With the Cardinals hosting the Rangers to start the 2011 World Series, here are some numbers from the play-by-play data provided by Retrosheet. This consists of 617 games and 47,586 events. First a look at the type of events* in the play-by-play data and the breakdown of events by baserunners on base. * Remember that […]

Eighty years ago today, one of the most famous baseball players of all-time was born, Mickey Mantle. He’s a Hall of Fame batter named after a Hall of Fame batter. His dad was a big fan of A’s catcher Mickey Cochrane. I have nothing particularly insightful to say about Mantle’s career, so I won’t even […]

Exactly 30 years ago today, Rick Monday helped deliver the pennant to the Los Angeles Dodgers, thanks to a ninth inning home run. Rather appropriately, Monday’s blast came on Monday Oct. 19, 1981 – “Blue Monday,” as it became known. It sure was a blue day for fans of the Expos, whose team lost due […]

With the World Series competitors set—and good luck to the Rangers and Cardinals—it’s time to review how the Hardball Times’ staff did in the League Championship Series and compare their picks to those of our readers’ contest entries. The champion picker among our readers—and the winner of a copy of The Hardball Times Baseball Annual […]

Forty years ago, Roberto Clemente took a stranglehold of the 1971 World Series and led his underdog Pirates to one of the most stunning upsets in October history. After trailing the Orioles, two games to none, the Pirates returned home to Pittsburgh to win Game Three, thanks in large part to some hustle by Clemente, […]

The St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series for the third time in eight years after an offensive explosion propelled the Redbirds to a six-game series win over heated rival Milwaukee. St. Louis scored 43 runs over the six games, including a dozen in a 12-6 win on Sunday night. The Cardinals offense improved […]

One hundred years ago today, baseball witnessed probably it’s first great postseason home run. On Oct. 17, 1911, the A’s and Giants squared off in Game Three of the World Series, tied at one game apiece. For most of the day, it looked like the Giants would win handily. They scored an early run for […]

Forty years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles faced off in an unprecedented World Series contest. No, it wasn’t the greatest or the longest or the high-scoring game of them all. In fact, what made this game so unprecedented had nothing to do with what happened on the field itself. It had everything to […]

25 years ago, one of the most famous (or infamous) games in baseball history occurred. On Oct. 12, 1986, the greatest pair of LCS of all-time were underway. In the ALCS, the Angels appeared to be on the verge of their first pennant in franchise history. They’d already won three of the first four contests […]

Bullpen battle taken by Texas After Texas starter Derek Holland was pulled with two outs in the third inning of Monday’s ALCS game two, Rangers manager Ron Washington had to put his bullpen into action way earlier than he ever would have anticipated. Then the game went into extra innings, and the Rangers relief corps […]