|
|
Look back at: Divisional Playoffs |
League Championship
|
|
Wednesday, October 25
Useless facts from the World Series
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- And now a Game 3 World Series edition of the Useless
Information Dept.:
Orlando Hernandez might not have won, but El Duque's 12 strikeouts represent the most by any pitcher in a World Series since Tom Seaver fanned 12 Athletics in Game 3 of the 1973 Series, also at Shea Stadium. Only six other World Series pitchers have whiffed 12 or more in an outing of nine innings or shorter. They are:
Bob Gibson, St. Louis Cardinals, 17, 1968
Sandy Koufax, Los Angeles Dodgers 15, 1963
Carl Erskine, Brooklyn Dodgers, 14, 1953
Mort Cooper, St. Louis Cardinals, 12, 1944
Howard Ehmke, Philadelphia Athletics, 13, 1929
Ed Walsh, Chicago White Sox, 12, 1906
El Duque's six strikeouts in the first two innings were a World
Series record, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The 11 strikeouts by the two starters in the first two innings were three more than the previous high in any World Series.
El Duque's numbers against right-handed hitters (.210) were so much better than his numbers against left-handed hitters (.280) this year that left-handed hitters actually got more at-bats against him (397) than right-handers (357). But Bobby Valentine still went with a lineup of seven right-handed hitters (plus Timo Perez and Robin Ventura). So in this game, right-handed hitters got 22 at-bats against him. Left-handed hitters got just eight.
El Duque has faced the Mets three times in the regular season -- and never given up a home run, in 22 innings. He gave up a homer to the fourth Mets batter he faced during this World Series: Ventura.
Bobby Valentine issued five intentional walks in the first two games
of his World Series managerial career. SABR's David Vincent reports that those five walks already move Valentine into third place on the career list of most intentional walks issued in a World Series managerial career. Bobby Cox is first, with 16. Dick Williams is second, with eight.
Most intentional walks in a single World Series: eight, by Williams in
the '72 Series. Next-most: seven, by Cox in 1991. Valentine's five rank third.
Loyal reader Jerry Beech reports that the five runs the Mets scored
against the Yankees in the ninth inning of Game 2 mark the first time ANY team has ever scored five in the ninth against the Yankees. The old record was four, by the '76 Big Red Machine (Game 4) and the '42 Cardinals (Game 1).
Before Game 2, Paul O'Neill had two extra-base hits in his previous
31 games. He now has three just in the last two games.
O'Neill's last game with two extra-base hits: Sept. 2, against the Twins (homer, double).
Coming off his worst season as a Yankee, O'Neill started this World
Series by going 6-for-10. His career average in all his previous
World Series: .172.
Before the NLCS, Todd Zeile had gone four years and 33 at-bats
without a postseason RBI. He now has 9 RBI in 9 games since.
|
|
 | 
|
