The AL Championship Series begins tonight, and there are going to be a lot of folks cheering for the Cleveland Guardians.
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
We’re down to the final four in the 2024 MLB postseason. The NLCS kicked off yesterday in Los Angeles with a Dodgers rout, a 9-0 shutout of the Mets in which L.A. pitchers extended their consecutive scoreless innings streak to 33, matching the 1966 Orioles for the longest in MLB postseason history.
Those ‘66 Orioles, of course, threw those 33 straight scoreless innings in the World Series against the Dodgers, who didn’t score after the third inning of Game 1. Moe Drabowsky got the streak started with 6.2 scoreless innings of long relief in the opener, and then Jim Palmer, Wally Bunker, and Dave McNally tossed three straight shutouts to complete the four-game sweep. It was a cool bit of history that could be surpassed tonight if the Dodgers start Game 2 with at least one more scoreless inning against the Mets.
Meanwhile, the ALCS begins tonight at Yankee Stadium, and I’m sure everyone’s thinking the same thing: let’s go, Guardians! The Yankees have lost each of their last five trips to the ALCS, beginning in 2010, and nothing would make Orioles fans happier than to see that skid continue. (Well, it would make us happier if it were the Orioles who ended the Yankees’ postseason hopes, but that ship has sailed.)
Former Orioles failed free agent signing Alex Cobb will be the starting pitcher for Cleveland tonight, going against Carlos Rodón. I’m not particularly optimistic that Cobb, who made only three regular season starts plus a poor ALDS start this season, can keep the Yankees in check. But the Guardians are a plenty good team and certainly have enough talent to overtake New York in this series.
At least I hope so. Because the idea of the Yankees playing in the World Series makes me want to throw something at my TV.
Links
Jackson Holliday named 2024 Topps Chrome Update cover star – ESPN
Jackson Holliday’s rough MLB debut has not dampened baseball card companies’ enthusiasm about him, so that’s nice.
Because You Asked – The Winter Soldier – School of Roch
Roch Kubatko is banging the drum for the O’s to sign Teoscar Hernández. I don’t hate it.
Checking in on Orioles with options for 2025 – BaltimoreBaseball.com
Of the five O’s with options for next year (Coulombe, Dominguez, Jiménez, O’Hearn, and Pérez) my guess is that all but Eloy will be back. What say you, Camden Chatters?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You share your day with four ex-Orioles: outfielder Midre Cummings (53), catcher Carl Nichols (62), infielder Kiko Garcia (71), and utility guy Tommy Harper (84).
Oct. 14 has been a miserable day in Orioles history. The O’s have played six postseason games on this date and have gone 1-5. Ouch. So I guess it’s a good thing they avoided the Oct. 14 curse this year by just…not making it to the ALCS at all. Can’t lose if you don’t play!
The losses on this date included World Series defeats in 1969 Game 3 (5-0 to the Mets), 1970 Game 4 (6-5 to the Reds), 1971 Game 5 (4-0 to the Pirates), and 1979 Game 5 (7-1 to the Pirates), plus Game 3 of the 2014 ALCS (2-1 to the Royals).
But the one win was cool. The Orioles beat the Phillies, 3-2, in Game 3 of the 1983 World Series to take a 2-1 series lead. After the O’s fell behind 2-0 in the fourth, Jim Palmer made his second career postseason relief appearance and worked two scoreless, setting the stage for a Birds comeback. “Disco” Dan Ford’s homer off Hall of Famer Steve Carlton got the O’s on the board in the sixth. and the Birds pulled off a go-ahead rally in the seventh on a Benny Ayala pinch-hit RBI single and a run-scoring error by Phillies shortstop Iván de Jesús. Sammy Stewart and Tippy Martinez preserved the lead for the final three innings.