A while ago there was a pretty hot debate about Roberts resting players as we go down the stretch still chasing the Giants. And it got me thinking about today’s players and how much time during the season they get off. Rarely do you see a player on the field for all 162 games. It is even rarer to see a player play all of the regular season games and then play all the games in the playoffs. Players today are in better shape, eat better, have more comfortable traveling conditions and stay in the best hotels when they are on the road. They have great medical staffs and trainers to see to their aches and pains. Team doctors are right there to help with any major injuries and illnesses. The Dodgers this season have been riddled with injuries to both key players and subs. But they still are in the race and have the second-best record in the majors.
I have always been impressed though by players who reached a substantial number of games played while never missing a beat even when injured. And to me, the shining example of that kind of player is the legendary Lou Gehrig. I read a lot about Gehrig when I was a youngster. Almost every school I went to had his biography in the library. But they did not have a picture of him, and it wasn’t until I read an article about him in the Sporting News, that I even knew what he looked like.
Henry Louis Gehrig. Born in Yorkville, Manhattan, New York City on June 19, 1903. His birth name was Heinrich Ludwig Gehrig. His parents, Heinrich and Christina Gehrig were first-generation immigrants from Germany. Lou was a big baby, some stories say he was almost 14 pounds at birth. He had no siblings who lived to adulthood. His sister Anna died in 1902 when she was only 3 months old. His other sister, Sophie, contracted measles and diphtheria and passed away in 1906 when she was less than 2 years old. There was also another brother who died almost immediately after his birth and was never named.
His father was a metal worker, but he was rarely employed because he drank a lot and also would get ill quite often, He also did not have a very good attendance record when he did work. He would sometimes disappear for a few days and then return with no explanation. So, Lou’s mom, Christina was the main breadwinner and disciplinarian. She was also very protective of her only surviving child.
When Gehrig was five, his family moved from Yorkville to Washington Heights. The apartment they lived in was within shouting distance of Hilltop Park, home of the New York Highlanders of the American League, and not very far from there was the Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants of the National League. Growing up so near to these parks gave Lou an early appetite and appreciation for the game. He began playing in pickup games, and soon discovered he was better than most of the other boys. He soon became one of the best sandlot players in the city.
His favorite team in those days was the Giants. Lou would attend games there whenever he could save up the 25 cents it cost to sit in the left-field bleachers at the Polo Grounds. Unfortunately, his parents did not share his enthusiasm for the game. Being immigrants, they thought it was nothing more than a schoolyard game. They were poor and wanted Lou to become a businessman someday. Making his own way in the world.
Lou followed his mother’s wishes for a time. He devoted himself to his studies and was a very good student during elementary school. But he still found time to play the game in the summer and on weekends during his childhood. In 1917 Lou enrolled at Commerce High School in Manhattan. There he starred in both football and baseball.
He first gained national attention when the City of Chicago sponsored a game between the New York City Champs, Gehrig’s Commerce High School, and the Chicago Champs, Lane Tech High School. The game was played on June 26, 1920, in front of 10,000 fans at Cubs Park, which 6 years later would be renamed Wrigley Field.
In the top of the 9th inning, Commerce led 8-6 and Gehrig came to the plate with the bases loaded. A hit would put the game out of reach, but Gehrig did that and more, he hit a ball over the right-field fence and out of sight. As reported the next day in the Tribune, ” Gehrig’s blow would have made any big leaguer proud, yet it was walloped by a boy who has not yet started to shave”.
The New York Daily News went a step farther saying that the star of the inter-city game was Babe Gehrig. Probably the first time the sportswriters compared him to Ruth, and definitely not the last. During his high school years, his mother worked as a maid for the Sigma Nu Theta fraternity house at Columbia University. Lou would often go to the fraternity house to help serve dinner and wash dishes afterward. Lou also would find work in butcher shops and grocery stores to help supplement the family income. But despite his best efforts, the Gehrig’s were still very poor. And his father’s inconsistent work habits contributed greatly to that poverty.
In January of 1921, Gehrig graduated from high school and entered Columbia University on a football scholarship. Baseball at that level was not very well organized and scouts rarely attended games. But he was well known in the city and he was approached by Arthur Irwin, a scout for the Giants, and told he could get him a workout before he ever put on a football uniform.
The scout told him that John McGraw had seen him play and would like to offer him a contract. In fact, McGraw had never seen him play and surely was not ready to give him a contract. But in June of 1921, Lou showed up at the Polo Grounds for the workout, and after hitting 6 consecutive HR’s in batting practice, McGraw’s interest was peaked. But when the first ball hit to him at first base went between his legs, McGraw told the scout to get him out of here. I already have enough lousy players here without another showing up. Needless to say, Lou was disappointed. But not deterred,
Irwin then told him he could get him a contract to play for the Hartford Senators of the Class A Eastern League. Lou played a dozen games there under the names of Lefty Gehrig and Lou Lewis. Irwin had assured him that playing there would not affect his college eligibility. A lie. He should have been wondering when he was asked to play under a couple of false identities.
When Columbia’s coach discovered that Lou Lewis was actually Lou Gehrig, he did something very smart. He went to his biggest rivals, Cornell, Dartmouth, Amherst, and Middlebury and talked to each of their coaches, and asked for special dispensation for Lou’s innocent mistake. All agreed and he was suspended for a year instead of being expelled.
In 1923, Gehrig finally took the field for Columbia in his sophomore year. He set the college baseball world on fire. In a 19 game season, he set the school record for the highest batting average, 444. highest slugging pct, 937 and most home runs, 7. His power became the stuff of legend. One of his teammates recounted a ball he hit against Cornell. Cornell had a high right-field fence, behind the fence was a road and beyond that a forest, Gehrig lifted a ball over the fence and it landed in the forest. The coach and his teammate just looked at each other in wonder.
Gehrig also pitched for the team and was their top pitcher with a 6-4 record. On the day Yankee Stadium opened he pitched a game against Williams College and struck out 17 batters. It is still the school record. On April 26, 1923, a Yankee scout named Paul Krichell was on a train from New York to New Brunswick NJ to watch a game between Rutgers, and Columbia. While on the train he struck up a conversation with Andy Coakley, Columbia’s coach who told him about his sophomore pitcher who was also a pretty good hitter. Gehrig hit 2 HR’s that day in 3 at-bats.
Krichell was so impressed he called Yankee GM, Ed Barrow and told him he had found another Babe Ruth. The next day, Gehrig hit another prodigious homer and pitched a complete game. Krichell did not have to see anymore. After the game, he approached Gehrig and set up a meeting with Ed Barrow for the next morning. Barrow offered him a contract that paid him a $1,500.00 bonus and $400 a month. That was a huge deal for the impoverished Gehrig’s and Lou signed. Not too sad about leaving a school where he had few friends. He was now a New York Yankee.
Gehrig played in seven games in New York, but Miller Huggins, the Yankee manager wanted him to get some more experience in the minors, so he was sent down to the Hartford Senators where he played in 59 games. He hit .304 with 24 homers. When the season ended in September he was called back up to the Yankees and hit .476 with four doubles a homer and seven RBI’s Because of his hot hitting Huggins wanted to add him to the World Series roster, but the request was denied by Kennesaw Landis mainly because of the objections of John McGraw the Giants manager. Yep, the same guy who sent Lou packing a couple of years before. It did not matter, the Yankees won in 6 games.
In 1924 Gehrig was with the Yankees in spring training but they did not have a position for him so he went back to Hartford and had an outstanding season hitting .369 with 37 HR’s, 40 doubles, and 13 triples in 134 games. When their season was over he again was called up to the Yankees and hit pretty well.
The most notable incident that happened during this stint came in Detroit. Gehrig hit a 2 run single but turned too far while rounding first and got caught off base. This resulted in an extended run down, in which Ty Cobb came running in from the outfield and tagged the rookie out, swearing at him while he did this. Gehrig, who by nature was usually dignified on the field, totally lost his cool. He started cussing at Cobb and continued to do so when he got back to the dugout. The umpire warned him to stop, but Lou kept it up. He was absolutely furious at the Georgia Peach. After another warning which went unheeded, he was tossed from the game, and that made him even madder!
After the game, still angered by the altercation, Gehrig went after Cobb in the tunnel between the dugout and the clubhouse. And despite the best efforts of Babe Ruth to contain him, he threw a punch at the meanest man in baseball history, unfortunately, for Lou, the punch missed, and he stumbled forward and hit his head on the concrete floor and was knocked out temporarily. When he woke, he asked one question, did I win? He had not, but then again not many did against Cobb.
In 1925, Huggins decided that Gehrig was ready to play for the Yankees. There was one large problem though. The Yankees already had a pretty good first baseman in Wally Pipp. So Gehrig did backup duty through April and May. On June 2nd, 1925, Higgins gave Gehrig a start at first base. He would start every game there for the next 2129 games. Contrary to the popular story about Pipp having a headache, the truth is Pipp had been hit in the head and was experiencing a double vision from two days prior. He did replace Gehrig as a defensive replacement in the next two games after he lost his starting job. Pipp would ultimately miss a couple of weeks with the double vision problem. He was 32 at the time. Gehrig’s streak actually started on June 1st when he pinch hit for Pee Wee Wanninger.
The rest is history. Gehrig went on to play in 2130 consecutive games, a record that was finally broken by Cal Ripken Jr in 1995. He played through various injuries and ailments, including broken fingers. When you consider that Steve Garvey’s streak was almost 900 games shorter, 1207, and still the NL record, it is an amazing feat for an athlete. And he did not have the benefits today’s players have. All the travel was by train, the hotels were nice for their time, the player’s diets and training regimens were totally different. One of Gehrig’s favorite foods was his mom’s pickled eels. And do not forget, they wore those wool uniforms. In the summer in some of those city’s, the humidity and heat would have been BRUTAL,
He spent his entire career with the Yankees and teamed up with Ruth as probably the most feared tandem ever in baseball. Had he not gotten ill with the disease that now carries his name, he might have made it to 3000 hits, he finished 279 short. He had 493 HR’s, the exact same number as Fred McGriff, he drove in 1995, he would have easily passed 2000, and his career BA was .340. Career slug, .632, OBP, .447 OPS 1.080. And for a guy his size, he stole 102 bases.
Lou won the MVP twice, was an all-star 6 times, He won 3 HR crowns, 5 RBI titles, and one batting title. Elected to the Hall in a special election in 1939 before his death in June of 1941, He actually was considered for enshrinement in 1936 before the rule that you had to be retired 5 years was put in place and garnered 28 % of the vote. The Iron Horse indeed. I respect the man for the dignity with which he faced certain death. His battle with ALS brought recognition to the disease, and today it still inspires those who are working hard to find a cure.
6 for 30, 2 extra base hits, 10Ks, in 8 innings, 2 for 11 WRISP. Any time guys.
I was going to write about that this AM, but it was too depressing, so we went with The Iron Horse!
I’m more into current events this week. It’s 5 games until we enter the tournament. I’d sure like to see the offense wake up before that first game.
Yeah, Gehrig was pretty good. He hit a home run off my grandfather one Spring. Iron Horse. He OPS’d over 1.000 for his career and nobody knew he did it.
2 more wins and we tie the 1993 giants for most wins by a non-division winner. I think we easily break that record, actually.
I was at that 1993 final game where rookie Mike Piazza hit 2hr, and we knocked that 103 team win out of the playoffs. Still the most fun I’ve ever had at Dodger Stadium. The least fun? 2017 World Series Game 7.
Didn’t Finley do the same with a grand slam on the last day? Great memories!
He hit it in game 161. Next to the last day. Gave the Dodgers a 2 game lead and the division title. And he hit it off of a lefty. Dodgers were down 3 going into the 9th and scored 7 to take the division.
What a great write up. I could only imagine young Lou, the Georgia Peach and The Babe in that tunnel. Crazy story.
A win is a win. Great teams win these 2-1 games and the Padres are completely under water, a sub 500 team. They’re 1-9 over their last 10.
Walker Buehler sure snapped out of his funk in a big way. More than half his K’s came by way of Fernando Tatis Jr.
Yes, the offense still looks flat, sans Trea Turner.
There are only two 100 win teams in baseball. The Rays might get there, but it’s gonna be close.
What a division the AL East turned out to be this year. The Yankees took care of the Blue Jays yesterday leaving the Jays 1 game behind the Red Sox after they lost to the Orioles of all teams! This could all go very sideways for the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays over the remaining games.
If the Orioles can beat the Red Sox, why can’t the freaking Giants ever lose?
I’m still hoping to see the light go on and the guys that make up the lineup start batting TT and Betts 1 and 2.
After the off day and just two innings last night, the bullpen will be well rested for the stretch run. Where the hell is V-Gone? Are we seriously not going to go into the postseason with him on the roster? Is Price a better option?
Something personal to share…
I got a new baby in the house. She’s just a little over 8 weeks and her name is Dee-Dee. She’s a little brindle Boston Terrier bundle of joy. If any of you had a Boston, any tips would be much appreciated. She seems pretty smart so far. The knows where to do her business and she’s training my wife and daughter to open her kennel in the middle of the night. She also knows that DRS, WAR and Projection systems are unreliable.
V Gone is at AAA. He has a 2-0 record, with a 4.00 ERA in 11 games. He has walked 2, hit 2 and struck out 14. He has given up 4 earned runs. He has no saves. He is obviously not the same pitcher he was last season at this point. I doubt he makes the post season roster.
He hasn’t given up a run in his last 7 games. His ERA is better than Price at the ML level, whip is almost the same and his K rate is also better.
They do not need him right now. Big difference is that Price can give them multiple innings if needed, and Bruihl and Vesia have been more effective at MLB level than Gonzo was.
giants are 87% to win Division, 12% to win the Championship. We are 13% and 25%. Guess the money figures the bats will wake up in time.
Nice performance by Buehler. They could have scored more but once again they had no clutch hits, and some of the harder hit balls were at em balls. Seager left the bases loaded. Buehler could not get a bunt down. Strikeouts are wasted at bats. Have to give Treinen some credit for the way he pitched out of that 9th inning jam. D-Backs have more fight than the Padres have. They may have lost that game, but they kept trying to get back into it. Turner’s steal of 3rd was at first ill timed, but he deeked Machado and Tatis. Muncy is in a serious slump. He is barely making solid contact. Kelly would scare the bejesus out of King Kong.
Gehrig had a seriously strong foundation but it made him large in the thighs/butt. One of his nicknames? Biscuit pants.
Yeah, but the guy could hit. And he could hit it far. And playing with all of those injuries, well, that takes a lot of dedication and tolerance for pain. Not like the I’ve got a boo boo attitude most players today have. Of course, they have a lot more money on the line. Gehrig was playing for his job.
I am sure Bear could find the details but I recall that the Dodgers had about a 3 game lead going into the last weekend of the season in 1962. They only needed to win one game to win the pennant and they could not do it. The baseball gods are fickle and who knows what will happen this week.
We are still in it until we aren’t. And who knows, maybe we just keep winning 2-1 games for the next few weeks.
They had a 2 game lead with 4 to play and lost all 4. One to Houston and 3 straight to the Cardinals. They scored 6 runs and lost the final series game to Houston, then scored 2 in the first game against the Cardinals. Perranoski lost both of those games, 8-6 and 3-2. Then they were shut out 2-0 and 1-0 with Drysdale and Podres pitching. The Giants split their last 4, but tied them on the last day. Koufax opened the series with SF and was pounded. Pierce pitched a 3 hit shutout, they came back and won game 2 in LA 8-7 with Ron Fairly hitting a walk off sac fly. Then the debacle in game 3 when they were up 4-2 in the ninth and Roebuck and Williams could not hold the lead. Williams was traded to the Yankees for Bill Skowron after the season. Skowron would not do much during the 63 campaign, but he did homer against his old Yankee team mates in the series helping LA sweep.
Great article Bear!
I had not heard the Cobb story before, even though I have long admired Gehrig.
Appreciate your knowledge, research skills and storytelling ability.
So much great baseball history on this site!
Hopefully the Dodgers add to that history in the next 4 weeks!
Thanks, I found the story about Cobb on the American Society for Baseball Research site. If you want to check up on a player, just type his name in the search section, and if there is any info on the player, it will be right there for you to read.
Outstanding Bear. Thanks. One of the greatest players of all time and one of my all time favorites. Such a tragedy. The way he handled it is even more admirable. Alot like Christy Matthewson. Another all time favorite. Again, great post. Really enjoyed it.
Thank you. Mathewson contracted TB after being accidentally gassed in a training exercise in France in 1918. He was in the same chemical unit as Ty Cobb. He eventually succumbed to the disease at the age of 45 in 1925.
* It seems of offense has a nasty habit lately of getting all their work done by the third inning and taking the rest of the day off. It might be nice to toss in a stray run every once in awhile for a little cushion.
* Striker didn’t give up a hit until the 5th and instantly the tying run comes to the plate. Same deal in the 6th after a single and a walk. Tatis comes to the plate as the go ahead run. A nice double play erased that threat. It should have been about 5 – zip at that point as we’d left about 8 runners on base.
* On the day, we scored 2 runs with 6 hits and 9 walks. You really have to work at it to score 2 runs with 9 walks.
* Geez we take a lot of hittable pitches. Any situational hitting had vanished. That includes bunting. Tell me why Striker takes 6 strikes in 2 bunt situations? Are they saving him from running? This offense better find a jump start quickly.
* Striker looks recovered from any suspected dead arm problem. He looked sharp.
* Treinen had to make it interesting. His stuff is so filthy but sometimes he gets into nibbling around the zone without trusting it. His walks after being ahead in the count just kill me.
* Trea Turner is so fun to watch with his speed and hitting. But as Mark has mentioned, he makes lots of little mistakes. He doesn’t have the instincts and the knack for just doing all the little things right like Mookie does. On Hosmer’s double in the 7th, Pollock made a great threw to TT at 2nd base well ahead of Hosmer. While the throw was a tad wide, TT didn’t take his glove to the bag for the tag. Instead he reached and dove for the runner and the tag that was too late. That again brought Myers up as the tying run that could have tied the game. The runner has to get to the base so go there with the tag.
Still a nice WIN. Winning over a hundred games with all that’s gone on is remarkable. Those Damned Giants just won’t cooperate.
When your number 3 hitter gets half of your hits, you are not going to score much unless he is hitting with men on base. He drove in one when he doubled in Mookie. But Muncy, Seager, Smith all miss golden opportunities to add on, and they are the meat of the lineup. JT drew a couple of walks. They did hit some balls hard that were caught, JT’s shot to right, Smith hit one to left center that was run down. But they need Muncy to wake the hell up.
Bear, saw this article & thought of you.
cheers
pb+
https://www.yahoo.com/news/colorados-annual-tarantula-migration-begun-200219923.html
Thanks a lot. I do not live out there on the eastern plains. I live next to a canyon and a mountain range so those suckers can migrate out there all they like. I watched the Tarantula movie from 1955 on Classic Reel the other day. Scared the daylights out of me when I was a kid. That thing was huge. They also had a tarantula in the movie, The Incredible Shrinking Man. He fought it off with a straight pin. John Agar and Leo G. Carroll, who was in the TV series, Topper were the stars of the 55 film.
I knew that, but brought up a reminisce about the “creepy crawly” posts we had a while back.
I’ve been thinking about that Scherzer to the Angels in an effort to appease Ohtani, Rendon and Trout idea mentioned yesterday. . Nope. Don’t see it.
I can see them offering a 3/100 type deal to make it happen.
I also can see him saying “sorry, you suck, and I want a chance at rings”
I guarantee Scherzer will only be an Angel if he is in heaven!
Or he could possibly be in a Victoria’s Secret undie show.
That pitch is definitely outside the strike zone.
So what’s Manfred’s plan for Trevor Bauer? I’ve pretty much stayed away from comments other than initially offering a caveat about jumping to conclusions, comparing it the the Duke Lacrosse scandal. That still holds true. Since there have been no information to the contrary, it would appear the Pasadena District Attorney has no plans to file charges. I guess. If they are, what’s the hold up? So the ball is in Manfred’s court. A suspension while possible, will be contentious with Bauer’s attorneys and the Players Union. Manfred looks to me like he’s keeping all the parties in limbo out of spite. It might be reasonable to ask for some resolution of this from the Commish before we get too far into the off season. Like real soon. Are the Dodgers going to have to pay Bauer the millions he’s owed or not? Do they have to pay the Luxury Tax penalties? Is Bauer in the future plans for the Dodgers if he’s available? Is he tradable? There are so many questions and expensive Free Agents, who’s fate with the club needs to be determined. Who’s offered what? Who might we want to acquire? Maybe the Dodger ownership can make do without the 40 million while Manfred scratches his ass but it might be nice to know where we stand. How long can that vindictive, incompetent, smug little A-Hole make everybody wait?
What’s the hold up? The World Series. Can’t have all the ugly details aired before or during the playoffs.
Ding, ding, ding! Makes you wonder if the DA is dragging their feet a little to help push it off into the offseason.
I’m not going to argue about his incompetence but what makes you think he’s vindictive? He is employed by the owners and is doing their bidding. If he’s trying to screw the Dodgers it’s only because he’s decided that’s what the owners (or at least the ones with most power) want him to do.
Do you think the owners have it in for Dodger ownership? Maybe they do, but I’d like to hear your reasoning.
To my knowledge Dodger ownership hasn’t come out with negative statements about Manfred. On the other hand, Bauer has repeatedly done so. I think if Manfred had it in for anyone here it would be Bauer and he’d suspend him for as long as he could. That is assuming you are correct about his being vindictive and I’ve got to say that although I don’t think he’s been a good commissioner I’ve never thought of him as being vindictive.
Here are two things that we know:
1. We know that we don’t know exactly what happened between Bauer and the accusor; and
2. We should know that getting into what happens in the bedroom is a very dicey thing.
I think Manfred has a big problem IF no charges are filed.
Is he going to say that he finds Bauer guilty when the DA doesn’t even bring charges?
Is he going to tell us what is right and wrong in the bedroom?
We know that the woman has bruises and marks. Has it been proven that he did it? What does he say?
Bauer has kept silent throughout this whole ordeal. If charges are declined, then the show will start.
What’s going on is he’s not playing this year.
He’ll be suspended for next year.
You’ll never, EVER see him in Dodger blue again.
It that a prediction?
Based upon what evidence?
It sounds more like a wish…
Reality.
I wish none of this crap happened. He was fun to watch pitch.
This just posted by Adam McCalvy, Brewers beat writer:
“Devin Williams is being placed on the 10-day IL with a fractured right hand. He told us he had too much to drink after Sunday’s celebration, got upset about something and punched a wall with his pitching hand. He will need surgery. ”
That should be a nice help to us in our weekend series with them and if we have to face them in the NLCS. Maybe fortune has finally decided to smile on the Boys on Blue. First Belt, now Williams. Maybe we still have a shot at this.
Then he’s out for the playoffs as well.
I also saw today that the midgets may be without Belt for up to 4wks. That would mean he would not return unless they made the big show.
I actually thought this was a joke when you first posted it. Wow, and I thought Bauer was an idiot. Got drunk celebrating winning the division, gets angry and punches a wall with his pitching hand? Let that sink in for a while. It’s not like he cut himself on a kitchen knife or broken glass accidentally, he purposefully punch a wall! With his pitching hand no less. There’s just no limit to human stupidity.
Act like you’ve been there before!
They obviously didn’t give him the Wonderlic test before drafting him.
If tre Turner,Gavin Lux, and maybe Betts would look at some of chase Utly batting film the dodger would have some nice table setter.
Bear – great job again. Don’t you ever go into a slump?
I was thinking today, after reading your article, how much Dodger Blue Mom would have enjoyed all of your posts.
There are some guys, regardless of what was written on their chests, that you just have to like. I enjoyed those days gone by because there didn’t seem to be the rancor that we often see today.
Thank you. Sometimes it takes me a while to find a subject I think all of you guys might enjoy. Once I figure that out, then finding the info I need is pretty easy.
Tonight’s Lineup:
HITTERS H-AB RBI HR SB AVG
M. BettsRF 120-447 55 21 10 .268
C. SeagerSS 96-333 50 12 1 .288
T. Turner2B 187-576 67 25 32 .325
W. SmithC 105-400 74 25 3 .263
M. Muncy1B 119-483 90 35 2 .246
A. PollockLF 110-368 62 17 9 .299
C. Taylor3B 127-497 73 20 13 .256
G. LuxCF 81-332 46 7 4 .244
M. ScherzerP 0-57 1 0 0 .000
09/29/21 Los Angeles Dodgers activated 1B Albert Pujols from the 10-day injured list.
09/29/21 Los Angeles Dodgers optioned LHP Andrew Vasquez to Oklahoma City Dodgers.
I listened to Doc’s pregame. JT needs to sit so they don’t keep wearing him down. Belli is going to get a start tomorrow. He didn’t say which outfielder he was resting with the move.
I don’t like how the pitching is lined up. Urias and Bueller are lined up for the last two games of the season. So, what happens if we play 163? Do you use Scherzer there? Bullpen game? This lines up Gonsolin for the Wild Card game if we lose 163.
It could be a wild ride.
I think I would save Max for the Wild Card game because that’s sudden death. If you lose Game 163 you still live to fight another day. Problem is I don’t know what kind of juggling you’d have to do to accomplish that.
Although I’m a Catman fan, I’m not thrilled with the thought of his starting an elimination game, especially considering how he performed in the playoffs last year.
This is his last game. He could go in the WC Game.
But he could also be used in a Game 163 (next Monday). I’d rather save him for the WC (next Wed.)
The way he’s pitching tonight he may need a week off.
To me Gerig has always looked like Gary Cooper. I wonder why? Yeah Cooper did Gerig’s farewell speech to the letter and I’ve seen that movie several times so I’m certain several others also picture Cooper thinking of Gerig. I had photo of Ruth and Gerig taken in Los Angeles. It was before the Dodgers were in LA so I don’t know what both them were out this way would of been for. I understand they really didn’t like one another much-at least that’s something my grandfather told me.
How is it that Giants forgot how to lose games? Maybe they can find their memory about now forward. Was it at #23 they were listed in the power rankings? Sure hope Giants have to play Cardinals in that elimination game but it’ll likely be the Dodgers playin them. We’ve won 15 more games than the Cards but they are the hot team at this stage.
They played baseball out here. I have some pics of them from a book “Baseball in Orange County”. I played on some of the same fields those guys played on. I remember my Legion coach telling me “you’re standing on the same mound Walter Johnson stood on 40 years ago”. 40 years seemed like a LONG time ago then. Not so much now.
Here is a little tidbit for you, Gehrig was a lefty. Cooper was right handed. So when filming, they reversed the negative and Cooper would run to third. Hollywood magic. Ruth and Gehrig were not best of friends, although he did love the pickled eels Gehrig’s mom would make. But they did respect each other. Total opposite personality’s. Babe was gregarious and outgoing , Lou was quiet and just went about his business not seeking the spotlight.
Yoiks this defense is bad.
I don’t get the need to backhand a routine play like that.
An elite defensive shortstop Seager is not and what the heck is up with CT3? Doesn’t hit, can’t put the ball in play and now plays poor defense.
Max’s worst game as a Dodger, up 4-0 and now tied 5-5. Have to win this game and hope the D-Backs pull a rabbit out of their hat and beat the hated ones. Dodgers need to win the division, the one game WC playoff game vs. Wainwright scares the heck out of me.
Max doesn’t have command tonight. The strikes he’s throwing are flat. his pitches with nasty movement aren’t close enough to swing at.
Chalk his last start up to being in Colorado, said he couldn’t grip the ball right.
this is got me a little worried but I know he’s a battle
Sonofabitch seems like everything is falling apart at once. Lux was doing so well and now this.
Max was pitching so well. I want to find out who is holding that goddamn voodoo doll. Geez.
Lux dropped that ball two steps before he ran into the wall. What a ridonkulous play. I was wrong about him in center. Now he’s in the dugout.
I’m done watching this sh*t show. Maybe they’ll wake up after I’ve gone to sleep.
It was a long run, tough play, knowing you’re going to hit the wall.
I think you’re a little too quick to judge there badge
Me too. He’s a youngster cut him a little slack. Mistake in execution not lack of effort.
I do judge. These are professional athletes. They get played mullions to play a game we loved to play and played years for nothing but the joy of playing. . When I see a play like that one, where he dropped the ball then made it look like it was the wall that caused the drop I call b.s. on it.
Tough play but yes he dropped the ball before he hit the wall. Brutal game to watch
Not that tough Hawk. He got there, the ball hit the middle of his glove and he dropped it.
Bad defense cost them the lead.
Yep
Easy to say, but have to admit I wasn’t optimistic when I saw Graterol entering the fray. Not in a one run game. That guy doesn’t miss bats.
I’m gonna take the positives out of this, and say that at least it makes the decision making easier going forward.
Can totally gear up for the WC game.
Max or Walker – that’s got a bit closer to call….
Graterol has to be the “cockiest” player on the team. Dude has a strut that says look at me I’m a stud that can throw 100 MPH and have a stupid throw your fist in the air when he gets out of an inning, even when he allows runs to score or gets saved by Bellinger in the playoffs last year when he caught a Tatis home run over the centerfield wall. He has no control of his pitches, cannot punch a hitter out when he gets to a two strike count and he must lack movement because 100 MPH can get hit in the bigs.
The BP after Treinen, KJ, and Kelly is precarious at best. Bickford has had his moments, but in a playoff game I’m not sure I want to see him pitch. Bruhil has been OK, Vesia has been good, VGone is MIA, Price is horrible and it is clear now the Dodgers will be indeed playing the WC game.
I hope we can catch some lightning in a bottle, but if we falter in the playoffs it won’t break my heart to send RVS on a much needed and well-deserved vacation and get a new hitting coach next year with the operative word being a “hitting coach.” Someone has to be held accountable for the horrible season-long offensive production from Bellinger, along with the plummeting offense from Muncy, JT, CT3, along with the very modest ascension of Lux after being a minor league MVP. Hitting w/ RISP has been only so-so and the Dodgers have been all too reliant on the HR to score runs.
Scherzer picked a bad night to “shit the bed.”
Pitiful performance in such an important game. Unless they come back, and they have not done that very much lately, they are going to be 3 out with 4 to play. In that case, line up your pitching exactly the way you want it. I would not start Scherzer, I would start Buehler with the entire staff behind him. I hope Lux is not hurt too badly. That would really hurt the team. Congrats to the Giants, they have been consistent all year and never have had an extended losing streak. Graterol is not ready for prime time.
I did remind myself how bad Pagan is when I saw him enter.
what is the record for HR in an inning? Wow, just Wow. some of you East coast people went to bed too soon.
Years ago, Dodgers hit 4 consecutive HR’s in the 9th off of Trevor Hoffman to tie the game. They then won the game in the 10th inning when Nomar hit a walk off. By the way, the record is 5 and the Dodgers have never done that.
Amazing game. I hope this is the start of something big.
Maybe the baseball gods think we suffered enough
I hope this is the start of our destiny, in fact I’ll say it is
Glad that Nomar was one of the announcers, Had to bring back a lot of memories
Lots of suffering in this 100 win season coming off a World Series title.
Greek myth level suffering.
Now that’s my World Champions!
And I missed it! LOL> I turned the game off when they got down 9-5. But since I have MLB< I can watch the replay.
Super to see the offense fight back. That hasn’t been the case as much this year. Yes, the Madres pen is awful but still impressive. And the Giants know we’re still around.
REAL Dodger Fans don’t turn off the game 4runs down with three innings to go. Lol. Only WANKERS do that. One of the GREATEST RALLIES IN MLB HISTORY.
Badger,
Hope you didn’t actually go to bed, and miss the end of this 1+4 game. 🙂
Saw ever minute of it. This morning at 4:30.
And by the way the 4+1 game was also against the Padres.
Headline: DODGERS HOME RUN TSUNAMI RALLY CRUSHES PADRES. Dodgers refuse to concede NL West.
Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday. She would have been 34. Died at 21 (drugs at a party/thought she was immortal). She was my only child. Glad the Dodgers could pick me up.
Sad to hear that. I hope you can remember all the good times . Sincere condolences.
Very sorry to hear that Marcia.
No parent should have to stay at the grave of his/her child. Worst thing in life that can happen to a human being.
I have a daughter who just turned 17, my only child, I can only imagine how it must feel for you when her birthday comes every year. Stay strong, Marcia, your Dodgers family is with you.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
What a game Baseball is. Think I played my part by writing the Dodgers off lol.
Watched the first 6 innings but then had to drive a customer the hour long journey from Clapham in London out to Watford where he’s working on the filming of Aquaman 2.
Could not believe it when I saw the final score.
Could this be the awakening of the bats?
Hope Gavin is ok – he’s had some bad luck this season.
MLB.com did not work for me today. Site is slow and the Dodgers game would just not start.
But better to miss a great comeback then to watch a loss.
Giants win a 1-0 squeaker vs the D-backs. What can you say ? They are winning every possible way.
I am concerned that now Max too has hit a roadblock giving up 5 earned runs in consecutive outings. Does not bode well for the WC game.
Go Dodgers!!!!!!
Max needs a rest. He should be fine.
So this is our playoff team. All or nothing is us. Nothing won’t work if it’s a play in game.