Starting Five
Uehara’s five-out save in Game 5 was masterful.
1. The Mound is His Dojo
Fox’s Tim McCarver said it almost matter-of-factly, shortly after Boston Red Sox closer Koji Uehara trotted in from left field with one out in the eighth inning and the Sox clinging to a 4-3 lead in Game 5 of the ALCS. “(Uehara) has allowed fewer batters to reach base this season than any pitcher at any time in the history of baseball.”
That is, to quote Ron Burgundy, kind of a big deal, no?
Yes.
While 26 Major League relievers recorded more saves this season than Uehara’s 21 for Boston, his 0.57 WHIP (Walks + Hits Divided by Innings Pitched) in 74 innings was incredible. Consider that the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw, the game’s most dominant pitcher this season, had the lowest WHIP among starters at 0.92. As for ERA, Uehara’s 1.09 is also nearly half Kershaw’s 1.83.
And, before you go there, no other reliever had a lower WHIP, which is as vital a pitching stat as exists, than a 0.87 (Greg Holland of Kansas City).
Uehara, 38, also struck out 101 this season while issuing just nine free passes. No pitcher with more than 100 innings pitched has a higher CAREER strikeout-walk ratio than Uehara’s 8.74. Nobody. That’s kind of a big deal, too.
Last night Uehara, who only crossed the Pacific to play here in 2009, came on in relief and recorded five quick, uneventful outs, striking out two in the eighth and getting all three batters in the last half of the ninth to pop up. Nobody reached base.
In four postseason appearances and eight innings this month, Uehara has four saves and the lowest WHIP (0.50) of anyone. Dominant pitching has been the hallmark this October, and Uehara has been king of the hill.
2. Prince is a Postseason Pauper
Fielder has one extra-base hit in 37 ABs this October.
And then there’s Detroit Tiger first baseman Prince Fielder, who is positively A-Rod’dding all over the place since coming to Comerica last year. Batting cleanup behind the most terrifying hitter in baseball, Fielder still has just three RBI in two postseasons –he’s now into his fifth playoff series with Detroit. His RBI-less streak is now at 72 at-bats, as Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports points out.
And, of course, if Fielder has zero RBI, that also means he has zero home runs in those 72 ABs (he has one overall in two postseasons). And has earned –well, been paid, at least– $48 million for his two seasons in Detroit (in the regular season, the five-foot-eleven, 275-pound Teddy bear has been highly productive, averaging 27.5 home runs and 107 RBI).
Fielder has missed just one game the past four seasons. But in baseball, apparently, 80% of being successful is not just showing up. You need to drive in runs in October, too. Especially when you’re batting clean-up.
Austin Jackson: First MLBer in postseason with two state capitals I name since famed Seattle Pilot catcher Montpelier Baton Rouge.
Oh, and by the way, Austin Jackson? After Tiger manager Jim Leyland moved him from leadoff to eighth in the batting order, he reached base the first six times he came to the plate. Jackson reached base safely a total of seven consecutive times (his last time batting first in Game 3 included), which is an MLB postseason record.
Who am I — or A.J. Pierzynski, who used the word “panic” — to question Jim Leyland?
3. Tate-Floyd Summit
Tate celebrates with the Spartan band after scoring the go-ahead TD.
The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Arizona Cardinals last night, 34-22. The teams’ leading receivers last night in terms of yardage were former Notre Dame teammates Michael Floyd of Arizona (six receptions, 71 yards) and Golden Tate of Seattle (four catches, 77 yards).
In their two seasons together, 2008 and 2009, the Irish would go just 13-12. Floyd did miss nine of those 25 games due to injury. Floyd is the school’s all-time leader in both receptions (271) and touchdown catches (37) while Tate, who left after winning the Biletnikoff Award as a junior, ranks third in both stats (157 and 26) behind current Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija.
(Charlie Weis was not a great coach, but his offenses did know how to fling it).
I’ll never forget the 2009 season opener, when the Irish somehow shut out a Nevada offense whose quarterback was Colin Kaepernick, 35-0, and Floyd hauled in touchdown passes of 70, 88 and 24 yards. The following day someone asked Weis if Michael Floyd was the greatest wide receiver in Notre Dame history.
Floyd has gone from pairing with Golden Tate to Larry Fitzgerald.
“Golden might take issue with that,” Weis replied.
(Oh, and the tight end on that team was current Minnesota Viking Kyle Rudolph, and his back-up was to have been current Detroit Lion Joseph Fauria, who transferred before the season; current UCLA stud Shaq Evans was also on that 2009 Notre Dame squad; no wonder Weis got canned).
3. The Colbert Rapport
Colbert and Dolan headline a white-collar crowd.
The third Thursday in October in New York City means the Al Smith Charity Dinner at the Waldorf-Astoria (I received an unvitation). Comedian Stephen Colbert spent some time at the podium, zinging his newest BFF, non-Arizona Cardinal Timothy Dolan –if you’re scoring at home, this is the powerful NYC-based Dolan who is NOT ruining the Knicks.
“I am America’s most famous Catholic,” said Colbert who, according to the New York Times, actually teaches Sunday school. “I know what the cardinal is thinking: Stephen, pride is a sin. Well, Cardinal, so is envy. So we’re even.”
Approximately 1,500 people paid $1,000 apiece to attend in support of ALS research.
“It’s like we all showed up at the same Halloween party dressed as the Monopoly guy,” quipped Colbert. “And you know that’s kind of fitting because the Wall Street guys apparently have a get-out-of-jail free card.”
4. The Canes Survive
Crawford rushed for two touchdowns and 137 yards in place of injured starter Duke Johnson.
If you watched unbeaten Miami survive the dreaded higher-ranked-team-visits-unranked-team-on-ESPN-Thursday gauntlet, you may be impressed with 1) their ability to get the job done and 2) backup running back Dallas Crawford, but not much else.
The Canes may be 6-0, but they certainly didn’t resemble a top 10 team –quarterback Stephen Morris threw four picks and the defense was gutted for 500 yards by a 1-4 team. Still, the Canes overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to win, 27-23.
Three quick thoughts: 1) Jesse Palmer noted that Crawford could start for 85% of the teams in FBS, and I agree. Injured starter Duke Johnson must be some kind of awesome to relegate Crawford– who showcased a blend of quick feet, creative spins and straight-ahead power–to the bench. 2) UNC was driving late in the third quarter for a TD that would’ve put them up 14 and David Pollock accurately stated, “Miami is gassed.” The Heels got to about the five-yard line, and then the quarter ended. It felt like the reprieve The U needed. At the start of the fourth quarter the D held UNC to a field goal and the Heels never again threatened. 3) Part of this loss is on coach Larry Fedora: the Heels face a third-and-one late, and a first down means that at best the Canes, still trailing by three, will get the ball back with maybe two minutes to play. Fedora subs out a QB and there’s quickly a delay of game penalty (now 3rd-and-five) followed by a false start (3rd-and-10) by a right tackle who was afraid of getting beaten on the rush, which he was on the very next play, for a sack. It should never have come to that.
5. Mystery Solved? Not Yeti
Yeti: Still angry that his agent was unable to land him a beef jerky ad campaign.
Apparently scientists, using DNA as opposed to the Old Testament, have determined that the famed and mysterious Yeti may be a hybrid descendant of an ancient polar bear. If this mystery is ever solved, third-grade boys will have one fewer thing to be obsessed over, and their big three will become Sasquatch, the Loch Ness Monster and, of course, farts.
Reserves
Sorry, Wrigleyville: That’s “Cuba”, not “Cubs.” Abreu will play on the South Side.
Hottest Diamond Mine? Cuba
Mark Cuban is still the wealthiest Cuban in sports, regardless of whether or not he indulges in insider trading — but the gap is narrowing. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported last night that the Chicago White Sox are going to sign Cuban defector Jose Abreu to a six-year, $68 million deal, the most lucrative contract ever signed by an international player with zero MLB experience. Then there’s Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers and Jose Iglesias of Detroit, who could meet in the World Series. As well as Yoenis Cespedes of the A’s. All Cubans.
Remote Patrol
NBC: Nothing But Cardinals
Central Florida at No. 8 Louisville
ESPN 8 p.m.
and
Game 6, NLCS: Los Angeles at St. Louis
TBS 8 p.m.
Glucose for comfort: Bridgewater and the Cards overcame this hit to defeat the Gators in last January’s Sugar Bowl.
Teddy Bridgewater and the ‘ville face their toughest test of the season and, perhaps symbolically, they won’t even be the most-watched Cardinals on the air as they play. That’s because sensational rookie Michael Wacha will take the mound for the Redbirds against Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers as they attempt to stave off elimination. Note: Last October the Cards blew a 3-1 lead in the NLCS.