Chuckwalla Series

We left Miami in a four game series in which we lost the first game 0-12, and won the next 3 — 8-4,9-1 and 9-3. snowshine has, for reasons that you have to read yesterday’s recap to understand, permanently caused a series in which you get overwhelmed in the first game and win the remainder by enough to cause a net increase in run differential as a Chuckwalla Series.

Using a 12 run differential in the first game as the minimum capitulation in game 1, here is every Chuckwalla Series, ordered by Game 1 differential and aggregate differential. (Every differential is expressed relative to the home team, so negative numbers are exactly as favorable to the road team as positive numbers are to the home team). Here they are:

First GameHomeVisitorSeasonGame 1 DiffSeries LengthCumulative Run DiffHome Wins
CLE193108121CLENYA1931-17473
NY1193605220NY1PHI1936-15433
HOU201909090HOUOAK2019154-21
CHA190707150CHANYA190715603
CHA195607060CHADET1956144-41
DET190209050DETBLA1902-14433
BAL198409200BALBOS198414401
BAL200604180BALCLE2006-14302
BSN189805090BSNBLN1898-13463
MIN200607310MINTEX2006133-41
BRO193707090BRONY11937134-11
TOR201407210TORBOS2014-13413
CLE193607240CLEPHA193613402
CLE192207291CLEWS11922-125204
SEA201904250SEATEX2019124-142
ATL198805300ATLPIT1988-123102
TEX200208010TEXBOS2002124-72
MIA202605180MIAATL2026124-61
PIT200005190PITSLN2000123-51
SLN189804240SLNPIT1898124-51
PHI193405200PHIPIT1934123-41
BOS199910160BOSNYA199912301
CLE199304160CLETOR199312402
SLA193508211SLANYA1935-12503

The first interesting thing is that Chuckwallas are strewn throughout baseball history, from 1898 to this week. There are a couple of series here whose Chuckwalla status is shaky, particularly the 6-game series between the White Sox and Yankees in 1907 that was actually split 3-3, with the Yankees scoring enough runs in the last 5 games to make up the 15 run deficit. Similarly, the 1936 series between Cleveland and the Philadelphia Athletics ended up split 2-2 and with an even split in runs. Same for the 1993 Cleveland-Toronto series. Without sweeping the remaining games, the run differential is small consolation. Call it a Baby Chuckwalla… or a Gecko Series.

There are 23 of these Series and Cleveland was in 5 of them. Even accounting for expansion, that’s pretty amazing.

As far as the Braves go, this was their third. The first was the 1898 series in which the NL Baltimore Orioles (unrelated to the current Orioles — this team came to the NL from the American Association in 1892 and went defunct in 1899) only to have Boston come back in the next 3, winning 10-4, 8-4 and 15-6. The Orioles had John McGraw and Wee Willie Keeler at 1-2 in the batting order, by the way.

The second Braves series came almost exactly 38 years ago. This was a very rare 3 game Chuckwalla, one of only 6. The Pirates came into Atlanta in first place facing a last place Braves team. In the first game, Pittsburgh got to Pete Smith in the sixth and then got to everyone else, winning 14-2. The next day, though, Tom Glavine pitched a gem, giving up only 4 hits and 1 run in 8 innings for an 11-1 win. (This lowered Glavine’s ERA to 6.18.) Rick Mahler pitched a complete game the next day in a 14-2 win. The bad news is that, having awakened, the Braves promptly went back to sleep, going 3-9 in their next 12 and finishing 54-106.

The All Time Chuckwalla, I think, is the 1922 series between Cleveland and the Nationals, as the Senators were called in 1922. It was a five game series which started with a doubleheader. Walter Johnson won an 18-6 game and Cleveland came back in the nightcap to win 8-7. The next three days saw Cleveland win 11-3, 14-5 and 17-3. That’s some chucking. Honorable mention, though, to the 1931 series between Cleveland and the Yankees, in which the Yankees won the opener 18-1, but then lost the next three 17-7, 13-7 and 9-1.

Dom Smith

I’m wrong a lot and have no problem owning it. I was dead wrong about Dom Smith. I expected the second coming of Pablo Sandoval (according to BRef, Smith’s nickname is Sloth Bear) and instead we got what looks like the second coming of Matt Diaz (120 OPS+ in his first two years in Atlanta) or better. (He was at 159 going into tonight.) The season is closing in on the 1/3rd point and it appears that Dom Smith is indeed a Professional Hitter™. Mea culpa. I just hope my recantation doesn’t jinx him.

All Hat and No Cattle

It was Country and Western Night at the game and fans got cringe-looking cowboy hats. I don’t care, and neither should anyone else. But if you ask the Internet for a picture of a Lizard in a Cowboy Hat they’ll give you one, and I give it to you. (It’s a bearded dragon apparently, not a chuckwalla, but it looks like a pretty weak beard if you ask me.)

The Game

The Nationals (no relation to the 1922 Washington team — that team became the Twins) came to Atlanta to face the the Presbyterian. (At tfloyd’s suggestion, I’m going with the Presbyterian, but I note that Mormons, Pentecostals and Methodists have Elders as well. Actually, the Mormon would be better, because Mormon Elders are actually young. But I’m sticking with Presbyterian for three reasons: (a) a great respect for tfloyd; (b) the fact that Bryce Harper actually is a Mormon and there shouldn’t be two Mormon Bryces; and (c) I went to a Presbyterian high school (also alma mater of Wiley Ballard and Will Benson) and I didn’t give them any money this year.)

The Nationals and Braves are 1-2 in runs scored in MLB, so of course there was no score through 5. The difference between the two teams is that while the Nationals are #1 in run scored, they are also #1 (or #30, depending on how you think about it) in runs allowed, and actually have a negative differential. I’ll discuss that tomorrow night. Elder was opposed by an opener and a journeyman, but the Braves were not really threatening.

The Nationals drew first blood in the 6th, a leadoff homer by Curtis Mead. Didier Fuentes took the ball in the 7th with no harm done. Mikolas was replaced by Mitchell Parker in the bottom of the 7th. After an Albies groundout, Michael Harris II beat out an infield single and Austin Riley walked to finally create a genuine threat. Enter Dominic Smith. A single tied up the game. A safety squeeze from Ha-Seong Kim (on his second attempt! so much for the surprise factor) brought in the go-ahead run.

At that point it was all supposed to be academic, but the Nationals aren’t the runs leader for nothing. Atlantan CJ Abrams hit a homer off Robert Suarez, the first he has given up this season, to knot the score again. Clayton Beeter pitched the bottom of the 8th and got through Dubón, Olson and Albies.

Iggy took the mound in the 9th and got Iggy with it: 10 pitches, 8 strikes. The beginning of walkoff time saw Harris square off against Gus Varland. Strikeout. Riley singled to go 3-3. I’m not yet convinced he’s back, but he’s definitely coming back. Jorge Mateo ran for him and watched Smith hit a weak fly ball to center. Mateo was picked off last week, but he stole second to open the folk hero door for Kim, who shut it with a groundout.

Free baseball, along with light rain. The top of the 10th belonged to Dylan Lee. After a walk and an out, Abrams knocked in two with a triple. (It was scored a double, but it wasn’t.)

Orlando Ribalta came in to try and earn his second career save. Chadwick Tromp hit a single to bring in the Manfred Man (Kim) and make it interesting. Since Tromp had replaced Leon, he had to stay in and run. RAJ walked to move the slow tying run into scoring position. Or so I thought. I’m just going to write this, but you need to go look at it if you want to understand it. Chadwick Tromp scored from second on an infield single to tie the game. An Olson fly put Acuña on third with one out for Ozzie, who walked to load the bases for Harris, who fouled out to third. This brought up Eli White who was put in after Riley was pulled for Mateo. But he grounded out to make it to the 11th inning.

One of the things about the Manfred Man Rules is that teams are no longer really scared of running out of players because the games usually end quickly. But at this point, both teams were starting to run out of baseball players. The Braves turned to the recently struggling Tyler Kinley, and he faced what I think was the last hitter off the Nationals bench, Jorbit Vivas, who struck out. The Manfred Man then got to third on a long fly to right, but Kinley then struck out Nasim Nuñez to set up yet another three chances to win with a hit or some small ball.

With Eli White on second, Dom Smith faced something called Paxton Schultz. A short fly to center gave the Nationals hope. Kim now got his second chance at Folk Hero status. No joy in Mudville. Tromp again. Single. Ball game. Who needs Drake Baldwin? Tromp is hitting .571.

Game 2 tomorrow afternoon at 4:10.