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Post by qwik3457bb on Oct 28, 2024 17:50:30 GMT -5
Playing the Name Game: There are just two other players in MLB history with the name Walker, and I’ll get to one in a bit. Walker Lockett pitched for the Mets among three teams from 2018-2020, but Buehler is the best pitcher named Walker. There have been about 30 or 40 players with last name Walker who played major league ball. Moses Fleetwood Walker, the first openly Black man to play in a major leagues, played for Toledo in the American Association in 1884; he was the last openly black player in MLB until Jackie Robinson. At the other end of that spectrum was Dodgers outfielder Dixie Walker, who started a petition on the team to keep Robinson off the Dodgers roster. It didn’t work, largely because manager Leo Durocher essentially told the petitioners to stuff it. For what it’s worth, Walker was also the first player recognized by the owners as the “players’ representative”, meaning he spoke for all MLB players with regard to the way they were treated by the owners. Somewhat ironic, no? The best hitter named Walker was Expos and Rockies outfielder and Hall of Famer Larry Walker. Other hitting Walkers: all-star player and manager Harry ‘the Hat” Walker, Todd Walker, Tiger outfielder Gerald “Gee” Walker, ex-Yankee Neil Walker (Just 6 years ago? Really? Seems like ages ago). The best pitcher with last name Walker was probably Bill Walker, a left-handed starter for the Giants and Cards between 1927 and 1936. He won 97 in his career, peaking from 1929-1931, winning 47 over the three years, and leading the NL in ERA in both 1929 and 1931. Bill Walker pitched 2 games in relief in the 1934 World Series in which the Cards beat the Tigers in 7, largely due to Dizzy Dean winning 3 games. Despite being the losing pitcher in both games he pitched inning, Bill Walker still got a ring for his efforts. Such is team sports. Believe it or not, I can't ever remember reading anything about Bill Walker in all my reading in baseball, and he's a 2-time ERA champ.
Walker is only Buehler in MLB history.
The only hitter and best player with first name Walker was catcher Walker Cooper, who played 18 seasons for six NL teams from 1940 through 1957, but achieved his greatest success early in his career for the Cards. Teaming with his brother, pitching ace Mort Cooper, Walker led the Cards to 3 straight pennants and two titles from 1942 through 1944, making the All-Star team and finishing in the top 11 of the MVP vote all three season, with a 2nd place finish to teammate Stan Musial in 1943. Those great Cards teams beat the Yanks in 5 in the 1942 Series, lost the return match to “Spud” Chandler and the Yanks in 1943, and got the title back against the 1944 St. Louis Browns, who’d won their only pennant as the Browns that year. His power improved after he left the Cards (.446 slug with St. Louis, .474 with other teams), peaking of seasons of 35-122-.305 for the Giants in 1947 (18th in the MVP voting!), and 20 HR and 83 RBI in 1949. His playing time gradually reduced in a regular role as he moved to other teams; he fell into backup status at age 38 while playing for the Braves in their first season in Milwaukee, but he kept playing until age 41-42, when the Cards brought him back for a farewell tour. Gee retired after the 1957 season, and managed for a few seasons in the minors, and had one season coach for the Kansas City A’s in 1960. In his career, Walker Cooper made the NL All-Star team in 10 seasons, and got MVP votes in five. He retired with a lifetime average of .285 and 173 career home runs, but played less than 1500 games in his 18 seasons. He never played on another pennant-winner after 1944, but heck, three of them and two rings in your first five MLB seasons is pretty good. Trailing 27 bWAR to 12 at this point, Buehler’s going to have to stay healthy a lot more often to catch Cooper for the best Walker in major league history.
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Post by cocopugg on Oct 28, 2024 17:53:53 GMT -5
The Dodgers have gone to the World Series 4 times in the last 8 years, winning once (in the shortened covid year of 2020). This is the Yankees first appearance in the World Series in 15 years. What's wrong with this picture? George needs to look down from the heavens and flip the switch!
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Post by qwik3457bb on Oct 28, 2024 17:54:20 GMT -5
The burden falls on the shoulders of #3 starter Clarke Schmidt to start turning the series in the Yankees favor. Clarke has good stuff, but doesn’t often get deep into games, usually because he throws two many pitchers early on because his command of that good stuff is questionable. By the 3rd time through the order, the other team usually has a read on him. The Yankee bullpen is likely to be fairly heavily used, even if Schmidt does his job well, and gets through 5 innings against this tough Dodgers lineup. In the regular season, Schmidt was 5-5 in 16 starts with an ERA of 2.85, missing 3 months with a lat injury. In 85 1/3 innings, he allowed 71 hits, 31 runs, 27 earned, 8 HR, 30 BB and struck out 93. His WHIP for the season was a solid 1.184.
As with Buehler, tonight is Schmidt’s first game ever against the opponent; he’s never faced the Dodgers in 5 seasons, 83 games and 53 starts.
In the post-season, Schmidt pitched those three poor relief games in 2022, and had made essentially the same start twice; once against KC and again vs. Cleveland. He gave up 2 earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in both; got a no-decision in both. He was better vs. the Royals, giving up fewer hits, fewer BB and striking out more batters, and gave up the only HR in the two starts to Kyle Manzardo of Cleveland in the 2nd inning of the second start. In the post-season overall, Schmidt is 0-2 in 5 games and 2 starts with an ERA of 5.40. In 11 2/3 innings, he’s allowed 14 hits, 7 run (earned), 3 HR, and 5 BB with 7 K’s. His WHIP is a terrible 1.629. Not great. This is his first World Series appearance. If Schmidt throws a good game tonight against this Dodgers lineup in these adverse circumstances, I’ll be enormously impressed.
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Post by qwik3457bb on Oct 28, 2024 17:56:06 GMT -5
Yankees' lineup vs. Buehler…the Yanks looking for some life from the bottom of the order, take the risk of taking Wells out of the lineup, starting Trevino’s arm to get some offense from the catching spot, even going with a righty against the righty Buehler, who showed very sharp breaking stuff his last start against the Mets. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess, unless Wells has been hiding an injury. Buehler hasn’t faced the Yanks, but 6 players on the roster have faced him, just 3 in the lineup:
1. Torres (2B) hasn’t faced Buehler
2. Soto (RF) is 2-10 with 1 RBI, 2 BB and 3 K
3. Judge (CF) hasn’t faced Buehler
4. Stanton (DH) hasn’t either
5. Chisholm (3B) is 3-5 with 1 double, 1 RBI and 2 K
6. Rizzo (1B) is 2-9 with 1 double, 1 BB and 1 K
7. Volpe (SS) hasn’t faced him
8. Trevino (C) hasn’t either
9. Verdugo (LF) hasn’t face Buehler as well
On the bench: Grisham is 4-17 with 2 solo HR, 1 BB and 3 K; pitchers Cole and Weaver are 0-2 with a K and 0-1 against Buehler, respectively
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Dodgers’ lineup vs. Schmidt…the Dodgers put their usual lineup vs. righty starters back in there against Schmidt, moving Freeman and Muncy back up to 3rd and 5th, moving Teoscar Hernandez and Edman back down to 4th and 9th, and taking out Rojas to put Lux back in at 2nd. Schmidt has never faced LA, but three Dodgers have faced him:
1. Ohtani (DH) is 1-3 with a 2-run HR and 2 K
2. Betts (RF) … nope
3. Freeman (1B) … ditto
4. T. Hernandez (LF) is 0-3 with 1 K
5. Muncy (3B) … nope
6. E. Hernandez (CF) is 1-7 with 3 K.
7. Lux (2B) …nope
8. Smith (C) … ditto
9. Edman (SS) … not him, either
On the Bench: None
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Post by qwik3457bb on Oct 28, 2024 17:57:45 GMT -5
Yesterday was a travel day, so no game, but in game 2 on Saturday, the Dodgers got to starter Carlos Rodon for three HRs, a solo shot to the corner in left by Edman in the 2nd, a two-run blast by Teoscar Hernandez to right center in the 3rd, immediately followed by a solo shot to right by Freeman, going back-to-back with Teoscar. In between, The Great Soto briefly tied the game with a solo HR to right, but that was all the Yanks could get in 6 1/3 innings from Dodgers ace Yamamoto, who shut them down cold. The Yankees bullpen did it’s job well, shutting the Dodgers down the rest of the way, and were even able to avoid using both Kahnle and Weaver, giving them the luxury of consecutive days off, but the Yanks couldn’t do anything on offense against the Dodgers’ pen until they got to closer Treinen a bit in the 9th, and put the game in doubt.
Soto led off the 9th by singling to right center. He moved to 2nd on a wild pitch while Judge was batting, but was stuck there as Judge had another terrible at bat, chasing a bad slider at least 6 inches outside on 1-2 for another strikeout. Stanton hit a sharp grounder down 3rd that might have been a game-ending DP ball had it not hit the bag and popped high over Muncy into short left for a RBI single, Soto scoring on the play. Chisholm put up an 8-pitch battle, fouling off 2 pitches before getting a slider below the knees, inner half, lining it to right for a hit, moving Stanton to 2nd. Rizzo fell behind 1-2, then turned his back into a sinker that Treinen missed inside with, loading the bases with 1 out. Volpe had an absolutely brain-dead at bat, miserable approach, playing hero ball, opening up early trying to pull everything for power. He chased three different sliders outside, fouling off one on 2-2 by a hair, missing a hanger inside middle on the pitch before, and waving futilely on a very bad one at least 8 inches outside and 3 inches low for the K. Boone sent up Trevino to PH for Wells (foreshadowing his start tonight, maybe?) and Trevino didn’t get it done, but he wasn’t bad, either. He decided to look for a hittable FB on the 1st pitch and got one, and he hit it pretty well to left center, but not well enough. Edman caught it a few steps from the track in left center, and the Yanks were halfway to oblivion and a 15th straight season without a championship, down 2-0 heading back to the Bronx for tonight’s game. The Yanks are having their usual failures with RISP, just 2 for 14, but the Dodgers are just 1 for 11. What was the "1"? The Freeman walk-off grand slam. Some hits with RISP are more important than others...
And, at 8:08 pm at Stadium, it’s Buehler vs. Schmidt. See you then.
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Post by JEGnj on Oct 28, 2024 17:58:04 GMT -5
Torre did a lot of great things for the Yankees and he managed the egos but never forget he did spend the last few years asleep on the bench.
Boone is making some bad decisions in the WS but Trashman gave him this team.
I was a huge Torre fan… I rarely criticize or blame Boone…. And I would never call the gm a childish name. I would actually like to thank him and The Steinbrenners for giving us another contending team. LETS GO YANKEES Win or lose he needs to go. He got Soto for one year but next year could be a nightmare. This team wasn't built to make the Playoffs it was made to win it all. The philosophy needs to change and we need to get rid of a lot of dead wood.
As much as I want Stanton gone he won a free pass with me.
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Post by chiyankee on Oct 28, 2024 17:59:06 GMT -5
I think Boone is grasping for straws, replacing one guy that hasn't hit in a month for a guy that hasn't hit since May. Boonie doesn't seem to have the same instincts that Torre had it making these kind of moves. Torre had The Midas touch... Boone is probably more analytics driven than gut! I think it's a committee now for these decisions, with Boone being part of it. |
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Post by JEGnj on Oct 28, 2024 18:05:24 GMT -5
I'm still watching and rooting. Hoping to see some magic in the Bronx and turn this around I just don't think it's going to happen.
The Yankees slept walked down the stretch. Slept walked through the Playoffs. AND have slept walked in games 1 and 2. If they can wake up and get hot they can take 4 of 5.
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Post by 1955nyyfan on Oct 28, 2024 18:07:18 GMT -5
I think Boone is grasping for straws, replacing one guy that hasn't hit in a month for a guy that hasn't hit since May. Boonie doesn't seem to have the same instincts that Torre had it making these kind of moves. Torre had The Midas touch... Boone is probably more analytics driven than gut! Probably true but I also think Torre might have had more bench options. |
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Post by cocopugg on Oct 28, 2024 18:11:17 GMT -5
Boonie doesn't seem to have the same instincts that Torre had it making these kind of moves. Torre had The Midas touch... Boone is probably more analytics driven than gut! Probably true but I also think Torre might have had more bench options. Torre had Stottlemyre and Zimmer on the bench...but more importantly, he also had decades worth of experience, as a manager. |
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Post by ypaterson on Oct 28, 2024 18:14:53 GMT -5
Boonie doesn't seem to have the same instincts that Torre had it making these kind of moves. Torre had The Midas touch... Boone is probably more analytics driven than gut! Probably true but I also think Torre might have had more bench options. This team is built very differently. The Torres teams were built on depth. This team is built on stars. But Cashman cannot use that as an excuse. This is the team he built. |
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Post by cocopugg on Oct 28, 2024 18:16:41 GMT -5
I'm still watching and rooting. Hoping to see some magic in the Bronx and turn this around I just don't think it's going to happen. The Yankees slept walked down the stretch. Slept walked through the Playoffs. AND have slept walked in games 1 and 2. If they can wake up and get hot they can take 4 of 5. If it doesn't happen, then the turning point of the series was bringing in Cortez in the 10th inning for game 1...which will live in New York Yankees infamy...so let's hope the Yankees win tonight, and they go on to take it from there! |
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Post by chiyankee on Oct 28, 2024 18:17:29 GMT -5
Yankees' lineup vs. Buehler…the Yanks looking for some life from the bottom of the order, take the risk of taking Wells out of the lineup, starting Trevino’s arm to get some offense from the catching spot, even going with a righty against the righty Buehler, who showed very sharp breaking stuff his last start against the Mets.
I never thought I see those bolded words typed. |
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Post by Lola on Oct 28, 2024 18:31:33 GMT -5
Boonie doesn't seem to have the same instincts that Torre had it making these kind of moves. Torre had The Midas touch... Boone is probably more analytics driven than gut! Probably true but I also think Torre might have had more bench options. Good point! |
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Post by qwik3457bb on Oct 28, 2024 18:39:38 GMT -5
Yankees' lineup vs. Buehler…the Yanks looking for some life from the bottom of the order, take the risk of taking Wells out of the lineup, starting Trevino’s arm to get some offense from the catching spot, even going with a righty against the righty Buehler, who showed very sharp breaking stuff his last start against the Mets.
I never thought I see those bolded words typed. 4 for 40 slumps will do that. |
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