On October 3, 2014 The Orioles once again victimize the Tigers’ bullpen in the 8th inning to win Game 2 of the ALDS, 7 – 6. Trailing 6 – 3, they score four runs against Joba Chamberlain and Joakim Soria after scoring 7 off three relievers in the same inning the previous night and now…
On October 3, 2014.00 The Cardinals stun the Dodgers with a 10 – 9 win in the first game of the NLDS. Leading 6 – 2 and with Clayton Kershaw having allowed only a pair of solo homers through 6 innings, the Cards put together an eight-run 7th inning, capped by a three-run double by…
On October 3, 2014.00 The Giants tie a National League record with their 9th straight postseason win, dating back to their successful run to the 2012 World Series title, as they defeat the Nationals, 3 – 2, in Game 1 of the first NLDS. The Giants score a pair of early runs off losing pitcher…
Major League Baseball announces that it will test some new rules to speed up the flow of the game during this coming Arizona Fall League season. Hitters will no longer be allowed to step out of the batter’s box during an at-bat; pitchers will need to begin their pitching motion within 20 seconds of receiving the ball; a batter will take his base automatically when an intentional walk is called for, without the need for the pitcher to throw four pitches outside the strike zone; teams will be limited to three mound conferences, now called time-outs, per game; and there will be a set maximum time before the first pitch is delivered following a change of innings or a pitching change. If these changes prove successful, they may well be introduced at all levels of organized baseball.
Brandon Crawford becomes the first shortstop to hit a postseason grand slam when he clears the bases in the fourth inning of the winner-take-all National League Wild Card Game, an 8-0 Giants’ victory over the Pirates. Crawfords blast quiets the very enthusiastic PNC Park crowd, who has been a valuable asset to the home team during the season. Madison Bumgarner pitches a complete game, four-hit shutout while Edinson Volquez is tagged with the loss.
Twins pitcher Phil Hughes sets a record for the best K/W ratio in history in his final start of the year. He walks none and strikes out 5 over 8 innings in a 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks to finish with 186 Ks and only 16 free passes. His ratio of 11.63 tops the previous record of 11.00 set by Bret Saberhagen in 1994. However, a 66-minute rain delay in the top of the 9th proves literally costly as he ends the season with 209 2/3 innings pitched; he would have earned an additional $500,000 bonus for reaching 210 innings.
Cole Hamels of the Phillies combines with three relievers, Jake Diekman, Ken Giles and Jonathan Papelbon, for a 7 – 0 no-hitter over the Braves. Hamels needs 108 pitches to get through the first 6 innings, allowing 5 walks and striking out 7, then each reliever pitches a perfect inning to complete the feat, with Giles striking out all three batters he faces in the 8th.
The Blue Jays defeat the Tigers, 6 – 5, in the longest game in team history in terms of both time and innings, thanks to a run-scoring single by Jose Bautista in the 19th inning, after 6 hours and 37 minutes of baseball. The winning hit comes off Rick Porcello, normally a starter but pressed into action by the length of the game. Melky Cabrera is the first player since Rod Carew on May 12, 1972 to reach base 8 times in a game. Chad Jenkinsthrows 6 scoreless innings for the win. The Tigers take an early 5 – 0 lead against starter Mark Buehrle who is chased in the 4th, but the Jays claw back and tie the game in the bottom of the 9th.
The Indians unveil a statue near Heritage Park at Progressive Field honoring Jim Thome, the team’s all-time career home run leader (337), who spent 13 seasons with Cleveland. The location of the eight-foot bronze sculpture marks the spot where the longest homer ever hit in Progressive Field landed, a 511-foot blast launched in 1999 by the Tribe’s first baseman/DH. “Jim Thome’s journey to become a member of the elite six hundred home run club is a story built on consistency, dependability, professionalism, power and character.” – Inscription on Jim Thorpe’s statue at Progressive Field in Cleveland.
A huge crowd estimated at 48,000 is on hand for the annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. This year’s class is unusually large and prestigious, featuring three players elected on the first ballot: 300-game winners Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine and slugger Frank Thomas, a member of the 500 home run club. Joining them are three managers who stand at #3, 4 and 5 on the all-time win list in Tony LaRussa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre. Maddux, Glavine and Cox all found their greatest success in the great Atlanta Braves teams of the late 1990s.
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