Liriano gets his ring, but wearing orange rather than blue
Former Jays pitcher says he’s happy to be part of ‘a real team,’ writes Rob Longley.
LOS A N G E L ES When he began his season in Dunedin as what was intended to be a key left-handed arm in the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation, the goal — lofty as it might have been — was to end it with a World Series ring.
There were bumps on the road and a significant itinerary change along the way, but Francisco Liriano got his ring.
The 34-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, who will soon be without a contract, was there amid the Champagne and beer spray in the visitor’s clubhouse at Dodger Stadium late Wednesday night.
Acquired from the Blue Jays by the Astros at the first MLB trade deadline on July 31, Liriano wasn’t a major player in Houston’s drive to capture the 2017 Fall Classic, but he was there nonetheless.
“It’s such a great feeling, such an unbelievable thing to experience,” said Liriano, a 12-year major league veteran. “I’m just so happy I was a part of this team and a part of this city and what has been happening.
“I wanted to be in Toronto still. I wanted to do this in Toronto. But everything happens for a reason and I just had to move on. It’s a business and I’m just happy I got this chance.”
Though a bit player in A.J. Hinch’s bullpen thanks to some struggles in August and September, Liriano faced one batter in both Game 6 and 7, in each case retiring Dodgers rookie Cody Bellinger. With the arms on both teams essentially worn down, Hinch was using every available means to close out the series.
“It was good to be able to participate in the last two games and to go out and do my job, be a part of this team,” Liriano said. “That’s just a great feeling for me.”
Liriano didn’t have the significant role the Astros hoped he would when they dealt outfield prospect Teoscar Hernandez to the Jays. And that move was certainly overshadowed when Houston acquired standout starting pitcher Justin Verlander.
But the Astros wanted a lefthanded reliever and, based on what Liriano did out of the pen for the Jays last post-season, general manager Jeff Luhnow felt it was worth a shot.
Liriano was embraced by his new team and was quickly struck by how they did so many of the little things right.
“We have a team, a real team,” Liriano said. “It’s not everybody trying to play individually. Everyone is playing for each other and has each other’s back.
“We’ve got a lot of young kids and guys like (Carlos) Beltran and (Brian) McCann help them a lot to keep it together and do the little things you need to win ball games.”
MVP, MVP, MVP
Astros centre-fielder George Springer was a unanimous choice for the Willie Mays World Series MVP Award and for good reason.
Springer was nothing short of sensational all series and made key contributions in Game 7 — a leadoff double to start the game on the right note and a two-run home run in the second inning to add to the lead.
Springer hit .379 in the sevengame series (11-for-29) with three doubles, five homers, seven RBI and eight runs scored.
The eight extra-base hits by Springer set a World Series record, topping the seven hall of famer Willie Stargell had in 1979. And on it went.
Homering in four consecutive games and five overall against the Dodgers allowed Springer to join another pair of hall of famers, Lou Gehrig and Reggie Jackson, as the only players to hit one out of the park in four consecutive World Series games.
TO THE PEN
Over-managing or using all your resources? The 2017 World Series will go down as the year of the bullpen, especially in the case of the Dodgers.
Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts made a record 32 pitching changes, breaking the mark held by Tony La Russa (30) when he was managing the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2011 World Series.
The biggest workhorse among those relievers was former Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow, who appeared in all seven World Series games and 14 of the 15 Dodgers playoff games this fall.
QUICK HITS
The Astros were the eighth team to win at least seven games at home in a post-season (they were 8-1) and all eight teams went on to capture the World Series … When the dust finally settled, the Dodgers and Astros combined for 27 homers in the series, blowing by the old mark of 21 set in 2002 when San Francisco had 14 and Anaheim had seven … When Astros starting pitcher Lance McCullers extended Houston’s lead to 3-0 with an RBI groundout, he became the first pitcher to collect an RBI in Game 7 of the World Series since Jesse Orosco of the Mets in 1986 … Thanks in part to the sprawling Dodger Stadium and its capacity of 54,000 plus, the total attendance of 346,702 over seven games was a World Series record.