Stress test: Pitchers at mercy of schedule
MLB offers up tough task with no days off each of next 2 rounds
NEW YORK — Postseason games come at an unprecedented pace startingMonday in this year of the pandemic.
Teams could play the Division Series over five straight days, take a single day off and then contest the League Championship Series on seven consecutive days. That could could stress closers such as Aroldis Chapman, LiamHendriks and Kenley Jansen, and starters like Gerrit Cole and Walker Buehler.
“I’m old school, I guess, but it’s all about winning. And if they needed me, I wanted them to put me in there,” said Darold Knowles, who helped the A’s win the 1973 title by becoming the first to pitch in all sevenWorld Series games. “I think that’s the way everybody feels now, but they’re so afraid they’re going to hurt somebody. And I understand that. I think it’s a little bit overdone.”
No one has pitched in games for five straight days since Shawn Tolleson for the Rangers from Sept. 29 to Oct. 3, 2015, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last to pitch for seven straight days was the Giants’ Steve Kline fromJuly 31 to Aug. 6, 2007.
“The five days in a row would be interesting, right? You would have to be really efficient the first four days for that to happen,” Yankees reliever Zack Britton said. “But if it’s a winner-take-all game, you’re going do it because that’swhatyouneed todo to win.”
The Division Series has had a 2-2-1 format since 1998, with a day off scheduled between Games 2 and 3, then another between Games 4 and 5 as the teams shift to each other’s ballpark. The League Championship Series has had a 2-3-2 format since 1985, with days off between Games 2 and 3, then another between Games 5 and 6.
Travel days were eliminated as Major League Baseball switched to a bubble environment in an attempt to avoid October interruptions caused byCOVID-19.
ALDivision Series startMonday, when the Yankees and the Rays play atPetcoPark in SanDiego, and the A’s meet the Astros at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
NL Division Series open the Tuesday, with the Marlins facing the Braves at MinuteMaidPark in Houston and the Padres going against the Dodgers at new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
To start twice in the Division Series, Game1 pitcherswould have to come back on three days’ rest.
“The change was purely a product the timing we needed to institute the bubble and avoid extending the end date of the postseason,” MLB Commissioner RobManfred wrote in an email to TheAssociated Press. “We always are concerned about player health, but the number of days in a rowis not all that different from stretches in the regular season andwe have expanded rosters.”
UnionheadTony Clark said the schedulewas set at MLB’s discretion.
“The original draft of the postseason schedule we received on 7/31 had fewer off days but didn’t eliminate them,” he wrote in an email. “We didn’t see the revised schedule until right before itwent out publicly.”
Winners advance to the ALCS in Arlington starting Sunday and the NLCS in San Diego beginning Oct. 12. TheWorld Series opening Oct. 20 will keep the days off in the 2-3-2 format used since 1924, even though it will be played entirely in Arlington.
Reaching theWorld Series will test an entire pitching staff more than usual. The Nationals used five pitchers for 31 of 36 innings of their sweep of the Cardinals in last year’s NL Championship and three pitchers — Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin— for 892⁄ innings among
3
153 in the postseason, or 59%.
“You can’t just send your closer out there for two innings and think those guys are going to continue to to be able to do that. They’d probably be willing to do it, but it’s probably not going to be themost successfulway forward,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “I don’t mind it honestly, It tests your depth of a pitching staff and the way you do things You don’t need the off days. You’re not traveling.”
MikeMarshall pitched in relief on eight straight days for the Dodgers from May 17-24, 1974, during his Cy Young Awardwinning season, allowing one run and 13 hits in 14 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts and twowalks.
KentTekulve set a recordwhen he pitched on nine straight days for the Phillies from Aug. 5-13, 1987, giving up one run and seven hits in 10 innings with five walks and eight strikeouts.
“I’m willing to pitch every single game. I think everyone else is, too,” Marlins reliever Richard Bleier said. “I’ve worked my whole life to get to this situation and be able to contribute in a playoff team. This is why we all play. And I would love nothing more than to contribute to every game possible.”