This Day in World Series IV

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Billy Bucks' miss, two decades ago today.

Not much to say about this one, 20 years ago today.

If you're a Red Sox fan, it was another stab in the heart from fortune's sword. If you were a Mets fan, you'd already done a Hernandez and gone back to the clubhouse to plan the drive home.

This is all an excuse, of course, to point back to this ingenious web re-creation of earlier this year: The entire, gory 10th inning, re-enacted with the 1980s video game RBI Baseball, and Vin Scully's original call. It's a bit long, but well worth it. What the internet was invented for, this.

As for tonight - 'cause really, I wore the Frankie Says Relax T-shirt, I don't wanna go back there - it's Game 4. And yeah, it's that Neate Sager guy again, looking into a theory that had come to my overcooked mind as I watched last night: The Tigers are back to their free-swinging ways, and it's really hurting them:

It should have been apparent earlier. However, amid the media focus on Detroit's dominance of the league playoffs and the Cardinals' poor regular-season record, St. Louis' far superior plate discipline was downplayed.
Just how superior is it? Looking back at the previous six World Series, the difference in SO-to-BB ratio between the opposing teams ranged from .06 to .20 (that's without accounting for National League not using the DH).
The Cardinals' advantage over the Tigers is .89. That's practically off the charts by comparison, especially when you consider it's the Tigers who come from a league where pitchers don't bat regularly.
I can't believe I didn't realize this sooner. Honestly, I feel like a total schmuck. Now, a correlation between hitters' SO-to-BB ratio and World Series success doesn't appear clear based on just six seasons' worth of World Series matchups.
It can be argued, however, that the Cardinals have a huge, hidden advantage that has gone almost unnoticed among fans and media.

Meantime, Hardball Times now has the Cardinals with a 60 per cent probability of winning the Series.

Another one from the vault: USA Today on The only known copy of the broadcast of Don Larsen's perfect game.

And I quite like this: Stats on umpires.

Comments

[Carla]

'The entire, gory 10th inning, re-enacted with the 1980s video game RBI Baseball, and Vin Scully's original call. It's a bit long, but well worth it. What the internet was invented for, this.'

Really? Huh. I'd always assumed it had been invented for porn. Go figger.

[John Richardson]

All you have to say is Game Six and baseball fans know what you mean.

Taped this game at the time but unfortunately on Beta.

For those who saw the game, Bill Buckner is about third down the list of people to blame for that debacle.

You can start with Calvin Schiraldi, who couldn't get the third out and(and I rarely say this) had "choke" written all over his face.

Then you can blame Bob "Loping in from the Bullpen" Stanley who also couldn't get anyone out.

And then, you can throw some blame over at Rich Gedman--that was NOT a wild pitch, that was a passed ball.

When you watch the re-enactment, count the number of two out, two strike pitches.

And Vin Scully could recite the Customs Tariff and I'd listen for hours.

Thanks for the memories.

[Julian]

I think we know Bill Buckner's alias.

[Joe]

As John stated earlier in his comment "all you have to say is game 6". Kind of like the Seinfeld episode with Keith Hernandez. Seinfeld says "he's Keith Hernandez, Game 6"
I caught the game at the Hardrock cafe after a Bob Seger concert at the Garden.
I couldn't believe what was playing out on the tv screen. Kind of made me believe in "the curse of the Babe" at that point in time.