The Baseball Buffet for 10/6/2025

Issue #417

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 193rd day of the season featured game two for each of the ALDS match-ups:

• NYY 7, TOR 13 - This one got out of hand early, with the Blue Jays scoring 11 in the first 4 innings, including seven off Max Fried (3 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). Ernie Clement had a HR off Fried, but then the Jays hit four more homers off Will Warren with Daulton Varsho hitting two, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (grand slam) and George Springer connecting for one apiece. Meanwhile, 22-year old rookie Trey Yesavage, in only his third major league start, pitched no-hit ball with 11 K in 5.1 innings (5.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K). The Yankees finally did some damage against Toronto’s bullpen, with Cody Bellinger hitting a 2-run HR, and Aaron Judge, Ben Rice, and Giancarlo Stanton collecting two hits each on the day. But after they scored seven runs in the sixth and seventh innings, Louis Varland and Seranthony Domínguez shut things down again to close it out. The Blue Jays are now up 2-0 with game three of this five-game series in NY on Tuesday.

• DET 2, SEA 3 - Seattle’s hitters had a tough assignment up against Tarik Skubal, but Jorge Polanco didn’t seem to mind as he hit two solo HR against the likely AL Cy Young Award winner. Skubal did well otherwise (7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K), while Luis Castillo also did well in a shorter outing (4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K). The Mariners had that 2-0 lead until the Tigers scored two in the top of the eighth when Spencer Torkelson drove in two with a double. But then in the bottom of the frame Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez hit consecutive doubles to put the Mariners back up by a run. Seattle’s closer Andrés Muñoz then came in for the ninth and locked down the save, knotting the series at one game each.

Today’s Trivia Question

For the first time ever (not counting 2020 or strike-shortened seasons), there were only three pitchers with 200+ innings pitched during the regular season this year. Can you name those three with 200+ IP in 2025?

League Leaders

I covered doubles yesterday, so here is the final 2025 triples leaderboard:

• 17 - AZ Corbin Carroll

• 13 - BOS Jarren Duran

• 12 - SFG Jung Hoo Lee

• 11 - WAS Daylen Lile… note he only played in 91 games!

• 11 - DET Zach McKinstry

• 9 - LAD Shohei Ohtani

• 8 - COL Mickey Moniak

• 7 - MIN Byron Buxton

• 7 - CIN Elly De La Cruz

• 7 - PHI Trea Turner

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 6…

• 1926: Babe Ruth hits 3 HR in game 4 of the World Series. “Babe Ruth hits three home runs to lead the Yankees to a 10-5 victory over St. Louis in Game 4 of the World Series. His 1st-inning curtain-raiser is a majestic 395-footer, exiting Sportsman's Park over its right field bleacher roof. Home run number two clears the roof in right center, carrying 515 feet, breaking a window on the other side of Grand Avenue. Ruth's final foray, however, is the main attraction, carrying deep into the never-before reached centerfield bleachers, far beyond the 430-foot mark. Estimated at 530 feet, it is deemed the longest home run in World Series history. Ruth, however, not content to dominate offensively, also delivers a crucial outfield assist, cutting down a runner at the plate, ending the Cardinals' 3rd-inning rally. In the words of broadcaster Graham McNamee, "Babe Ruth nor no other man ever made a better throw. Babe shot it like an arrow and Hank Severeid did not have to move for it." If all this weren't enough, this also is the game during which the Babe makes good on his alleged pre-game promise to hit a home run for the bedridden young Johnny Sylvester.”

• 1945: The curse of the goat begins. “A goat and its owner make an appearance at Wrigley Field for Game 4 of the World Series. The pair is told to leave before the game ends, as other patrons complain about the animal's smell, angering the owner. The Chicago Cubs lose to the Detroit Tigers, 4-1. Detroit will go on to win the Series in seven games and the Cubs won't win another National League championship for the rest of the 20th century. A belief that the Cubs were cursed by the goat will eventually develop.” (Read more on this at Wikipedia.)

• 1966: Jim Palmer throws a World Series shutout at age 20. “Jim Palmer, at age 20, becomes the youngest pitcher with a World Series shutout as the Baltimore Orioles beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-0. Sandy Koufax is the loser in his last appearance in the major leagues. Dodgers outfielder Willie Davis commits three errors on successive plays in the 5th inning.”

• 1985: Phil Niekro wins his 300th by throwing a shutout at age 46. “New York Yankees pitcher Phil Niekro becomes the 18th 300-game winner as he blanks the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-0, on the last day of the season. At age 46, Niekro also becomes the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout in major league history; he will eventually be passed by Jamie Moyer on May 7, 2010.”

• 2010: Roy Halladay throws a no-hitter in Game 1 of the NLDS. “Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay throws a no-hitter in Game 1 of the National League Division Series against the Cincinnati Reds. It is the second post-season no-hitter in baseball history, after Don Larsen's perfect game in the 1956 World Series. The Phillies win, 4-0.”

🎂 Today’s Birthday Boys 🎉

Ruben Sierra (1965)

• 20-year major league career, spanning from 1986-2006, with about half spent with the Rangers and the other half spread across eight other clubs

• Four-time All-Star

• Had 20+ HR seven times, and 100+ RBI four times

• Had 15+ SB four times, including a high of 25 SB in 1993

• Overall had 306 HR, 1,322 RBI, 142 SB, a .268/.315/.450 slash line, and a 105 OPS+

Freddy García (1976)

• 15-year major league pitching career, spanning from 1999-2013, mostly with the Mariners and White Sox, with some time spent with five other clubs

• Two-time All-Star, including in 2001 when he had an 18-6 record and an AL-leading 3.05 ERA

• Overall had a 156-108 (.591) record, 4.15 ERA, and 107 ERA+

Jerry Grote (1942)

• 16-year major league career as a catcher, spanning from 1963-1981, and mostly with the New York Mets

• Two-time All-Star

• Not a major contributor on offense, with a .252 average and only 39 HR in 4,844 plate appearances

• But was a good defensive catcher, frequently amongst the league leaders in various defensive statistics

• Was the primary catcher for the 1969 World Series champion "Miracle Mets"

Alfredo Griffin (1957)

• 18-year major league career as a SS, spanning from 1976-1993, with eight seasons for the Blue Jays, and the rest spread across the Indians, A's, and Dodgers

• Was AL Rookie of the Year in 1979 after hitting .287 with 10 triples, 81 runs and 21 SB

• Led the AL with 15 triples in 1980, was an All-Star in 1984, and won a Gold Glove Award in 1985

• Had 20+ SB four times, with a high of 33 in 1986

Currently active players who were born on October 6 include PHI Bryson Stott, MIL Jake Bauers, and ATL Joey Wentz.

Today’s Matchups

Today we have just two games, the second games of each of the NLDS matchups (pitching stats shown below are regular season totals):

• LAD vs. PHI at 6:08pm ET - Two high-strikeout starters in this one, with the Dodgers going with Blake Snell (2.35 ERA, 72 K in 61.1 IP) and the Phillies countering with Jesús Luzardo (3.92 ERA, 216 K in 183.2 IP).

• CHC vs. MIL at 9:08pm ET - The Cubs will deploy Shota Imanaga (3.73 ERA, 117 K in 144.2 IP), while the Brewers appear to be going with a bullpen day with opener Aaron Ashby (2.16 ERA, 76 K in 66.2 IP, over 43 appearances this year). Ashby was primarily a starter in 2022, but became more effective once he switched to a relief role.

⚾ Enjoy the games today! ⚾
 

Today’s Trivia Answer

The only three pitchers with 200+ innings pitched during the regular season in 2025 were:

• 207 - SFG Logan Webb

• 205.1 - BOS Garrett Crochet

• 202 - PHI Cristopher Sánchez

Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, and Tarik Skubal were tied for fourth place with 195.1 IP each.

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.

• Each team's top storyline for today's NLDS matchups, by Will Leitch at MLB, 10/6/2025

• 5 Baseball Cards with Crime on the Mind (or Name, at least), at Wax Pack Gods Newsletter, 10/5/2025

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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