THE BALL BOUNCES FUNNY IN OCTOBER

 This world series is turning out to be a classic. The Blue Jays, in last place last year, had the world champ Dodgers down 3 games to 2 heading into last night's game six in Toronto. And then something happened, which showed once again why there is nothing better in sports than October baseball. 

But before we get to last night's game, we will briefly talk about a similar play in what we consider to be the greatest world series game ever played: Game Seven, Yankees at Pirates 1960. The Yankees were overwhelming favourites in the series. And as the series played out, it showed. The Yankees won three games 16-4, 10-0, and 6-4. Getting to game 7, the Pirates won 6-4, 3-2, and 5-2.  Now Game 7 1960 is famous for the only game 7 bottom of the 9th walk off home run. Bill Mazeroski hit it, and the Pirates shocked the Yankees and became world champs. 

But before Maz's famous dinger, there was the bottom of the eighth inning. The game had see-sawed back and forth with the Pirates going up 2-0, and then 4-1 before the Yankees went up 5-4 and then 8-4. In the bottom of the 8th, Bill Virdon came up with a runner on first and no outs. He hit a sharp grounder to Tony Kubek at short. It was an easy double-play ball. But the infield in Forbes Field had small pebbles in the dirt. The sharp grounder hit a pebble that kicked up and hit Kubek in the throat. He collapsed and was subsequently taken to the hospital. 

The ball can bounce strangely in October game sevens.

 Without the double play, the Pirates had two on, and slugging catcher Hall Smith bashed a three-run homer in what turned out to be a five run Pirate inning. The Yanks tied it back up  in the top of the ninth, setting the stage for Maz's clutch immortal home run. But none of that happens if the grounder doesn't hit a pebble that causes a freak injury to Kubek. You can hear Mel Allen on the call mistakenly thinking that the ball hit Kubek in the face. 

Which brings us to Game Six in the current Series Friday night.  The Jays were down 3-1 in the bottom of the ninth with a man on first. Addison "Bam Bam" Barger came to bat and was the tying run. Barger hammered a fastball from Roki Sasaki to deep left-center, over the head of the outfielders. The runner from first scored, and the Jays were down by one with a man on second. A walk off world series championship hit was in the cards. 

Except it was Halloween and the ball bounces funny in World Series games in October. 

Barger's ball stuck in the bottom of the fence... what??? 

  We shall repeat it, because we did not believe it. The ball stuck in the bottom of the fence.  We have NEVER seen that in a baseball game (of course no one had ever seen a grounder hit a pebble and take out a shortstop either). The umpires called it a ground rule double, the runner that scored was moved back to third- and this being October baseball, the next batter flied out to short center and Barger, thinking the ball was going to drop, was doubled off second-  this being the first 7-4 double play to end a world series game. 

GAME SEVEN TONIGHT! 

This is just the best time of the year. 

DEFENSE MATTERS

 The Los Angeles Dodgers are the 2024 World Champions of Baseball.

Did you know that the Dodgers name goes back to when they were the Brooklyn Dodgers and patrons had to "dodge" trolley cars on the way into the ballpark in Brooklyn? 

Defense wins - championships and trials. 

In the fifth inning Wednesday night the Yankees were up 5-0 when the Dodgers came to bat. The end was near. The better baseball team was about to show why they are better and the worse team was about to unequivocally show why they were the inferior team.  

The Yankees made a string of errors that a little league baseball should not make. 

Pitcher Gerritt Cole, pitching the game of his life, failed to cover first base on a grounder to first, allowing the Dodgers to score and keep the inning alive. Yankee superstar Aaron Judge, who  in the first inning broke out of his slump and hit a massive home run, and later made a spectacular catch in center field, allowed a routine fly ball to go over his head in the fifth inning. No Willie Mays he.  Somewhere Vic Wertz is smiling. 

Here is the whole firth inning in its inglorious Yankee ineptitude. 

Defense wins championships. 

The Yankees have superstar hitters and pitchers. But they do not have a team of fundamentally sound baseball players. And it showed in this series. 

The better team won. 

How many days until pitchers and catchers report? 

ON AN REGJB NOTE: 

What's the deal with election day next week? 

Trials occurring? 

Riot gear required? 

THE FALL CLASSIC

 After Sunday, it is the story everybody is talking about. Covid? Nope. Dolphins shut-out? Nah. Trump trashes Fauci? Dog bites man. 

It is Los Angeles vs. Tampa Bay. The World Series. And we have been wondering about the greatest world series moments. Here are our nominees. Submit yours. 

1) Reggie Jackson. Three swings. Three Home Runs on one October night in the Bronx and Yanks win the series. 

2) There has only been one, bottom of the 9th walk off game 7 world series winning home run and it occurred sixty years ago this month as the Pirates Bill Mazeroski did it against the Yankees. This series was fascinating for the scores of the games. The Yanks out scored the Pirates 55-27, winning three games with scores of 16-3, 10-0, and 12-0. But the Pirates hung in, winning close games with scores of 6-4, 3-2, and 5-2.  This game was perhaps the greatest game seven ever played as the score see-sawed back and forth. The Pirates went up 4-0. The Yanks came back and were up 7-5 when fortune favored the Bucs in the form of a ground ball that was a certain double play ball. But it hit a pebble and struck Yankee shortstop Tony Kubeck in the throat sending him to the hospital. The runners were safe and then the Bucs scored another run before Pirate- catcher Hal Smith hit a three run home run to give the Pirates a 9-7 lead.  The Yanks came back in the top of the ninth and tied it sending the game to the bottom of the ninth and bringing light hitting second baseman Bill Mazeroski to the plate.  

3) There have been dozens of pitchers in the world series who would end up in the Hall of Fame. Whitey Ford; Bob Gibson; Tom Seaver; Sandy Kofax; Mariano Rivera. But there has only been one perfect game pitched in the World Series and Don Larsen did it for the New York Yankees in 1956.  27 Dodgers up and 27 Dodgers down. No hits. No walks. No errors. No baserunners.  Just perfection. 

4)  Jack Buck's call may be better than the home run:  "I don't believe what I just saw". But we are putting  Kirk Gibson's pinch hit home run with one good leg against Hall Of Fame reliever Dennis Eckersley to win the game for the Dodger  in Game one of the 1988 World Series. 

  Game 6. 

5) 1986. The Boston Red Sox are one out away from breaking the curse of the Bambino. The NY Mets are down to their last at bat. Bottom of the tenth. Two on. Two out and Mookie Wilson and Bill Buckner are about to be linked forever in Baseball history as Mookie has the most epic game-winning at bat  in WS history.