Baseball Toaster was unplugged on February 4, 2009.
Email me at btimmermann@gmail.com
Select a date:
The Colorado Rockies have now hit at least one home run in all six of their postseason games. That is two short of the record for the longest stretch with a home run to start a franchise's postseason play. The Seattle Mariners hit home runs in eight straight games in 1995.
The Mariners hit home runs in all five games of their epic ALDS against the Yankees and then in the first three games against Cleveland in the ALCS. The Mariners were shut out in Game 4 of the ALCS, 7-0 by four Cleveland pitchers.
The Houston Astros have the longest streak in postseason play with a home run at 13. That streak started in Game 3 of the 2001 NLDS against Atlanta, then all five games of the 2004 NLDS against the Braves, and then all seven games of the 2004 NLCS against St. Louis. The Astros failed to homer in Game 1 of the 2005 NLDS against Atlanta despite scoring 10 runs.
The Yankees longest stretch in the postseason with a homer is just nine games, which they've done three separate times, the last time in 2004.
Manny Corpas picked up a save for the Rockies in Game 1. The only other save recorded by a Colorado pitcher was Mark Thompson in 1995. He never had a save in the regular season.
Although Geovany Soto had just 80 at bats in the major leagues (54 this season) before seeing action in the postseason (obviously, I'm not looking at AL pitchers from the DH era), he will not break the record of another Cubs catcher, Clyde McCullough, who played in the 1945 World Series despite not seeing any action during the regular season. Federal labor laws required all returning veterans to retain their jobs, so the 1945 World Series between the Cubs and Tigers was played with no roster limits. McCullough made the 1948 All-Star team. He batted .209 that year with 1 home run and 7 RBI.
Frank Demaree, the last Cub rookie to homer in the postseason before Soto did tonight, had just 56 at bats in the 1932 regular season and had played in the field for just 17 games.
The lesson I'm taking away from this is never, ever read a book again because, invariably, someone else will have read a better book on the subject then you.
Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.