A glut of cromulence on today's Birthday Team. Good top-to-bottom pitching staff too, including my favorite Indian of his era, Steve Olin. RIP, Steve.

October 4 appears to be the day of African American utility players, with Mark McLemore, Mike Sharperson, and Bobby Scales all* celebrating birthdays today.

C: Kurt Suzuki
1B: John Wathan
2B: Mark McLemore
3B: Chris James
SS: Frankie Crosetti
LF: Don Lenhardt
CF: Billy Hatcher
RF: Rip Repulski

SP: Charlie Leibrandt
SP: Jered Weaver
SP: Ray Fisher
SP: Kyle Lohse
SP: Lary Sorensen
RP: Dennis Cook
RP: Bruce Ruffin
RP: Joe Boever
RP: Steve Olin

Manager: Tony LaRussa
MLB Player or Rapper?: Shorty Dee

*- Well, Sharperson's not literally celebrating a birthday today. That would be extremely newsworthy.

Congratulations to National League stolen base leader ... Everth Cabrera!

Who becomes the fourth Nicaraguan to lead the league in something that he would be proud of leading the league in.

(Dennis Martinez, several things)
(Marvin Benard, 2000, fielding % as a CF)
(Vicente Padilla, 2006, most HBP)

Today is the 25th anniversary of maybe the greatest pitching duel to ever determine a postseason race. If you know you're 1987 baseball, you should have no trouble guessing the teams. But can you recall the two pitchers who dueled in the 1-0 game?

Uh ... Tigers and Blue Jays ... big game duel ... big game pressure ... big game performance ... I'm guessing Jack Morris and Jack Morris.

Congratulations to National League stolen base leader ... Everth Cabrera!

It's been a hell of a season for Cabrerii.

Melky had the highest batting average in the National league, Everth led the NL in steals, Asdrubal was an All-Star for the second year in a row, and I think I heard something about Miguel having a decent year.

Alberto, Edwar...you guys ruined the perfect Cabrera season. Jerks.

But can you recall the two pitchers who dueled in the 1-0 game?

Does it have something to do with Frank Tanana?

Joey Votto tidbits from 2012:

Tied for the league lead in BB, while only playing 111 games
Had to take an 0-27 to get to 502 PA's and still handily led the league in OB%

Hit 44 doubles in only 374 AB's (he led the league in 2011 with 40; in 599 ab's)
If he had kept that pace over 599 ab's, he would have hit 70 doubles.

Had only 73 ab's with runners in scoring position (19.5% of his AB's) with 33 bb (even though he doesn't hit home runs anymore)
Had 95 ab's with 2 outs and nobody on base (25.4%)...

If you know you're 1987 baseball, you should have no trouble guessing the teams. But can you recall the two pitchers who dueled in the 1-0 game?

I knew the teams, but, the way I remember it, Doyle Alexander started every game the last few weeks after the Tigers traded some guy away to get him.

Rip Repulski. I remember him on the Phillies. He was decent before and after his 2 year in Philly. Totally sucked for the Phightins'.

Frank Tanana vs. Jimmy Key?

I was seven years old, and man, did I cry after that loss... Larry Hearndon(?) homered? I seem to remember an extra inning game in that series, where a ball went through Manny Lee's legs to end the game. Or maybe not, I was seven years old.

Rip Repulski. I remember him on the Phillies. He was decent before and after his 2 year in Philly. Totally sucked for the Phightins'.

IIRC Repulski was one of their many young outfielders that the Cardinals thought might replace Musial. He actually had several seasons as a regular in St. Louis and played fairly well, displaying good power. Apparently Repulski was not a good outfielder and this led the Cardinals to trade him to Philadelphia, for Del Ennis, who had one good season left (1957). Repulski's career ended at a relatively young age, I wonder if he got hurt or just stopped hitting.

Congratulations to National League stolen base leader ... Everth Cabrera!
It's been a hell of a season for Cabrerii.

That would be Cabrerae.

Had 95 ab's with 2 outs and nobody on base (25.4%)...

I believe this is why you don't actually want your best hitters batting 3rd. Especially if your top 2 hitters are not on-base type guys. (No idea if that is the case in Cincinnati.)

Frank Tanana vs. Jimmy Key?

I was seven years old, and man, did I cry after that loss... Larry Hearndon(?) homered? I seem to remember an extra inning game in that series, where a ball went through Manny Lee's legs to end the game. Or maybe not, I was seven years old.

That was the greatest 1-0 blowout in baseball history. I'm sure Tiger fans felt differently but I remember watching that game and thinking they could have played 25 innings and the Blue Jays weren't tying it up.

I believe this is why you don't actually want your best hitters batting 3rd. Especially if your top 2 hitters are not on-base type guys. (No idea if that is the case in Cincinnati.)


Zack Cozart and Drew Stubbs were primarily the 1-2 hitters for the Reds. Both have OB% in the .280's. I was shocked that Votto had only 95 ab's like that, honestly. He started 109 games and it seems he came to the plate in the 1st inning with 2 out and nobody on every one of those games.

edit: Reds' 1-2 hitters put up a .282 OB% for the season.

Game of the day (yesterday): Cubs 5, Astros 4. Sure, why wouldn't the last day of the regular season have its best game between the two worst teams in baseball?

Houston opened the scoring in the top of the first when Chicago starter Travis Wood walked Jed Lowrie with one out and Justin Maxwell with two, then gave up an RBI hit to Carlos Corporan. After Edgar Gonzalez worked around a walk in the bottom of the first and Wood did the same with a walk and an infield hit, Bryan LaHair led off the bottom of the second with a homer to tie the game. Maxwell doubled with one out in the third and was stranded; Tony Campana reached on an infield hit in the bottom of the inning, then took second on an errant pickoff throw and stole third before being left on as well.

After Wood set the 'Stros down in order in the fourth, the Cubs put together their first sustained rally in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Dave Sappelt and Josh Vitters singled, Brett Jackson walked to load the bases, Anthony Recker drew another free pass to force in the go-ahead run, and Wood himself grounded a two-run single into left to give himself a substantial lead to work with. Fernando Abad replaced Gonzalez, then was pulled himself after a groundout and a walk reloaded the bases. Jose Valdez retired Starlin Castro to leave all three runners on, but the damage was already done.

Now ahead by three, Wood retired every Houston hitter in the fifth and sixth; Valdez and Mickey Storey did the same to the Cubs. Wood recorded the first out in the seventh, but walked his next two hitters and was pulled for Jaye Chapman, who escaped the jam when Tyler Greene hit into a double play. Fernando Rodriguez retired the side in the bottom of the inning, bringing Shawn Camp on to pitch the top of the eighth. Lowrie led off with a line drive to center, which turned into a Jackson error. Matt Dominguez walked, bringing the tying run to the plate, and Maxwell then homered, putting the tying run on the scoreboard. Camp followed by allowing a single to Corporan, but the Houston catcher was thrown out stealing, and Camp settled down to preserve the tie.

Hector Ambriz allowed only one baserunner in the bottom of the eighth, and Carlos Marmol did the same in the top of the ninth. Ambriz remained on the hill for the Chicago half of the ninth. He started the inning by walking Recker. Steve Clevenger popped up a bunt attempt, but Campana bunted as well, and being quite a bit faster than Clevenger, reached first on the play, with pinch runner Darwin Barney moving to second. Adrian Cardenas struck out, but Castro walked to load the bases, and LaHair singled in the winning run.

So, having lost their last game as an NL team to the second-worst team in the league, the Astros move on to the AL. That should be fun for them.

Noone will miss the Astros as much as the Cubs.

Noone will miss the Astros as much as the Cubs.

Indeed.

With the regular season having come to a close, Game of the Day will do the same, at least for this year. (Yes, the playoffs are coming up, but it's not like anyone here will need me to point them in the direction of the exciting postseason games from the day before.) I will probably pop in with the occasional bit on rating the excitement of the various playoff games and series (and I assume Dag will probably do the same), and may also throw in bits of a few other things that I've left half-finished, like a systematic approach to individual postseason stats, which would be appropriate for this month.

I think this has been discussed already, but just so I'm clear:

Friday's wild-card games constitute a "round" of the playoffs, right? And teams can adjust rosters for each round (to the extent they have eligible players, including injury replacements).

So, can the wild-card teams field a roster of their starting pitcher; say, eight relievers; their eight (or nine) starting bats; and eight (or seven) bench bats and defensive replacements? Again, to the extent that they have eligible players, including injury replacements.

EDIT: The Cardinals' Friday roster just answered my question. Yes, that is basically how they are playing it. Carpenter, Garcia and Wainwright are not on the roster, replaced by extra relievers and bench bats, including a third catcher (Bryan Anderson).

EDIT: The Cardinals' Friday roster just answered my question. Yes, that is basically how they are playing it. Carpenter, Garcia and Wainwright are not on the roster, replaced by extra relievers and bench bats, including a third catcher (Bryan Anderson).

I bet Larussa wishes he was still on the bench for this one. He could go 12 or 13 relievers deep in the pen. You'd probably see intra-batter pitching changes - one guy who's good at getting ahead in the count but can't finish batters off, then one guy with a control problem but a wicked strikeout pitch.

Carpenter, Garcia and Wainwright are not on the roster, replaced by extra relievers and bench bats, including a third catcher (Bryan Anderson).

Huh, that's great. I wasn't sure anyone would have the sense to do that.