We have some MLB-related press releases tonight. As I’m reinstalling software on a computer that got hit by a virus today, I’ll give you some press release action and yes, I’m at the home office while doing this.
Starting with MLB itself, the organization tells us that ratings for both LCS have been very good.
EXTRAORDINARY POSTSEASON DRAMA CONTRIBUTING TO HIGH TV RATINGSWith both of Monday’s LCS games ending with thrilling come-from-behind, walk-off wins for the Angels and the Phillies, the MLB Postseason is approaching historic levels of drama, and the television audience is clearly captivated.
Through last night, 11 of the 21 games played (including the Minnesota-Detroit AL Central tiebreaker) have been one-run games, the highest percentage (52.4) since the wild-card era began in 1995.
Television viewership has kept pace with the excitement on the field, with overall viewership for the postseason up +13% over last year (including the AL Central tiebreaker, the entire Division Series, and LCS through last night).
Only one more one-run game the rest of the way will tie the all-time record for a single postseason (12, set in 1995, 1997, and 2003). There were also 11 one-run games in the 1996 and 2002 postseasons.
Here’s quotage from TBS from Monday night’s NLCS Game 4.
Notes from the MLB Postseason on TBS – Monday, Oct. 19, 2009
TBS’ exclusive coverage of the 2009 NLCS continues on Wednesday, Oct. 21 with TBS MLB on Deck at 7:30 p.m. ET followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies (Game #5) at 8 p.m. ET
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“This is a 1970’s ACC basketball game. It’s almost like the Dodgers are playing a four-corners offense trying to let the clock run out at some point.”
— Ron Darling on the strategy of the Dodgers in the sixth inning
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TBS MLB on Deck
Ernie Johnson, Dennis Eckersley, Cal Ripken and David Wells
Ripken on the Phillies having a consistent line-up for every game: “It is a great value to have that sort of line-up to run out there each and every night. They know what to do and it’s an advantage to hit in the same spots all the time so they are comfortable when people steal bases and when they move people over.”
Eckersley on the Phillies’ blowout win over the Dodgers in Game #3 not deciding the series: “(The Phillies) went 11-0 last night, it seems like they won two games because they buried them. But meanwhile, it’s two games to one. If the Dodgers come back and win tonight they are in the driver’s seat.”
Eckersley on the poor hitting of Dodgers slugger Matt Kemp: “(Matt) Kemp has to get hot. Kemp has looked terrible at the plate, punched out many, many times…Kemp is one of the MVP’s on this team he’s got to get going.”
Eckersley on Game #3 of the ALCS being a must-win for the Angels: “It just doesn’t look good. When you have a 3-2 lead that you blow in Yankee Stadium, granted that was a horrible night, (Brian) Fuentes gave it up. But to have them tie that game up again, this is a backbreaker, this game. You cannot lose this game or it’s over.”
Ripken: “You talk about deflating. Losing those leads start to wear on you as a team.”
Wells on the Angels having a good game plan against Yankees starting pitcher Andy Pettitte in Game #3 of the ALCS: “I liked what they were doing at the plate. They were patient with Andy Pettitte, they were waiting him out and waiting for their pitch and they got it.”
TBS field reporter Craig Sager interviewed Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins prior to Game #4.
Rollins on teammate Ryan Howard hit
ting well at the plate: “It’s a lot of fun to watch. The one thing that has been missing is the power element, usually when (Ryan Howard) goes on streaks like this homeruns start coming in bunches, so we still have a lot more to look forward to.”
Rollins on the base running and sliding of teammate Ryan Howard: “Ryan (Howard) is a lot faster than I think people give him credit for, but when he hits the dirt he comes to an abrupt stop. I think he has to crawl a few extra inches to get his legs over the bag so he can look like me going into third. I’ve got a few tips for him that I’ll save for a little later in his career.”
Rollins on second baseman Chase Utley who has made a couple of errors in the Postseason that cost the Phillies: “(Chase Utley) hasn’t said anything if anything was bothering him, but of course that’s Chase, he’s going to play until it falls off. But I’ve been in situations where I’ve made two errors in one game. You go back and you try to go over what you did wrong and you can’t figure it out, it just happened. I think that was the case (with Utley) and I really hope that was the case, (that) he got to a place to where he was comfortable turning the play and he just had that moment of lapse where the concentration wasn’t totally there and the ball goes somewhere crazy.”
Rollins on the weather conditions improving for Game #4 of the NLCS: “This is much better, this is fall baseball, with the temperatures around the high 40’s, low 50’s and you can deal with it. The winds are down, you feel good out there. When you have to play big games like this the last thing you want is to be freezing cold. We had to go to Colorado and I think that helped us mentally so when it came to a situation like this it almost feels like summer again.”
Eckersley on what the Dodgers need to do to win: “The Dodgers have to hit or they don’t even deserve to be here. If they lose tonight they are in serious trouble. They better hit.”
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Los Angeles Dodgers (4) @ Philadelphia Phillies (5) – The Phillies lead the series 3-1.
Announcers: Chip Caray, Ron Darling and Buck Martinez with Craig Sager reporting
Darling on why Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp’s homerun in his first postseason at-bat was bad: “It might have been the worst thing that ever happened to (Matt Kemp). He hit a homerun in his first at-bat in the postseason and sometimes you pursue that the rest of the postseason.”
Martinez on the pitching of the Phillies: “I tell you what, these Phillies starters are in a rocking chair; they are rocking and firing, throwing strike after strike.”
TBS’ Chip Caray, Ron Darling and Buck Martinez interviewed Dodgers manager Joe Torre. during the game.
Torre on how the Dodgers can slow down the hitting of the Phillies, particularly Ryan Howard: “Get better counts, that’s for one. It looked like (Randy Wolf) Wolfy was pretty close with some pitches and Russell (Martin), as you catchers do every once in a while, you’ll hold the ball there and I’m not too sure they weren’t strikes, which makes a difference if you’re 3-1 or 2-2. (Ryan Howard) is tough, he’s in a situation where you pitch to him. He’s a changed hitter from where he was a year ago and even maybe earlier this year because he’s a lot more patient and he’s taking a lot of pitches he used to swing at.”
Torre on how the Dodgers hitters can slow down the fast pace of Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton: “Step out. We know the pace (Blanton) likes to pitch with and it’s up to us to set the rhythm rather than him. Right now it looks like we’re forcing a little bit.”
Darling on how the Phillies have been pitching to Dodgers hitter Manny Ramirez to help limit his offense: “They’ve been going inside and hard; the soft stuff away, inside for strikes with the fastball. Now that has been working for about 150 years. The difference is Ramirez is one of those hitters that in the past has been able to look in and even though you might make your pitch, he can handle that pitch. So far in this series he has not been able to.”
Martinez on Phillies second baseman Chase Utley hitting well against left-handed pitchers such as Dodgers starter Randy Wolf: “(Utley) handles (Wolf) so well because he doesn’t bail, he hangs in tough, he’s right on top of the plate and he’s not afraid of getting hit. So there’s no shoulder flying or bailing out and he will take that breaking ball the other way, right back up the middle, shoot it into the power alley in left center.”
Darling on the various things that can pull a good hitter, such as Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez, out of a slump: “The one thing about great hitters is when they are not at the top of their game, instantaneously they can have one swing and they’re back at it, as hot as ever. Usually people always think it’s a base hit that gets them out of a slump. Maybe a swing, it might be taking a walk on a 3-2 pitch that’s close, a line drive out here or there. There are certain things that can get a guy back to where he was. A base hit to right field for Manny (Ramirez) is always a sign.”
Darling on the strategy of the Dodgers in the sixth inning: “This is a 1970’s ACC basketball game. It’s almost like the Dodgers are playing a four-corners offense trying to let the clock run out at some point.”
Darling on Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton: “You can hear the grunt of determination of Broxton up here (in the broadcast booth).”
TBS field reporter Craig Sager interviewed Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins following the game.
Rollins on what he was looking for during his at-bat against Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton: “I was just looking for a ball. I’ve faced (Broxton) a number of times, I’ve always found a way to put the barrel on the ball, but it was usually a fly ball. I was just saying, I just need to catch the ball in the gap. I don’t need a homerun, but I’ll take a line drive and worst case scenario the game is tied.”
Rollins on being one more win away from advancing to the World Series: “The pressure is all on them. We just have to go out there, continue to execute and play our style of baseball and just find a way to win one game. We wanted this, we needed this, put the pressure on them at our place. We don’t want to go back to L.A. and give them back the home field advantage if we can avoid it. It’s just one win, we still have a job to do, we have to win one more so we’ll take tomorrow off happily and come back ready.”
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Inside MLB
Johnson, Ripken, Eckersley and Wells
Ripken on the final at-bats that led to the Phillies winning in the ninth inning: “I don’t think that (Jonathan) Broxton’s control was a problem to (Matt) Stairs. I think he pitched around him based on that big ball he hit last year. He didn’t want to give up a homerun, but then he hit (Carlos) Ruiz which then brought the top of the order up.”
Wells on the long wait for Dodgers closer Jonathan Broxton before pitching in the ninth inning after coming in in the eighth: “I think that 18-minute delay may have put a little damper on him. The weather is a little cold, you’ve got to try to stay warm in those situations, but I think that took a little bit out of him.”
Eckersley on a triple by Phillies hitter Shane Victorino that was fielded by Dodgers left fielder Manny Ramirez: “How you get a triple off a ground ball down the left field line is beyond me. I think it has something to do with Manny (Ramirez) out there.”
Wells: “I think I got the scouting report on my left fielder.”
Ripken: “Just go? Keep running.”
Wells: “Run, Forrest, run!”
Eckersley on Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins’ game-winning hit in the ninth inning: “(Rollins) didn’t have a very good first half of the season but a good strong second half. But here’s a guy you don’t really want to get to; he’s a death fastball hitter, he’s got that short, little swing and you can make up for a mediocre season this time of the year. You really can.”
Eckersley on Yankees closer Mariano Rivera getting out of a 10th inning bases loaded jam before the Angels won in the 11th inning: “What a big (10th) inning for (Mariano) Rivera to get out of. He’s like Houdini without the punch outs.”
Eckersley on four-out saves being more difficult for closers than one would think: “I tell you, there has got to be something to this four-out save stuff. You’ve seen it a lot in the postseason, you’ve seen a lot of blown saves, more than the average postseason I would say from a lot of closers. You wonder in this cold weather, a big guy like (Jonathan
Broxton), he couldn’t get loose, you never know. You’ve got to wonder, the way that he missed so badly. This looks like a slam dunk save for a guy like that and he has trouble and it’s hard to believe.”
Ripken on managers wanting to expand the closer’s role in the postseason: “I think the mangers want to expand the closer’s role in the postseason. ‘Normally I ask you for for three outs during the season but when we get here let’s expand it.’ You had Joe Torre in the dugout with Mariano Rivera all those years (on the Yankees) and he was able to expand it. Jonathan Papelbon was able to expand it, but not everybody can. I think it’s an adrenaline rush in the first one (inning) and then you’ve got to sit down and can you get the adrenaline when you go back?”
TBS gets ready for coverage of NLCS Game 5 tomorrow.
TBS’ Exclusive Coverage of the NLCS Continues with Game #5 of the Phillies vs. Dodgers on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. (ET)
TBS MLB on Deck Previews the Game at 7:30 p.m. (ET)
TBS’ exclusive coverage of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) coverage continues on Wednesday, Oct. 21 with the network’s pre-game show, TBS MLB On Deck at 7:30 p.m. (ET) featuring Ernie Johnson (host), Dennis Eckersley (analyst), Cal Ripken (analyst) and David Wells (analyst). The show will be followed by the Philadelphia Phillies hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers at 8 p.m. (ET) in Game #5 of the NLCS. The Phillies lead the best-of-seven series 3-1 and can advance to the World Series for the second consecutive season with a victory. Chip Caray (play-by-play), Ron Darling (analyst), Buck Martinez (analyst) and Craig Sager (reporter) will call the action throughout the NLCS. TBS will conclude the day’s action with the post-game show Inside MLB also featuring Johnson, Eckersley, Ripken and Wells.
Continuing throughout the network’s coverage of the MLB Postseason, TBS television announcers will use the Twitter to provide additional commentary and analysis of all the Postseason action. The tweets will be featured on the TBS Hot Corner Twitter feed at twitter.com/tbshotcorner. Also, log on to TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com (http://www.mlb.com/tbshotcorner) to access to video highlights and interviews from the NLCS, as well as exclusive behind the scenes footage from the TBS studio show, Inside MLB.
NLCS ON TBS SCHEDULE
Wed., October 21
7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck
Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and Wells (analyst)
8 p.m. Los Angeles Dodgers @ Philadelphia Phillies, Game #5
Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst)
and Sager (reporter)Post-game Inside MLB
Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and Wells (analyst)
Fri., October 23
7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck
Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and Wells (analyst)
8 p.m. Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers, Game #6*
Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)
Post-game Inside MLB
Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and Wells (analyst)
Sun., October 24
7:30 p.m. TBS MLB On Deck
Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and Wells (analyst)
8 p.m. Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers, Game #7*
Caray (play-by-play), Darling (analyst), Martinez (analyst) and Sager (reporter)
Post-game Inside MLB
Johnson (host), Eckersley (analyst), Ripken (analyst) and Wells (analyst)
* If Necessary
And MLB Network runs all six episodes of its reality series, “The Pen” leading up to its pregame coverage of NLCS Game 5 tomorrow.
MLB NETWORK TO RE-AIR ALL SIX EPISODES OF MLB PRODUCTIONS’ THE PEN ON WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21
Secaucus, N.J., October 20, 2009 – MLB Network will re-air all six episodes of MLB Productions’ The Pen on Wednesday, October 21, as the Philadelphia Phillies battle the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. The first episode will air at 1:30 p.m. ET followed by episodes two through six and lead into live coverage of batting practice at Citizens Bank Park at 5:00 p.m. ET, followed by MLB Tonight: Batting Practice live at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Narrated by former Phillies relief pitcher and MLB Network analyst Mitch Williams, The Pen follows members of the Phillies bullpen following the team’s 2008 World Series win and through the All-Star break of the 2009 season. The series features relief pitchers Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre, Chad Durbin, J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park and bullpen coach Mick Billmeyer, and chronicles the highs and lows of life as a reliever through on-the-field and off-the-field interviews. The Pen debuted on MLB Network in June 2009.
That’s it for now.
