1. CF Willie Mays (3-9)
2. 1B Honus Wagner (3-10)
3. 2B Rogers Hornsby (2-9)
4. LF Hank Aaron (2-4)
5. 3B Mike Schmidt (2-6)
6. SS Arky Vaughan (2-2)
7. RF Roberto Clemente (0-4)
8. C Gabby Hartnett (0-3)
9. SP Three Finger Brown (0-0)
The National League will stack its lineup with righties against Lefty Grove, as only Vaughan will bat from the left side. With both Musial and Pujols struggling, Honus Wagner moves over to first base to accommodate Vaughan, who has come through in the clutch as a pinch hitter in each of the first two games. Both brilliant defensive shortstops, Wagner makes the move to save his legs. The transition will be a familiar one; Wagner played 248 games at first base during his career, and handled the position well. As teammate Tommy Leach said of him: "...while Honus was the best third baseman in the league, he was also the best first baseman, the best second baseman, the best shortstop, and the best outfielder." Hartnett, a longtime Cub and a better blocker than Bench, gets another start behind the plate with Brown pitching.
And the starting lineup for the American League:
1. 2B Eddie Collins (1-4)
2. CF Tris Speaker (0-0)
3. RF Babe Ruth (3-10)
4. 1B Lou Gehrig (3-8)
5. LF Ted Williams (2-6)
6. 3B George Brett (2-6)
7. C Yogi Berra (2-5)
8. SS Cal Ripken Jr. (5-9)
9. SP Lefty Grove (0-0)
The American League is also going heavy on the platoon advantage, starting eight lefties against righthander Brown. Speaker earns his first start of the Series over Trout, a righty, and Cobb, a lesser defensive centerfielder who hasn't been hitting. Despite his relative lack of playing time thus far, Speaker fits quite well in the #2 spot in the batting order, sporting a career batting average of .345 and 792 doubles, the most in MLB history.
The game commences with Grove pitching to Mays, the hero of Game 2 with his walk-off triple in the 10th inning. Grove retires Mays, as he does the next two batters, finishing the first inning with only five pitches. Brown counters with a 1-2-3 inning of his own, fanning Speaker and Ruth to retire the side.
In the top of the second inning, the NL sends three men up against Grove, who promptly sets three men down. The silence is broken by a Ted Williams double in the bottom of the second, but Brown quickly gets out of it by retiring Brett. The NL finally gets a piece of Grove in the third with a single by Hartnett, but Grove finishes another shutout frame by fanning Mays. Brown fires back with another 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the third. It seems as though we have a pitchers' duel on our hands.
In the top of the fourth, Grove tosses another perfect inning. In the bottom of the inning, Speaker drills Brown's first pitch for a home run, giving the AL a 1-0 lead. Brown gets Ruth and Gehrig but surrenders a single to Williams; he quickly gets out of it by retiring Brett. But the way Grove's pitching, that one run could be the difference.
In the fifth inning, Grove and Brown trade zeros without allowing a baserunner. In the top of the sixth, Grove retires Hartnett to lead off the inning but allows a single to Brown and a double to Mays, pulling the infield in. With the pressure on, Grove retires Wagner and works Hornsby to a 2-1 count before Brown surprises everyone by trying to steal home. The daring move is all for naught, as Berra tags him out at the plate, getting Grove out of trouble and keeping the score at 1-0.
Despite the frustration of killing the rally, Brown keeps rolling on the mound, tossing another scoreless inning in the bottom of the sixth. In the top of the seventh, Grove surrenders a leadoff triple to Hornsby. His first pitch to the next batter, Aaron, is wild, allowing Hornsby to jog home and tie the game at 1-1. Grove eventually retires Aaron but allows a single to Schmidt, bringing the NL manager (me) to a decision. The due batter, Vaughan, is 0-for-2 against Grove, and is the only lefty in the lineup. On the bench are two righthanded batters, Bench and Pujols. I knew I wasn't going to use Bench in this situation (saving him in case I needed to remove Hartnett), and although Pujols has been struggling, he did come through in the clutch with a homer in Game 1. With that big fly in mind with a runner on base, I decide to let Pujols hit for Vaughan. Pujols hits the ball hard off Grove, but to no avail. The next batter, Clemente, is also retired, limiting the damage for the AL. But the score is tied, 1-1, and the NL is finally starting to hit Grove.
In the bottom of the seventh, Pujols takes over at first base and Wagner moves to shortstop. The slightly reconfigured defense doesn't seem to bother Brown, who retires the side in order. In the top of the eighth, Grove starts by retiring Hartnett but walks Brown on four pitches, prompting a mound visit. Grove then allows a single to Mays but wiggles out of trouble again, setting down Wagner and Hornsby.
In the bottom of the eighth, Brown retires Berra but walks Cal Ripken Jr. on five pitches, bringing up the pitcher spot. The AL manager (me) has a tough choice to make. Grove has been pitching a great game, allowing only one run in eight innings, and is sitting at only 78 pitches. However, he's been a bit shaky for the last couple innings, and with the game tied at 1, a small mistake could cost him the game. Noticing the NL's righty-heavy lineup (and Grove's .148 career batting average), I decide to let Shohei Ohtani bat for him. Ohtani is the best player in baseball today. A two way sensation (and Game 4's probable starter), he can hit it out any time he comes up to the plate, and a two run homer would certainly help in this situation. Unfortunately, the AL will have to settle for a single from Ohtani, bringing up the top of the lineup. Brown works his way out of a jam, getting both Collins and Speaker, sending the game to the ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth inning, the AL replaces Grove with righthander Satchel Paige. So dominant was Paige during his career that he'd often call his infield to sit down behind the mound and watch him strike out the side. Paige worked 1/3 of an inning in Game 2, retiring the only batter he faced. He starts this outing by allowing a leadoff single to Hank Aaron, bringing up Schmidt. I let switch hitter Chipper Jones hit for him, and Paige promptly strikes him out. Paige uncorks a wild pitch, advancing Aaron to second, but quickly retires Stan Musial (hitting for Pujols) and Clemente to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth, Babe Ruth leads off against Brown with a stand up triple, drawing the infield in. The next batter, Gehrig, is 0-for-3 against Brown with two strikeouts, so I leave Brown in to face him, and he gets Gehrig for the first out. However, this is the final batter for Brown, as I summon lefty Clayton Kershaw from the bullpen. After taking his warmups, Kershaw quickly retires Williams and Brett, ending the inning. For the second consecutive game, we head to extra innings.
In the top of the tenth inning, Paige allows a leadoff single to Hartnett. Lefty-swinging Mel Ott, the owner of 511 Big League home runs, pinch hits for Kershaw. True to form, Master Melvin crushes a two run homer, giving the NL a 3-1 lead. This is all for Paige, and the AL gambles by bringing in Nolan Ryan. Ryan is the ultimate hot or cold pitcher; the all-time leader in both strikeouts and walks, the Ryan Express fired seven no-hitters among his 324 wins, but also lost 292 games. The game could well depend on which Ryan we see today. The first batter he faces is Willie Mays, who went 0-for-3 against Ryan in his MLB career. Ryan retires Mays to start his outing but allows a first pitch triple to Wagner. This proves to be the end of the line for Ryan, as the AL can't afford another mistake. If Ryan's not on, then he could let this game get out of hand. His replacement is Bob Feller, the game's best pitcher during the 1940's. A seven time strikeout champion, Rapid Robert was estimated to have thrown as hard as 107.6 miles per hour in 1940. However, like Ryan, Feller did have an issue with walks, leading the AL in four separate seasons. The first batter to face Feller is Rogers Hornsby, who promptly smacks an RBI single, extending the lead to 4-1. Feller quickly retires the next two batters, but walks off the mound an unhappy man. Heading into the bottom of the tenth, the AL has dug itself into a three run hole.
In the bottom of the tenth inning, the NL brings in their closer, John Smoltz. Smoltz briefly appeared in Game 1 of the Series, striking out the only batter he faced. The NL also replaces Aaron in left with Tim Raines in order to tighten up the defense. After taking his warmups, Smoltz gets set to face Yogi Berra, who hits a leadoff double. With Ripken, a righthanded batter, due up, the AL decides to let Mickey Mantle bat for him with instructions to pull. At best, the Commerce Comet will hit a home run; at worst, a ground ball to the right side would advance Berra to third. Instead, Mantle reaches base on an error, and Berra, expecting the play to be made, stays at second base. At this point Smoltz is in a little bit of trouble, and the NL calls a mound visit. With the pitcher spot due up, the AL sends up righthanded slugger Jimmie Foxx, who hit 534 homers from 1925 through 1945 and won the AL Triple Crown in 1933. Smoltz is able to get Foxx for the first out, but allows an RBI double by Collins. With runners on second and third, Smoltz retires Speaker, bringing up Babe Ruth. Aware of Ruth's prodigious power, Smoltz is careful not to leave one in his wheelhouse, eventually walking him on four pitches. The next batter is Lou Gehrig, who is 0-for-4 on the afternoon. Although Gehrig is having a tough game, he is still a dangerous hitter, and proves it by hitting an RBI single, scoring Mantle to make it a 4-3 game. This is the last batter for Smoltz, and the NL brings in Jacob deGrom to face Ted Williams. Inning for inning, deGrom has a case as the greatest pitcher of all time. When healthy, deGrom has posted a 2.53 ERA in 215 career starts, including a Major League best 1.70 in 2018. As of this writing, he holds the all-time record for strikeouts per walk with 5.38. Who better to face the Splendid Splinter, widely considered the greatest hitter in the history of the game? With the bases loaded and two outs, deGrom gets set to face Williams. deGrom quickly gets ahead 0-2, and Williams, protecting the plate, rolls over one to end the game.
CF Mays 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K
1B-SS Wagner 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
2B Hornsby 5 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K
LF Aaron 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
LF Raines 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
3B Schmidt 3 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH-3B Jones 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K
SS Vaughan 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH-1B Pujols 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH-1B Musial 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
RF Clemente 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
C Hartnett 4 AB, 1 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
SP Brown 2 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
RP Kershaw 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH Ott 1 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 2 RBI, 0 K
RP Smoltz 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
RP deGrom 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
Total NL 40 AB, 4 R, 11 H, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 2 K
Brown 8 1/3 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB, 83 Pit, 57 Str
Kershaw (W, 1-0) 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 7 Pit, 5 Str
Smoltz 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 1 BB, 12 Pit, 8 Str
deGrom (SV, 1) 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 3 Pit, 3 Str
Total NL 10 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 2 BB, 105 Pit, 73 Str
2B Collins 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 0 K
CF Speaker 5 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 1 K
RF Ruth 4 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K
1B Gehrig 5 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 RBI, 2 K
LF Williams 5 AB, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
3B Brett 4 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
C Berra 4 AB, 1 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 1 K
SS Ripken 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH Mantle 1 AB, 1 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
SP Grove 2 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH Ohtani 1 AB, 0 R, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
RP Paige 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
RP Ryan 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
RP Feller 0 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
PH Foxx 1 AB, 0 R, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 K
Total AL 39 AB, 3 R, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 5 K
Grove 8 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB, 78 Pit, 52 Str
Paige (L, 0-1) 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 K, 0 BB, 16 Pit, 11 Str
Ryan 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 2 Pit, 2 Str
Feller 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 7 Pit, 5 Pit
Feller 2/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 0 BB, 7 Pit, 5 Pit
Total AL 10 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 K, 1 BB, 103 Pit, 70 Str
With this thrilling victory, the NL takes a 2-1 lead in the Series. Here are the probable starters for Game 4:
American League: Shohei Ohtani
American League: Shohei Ohtani
National League: Max Scherzer
The American League will start two way star Shohei Ohtani. As a pitcher, Ohtani is 38-19 in his career with a 3.01 ERA and 608 strikeouts in 481 2/3 innings, finishing fourth in the Cy Young Award voting in 2022. His presence is just as big at the plate, as he led the league with 44 homers this year. The NL will also start an active pitcher, "Mad Max" Scherzer, perhaps the most intimidating pitcher in today's game. The winner of three Cy Youngs, Scherzer has 3,367 strikeouts to his credit (eleventh on the all-time list), including 300 in 2018.
What an exciting series so far! I can't wait to see what Game 4 has in store for us.
