Series not greatest, but maybe the oddest
Bob Nightengale: World Series full of home runs and controversy
HOUSTON – It won’t be remembered as the greatest World Series, and no one has emerged as a Wheaties Box hero, but this Los Angeles DodgersHouston Astros series might be the oddest in a long, long time.
Where else can you find baseballs flying out at a record pace, with more home runs already hit after the first four games than any World Series in history, and pitchers essentially accusing Commissioner Rob Manfred of lying?
“I know Mr. Manfred said the balls haven’t changed,” Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander said, “but I think there’s enough information out there to say that’s not true.”
Where else can a manager, Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, be secondguessed for not taking out his pitcher while throwing a no-hitter, three days after yanking his starter after just 60 pitches?
We had a drunken fan jump into the Astros bullpen at Dodger Stadium, and considering closer Ken Giles’ 27.00 ERA, Houston manager A.J. Hinch nearly signaled for the fan to enter the game before he was led away in handcuffs.
We’ve seen the Dodgers actually use 17 pitchers in a 20-inning span, and three within six pitches, despite three of their first four starters yielding just seven hits and a 1.62 ERA over 162⁄ 3 innings.
We have had hitters flipping their bats on mere walks, let alone home runs, acting as if they were Bill Maze-
roski in the 1960 World Series, while Los Angeles outfielder Yasiel Puig, of all people, showing the least emotion by gently placing his bat on the ground.
We’ve had baseballs caroming off the bill of center fielder Chris Taylor’s cap to save the Dodgers a run, and a pickoff attempt that hit off secondbase umpire Laz Diaz’s leg that saved the Astros a run.
We’ve seen Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson, left off their first-round roster, hit two World Series homers in eight-bats after failing to hit a homer since July 28.
We had record 103-degree temperatures at one site, and a controlled climate under a roof the next, with the game-temperature forecast of just 68 scheduled in Los Angeles for Game 6 — a 35-degree drop-off from the first pitch of Game 1.
And we’ve had ugliness, ranging from Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel’s racist gesture toward Dodgers starter Yu Darvish, to Darvish’s hideous performance, to an alleged hotel bar altercation involving Hinch that he denied.
Why, outside of Gurriel’s act, this World Series has been bizarre, ridiculous, compelling, ugly and, oh, so entertaining.
“We’re having a blast,” Hinch says. “This has been awesome.”
Certainly, it has kept the commissioner busy.
One day, Manfred is determining whether Gurriel should be immediately suspended for a World Series game — deciding instead to make it a fivegame suspension without pay at the start of next season rather than battle the players union — and the next day trying to convince everyone that the baseballs have not changed.
“I don’t think it’s the case of one pitcher saying, hey, something is different here,” Verlander said. “I think as a whole everybody is saying, ‘Whoa! Something is a little off here.’ ”
There had been 15 home runs hit entering Sunday’s Game 5, more than all but eight of the previous World Series, including a Game 2 that had five homers hit in extra innings.
“Obviously, the ball is juiced,” Astros lefty Dallas Keuchel said. “I think they’re juiced 100%.”
And if you wonder who’s telling the truth, Verlander encourages the court of public opinion to choose sides.
“On one hand you can have somebody that manufactures the ball,” Verlander says, “(say) they’re not different. And on the other hand, the people that have held a ball in their hand their entire life saying it’s different.
“You take your pick.”
Oh, and just in case you need a conspiracy theory, Verlander provides that too.
“I think it’s pretty clear,” Verlander said. “I think our commissioner said publicly they wanted more offense in the game.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not fabricating a quote here when I say that.”
Certainly, the home run brigade was put on full display in Game 2 on Wednesday when there were a record eight home runs.
It’s so nutty that the Dodgers’ Kenley Jansen, the greatest closer in the game, has already given up two home runs in four innings, including a blown two-run lead, only his second in the last three years.
It was also the first time in his career, according to Jayson Stark’s research, that he coughed up a go-ahead homer on a 0-2 pitch.
So go ahead, try to figure out this World Series if you want, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor — sit back and enjoy the show.