The Baseball Buffet for 10/2/2025

Issue #414

The goal with The Baseball Buffet series is to provide the best daily dose of relevant baseball info in a smart-brevity format (mostly short bullets, getting to the point, with quick analysis/insights.) Think of it like what baseball fans of a certain age would look forward to in their morning newspaper’s sports section each day!

⚾ Welcome! ⚾

The 189th day of the season featured Game 2 for each of the four Wild Card Series:

• DET 1, CLE 6 (series 1-1) - The Tigers outhit the Guardians 7-6, but they had an struggled to score as they were 1-15 with runners in scoring position and stranded 15 guys on base overall. Both starters did well, but also came out relatively early: Casey Mize (3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K) and Tanner Bibee (4.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K). The game was tied 1-1 through seven, when in the bottom of the eighth Cleveland got to rookie Troy Melton (0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K), including a HR by Brayan Rocchio. Bo Naylor then hit a 3-run HR off Brant Hurter as the Guardians padded their lead. Cade Smith kept the Tigers from scoring in the ninth for the win.

• SDP 3, CHC 0 (series 1-1) - The Padres scored a run in the top of the first off Cubs’ opener Andrew Kittredge, and then Manny Machado hit a 2-run HR off Shota Imanaga in the fifth inning. That is all it would take as Dylan Cease did well in a short start (3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K), and three San Diego relievers combined for a four-hit shutout. Mason Miller was dominant in striking out five with some 104.5 mph heat, and Robert Suarez secured a four-out save.

• BOS 3, NYY 4 (series 1-1) - Ben Rice hit a 2-run HR to gave the Yankees an early lead in the bottom of the first. Carlos Rodón pitched pretty well (6 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K), giving up two runs in the third and a solo HR to Trevor Story in the sixth which tied the game 3-3. Fairing better than in game one, New York’s bullpen came through with Fernando Cruz, Devin Williams, and David Bednar throwing scoreless innings. The decisive run came in the bottom of the eighth when with two outs and speedy Jazz Chisholm Jr. on first, Austin Wells hit a line drive single to right that drove him in.

• CIN 4, LAD 8 (LAD won series 2-0) - The Reds scored two runs in the top of the first, though due to an error by Teoscar Hernández they were unearned by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who went on to pitch well with 9 K in 6.2 innings (6.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K). The Dodgers tallied 13 hits, and built up an 8-2 lead, with Mookie Betts going 4-5 with 3 doubles and 3 RBI, and seven through nine hitters Kiké Hernández, Miguel Rojas, and Ben Rortvedt collecting two hits apiece. Emmet Sheehan allowed two runs in relief in the eighth inning, but then Alex Vesia struck out two, and Roki Sasaki struck out two in the ninth to close it out.

Today’s Trivia Question

Of the twelve franchises in this year’s postseason, which two have the highest World Series winning percentage? That is, regardless of how many times they’ve made it to the World Series, which two teams have won the championship the highest percentage of the chances they’ve had?

League Leaders

I didn’t cover strikeouts by hitters much during the season, but here is the leaderboard for the year. It is worth reflecting on the fact that the record was only 189 (Bobby Bonds) from 1970-2003, and no one had 200+ until Mark Reynolds with 204 in 2008. The single-season record remains 223 by Reynolds in 2009, but James Wood came very close this year.

• 221 - WAS James Wood

• 201 - DET Riley Greene

• 197 - PHI Kyle Schwarber

• 196 - SEA Eugenio Suárez

• 192 - SFG Rafael Devers

• 191 - SEA Randy Arozarena

• 189 - NYY Ryan McMahon

• 188 - SEA Cal Raleigh

• 187 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 181 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

On this day in baseball history…

Here is what stands out to me for this day in baseball history. Unless otherwise noted, the descriptions are from baseball-reference.com.

📅 On October 2…

• 1908: Addie Joss throws a perfect game. “Addie Joss of the Cleveland Naps tosses a perfect game against the Chicago White Sox. The future Hall of Famer wins a 1-0 decision over Ed Walsh in one of the greatest pitching duels in major league history. Joss strikes out only three batters, while Walsh fans 15.”

• 1920: The first and only triple-header. “With the last two games rained out, fans get their money's worth in Pittsburgh as the Pirates and Reds, battling to determine third place, play the century's only tripleheader. Starting at noon, the Reds win the first game, 13-4, to clinch third place. The Reds win the second game as well, 7-3, with a number of players at odd positions: the Reds put catcher Ivey Wingo at 2B, with pitchers Rube Bressler, Dutch Ruether, Fritz Coumbe, and Hod Eller at field positions. The Pirates take the finale, 6-0, called after six innings because of darkness. The only "tribill" played this century is played in five hours. Clyde Barnhart, who made his major league debut ten days earlier, doubles in the first two games, and singles in the third, the only player to record a hit in all three games.”

• 1938: Bob Feller strikes out 18. “Bob Feller strikes out 18 Detroit Tigers batters, setting a single-game record that will stand until Steve Carlton breaks it in 1969.”

• 1954: Giants sweep the Indians. “The Giants sweep the American League team with the best record in history, scoring four runs in the 5th for a 7-4 win over Cleveland as Don Liddle beats Bob Lemon. The Indians had won 111 games, a record that will stand until surpassed by the 1998 Yankees.”

• 1963: Sandy Koufax strikes out 15 in a World Series game. Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers sets a World Series record by striking out 15 batters in Game 1 against the New York Yankees, beating the record set by Carl Erskine ten years ago on this day. The Dodgers win the game, 5-2, behind Koufax' six-hit pitching.”

• 1968: Bob Gibson strikes out 17 in a World Series game. “In one of the most memorable World Series performances ever, Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals strikes out 17 Detroit Tigers in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. Gibson sets the World Series record for most strikeouts in a single game, set on this day in 1963 by Sandy Koufax, and leads the Cardinals to a 4-0 victory over Tigers ace and Cy Young Award winner Denny McLain.”

• 1972: Bill Stoneman throws his second no-hitter. “In the first game of a doubleheader, Montreal's Bill Stoneman no-hits the New York Mets for a 7-0 Expos win at Parc Jarry, the first major league no-hitter ever pitched in Canada and the second of Stoneman's career. The Mets win the second game, 2-1. The temperature is 53 degrees as 7,184 watch the doubleheader split.”

• 1977: Dusty Baker joins three teammates with 30 HR. “Dusty Baker homers in his final at-bat of the season during a 6-3 loss to the Astros. It is Baker's 30th home run of the year, enabling him to join teammates Steve Garvey (33), Reggie Smith (32) and Ron Cey (30) in making the Dodgers the first team ever to boast four 30-homer hitters in one season.”

• 1978: Bucky Dent hits a big HR in Boston. “Bucky Dent's unlikely home run helps the New York Yankees defeat the Boston Red Sox in a dramatic one-game playoff at Fenway Park. Trailing by two runs in the 7th inning, Dent smacks a three-run shot against pitcher Mike Torrez into the screen above the Green Monster. The Yankees hold on for a 5-4 victory en route to face the Royals in the ALCS and the Dodgers in the World Series. Following the 2010 season, a panel of experts at the MLB Network voted this game the 11th greatest game of the past fifty years.”

• 1983: Carl Yastrzemski plays his final game. “Carl Yastrzemski plays in his 3,308th and final game, hitting a single as the team's left fielder. After the Red Sox's 3-1 victory over Cleveland, "Yaz" takes one more "final lap" around Fenway Park and will stay to sign autographs on Yawkey Way for over an hour.”

• 1985: Darrell Evans hits 40 HR in both leagues. “Tigers first baseman Darrell Evans hits his major league-leading 40th home run of the season and becomes the first player to have a 40-homer season in each loop. Evans hit 41 homers for the Braves in 1973.”

• 1991: The Blue Jays become the first with four million. “The Toronto Blue Jays clinch the American League East title and become the first team in sports history to draw four million fans in one season.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Maury Wills (1932)

• 14-year major league career, spanning from 1959-1972, mostly as a SS for the Dodgers

• All-star in five seasons, and won two NL Gold Glove Awards

• Won NL MVP Award in 1962 after leading the NL with 104 SB and 10 triples, to go with 130 runs, 208 hits, and a .299 average

• That was one of six consecutive seasons in which he led the NL in SB, including an impressive 94 SB in 1965

• Overall had 586 SB, 1,067 runs, and a .281 average

Earl Wilson (1934)

• 11-year major league career, spanning from 1959-1970, mostly with the Red Sox and Tigers

• Was 18-11 with a 3.07 ERA and 200 K in 1966, and then led the AL in wins with a 22-11 record, along with a 3.27 ERA and 184 K

• Threw a no-hitter against the Angels on June 26, 1962, and helped his case by hitting a HR too

• Overall had a 121-109 (.526) record and a 3.69 ERA

Eddie Guardado (1970)

• 17-year major league pitching career, mostly as a reliever and spanning from 1993-2009

• Spent 12 years with the Twins, with the rest spread between the Mariners, Rangers, and Reds

• Had three seasons with 35+ saves, including 45 saves which led the AL in 2002, one of his two All-Star campaigns

• Overall had 187 saves, a 4.31 ERA, and a 109 ERA+

Currently active players who were born on October 2 include HOU Lance McCullers Jr. and DET Alex Lange.

Today’s Matchups

The Dodgers advanced, but we have three Wild Card Series game-three contests today:

• DET vs. CLE at 1:08pm ET - Game three will involve Jack Flaherty (4.64 ERA, 188 K in 161 IP) up against Slade Cecconi (4.30 ERA, 109 K in 132 IP)

• SDP vs. CHC at 3:08pm ET - Game three has two veterans, in 39-year old Yu Darvish (5.38 ERA, 68 K in 72 IP) versus 33-year old Jameson Taillon (3.68 ERA, 98 K In 129.2 IP)

• BOS vs. NYY at 6:08pm ET - Game three is a matchup of rookies, featuring 23-year old Connelly Early (2.33 ERA, 29 K in 19.1 IP in 4 starts) and 24-year old Cam Schlittler (2.96 ERA, 84 K in 73 IP in 14 starts).

HR Watch

Predicting who might hit a HR on any given day is a challenge. But here are a few to consider based on opposing SP past performance:

• CLE José Ramírez, 7-27 with 2 HR and a double vs. DET Jack Flaherty

• SDP Jose Iglesias, 6-13 with a HR and 2 doubles vs. CHC Jameson Taillon

Who might struggle today?

Betting against any given player to not get a hit is tough, as guys in the starting lineup get at least one hit in a game more often than not. That said, here are some guys who clearly have struggled against their opposing SP today:

• CLE Daniel Schneemann, 0-12 with 4 K vs. DET Jack Flaherty

• CLE Kyle Manzardo, 1-9 with 6 K vs. DET Jack Flaherty

• CHC Ian Happ, 2-13 with 6 K vs. SDP Yu Darvish

• CHC Dansby Swanson, 3-19 with 6 K vs. SDP Yu Darvish

⚾ Enjoy the games today!⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

Amongst the twelve franchises in this year’s postseason, the the Blue Jays and Red Sox have the highest percentage when it comes to World Series championships (though Toronto has only been in it twice of course).

• 1.000 - Toronto Blue Jays (2-0)

• .692 - Boston Red Sox (9-4)

• .659 - New York Yankees (27-14)

• .556 - Cincinnati Reds (5-4)

• .364 - Brooklyn/LA Dodgers (8-14)

• .364 - Detroit Tigers (4-7)

• .333 - Cleveland Guardians/Indians (2-4)

• .273 - Chicago Cubs (3-8)

• .250 - Philadelphia Phillies (2-6)

• .000 - San Diego Padres (0-2)

• .000 - Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers (0-1)

• NA - Seattle Mariners (0-0)

Good Reads

Here I am providing one or more links to baseball articles I’ve enjoyed recently, whether by writers at MLB.com or elsewhere.

• Top storylines for a huge day of decisive Wild Card action, by Will Leitch at MLB, 10/2/2025

• 50 Home run seasons are still special, by Mark Kolier at Almost Cooperstown, 10/1/2025

See recent issues of The Baseball Buffet for more recent good reads!

Did you know? I wrote a 600+ page book with the same title as this newsletter/blog? Now Taking the Field: Baseball’s All-Time Dream Teams for All 30 Franchises was published in early 2019, by ACTA Sports. It is available at Amazon and most other major booksellers.

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