Projo Sox Blog

Courtesy Major League Baseball

SEVENTH HEAVEN
Since 1982, a Game 7 in the postseason has been played 21 times, with the home team winning 16 of those. The home club is 8-5 in Game 7 LCS history, but on just four occasions has the Game 6 loser won Game Seven.

TWO TRIFECTAS?
Only three times in postseason history have both teams won three straight games in a series. In the 2003 NLCS, Chicago won three straight after losing the opener to take a 3-1 lead, before Florida came storming back with three straight victories to win the pennant. In the 2004 ALCS, New York won three straight before Boston rallied to win four straight and the series. Last year, the Red Sox won the last three games of the 2007 ALCS after the Indians had won Games 2-4. After losing Game 1, the Rays won three straight games in this series to take a 3-1 edge.

YOUTH WILL BE SERVED IN GAME 7
The only pitchers younger than Jon Lester (born 1/7/84) and Matt Garza (11/11/83) to start a Game 7 of the LCS are John Smoltz (born 5/15/67 and started NLCS Game 7 on 10/17/91), Roger Clemens (born 8/4/62 and started ALCS Game 7 on 10/15/86) and Bret Saberhagen (born 4/11/64 and started ALCS Game 7 on 10/16/85).

COUSINS UPDATE
Veteran umpire DERRYL COUSINS, who had been working home plate during Saturday's Game 6, left the game after the third inning after sustaining a bruised clavicle. Crew chief TIM McCLELLAND shifted from first base to home plate as the crew went from six umpires to five and each umpire moved up one spot in the rotation except for right field umpire Alfonso Marquez. Left field was left vacant following the departure of Cousins. Cousins will be replaced in Game 7 by ANGEL HERNANDEZ, who will work right field. Sunday's Game 7 rotation will be: HP - Brian Gorman; 1B - Sam Holbrook; 2B - Brian O'Nora; 3B - Tim McClelland; LF - Alfonso Marquez; RF - Angel Hernandez. According to SABR's David Vincent, there are two other examples of an LCS crew being affected by an in-game departure of the home plate umpire: on 10/7/03, Jerry Crawford left after the top of the fourth with an unspecified illness, causing Mike Reilly to shift from right field to the plate; and on 10/14/92, John McSherry left with an illness, leading Randy Marsh to shift from first base to home plate and Ed Montague to shift from right field to first base.

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