose Urquidy and throws one pitch turned into a weak ground out to shortstop and the Astros escape disaster again . . .
3-2 Astros, middle of the sixth . . .
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Jose Altuve walks leading off . . . Michael Brantley singles . . . Yankee shortstop Didi Gregorius loses a step peeking home on Alex Bregman's grounder and Altuve scores the fourth Houston run . . .
4-2, Astros after six full . . .
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If you thought the Reddick catch was a stupefyer, you should have seen Michael Brantley dive for Aaron Hicks's shallow pop in left, he dove, caught, came up throwing, and doubled Aaron Judge off first for the side!
4-2, Astros at the seventh inning stretch . . .
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Three and three for the Astros but they're six outs away from the World Series!
4-2 Astros after seven full . . .
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If you thought the Reddick catch was a stupefyer, you should have seen Michael Brantley dive for Aaron Hicks's shallow pop in left, he dove, caught, came up throwing, and doubled Aaron Judge off first for the side!
4-2, Astros at the seventh inning stretch . . .
Why would Aaron Judge go THAT far toward 2nd base (he stepped on it)? He was never going to advance to 3rd base on it.
Been thinking about this visible strike zone....the ump is very bad tonight. But my point is that if they actually used the RULE BOOK strike zone, we'd see faster games....and less balls leaving the park.
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The Yankees get a one-out single but Gary Sanchez dials Area Code 4-6-3 with a rocket throw to first by Carlos Correa for the side!
And it's 4-2, Astros, middle eighth . . .
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@catfish1957
@Bigun
Three (3) outs to get...for a Astros/Nationals Series for the Ages. :beer:
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The Astros load the pillows with two out in the bottom of the eighth but don't score, the inning ends on a force at second, but they're only three outs from the World Series!
4-2 Astros after eight full . . .
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With a leadoff runner on and one out, D.J. LeMahieu sends a two-run homer into the right field seats and we are tied at four all, top of the ninth!
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Jose Altuve hits a two-out, two-run homer, and the Houston Astros are going to- the World Series!!!!!
6-4 your final from Minute Maid Park!!!
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Jose Altuve hits a two-out, two-run homer, and the Houston Astros are going to- the World Series!!!!!
6-4 your final from Minute Maid Park!!!
5 ft. 6 in., 168 lbs......Jose Altuve :beer:
Off Chapman!!!
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Jose Altuve hits a two-out, two-run homer, and the Houston Astros are going to- the World Series!!!!!
6-4 your final from Minute Maid Park!!!
And that deserves a "Hot diggity Damn!"
Most fitting way possible to end it IMHO.
Bring on the Nats!
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And that deserves a "Hot diggity Damn!"
Most fitting way possible to end it IMHO.
Bring on the Nats!
:beer:
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5 ft. 6 in., 168 lbs......Jose Altuve :beer:
Off Chapman!!!
@DCPatriot
I wanted to be on time for the fastball but looking up in the zone.---Jose Altuve after the game.
Was he ever on time---even if it was a slider!
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@DCPatriot
I wanted to be on time for the fastball but looking up in the zone.---Jose Altuve after the game.
Was he ever!
@EasyAce
The three evening hosts on MLB are freaking out over Chapman throwing slider after slider after slider...to the point he had no feeling for his fastball.
The 2-1 pitch that Altuve hit against the concrete was the SAME exact pitch that he saw for Strike One.
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Astros vs. Nats in the World Series -- should be a lot of fun.
Not sure who to root for. I'd be happy to see the Astros take it all so Gerrit Cole can thumb his nose at the Pirates who dumped him (not that he would -- seems too classy a guy). But I have family in the DC area who are Nats fan and I think this is the team's first World Series, so the Nats winning the Series would be cool.
But...congratulations and best of luck to both teams.
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Jose Altuve hits a two-out, two-run homer, and the Houston Astros are going to- the World Series!!!!!
6-4 your final from Minute Maid Park!!!
Blood pressure was up about 20 points tonight. These kind of games do that.
Altuve provided us a clearly iconic Houston playoff moment.
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Astros vs. Nats in the World Series -- should be a lot of fun.
Not sure who to root for. I'd be happy to see the Astros take it all so Gerrit Cole can thumb his nose at the Pirates who dumped him (not that he would -- seems too classy a guy). But I have family in the DC area who are Nats fan and I think this is the team's first World Series, so the Nats winning the Series would be cool.
But...congratulations and best of luck to both teams.
@Applewood
There's too much to love about both teams.
But---the Astros' last World Series triumph was a mere two years ago. And they're not about to surrender their ownership of the American League West any time soon.
Washington hasn't had a baseball team win a World Series since Rhapsody in Blue, Mercedes-Benz, and Sarah Vaughan were born; Franz Kafka, Giacomo Puccini, and Woodrow Wilson died; Hitler got five years for the beer hall putsch; J. Edgar Hoover was named to run the FBI; Native Americans were finally given full American citizenship; and, Macy*s held its first Thanksgiving Day parade.
And Washington needs (desperately?) something other than the continuing clanking, stanking, and skanking of the nation's largest organised crime family to think about and celebrate.
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@EasyAce
The three evening hosts on MLB are freaking out over Chapman throwing slider after slider after slider...to the point he had no feeling for his fastball.
The 2-1 pitch that Altuve hit against the concrete was the SAME exact pitch that he saw for Strike One.
@DCPatriot
Chapman threw nineteen pitches in the bottom of the ninth and eleven of them were sliders. Exactly why Gary Sanchez behind the plate called for that many sliders escapes, especially working with a guy who can throw ten lamb chops past the proverbial wolf. Even if this series exposed Sanchez as a bigger liability than benefit to the Yankees behind the plate overall, that's almost inexcusable.
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After the way the Yankees fans treated that poor Astros pitcher, I’m abashed to be a Yankees fan. So congrats to Texas.
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@DCPatriot
Chapman threw nineteen pitches in the bottom of the ninth and eleven of them were sliders. Exactly why Gary Sanchez behind the plate called for that many sliders escapes, especially working with a guy who can throw ten lamb chops past the proverbial wolf. Even if this series exposed Sanchez as a bigger liability than benefit to the Yankees behind the plate overall, that's almost inexcusable.
"Almost" ?
Also, doesn't Sanchez check with Boone on calling pitches, or is he THAT much of a 'veteran'?
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"Almost" ?
Also, doesn't Sanchez check with Boone on calling pitches, or is he THAT much of a 'veteran'?
You'd think a catcher with four major league seasons (I'm not counting his two-game cameo in 2015) would be a veteran of sorts, and Aaron Boone did talk a lot this postseason about his faith in Sanchez no matter how he was struggling. If Sanchez called the game on his own, he has a lot to answer for over the ninth. If he didn't, Boone has a lot to answer for.
Which is a terrible way to end a season in which Boone looked brilliant for guiding the Yankees this year no matter how often he had to look around and see yet another Yankee heading for medical attention and a spell on the injured list.