During the regular season, the New York Yankees hit the second-most team homers in the history of major league baseball.
During the regular season, the Houston Astros set the all-time record for team slugging average.
This was not the regular season.
Together they managed only 13 hits in 11 innings. That said, a walk-off homer is always thrilling in any season, regular or post-.
All of a sudden it’s one game apiece, with Gerrit Cole in the wings, waiting to extend his incredible streak of 18 wins in a row, counting the post-season. Did you remember that Cole started this season 1-4? After May 22nd, when he suffered his last loss, he was 16-0 with a 1.78 ERA and 226 Ks in only 147 innings (13.9 per 9 innings!). He then added two more wins in the post-season.
His streak is almost identical to what Doctor K did in the 1985 season. After May 25, Gooden was 18-1 with a 1.39.
- On the surface Gooden’s ERA in the 1985 streak seems better than Cole’s in 2019, but in context they were virtually identical. The National League ERA was 3.60 in 1985, while the American League ERA was 4.62 in 2019. BOTH were at 39% of the league average.
- Their strikeout totals were also virtually identical in context. Cole averaged 13.87 K/9 in that streak, but the American League average is now 8.75. Gooden struck out “only” 8.67 per nine innings, but the NL average then was 5.50, so they are BOTH 58% above the league average!
The statistical similarity of the two streaks is absolutely amazing!
This is supposedly the “real World Series”. We’ll see about that.
Bashing like the Twinkies did first round.