Berkman’s bomb a reminder that the playoffs are a whole new season
Posted by John Autin on October 1, 2011
-- Lance Berkman crushed the first pitch he saw from Roy Halladay for a 3-run HR in the top of the 1st. The Cards lead 3-1 in the 5th (at this writing).
The blast followed a 4-pitch walk to Albert Pujols with a man on 2nd and 1 out. Despite appearances, I highly doubt that the walk to Albert was intentional.
Berkman had never faced Halladay before this year, when they squared off in 2 games. In the 2nd game, Sept. 19, Berkman homered and singled, and then drew 2 of the 27 intentional walks Halladay has ever issued. That made Berkman the 5th player to get 2 IBBs from Halladay in a career, and the 2nd (after Barry Bonds) to get 2 in 1 game.
After fouling out in his 2nd AB, Berkman is now 3-7 off Halladay, with 2 HRs and no strikeouts.
It might be a stretch to say that one swing in the first inning changed the whole complexion of the series. But it did show that, as the financial ads warn, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results." In 4 career starts against St. Louis over the last 2 seasons, Halladay had just once yielded as many as 3 runs in a game. The Doc allowed the 3rd-lowest HR rate among qualifying pitchers this year, with 10 HRs in 234 IP; just 1 of the 10 HRs came with anyone on base. And he hadn't served up a 3-run HR or grand slam in a span of about 350 chances since Aug. 21, 2008, when Hideki Matsui connected with 2 aboard in the 7th; Halladay had a 13-0 lead at the time.
St. Louis won 6 of 9 games between the teams this year, including 3 of 4 in Philadelphia. Today's starters met in that Sept. 19 game in Philly, with Lohse getting the win.
October 1st, 2011 at 6:42 pm
Ryan Howard just hit a 3-run dinger for the Phillies. Score is now 4-3.
October 1st, 2011 at 6:55 pm
"Only" two runs score on the next dinger of the game. Raul Ibanez. Score is now 6-3.
October 1st, 2011 at 7:16 pm
And this Cardinals fan is a sad Panda
October 1st, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Is it too late to say that I was just trying to jinx the Cards? 🙂
October 1st, 2011 at 7:40 pm
Halladay throwing 7 perfect innings after a leadoff single in the second inning is a reminder that the Cards, nor any team for that matter, have a chance versus the Phillies!
October 1st, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Oops...I mean don't have a chance....I think you get the point though!
October 1st, 2011 at 7:59 pm
Lost in the discussion of the game's best hitters, Michael Young has produced a great offensive season, being among the American League's best hitters and run producers. On a team with higher profile hitters (Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre), the steady and consistent Young has produced when he was needed most.
For the season Young has hit an impressive .378 with runners in scoring position and is on pace for a career-best batting average and reaching the 100 RBI level for only the second time in his 11-year career.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:03 pm
In this least offensive year since 1974, this series will open with a 17 (at least) run game
October 1st, 2011 at 8:16 pm
That Ryan Howard's no good, there is no way he is among the games elite hitters.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:17 pm
October 1st, 2011 at 8:17 pm
/sarcasm
October 1st, 2011 at 8:18 pm
"Phils big offensive sugre a reminder that the playoffs are a whole new season."
October 1st, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Can you please post another blog after every Cardinal run scored Mr. Austin. Being a Phillies fan I would really appreciate it. 🙂
October 1st, 2011 at 8:32 pm
@12, Panrell -- Thanks! -- I've been waiting for exactly that rejoinder. Now I can relax and enjoy the rest of the evening....
October 1st, 2011 at 8:34 pm
Rangers tie it up, sparked by an RBI single from one #10 Mike Young.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:40 pm
@13, Lou M. -- It's true that I possess the Power of the Kibosh, but the baseball gods would be angry if I were to abuse it in that way.
Besides, don't you want to project a little more confidence in your Phils? What will your friends think?!? 🙂
October 1st, 2011 at 8:41 pm
@15, Timothy -- Funny, I would have sworn that inning was sparked by Shields's uncharacteristic wildness.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:45 pm
I am really torn by this series, I love both these teams. As a matter of fact I like all the AL teams for some reason. I love the Rays and am close personal friends with George W. Bush. I think Leyland is one of the best managers in baseball and Brian Cashman is my favorite GM since he stuck it to the Red Sox GM last week, hehe! To me there is no bad guy in the AL.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:49 pm
Yankees blow a big chance in the "top of the 1st" ... 3rd & 2nd, no out, but don't score. Baserunning blunder by Posada -- the same one Greg Golson made in the regular-season finale. Balk puts men on 3rd & 2nd again, but The Captain & the GrandyMan both whiff.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Timmy - can you talk to George W. Bush and have him talk to Selig and have Selig tell his marketing people to stop playing that "written in the stars" song at the end of half innings, when the manager makes a pitching change, every commercial break, etc. It's MLB - surely they can afford to spring for a few different songs to rotate through and stop driving the fans that watch multiple games insane with the same ridiculous song.
At least they seem to have the announcers paying attention to the game and actually talking about it.
October 1st, 2011 at 8:56 pm
I was looking at the Tigers and missed B.J. Upton getting thrown out stealing 3rd, with 1 out and Ben Zobrist at bat, and the Rays down by 2. Anybody have an explanation for him running there?
October 1st, 2011 at 8:59 pm
@14. Being just a stupid baseball fan, I'm not sure what "rejoinder" means, or even how to spell it. But if I suceeded even a tint bit in getting under you skin, then I shall relax and enjoy MY evening.
What are you doning tonight, watching the Mets?
October 1st, 2011 at 9:01 pm
Wow. Typos. Should't have had those three martini's during the game.
October 1st, 2011 at 9:02 pm
@20 Well since he left office we don't speak as often as we use to, we use to discuss war strategy and such. Not sure W pays that much attention to things not related to the Rangers. I was checking college football and missed the single by Young, and the fact it was not an RBI single, just a single. Still he is the spark plug for the Rangers.
October 1st, 2011 at 9:19 pm
@22 JA is a regular Bill Shakespeare, I enjoy his writing.
October 1st, 2011 at 10:44 pm
Someone posted a bit prematurely. Phils 11, Cards 6. So much for a whole new season.
October 1st, 2011 at 11:28 pm
A bit premature indeed. That final score doesn't even show how much of a blowout it became.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:41 am
Guilty as charged. But sometimes, you've just gotta roll the dice if you want to be first with the big upset call. Who would have ever guessed that Halladay would settle down??? 🙂
OK, it burned me this time, but I'm still gonna squeeze something out of that theme:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/blog/archives/15509
October 2nd, 2011 at 4:05 am
John wasn't using Berkman's homer to project that the Cards were going to win. He was just saying that contrary to popular belief, playoff games are won with offense, not pitching. His prediction came true as the Phils give up 6 runs and still win easily, and was also seen in the Rays/Rangers game 2 with a combined 14 runs..
(Trying and failing to get John out of this one, haha)
On a side note, hopefully this rain will lighten up so I can watch the York Revolution win their second straight Atlantic League title Sunday afternoon..
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:01 am
"playoff games are won with offense, not pitching."
That's a crock. For just two examples, one old and one new, the 1973 Mets beat the Big Red Machine in the NLCS with Seaver, Matlack, McGraw and little offense, and the Rays won Friday night because Matt Moore shut down the mighty Rangers offense. And the Phillies were able to come back on the Cardinals because Halladay settled down after Berkman's dinger. Any other blanket statements unhampered by facts?
October 2nd, 2011 at 10:11 am
Timothy: Yeah, because GWB did such a great job running the Ranger and the country, Of course, on the other hand, The Rays can only draw 18K for a late season game when they're going for the WC, and then half the "fans" leave early.
October 2nd, 2011 at 11:48 am
Stu,
Post 29 was intended as a joke by the way, although I do think that fans/experts put an overemphasis on pitching winning everything, becauase there are nights (like last night) where slugfests happen. Yes, Halliday settled down and pitched great, but they also gave up a total of 6 runs, which would normally indicate you would lose. Atlanta's Bobby Cox teams were a perfect example of how not enough balance on offense can hinder you, and there was a surplus of great pitching there. I also don't remember Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson scoring/ contributing to the double digit runs for AZ in 2 of those games, so it didn't really matter who you pitched out there in those starts.
October 2nd, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Last night's game reminded me of this one:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI199307280.shtml
Same two teams, same city (but different ballpark), same winner (and of course same loser), same run total for the losing team, starter with rough first inning but eventual winner had a no-hitter in his past. And it even occurred in a week that began with a Sunday the 25th, although the Saturday of that week was a 31st, not a 1st of a new month.
But instead of both teams getting three-run homers, both teams in the 1993 game got grand slams.
October 2nd, 2011 at 4:03 pm
Good call, DoubleDiamond!
October 2nd, 2011 at 4:06 pm
@29, Biff -- I appreciate the effort, even in jest. But I'm OK with getting skewered for the headline.
I actually meant it more in reference to the first 3-run HR off Halladay in over 3 years. But if it agitated a Philly fan or two, I'm OK with that. 🙂
October 2nd, 2011 at 4:41 pm
And on the day of the game referred to @33, the Yankees scored a bunch of runs to beat Detroit. I wondered if the Brewers and Rangers met that day, but Milwaukee played Boston, and Texas played Kansas City.
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:06 am
And the series is tied going back to STL.
Go Cards!
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:24 am
Cards getting 5 runs off Lee is a reminder that the playoffs are a whole new season.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/split_stats.cgi?full=1¶ms=oppon%7CSTL%7Cleecl02%7Cpitch%7CIP%7C
October 3rd, 2011 at 12:36 am
With Berkman last night and Nick Swisher today, those two now have 12 of the 15 post-season games all-time, of left-hand throwing switch-hitters hitting a homer.
Berkman has 8 such games and Swisher 4, with single games by Melky Cabrera, Wes Parker and Mickey Lolich.
I'm quite surprised to learn that, in addition to Lolich, there are 123 other left-hand throwing, switch-hitting pitchers since 1901. Hands up if you would have guessed there would be that many.
October 3rd, 2011 at 11:36 am
@39, Doug -- What search criteria did you use?
I got 99 results since 1901 using the criteria:
(a) switch-hitter;
(b) at least 50% of games at pitcher; and
(c) at least 1 plate appearance.
http://www.baseball-reference.com/play-index/share.cgi?id=Y4gfu
October 4th, 2011 at 11:48 am
@40.
John, This was my query, that returned 123 names.
"Spanning Multiple Seasons or entire Careers, From 1901 to 2011, Switch-hitter, Throws LH, Played 50% of games at P, sorted by name"
So, the difference was I didn't have a PA requirement. 24 guys in my list had zero PAs, including 4 guys with over 100 games (Scott McGregor, Darrell Jackson, Teddy Higuera, Pete Filson).