World Series Game Three Thread: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Houston Astros

Good evening everyone and welcome to Houston, the site of Game Three of the 2017 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The first two games of this series were entertaining to say the least and I expect nothing less out of these two teams tonight and going forward over the next three games here inside Minute Maid Park. In Game Three the Dodgers will send Yu Darvish to the mound to face off with Lance McCullers Jr. The game will be played at 8:00 pm ET inside Minute Maid Park and can be seen on FOX.

Follow us on twitter by following @GreedyStripes and enjoy the game. I have been right on my predictions, as far as the winner and not so much the score, in the first two games so let’s make it three-for-three tonight.

Prediction: Dodgers win 6-4 

Yankees Postseason History Recap: Alex Rodriguez in 2009

The 2009 season was a season for the Yankees and their fans that came with a lot of hope but a lot of pressure at the same time. The team had went out and signed huge free agents like CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira while acquiring the likes of Nick Swisher from the Chicago White Sox while their big-money star third baseman Alex Rodriguez started the season on the DL with a hip injury. Alex came back seemingly healthier than ever hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw this season and he ended up with 30 home runs and 100 RBI on the dot after a huge final game of the season.


Alex was riding high into the postseason as he looked to finally break out like a 13-year old boy and while the Yankees searched for the 27th World Series title in the franchise’s history. Alex finished the 2009 postseason with a .365 average, six home runs and 18 RBI but no home run may have been bigger than the one he hit on October 9th, 2009.


On this day against the Minnesota Twins the Yankees DH slugged a two-run home run late to tie the game, a game that the Yankees ultimately went on to win. Without that win the ALCS and eventually the World Series may never have come.

Another Reason To Be Excited About The Future

While I was already excited about the future of the Yankees, the recent decision to part ways with Joe Girardi has increased it.

Let me start by touching upon the reasons I was excited before....

1. The Yankees are stocked with young stars. Aaron Judge is not only an MVP candidate after his rookie season, but is also a finalist for the Gold Glove award. Among catchers with at least 400 plate appearances this season, Gary Sanchez was first in fWAR, first in wOBA, first in SLG, first in home runs, and first in RBI. Luis Severino, in his first full season as a starter, was third in the AL in fWAR, third in ERA, and fourth in strikeouts per nine innings. And then you have other youngsters like Greg Bird and Jordan Montgomery. Not to mention that Sonny Gray is young and under team control for two more seasons, and Didi Gregorius is in the same boat while being a prime candidate for a contract extension (although the Yankees are not keen on contract extensions).

2. While there are already youngsters in the Majors making big contributions, that doesn't mean there aren't more on the way. Gleyber Torres is the #1 prospect in baseball, and will likely make his MLB debut sometime in 2018. Chance Adams will likely debut next season too, while other good pitching prospects like Justus Sheffield are not far behind. Then there's Miguel Andujar, who could very well be the team's long-term answer at third base (this could be dependent on the team ridding themselves of Starlin Castro, of course).

3. This is the area that has me a little concerned. Emphasis on "little".

I believe young players need veterans to guide the start of their careers. For example, Matt Holliday had a well-documented impact on Aaron Judge this season. Adjusting to the spotlight, particularly in New York, is extremely difficult. So to see a player like Judge handle things in stride like he did should be enough to tell you that some veteran presence is a good thing.

That's an area where CC Sabathia has been big for the team. Sure, we haven't heard much about the interaction between CC and youngsters like Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery, but I'm sure some of CC's knowledge has been shared with them. And as long as the team has a starting spot to fill, and he's still effective, then Sabathia should be brought back.

But on the offensive side of things that veteran presence isn't so obvious. The 22+ years of experience in MLB from Brett Gardner, Chase Headley, and Didi Gregorius should be there for the kids of today and the future. But is it really? I'd like to know, because until then I'm just a little concerned here.

4. I have faith in Brian Cashman and the front office (btw, the fact that Brian Cashman had much to do with the decision to let Joe Girardi go tells you he's returning as the general manager). I know Brian has his share of detractors, but I'm not among them. What Cash has done the past few years is extraordinary. Before the 2016 trades of Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman the Yankees farm system was middle of the road, but after those trades MLB.com ranked them second. Brian was also able to get the Yankees a young, strong, cost-controlled starter in Sonny Gray without giving up that much (Fowler, Kaprielian, and Mateo are not bad prospects, but each has questions about their futures). And how about the trade for Didi? That worked out pretty well, didn't it? Or how about holding onto top prospects who have made it possible for the Yankees to not only build a winner, but have a winning team right away? Has Cash made some mistakes (Chris Carter)? Sure. But his pros significantly outweigh his cons.

And that brings us back to the first line of this post... the Yankees' new manager.

I wasn't against Joe Girardi, but I wasn't for him either. I saw the good... I saw the bad. My faith in Girardi as the manager mainly revolved around the fact that the front office had faith in him. Was that wishful thinking on my part? I really don't know. There are numerous articles out there talking about all the good and bad things Joe Girardi did for the Yankees, so I really don't want to repeat all of that.

My faith again is in the hands of the front office, and I feel good about that. Because the front office has made it so the future of this team is brighter than it's been since 1996. They could very well hire some guy that flat-out stinks, but seeing how well the vast majority of their decisions have worked recently, I feel good about what will happen. Especially since it's been made clear that they were not on board with the "binder" thing that many people hated about Joe Girardi's managing style.

To wrap things up, I'll never be happy about the Yankees losing, no matter what the circumstances surrounding the loss are. Losing in the American League Championship Series, especially being one win away from winning the pennant with two games to go, hurts. But the fact that this team, and by "team" I'm talking about players, coaches, and front office, lost gives them motivation to be even better in 2018. They may not be the underdogs they were in 2017, but they still have something to prove.

Yankees Postseason History Recap: The Flip

Derek Jeter did a lot of amazing things in his career as a New York Yankee and it would take me a few pages and 20-30 minutes to probably tell you all of them and that’s just the regular season. Jeter somehow found a way to step it up in the postseason and always be in the right place and the right spot at the right time. See the 2001 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics with the Yankees backs against the wall for a perfect example of this.


The Yankees were down 2-0 in a best-of-five series against Oakland and with their playoff lives at stake the Yankees sent Mike Mussina to the mound. The Moose did not disappoint as he was pitching a gem before Terrence Long ripped a ball down the right field line. Jeremy Giambi came rumbling around third base while Shane Spencer retrieved the ball and hauled it home over the cutoff man Tino Martinez. Giambi looked all but safe at home and the Yankees looked all but dead in the water before out of nowhere came Derek Jeter.


Jeter grabbed the ball and flipped it to catcher Jorge Posada who applied the tag to Giambi thus saving the game, the series and the season for New York. Some will say that Jeter should have been in that position anyway and that he shouldn’t be cheered for simple fundamentals but it’s the small things that make ordinary men great and other men mediocre in this game and Jeter was great. Plays like this cemented his legacy.

World Series Game Three Preview: Los Angeles Dodgers @ Houston Astros

Welcome to Houston, welcome to the land of the designated hitter and welcome back to the World Series as the Houston Astros and Minute Maid Park play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Three of the 2017 World Series. The Dodgers and Astros split the two games out in Los Angeles after a couple of crazy games to kick off the World Series and much of the same is expected tonight in Houston for Game Three. In Game three of the series the Astros will send Lance McCullers Jr. to the mound to face off with Yu Darvish, the first right-handed pitcher for the Dodgers to take the mound as a starter during this Fall Classic.

Darvish has been the Dodgers second best pitcher this postseason behind only Clayton Kershaw so every time the Japanese-born right-hander takes the mound you have to think that Los Angeles is confident that they are going to win. Darvish has made two starts in this postseason allowing just two runs while striking out 14. This will be the first time that Darvish pitches in the World Series though in his Major League career.

McCullers Jr.  was a hero for the Astros in Game 7 of the ALCS against the New York Yankees where the right-hander threw four scoreless innings in the victory for Houston. McCullers pitched well in the ALCS overall throwing 10 innings and allowing just one run and three hits with nine strikeouts consistently keeping the Yankees bats down.

The game will be played at 8:00 pm ET inside Minute Maid Park in Houston and can be seen on FOX. Enjoy the game, and FYI my boycott of this year’s World Series is still going strong despite my feelings of missing baseball. I just can’t stomach to see the Astros in the World Series after the Yankees were so close to making it, it’s nothing personal to them. Oh, and I’m not the biggest fan of Yankees haters like Joe Buck but I feel like I’m not alone in that sentiment. 

Recapping Joe Girardi’s Tenure in the Bronx

The New York Yankees and Joe Girardi will no longer be a couple in 2018, the feels are real. Whether the news that Girardi would no longer be the manager of the team next season makes you feel happy, sad or indifferent the fact of the matter is this, Girardi did a great job for the Yankees during his tenure overall. Let’s take a look at that tenure here this morning.

Years: 10

Win/Loss: 910 – 710

Games Managed: 1620

Playoffs: 6

Missed Playoffs: 4

Playoff Record: 28-24

2009 World Series Champions

Three trips to the ALCS

Binders: 1

Fans Annoyed: Far too many to count

Thanks for the memories, Joe, even if they weren’t always so great. 

So it Seems… HELP WANTED

Good morning everyone, it is that time of the year again where we ask for help with writing here on the blog. The offseason is full of rumors, news, speculations and opinions and frankly I just can’t keep up with it all myself, so I am asking for a little help. Obviously, this is a volunteer-only job, I don’t even make a dime off the site, so you would not be tied down to minimums and such. Just post what you can, when you can.

For whatever reason the Gmail address we have for the site is acting funny, I won’t get emails for months at a time and then boom… flooded with them, so send me an email to my personal email if you’re interested at Daniel Burch 1102 at Yahoo dot com. Thanks in advance.

HEY YOU. Good morning. Another day of being blessed, another day of being happy because it’s another day of being your man. I love you Kari. 

This Day In New York Yankees History 10/27: 1999 Yankees Win!

On this day in 1999 the Yankees completed a sweep of their second consecutive World Series beating the Braves in four games. Roger Clemens led the Yankees to the 4-1 victory in Game 4 that ended the Fall Classic. The Braves become only the second team in World Series history joining the 1910-1919 New York Giants to lose four World Series in one decade.

Also on this day in 1954 Joe DiMaggio and his wife Marilyn Monroe decided to get a divorce after just 274 days as a married couple. This was a disaster waiting to happen from the beginning as this was well known to be a stormy marriage. Marilyn filed the papers citing mental cruelty as the reasoning. Say it ain't so Joe.

2018 Free Agency: Joe Girardi – Yay or Nay

Well this didn't work out, did it? I had this scheduled to post today before news broke that the New York Yankees would not be bringing back Joe Girardi for the 2018 season. Oh well. Never waste content.

The New York Yankees have a lot of decisions to make this offseason as far as personnel and players go but the team’s biggest decision this offseason may be what the organization does with their vacant managerial position. Manager Joe Girardi’s contract is up after the end of the World Series and no one knows whether to expect Joe back on the Yankee Stadium bench here in 2018. With the uncertainty facing the team’s future and with the presumable lore that is Derek Jeter and the Miami Marlins will the New York Yankees be in the search of a manager here in a couple weeks? Or should the team make it their decision to part ways? I will tell you what I think should happen as well as what I think will happen here in the post.

As unpopular of a post as this is about to be I think the Yankees should retain Joe Girardi on another three-year deal. I don’t pretend to be omnificent or all-knowing, but does anyone see a true upgrade over Girardi out there on the free agent market as far as managers go? And no, John Farrell is not a better manager than Joe Girardi is in my opinion. I just don’t see a better manager that can handle the bullpen the way Girardi does, not all the time but no one is “on” 100% of the time either, and I just don’t see a better manager that can handle a young team over Girardi. Girardi has handled a young team in Miami before and he did a bang-up job with the Baby Bombers here in 2017 as the team far exceeded expectations in every sense of the word.

Sure, Girardi may be an idiot to some and he may rely on his “binder” far too much at times but the Yankees have never had a losing record during his tenure, the team has a World Series championship and has reached the ALCS three times under his command. The players seem to rally around him and support him, Dellin Betances did so publicly lately, and I just don’t see an obvious upgrade out there to be had. For all those reasons and more though there will be teams out there wanting his services including the aforementioned Miami Marlins.

I think at the end of the day the Yankees will offer Girardi another contract, but I am torn on whether I believe he will accept it or not. The Marlins and the opportunity to manage the likes of Giancarlo Stanton may be exciting for Girardi but I am not entirely sure if Girardi is ready to start over. The Marlins don’t have the farm system the Yankees have and while they have some young talent on the team I think the Yankees are just a better fit right now. At the end of the day I think the Yankees will offer Girardi a three-year deal while the Marlins may offer more but I truly think Joe stays in the Bronx for at least three more seasons, and I am totally okay with that. 

Astros Win in Sudden Death Overtime...

Credit:  LA Times:  Wally Skalij

2017 World Series

Astros 7, Dodgers 6...

Series tied, 1-1

Wow! The Dodgers may have lost but that was one heck of a game! A low-scoring affair until the Astros tied it at 3 in the top of the 9th inning, the game became a battle of home runs in extra innings with George Springer's two-run homer in the 11th inning providing the final margin of victory for the 'Stros.

This was a magical game from the start. The first pitch was "thrown" (I use that term loosely) by legendary former Dodgers announcer Vin Scully with an assist from Fernando Valenzuela. I miss the days of Scully calling Dodger games but it was so incredible to have him on the Dodger Stadium turf. Great call by the Dodgers to have Scully, one of the greatest announcers of all-time if not THE greatest, throw the first pitch. It's time for Dodgers baseball!  Damn, love that guy. It was so wonderful to hear his voice again. Valenzuela, in relief of Scully (who suffered a "rotator cuff" injury on his attempted throw...wink, wink), threw the pitch to former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager.

Credit:  LA Times:  Robert Gauthier

With veteran Rich Hill pitching for the Dodgers and former Tigers ace Justin Verlander on the mound for the Astros, the game remained scoreless until the top of the 3rd inning. Josh Reddick hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Chase Utley in shallow right that got away from the former Phillie when the ball bounced off the palm of his glove. No error on the play but Reddick safe at first with a hit. Inexperienced batsman Justin Verlander was next in the obvious bunt situation. His first attempt resulted in a foul fly off the backstop net. He looked like an American Leaguer trying to bat. But then on his second attempt, he laid it down perfectly with a slow roller back to the pitcher. Verlander took five steps in the California heat before giving up for the out, but he did his job pushing Reddick to second. George Springer followed with a single to left to put runners at the corners. Alex Bregman's single to center scored Reddick and the Astros led 1-0. It may have been an extra-base hit if not for centerfielder Chris Taylor's hat. The ball went up on the diving Taylor but was re-directed toward left fielder Joc Pederson thanks to the bill of his cap. Hill prevented further damage when he struck out Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa to end the inning. I thought the Dodgers did an excellent job limiting the Astros to only one run in that situation.

The Dodgers tied the game in the bottom of the 5th when Joc Pederson took Verlander deep with a shot over the wall in right field.

Things were looking good for the Dodgers in the bottom of the 6th inning. Chris Taylor took a two-out walk. Corey Seager was next and he belted a Verlander pitch over the left field wall into the first row to give the Dodgers a two run advantage.

Credit:  LA Times:  Gina Ferazzi

Moving into the 8th inning with Dodgers setup man Brandon Morrow on the mound, Alex Bregman led off with a ground-rule double to right. Right fielder Yaiel Puig made a running dive in an attempt to get to the ball but it hit the end of his glove and bounced up into the stands, much to the chagrin of the visibly upset Puig. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided to take no chances and brought in closer Kenley Jansen. Jansen had only blown one game all season and the Dodgers had a ridiculous stat of 98-0 when leading after eight innings. Jansen got the first batter he faced (Jose Altuve) to ground out to second, but Bregman moved to third. Carlos Correa singled to center on a chopper that got by second baseman Chase Utley, making it a one run game, 3-2. After Yuli Gurriel flied out in foul territory near first base, Jansen got Brian McCann with a huge strikeout to end the inning.  

Normally, a one-run lead at Dodger Stadium in the 9th inning is a guarantee for victory. Unfortunately, Marwin Gonzalez had other ideas. On an 0-2 count while leading off for the Astros, Gonzalez turned on a Jansen cutter (an unusual bad pitch from the All-Star Closer) to deposit it over the wall in left center to tie the game.

Credit:  LA Times: Robert Gauthier

The Astros had the go-ahead run at second when George Springer hit a two-out double down the left field line, but he was left stranded when Alex Bregman grounded out to short.

The Dodgers were unable to score in the bottom of the 9th against Astros closer Ken Giles when they were retired in order. I was really hoping that Cody Bellinger, who made the final out, could have come up huge in that situation but it was not to be. So, off to extra innings we went...

Top of the 10th and Jansen was gone. Dodgers reliever Josh Fields was on the mound in his place. The Astros decided it was time to play Home Run Derby.  Jose Altuve led off with a blast to the front row of the center field stands to give the Astros the lead, 4-3. Carlos Correa said 'I can do that, only better' and sent the ball fourteen feet further into the left center field seats. 5-3, Astros.

Ken Giles was still pitching for the Astros in the bottom of the 10th. Yasiel Puig led off with a towering shot to left to make it a one-run game. After Giles struck out Yasmani Grandal and Austin Barnes, Logan Forsythe drew a walk on a full count. With Enrique "Kike" Hernandez at the plate, a wild pitch by Giles moved Forsythe to second. Hernandez, the hero of the NLCS with three home runs in the final game to send the Dodgers to the World Series, singled to right to score Forsythe. Astros right fielder Josh Reddick made a perfect throw to catcher Brian McCann but Forsythe's speed was too much as he safely slid into home.  

Credit:  LA Times: Robert Gauthier

The game was tied once again. Hernandez advanced to second on the throw but the Astros made a pitching change to bring in Chris Devenski who retired Chris Taylor on a fly out to center to push the game into the 11th inning.

The Dodgers made another pitching change, bringing in their ninth pitcher of the game...former Yankee Brandon McCarthy. It wasn't McCarthy's finest hour (or maybe I should say minutes). Cameron Maybin led off with a single to center, just past the outstretched glove of Corey Seager. He subsequently stole second on a close play at the bag. George Springer handed the Astros another two-run lead when he homered to right center. 7-5, Astros.  

Credit:  LA Times:  Wally Skalij

McCarthy was able to retire the next three Astros to give the Dodgers, as Michael Kay would say, "their last licks". 

Houston's Chris Devenski came back out to the mound for the bottom of the 11th. He got the first two hitters when Corey Seager lined out to center and Justin Turner lined out to third. Charlie Culberson, who had just entered the game in the top of the 11th when he took over in left field, homered to left center, making it a one-run game for Yasiel Puig. Trailing by one run with two outs in the bottom of the 11th, it was a huge opportunity for Puig who clearly loves the limelight. Not this day. After battling Devenski, Puig swung and missed on Devenski's ninth pitch of the at-bat to end the game. Astros win, 7-6.  

Credit:  LA Times: Wally Skalij

I know there is no "overtime" in baseball but that was as close to a hockey shootout as I've seen (especially in a World Series game).

The two teams take a break today to travel to Houston for Game 3 on Friday night at Minute Maid Park. The pitching matchup is currently scheduled to feature the Dodgers' Yu Darvish against the Astros' Lance McCullers, Jr. For Darvish, it is a homecoming of sorts with the return to Texas.  Although when you are from Dallas, anything from or in Houston sucks. I am sure that the former Texas Ranger will thrive back in the Lone Star state. It should be a fantastic pitcher's duel, particuarly if McCullers, Jr can pitch as well as he did against the Yankees.  

Credit:  LA Times:  Allen J Schaben

I will be watching with my Dodgers gear in hand...

Editor's note:  This writer is pro-Dodgers.

Odds & Ends...

It is funny watching the daily tweets about Joe Girardi's appearances at Yankee Stadium. The fact that I know Girardi left the stadium at 1:10 pm yesterday shows how much New York writers are seeking to find stories about whether or not Girardi will return to the Yankees next season. So far, those writers have been disappointed. Girardi may not be giving away any signals of what is on his mind, but at least he's talking with the team.  I remain hopeful that it leads to a new deal for the long-time manager. Honestly, who is out there that can do a better job than Girardi? I know that we've been frustrated with some of his decisions but I seriously doubt that any of us could do a better job. Hopefully Hal Steinbrenner moves quickly to re-sign both Girardi and GM Brian Cashman so that the team can start its off-season strategy to bring the 28th World Championship for the Yankees next season.    

Credit:  NY Post:  Richard Harbus

Saw the pic of Dellin Betances, Aaron Judge and CC Sabathia taking in a Brooklyn Nets game last night. Admittedly, I would have preferred to have seen these guys playing in Los Angeles. Or maybe Judge should have been in a batting cage working on those breaking pitches. Ha!  Next year, guys, next year...

Credit:  Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Have a great Thursday! I wonder what time Girardi will show up at Yankee Stadium today or when he will leave. Go Yankees!