Category: Uncategorized

NLCS: DODGERS-BRAVES NOTES.

I DON’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW: The Dodgers crushed the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the NLCS last night, setting franchise Postseason records for runs scored (15) and homers (5) and tying the club record for playoff hits (16) in their 15-3 laugher. The club still has not lost three games in-a-row all year and now trials the series 2-1 heading into tonight. Los Angeles is playing in its fifth
National League Championship Series in the last eight years and fourth in the last five seasons. The Dodgers and Braves had never met in a Postseason series with a World Series berth on the line, but have met three previous times, all in the NLDS (1996, 2013 and 2018). Los Angeles beat the Braves 3-1 in both the 2013 and 2018 NLDS. Atlanta swept the Dodgers in the 1996 NLDS.
The Boys in Blue jumped the Braves for 11 runs in the first frame, which was a record for runs scored in any inning of a Postseason contest. The Dodgers tied a litany of other playoff records, including runs scored in an NLCS game
and homers in an LCS contest. The 12-run winning margin was the largest in club history and Los Angeles became the first team ever to hit five home runs in the first 3.0 innings.
The Dodgers are 20-21 in Game 4s all-time and 6-7 in the NLCS. The last time the club was down 2-1 in the LCS was 2018, when they ended up beating Milwaukee in 7 games. Since 1969, when the League Championship Series was
introduced to Major League Baseball, the Dodgers have appeared in the LCS 14 times, which is tied with the Cardinals for the most in the National League. The Dodgers and Braves (11) are two of seven franchises that have
appeared in the LCS 10+ times.
SEAGER STRONG: Dodger shortstop Corey Seager went 3-for-4 with a double, homer, three runs scored and three RBI in just 4.0 innings last night, raising his 2020 Postseason average to .367 (11-for-30). His 1.244 OPS ranks fifth among all playoff performers with at least 20 AB. Seager became the second player in Postseason history to collect an RBI in five consecutive at-bats (last two of
Game 2 and first three of Game 3), joining Carlos Beltran (2004). Yesterday, it was announced that Seager was one of seven National League finalists for the Hank Aaron Award, given to the most outstanding regular season offensive performer in each league.
POSTSEASON POWER: The Dodgers hit a Postseason franchise record five home runs last night with five different players turning the trick. Among the homers was a grand slam by Max Muncy and a three-run shot by Joc Pederson, who are now both tied for fourth all-time on the Dodgers’ Postseason home run list. The list: Duke Snider (11), Steve Garvey (10), Justin Turner (9), Muncy (8), Pederson (8), Kiké Hernández (7) and Adrían González (7).
EIGHT’S NOT ENOUGH: The Dodgers went 43-17 in the 60-game season to win their record eighth straight NL West title with the best record in the Majors. The club’s .717 winning percentage was the best in franchise history and marked the seventh time in club history that the Dodgers posted the Majors’ best mark (last: 2017).
RIGHT MAN, RIGHT SPOT: Dodger left-hander and three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw will take the ball in Game 4 of the NLCS, making his third appearance this Postseason, following a dominant performance against the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card round (8.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 13 K) and a victory over the San Diego Padres in the NLDS (6.0 IP, 3 R, 6 H, 6 K). He last made a start on Oct. 7 as his turn this series was delayed due to back spasms suffered this weekend. Kershaw is 10 strikeouts away from
tying FOX broadcaster John Smoltz for second on the all-time Postseason list and with a victory tonight, he would tie Roger Clemens for fifth on the Postseason wins list. Kershaw holds Dodger Postseason records in wins (11), starts (27), innings pitched (172.1) and strikeouts (189). He currently ranks among the all-time MLB leaders in many postseason categories, including wins (T-6th), innings pitched (7th), strikeouts (3rd), starts (T-6th). He is 11
strikeouts shy of becoming the second player in MLB history with 200 career postseason strikeouts.
On the season, he went 6-2 with a 2.16 ERA while ranking
among the league leaders (min. 50 IP) in wins (T-4th), ERA (5th), opponents’ batting average (.194, 5th) and WHIP (0.84, 2nd).

YOUNG STAFF: Bryse Wilson starts tonight’s game for Atlanta at 22 years, 300 days old…Wilson becomes the fourth pitcher under the age of 27.000 to start for
Atlanta this postseason.
• Max Fried is the oldest Braves starter in the playoffs, pitching Game 1 of the NLCS at 26 years, 268 days.
• Atlanta is just the sixth team in playoff history to have four pitchers Fried’s age or younger start in the postseason, and the first since both the Reds and
A’s in 2012…The 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers, 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers and 1916 Boston Red Sox each had four such starters as well.
• All nine of Atlanta’s starts this postseason have come from starters younger than 27 years old…Just eight teams in history have gotten more such starts in a
single postseason, with the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays getting a majors-most 16.
• Wilson and Game 2 starter Ian Anderson are just the second set of teammates in history to start games in the LCS prior to turning 23…Don Gullett started
Games 1 and 5 for the Cincinnati Reds in the 1972 NLCS versus Pittsburgh, while Ross Grimsley started Game 4.

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Dodgers continue their best-of-seven National League Championship Series tonight with their fourth meeting
of the season…The 2020 NLCS marks the fourth postseason series between the two clubs.
• Atlanta and Los Angeles did not play during the
regular season, and last met in 2019…The Braves went 2-4 in six games against the Dodgers last season, getting swept at Dodger Stadium and
winning two-of-three in Atlanta.
• The Braves’ series win against the Dodgers last season was their first since also taking two-of-three from Los Angeles in 2015…In 33 games between
the clubs since the start of 2016, including the postseason, Atlanta is 11-22 (.333) vs. Los Angeles.
• The Braves and Dodgers have met three times in postseason play, all of which have come in the Division Series…Atlanta swept Los Angeles in the
1996 NLDS, while Los Angeles has won each of the last two series, in 2013 and 2018, 3-1.
• RHP Bryse Wilson has never faced the Dodgers, and is set to make his postseason debut…In two starts for the Braves this season, the 6-foot-2, 230-
pound native of Durham, NC allowed just one earned run in 8.0 combined innings, fanning nine.
• LHP Clayton Kershaw is set for his 35th career playoff appearance and his third of this postseason…The 6-foot-3, 228-pound native of Dallas, TX is
2-0 with a 1.93 ERA in his two postseason starts this year, and is 11-11 with a 4.23 ERA in his career…Kershaw has made three career postseason
appearances against Atlanta, and has allowed just
one earned run in 21.0 innings (0.43 ERA).
2-0 LEAD: Atlanta beat Los Angeles, 5-1, in Game 1 of this series on Monday night, before an 8-7 win on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
• The Braves have previously gone 2-0 in a postseason series 14 times in franchise history, and are 12-2 (.857) in these sets…They have never lost
a Championship Series when taking a 2-0 lead.
• Following last night’s loss, the Braves are now 8-6 (.571) in Game 3 after taking a 2-0 series lead… They last loss a Game 3 with a 2-0 lead in the 1996
World Series against the Yankees.
• The Braves took a 2-0 lead in the 1992 LCS vs. Pittsburgh and won in seven games, swept Cincinnati in 1995, and went up 2-0


.

ALCS: RAYS-ASTROS NOTES.

TODAY’S GAME 5: The Astros will try to stave off elimination again today in Game 5 of the ALCS at Petco Park against the Rays…Houston is trying to become
just the second team in MLB history to rally back from a 3-0 deficit in a seven-game series…the only other team to do so were the 2004 Red Sox, who came back to beat the Yankees in a thrilling ALCS.
GARCIA GETS THE NOD: The Astros will start rookie RHP Luis Garcia today in what will be his first career postseason appearance…Garcia impressed in
his first five MLB appearances in 2020, all coming in September, including a 5.0-inning scoreless start on Sept. 9 at OAK, in which he allowed just one hit…prior to this season, Garcia had not appeared in a game above Class A, where he spent all of 2019…he did post monster numbers at the level, compiling 168 strikeouts in 108.2 innings and a .172 opponent batting average.
ROOKIE HURLERS: The Astros matched the Marlins by using an Major League-high 15 rookie pitchers in 2020…they have nine rookie pitchers on
their ALCS roster and have used six rookies so far this postseason, who have combined for a solid 2.97 ERA (12ER/36.1IP) in 23 appearances (three starts)…RHP Cristian Javier has led this group, going 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA (1ER/8.1IP) in four appearances.
STARTING STRONG: RHP Luis Garcia has big shoes to fill, following the four other Astros starters this series, which have combined for a 2.25 ERA (6ER/24IP)…they’ve posted 30 strikeouts in 24.0 IP.
POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE: This is the Astros 14th appearance in the postseason in club history in what is the 59th year of the franchise that began in
1962…this group of Astros has won a postseason series in four straight seasons (2017-20), leading all MLB teams in postseason games (54) and wins (31) in
that time frame…in both categories, the Astros top the Dodgers (44g, 26 wins) and Yankees (34g, 18 wins).
LCS HISTORY: This marks the Astros fourth straight trip to the ALCS and their eighth appearance overall in an LCS (1980, 1986, 2004-05, 2017-20)…they are the third team in AL history and the fifth team in MLB history to advance to four straight LCS (since 1969)…the other clubs to do so: the Cardinals (2011-14), Yankees (1998-2001), Braves (1991-99) and A’s (1971-75).
GAME 4 WIN: The Astros played a clean ballgame last night, downing the Rays 4-3 to stay alive in the ALCS…RHP Zack Greinke was masterful, tossing
6.0 innings and allowing two runs, both coming on a homer, with seven strikeouts…he was backed by 2B Jose Altuve (2×4, 2RBI), who homered in the 1st
inning for the third time this series, and CF George Springer, who went 3×4, including a go-ahead homer.
TAG TEAMS: Per Elias, last night marked the fourth time for 2B Jose Altuve and OF George Springer to homer in the same postseason game…the only pair
of teammates in MLB history to do it more often is another Astros duo, Springer and SS Carlos Correa, who have turned the trick seven times.

ON THE CUSP—Today the Rays have a second opportunity to advance
to the World Series, after their 4-3 loss in Game 4…in postseason history,
teams leading 3-0 in a best-of-seven have gone on to win the series 37 of
38 times (97.4 pct.)…the only team to come back from a 3-0 deficit was the
2004 Red Sox, against the Yankees in the AL Championship Series…only
eight of the previous 38 series were extended to a Game 5, and no team
has taken the series to 6 games since the Red Sox completed the comeback
against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
– The Rays are a win away from their second AL pennant (2008),
but the only current Rays player or uniformed personnel who witnessed them winning it in 2008 from field level (Game 7, at Tropicana Field) was Kevin Cash, who was a Red Sox catcher at the time.
– The Rays have won six of their last eight postseason games since
losing Game 1 to the Yankees…the Rays are 24-23 all-time in the
postseason, 8-3 in 2020 and 10-4 since Game 3 of the 2019 ALDS…
including the end of the regular season, they are 17-5 since Sep 17.
– The Rays haven’t lost back-to-back games this postseason…the last
time in the regular season was Sep 7-10 at WAS, vs. BOS (0-3).
Ê Combining regular season and postseason, the Rays have only lost
once in their last 18 series since Aug 4, going 13-1-4 in series play.
– Happy 49th Birthday to Rays hitting coach Chad Mottola.
CLOSE SHAVES—Between the regular season and postseason, 39 of the
club’s 71 games (54.9 pct.) have been decided by 2 runs (or fewer)…the
Rays are 28-11 (.718) in them, going 5-1 in the postseason in addition to a
majors-best 23-10 (.697) in the regular season…the Rays are 16-6 (.727) in
1-run games, including 2-1 this postseason and 15-4 (.789) since Aug 7.
– Combining regular season and postseason, the Rays have a major league-record 13 different pitchers with a save and are 35-1, 32-0
and 39-0 when leading after 6, 7 and 8 innings, respectively.
– Since July 28, 2019, the Rays have won 62 straight games when
leading after 7 innings, the longest active streak in the majors.
– The Rays have three comeback wins this postseason after an A-Lmost 20 come-from-behind wins during the regular season.
PITCHING PROPERLY—The Rays have allowed 10 runs in their last 5
games…last night the Rays snapped a club-record streak of allowing 2
runs (or fewer) in four consecutive postseason games…the Rays have allowed 2 runs (or fewer) in six of 11 postseason games (54.5 pct.), after doing
that in 21 of 60 games (35.0 pct.) during the regular season…the Rays have
a 3.15 ERA (97-IP, 34-ER) in the postseason, including a 3.48 ERA (51.2-IP,
20-ER) from their starters and a 2.78 ERA (45.1-IP, 14-ER) from relievers.
– Last night both Tyler Glasnow and Zack Greinke went 6 IP, only
the third time this postseason both starters went 6 IP (or more)…
the two previous instances came in NL Wild Card Series; the last
time in the AL was Game 1 of the 2019 ALCS (Tanaka vs. Greinke).
– The Rays have held the Astros to 9 runs and 6 HR (five solo) this
series, after the Astros scored 33 runs and hit 12 HR in the Division
Series (4 games vs. Oakland)…similarly, the Rays held the Yankees
to 24 runs and 10 HR in the 5-game Division Series, after the Yankees scored 22 runs and hit 7 HR in their Wild Card sweep at CLE.
– Opponents are batting .176 (12-for-68) against Rays pitching with
RISP this postseason…the Rays have held the Astros to .192 (5-for26) with RISP—and only one of these 5 hits has resulted in a run.
– The Rays bullpen has stranded all 21 IR this postseason…according
to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the longest streak of inherited
runners stranded to start a postseason, passing the 2006 Cardinals
(17)…in the last 8 games (beginning with Game 2 of the ALDS vs.
NYY), the Rays bullpen has pitched to a 2.06 ERA (35-IP, 8-ER).
PITCHING PLANS—Today’s game will be started by RH John Curtiss, his
fourth career start…he went 1.1, 1.1 and 0.2 IP in his first 3 starts, yielding
a combined 2 runs (1 ER) in 3.1 IP (Aug 20 at NYY, Sep 15 vs. WAS, Sept.
26 vs. PHI)…this is the third time in club postseason history the Rays are
using an opener to start, following RH Ryan Thompson in Game 4 of the
2020 ALDS at NYY (5-1 loss) and RH Diego Castillo in Game 4 of the 2019
ALDS vs. HOU (4-1 win)…the Rays used an opener seven times in the regular season and went 6-1 when doing so after going 26-17 (.605) in 2019.
– Including postseason, since the debut of the opener on May 19, 2018, the
Rays have used one 107 times and are 65-42 (.607) in those games.
POWER BALL—69.6 pct. (32 of 46) of the Rays runs this postseason have
come on home runs, compared to 41.5 pct. (120 of 289) during the regular season…the Rays have hit 18 HR this postseason, but only four in the
League Championship Series after hitting 11 in the Division Series.

TFC 1, NEW YORK RED BULLS 1 — SUMMARY AND QUOTES

TORONTO FC (1) – NEW YORK RED BULLS (1) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

TFC – Alejandro Pozuelo 23’ (PK)

NYR – Caden Clark 77’ (Marc Rzatkowski)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

NYR – Dru Yearwood 22’ (caution)

NYR – Marc Rzatkowski 52’ (caution

TFC – Pablo Piatti 53’ (caution)

TFC – Ayo Akinola 60’ (caution)

NYR – Amro Tarek 71’ (caution)

RECORDS

TORONTO FC:                         11-2-5   38 PTS.

NEW YORK RED BULLS:            7-8-3   24 PTS.

LINEUPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Auro Jr., Omar Gonzalez, Chris Mavinga, Richie Laryea; Jonathan Osorio (C), Marky Delgado, Nick DeLeon (Patrick Mullins 82’), Pablo Piatti (Tsubasa Endoh 67’), Alejandro Pozuelo, Ayo Akinola

Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Silva, Laurent Ciman, Tony Gallacher, Erickson Gallardo, Liam Fraser, Ralph Priso, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty

NY RED BULLS – Ryan Meara; Kyle Duncan, Tim Parker, Amro Tarek, Jason Pendant; Jared Stroud (Caden Clark 59’), Dru Yearwood, Florian Valot, Marc Rzatkowski (Sean Davis 82’); Brian White (Daniel Royer 59’), Tom Barlow (Samuel Tetteh 68’)

Substitutes Not Used: David Jensen, Mandela Egbo, Aaron Long, Sean Nealis, Mathias Jorgensen

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

On the Red Bulls goal, it’s a spectacular strike, but could your players have done a better job of nipping that play in the bud?

“Yeah possibly, I mean I would like to get pressure to the ball. When you play the Red Bulls it’s all about where you lose the ball and we lost the ball in our half of the field, which turns into a little bit of a quick counter where we have to reorganize and figure out how to get pressure to the ball. I have to see it again to see who should have stepped, and what happened but…it’s a great strike too. So, you have to give credit for that. But we should have gotten out of that transition and not lost the ball in the position that we did and then we put ourselves into a defending scenario in transition and we didn’t get pressure to the ball. So now, having said that, we had more than enough chances in the game … especially leading up to that point … that it would’ve been nice to pick up the second one. I think that would have iced it for us. But I’m proud of the guys to put in a shift today because this is a game on three days rest and the fourth one in a series of five here and the guys battled. No matter what Red Bulls team, they’re always gonna be chaotic. They’re just launching the ball up the field. You have to win first balls and second balls. If you try to get pressure to the ball then they’re gonna try to play through, over the top and pick up second balls so it’s always going to be a little bit funky and tonight we lost a few too many balls in our half of the field that we don’t like to lose. A couple guys taking too many touches and getting caught in possession that led to transitions. But having said all that, we had four quality chances to get ahold of the game on the second goal and just weren’t able to put it away.”

Given the schedule did you expect this game to be a grind?

“I was concerned about this game. We’ve been on a great run. They’re a team coming off of one day extra of rest. There were a number of other things that concerned me a little bit about this game, as it being one where we really needed to try to get on the other side of it in a positive way. Every point matters, so I’m not going say anything bad about us being able to take a point away tonight, which is a good thing. Now, we get the extra day of recovery and as we go into the final game of the stretch, we’ll get guys turned around and a group ready to compete again on Sunday. So, every point matters. So that’s critical. Our guys are disappointed because they want to win every game and we had the chances to win the game. That’s the way we look at it but we’re going to regroup. We will be ready to go for the next one against Atlanta.”

You’ve been able to win a lot of 1-0 games, but does that become tough to do repeatedly?

“Yeah, for sure. I would say especially against a team like the Red Bulls who are super opportunistic. That’s their whole game for ninety minutes, it is about being opportunistic.  It’s about second balls, transitions, short possessions where they can win the ball in turnovers in the attacking half of the field. Or if they can clean up a second ball when they lump it up to the forwards, then they’re trying to play for direct off of that. And set pieces obviously. So, for them, those are the moments they play for. That’s the whole style. And so, they’re trying to create a little bit of chaos within the game and utilize those transitions and so that’s the team that you always want to put away when you have the opportunity. Because the game never looks as clean as you’d like it to, especially when you have guys with a little bit-tired legs and just are not as sharp, as clean as you would like them to be.  For sure, you want to get the second one and you want to try to put the distance in between when you have those opportunities.” 

QUENTIN WESTBERG – GOALKEEPER, TORONTO FC

Red Bulls goal was a terrific strike into the top corner, could anyone of stopped that?

“I wish I had. Sometimes you need to give the goal scorer credit for doing what he did, and I think that’s the case tonight. It looks like he turned in a very tight space and in a small pocket and he released a nice strike. I wish I made the save but sometimes you need to appreciate the game and goods goals being scored and I think tonight, this young guy had a banger, so congrats to him. It’s just unfortunate it happened against us but in the end, I love soccer, when I look back, I think it’s a beautiful goal.”

In a game where you made a number of good, key saves, do you let that goal linger in your mind or do you get on with it and take solace in the fact that you kept the team in the match?

“As soon as you take it, it’s part of the past. You maybe take 5-10 seconds to reassess to realize it, but it’s onto the next. I like to think my position in particular you need to be struck by amnesia a little bit. You need to forget on one hand the good saves but also the mistakes or goals taken, you need to concentrate on your task and do what’s necessary for the team and make good decisions. If you want to make good decisions, you need to have a clear mind so whether I take a goal or whether I make a save it’s all part of the past as soon as it’s done. Being as calm as possible, being as lucid as possible to make good decisions, to give good information and if you’re still under the emotion of this or that then maybe you’re taking away a little something that can create another chance for the opponent or that can create a little bit of frustration for your teammates or yourself. As soon as it hits the net it’s finished and it’s onto the next task.”

What were some factors that decided the game tonight?

“There are a few, but it was a particular style of play they have and we were well prepared, we knew they were going to come out hard or it was a possibility, which they did, they were very aggressive but they still left us with a few chances in transition, so it was a game of styles. For sure, we didn’t play our best football tonight, but we did alright adapting. We created chances without possession which is always a good sign but also it’s a little different for us to not have the ball that much and it was a challenge, it was a challenge for sure and you need to give the Red Bulls some credit for their mentality and their efforts. They created a lot of chaos and trouble for us but at the same time, playing the long game, I like our style of play better and we just need to be very well aware that whatever the conditions, whatever the press, whatever the team this is where we find refuge, our style of play, our possession based football, our position football needs to be established whatever the context.”

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-

NLCS: DODGERS-BRAVES NOTES

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Braves and Dodgers
continue their best-of-seven National League
Championship Series tonight with their third meeting
of the season…The 2020 NLCS marks the fourth
postseason series between the two clubs.
• Atlanta and Los Angeles did not play during the
regular season, and last met in 2019…The Braves
went 2-4 in six games against the Dodgers last
season, being swept at Dodger Stadium and
winning two-of-three in Atlanta.
• The Braves’ series win against the Dodgers last
season was their first since also taking two-of-three
from Los Angeles in 2015…In 32 games between
the clubs since the start of 2016, including the
postseason, Atlanta is 11-21 (.344) vs. Los Angeles.
• The Braves and Dodgers have met three times
in postseason play, all of which have come in the
Division Series…Atlanta swept Los Angeles in the
1996 NLDS, while Los Angeles has won each of the
past two series, in 2013 and 2018, 3-1.
• RHP Kyle Wright has never faced Los Angeles…
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound native of Huntsville,
AL made his postseason debut with the start in
Game 3 of the NLDS and blanked Miami over 6.0
innings, becoming just the fifth player in franchise
history to throw at least 6.0 scoreless frames in
their playoff debut.
• LHP Julio Urías is set for his second career
postseason start and 15th playoff appearance…The
6-foot-0, 215-pound native of Culiacan, Mexico
is 4-2 with a 3.42 ERA (9 ER/23.2 IP) in his
postseason career, including 8.0 innings without an
earned run in two relief appearances this season…
Urías has made two career appearances against
Atlanta, pitching 4.0 scoreless innings.
2-0 LEAD: Atlanta beat Los Angeles, 5-1, in Game
1 of this series on Monday night, before an 8-7 win
yesterday to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
• The Braves have previously gone 2-0 in a
postseason series 14 times in franchise history, and
are 12-2 (.857) in these sets…They have never lost
a Championship Series when taking a 2-0 lead.
• The Braves took a 2-0 lead in the 1992 LCS
vs. Pittsburgh and won in seven games, swept
Cincinnati in 1995, and went up 2-0 over the Mets
in 1999 before winning in six.
SCORING EARLY: Freddie Freeman’s fourth-inning
home run last night gave Atlanta a 2-0 lead, and the
Braves have now scored first in each of their seven
games this postseason.
• The Braves went 24-6 (.800) when scoring first
during the regular season, the best mark in the
National League and second best in the majors
(Tampa Bay, 25-6, .806).
• Atlanta pitchers have thrown 67 innings this
postseason and trailed in just five of them, with all
five coming in Game 1 of the NLDS vs. Miami.

The Dodgers are looking to climb out of an 0-2 hole following
last night’s 8-7 loss in Game 2. Los Angeles is playing in its fifth
National League Championship Series in the past eight years and
fourth in the past five seasons. The Dodgers and Braves have never
met in a Postseason series with a World Series berth on the line, but
have met three previous times, all in the NLDS (1996, 2013 and
2018). Los Angeles beat the Braves 3-1 in both the 2013 and 2018
NLDS. Atlanta swept the Dodgers in the 1996 NLDS.
The Dodgers have come back from 0-2 deficits four times
in their postseason history:
1955 World Series vs. NYY (best of seven), won series 4-3
1965 World Series vs. MIN (best of seven), won series 4-3
1981 NLDS vs. HOU (best of five), won series 3-2
1981 World Series vs. NYY (best of seven), won series 4-2
To reach the NLCS, the Dodgers swept the Padres, 3-0, and
the Braves swept the Marlins, 3-0. The Braves have not lost
a Postseason game in 2020.
Since 1969, when the League Championship Series was
introduced to Major League Baseball, the Dodgers have
appeared in the LCS 14 times, which is tied with the
Cardinals for the most in the National League. The Dodgers
and Braves (11) are two of seven franchises that have
appeared in the LCS 10+ times.
SEAGER STRONG: Dodger shortstop Corey Seager went 2-for-4
with a walk, three-run homer and four RBI last night to raise his 2020
Postseason average to .308 (8-for-26). His 1.060 OPS ranks ninth
among all playoff performers with at least 20 AB. Earlier today, it
was announced that Seager was one of seven National League
finalists for the Hank Aaron Award, given to the most outstanding
regular season offensive performer in each league.
POSTSEASON POWER: Dodger infielder/outfielder Kiké
Hernández earned the start in Game 1 Monday night and delivered
a solo homer in the fifth inning, his first of the 2020 Postseason and
his seventh since 2017, which is tied with Justin Turner and Max
Muncy for the most by a Dodger over the last four years. Muncy hit
his seventh Postseason homer last night and this trio is inching closer
to the top of the Dodger Postseason list, which is led by Duke Snider
(11), Steve Garvey (10), Hernández (7), Joc Pederson (7), Adrían
González and Muncy (7).
EIGHT’S NOT ENOUGH: The Dodgers went 43-17 in the 60-
game season to win their record eighth straight NL West title with
the best record in the Majors. The club’s .717 winning percentage
was the best in franchise history and marked the seventh time in club
history that the Dodgers posted the Majors’ best mark (last: 2017).
Los Angeles has topped the National League in wins in three of the
last four seasons (2017, ’19, ’20) and seven times in the divisional
era (since 1969, 23rd time overall).
The Dodgers won a division title for the eighth straight year, something
only two other franchises have accomplished:
MLB All-Time – Most Consecutive Division Titles
Braves, 1991-2005 14
Yankees, 1998-2006 9
Dodgers, 2013-2020 8 (active streak)
Source: Stats, LLC
The Dodgers reached the World Series in each of their six
previous seasons with the best record in the Majors:
Dodgers Finishing w/MLB’s Best Record, All-time
1949 Brooklyn Dodgers (tied) 97-57 (.630) Lost WS (4-1 NYY)
1952 Brooklyn Dodgers 96-57 (.627) Lost WS (4-3 NYY)
1953 Brooklyn Dodgers 105-49 (.682) Lost WS (4-2 NYY)
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers 98-55 (.641) Won WS (4-3 vs NYY)
1974 Los Angeles Dodgers 102-60 (.630) Lost WS (4-1 Oak)
2017 Los Angeles Dodgers 104-58 (.642) Lost WS (4-3 Hou)

2020 Players Choice Awards Finalists Announced

NEW YORK, Oct. 14 – Players selected José Abreu, Shane Bieber and Freddie Freeman as finalists for Major League Baseball’s Player of the Year and Nelson Cruz, Jason Heyward and Adam Wainwright as nominees for Marvin Miller Man of the Year in voting for the 2020 Players Choice Awards.

The Players Choice Awards are held in high regard by players because the winners are selected in balloting among their peers. In addition to the Marvin Miller Man of the Year and Player of the Year award winners, who represent both leagues, players in the American and National Leagues choose their outstanding players, pitchers, rookies and comeback players.

All told, the 2020 Players Choice Award winners will designate charities to receive grants totaling $55,000 from the Major League Baseball Players Trust. Since 1992, the Players Trust has recognized the outstanding on-and off-field performances of Players Choice Awards recipients by contributing more than $5 million to charities around the world.

In balloting for the Marvin Miller Award, players are asked to vote for the player they “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.” Curtis Granderson, who retired after the 2019 season, won the award four times. Other recent honorees include Anthony Rizzo (2017), Adam Jones (2015), Clayton Kershaw (2014) and Mariano Rivera (2013).

The award is dedicated to Marvin Miller, who served as the Major League Baseball Players Association’s first full-time executive director, from 1966 through 1982, and guided its emergence as one of the country’s strongest and most cohesive labor unions.

Below are all the finalists:

Outstanding Player Award

National League players: Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Juan Soto

American League players: José Abreu, DJ LeMahieu and Mike Trout

Outstanding Pitcher Award

National League players: Trevor Bauer, Yu Darvish and Jacob deGrom

American League players: Shane Bieber, Gerrit Cole and Lance Lynn

Outstanding Rookie Award

National League players: Alec Bohm, Jake Cronenworth and Devin Williams

American League player: James Karinchak, Kyle Lewis and Luis Robert

Comeback Player Award

National League players: Daniel Bard, Adam Duvall and Wil Myers

American League players: Carlos Carrasco, Salvador Perez and José Ramírez

The Marvin Miller Award winner receives a $10,000 grant, while the recipients of the nine other awards receive grants of $5,000.

Through their collective charity, players pool resources to support efforts that provide hope, sustainability and lasting change around the world. Players direct grants to the wide range of causes they support – from disaster relief to health and human services to promoting the growth of baseball in the United States and abroad.

Players Choice Awards voting among all players was conducted in mid-September. Winners will be announced Oct. 22.

For more information on the 2020 Players Choice Awards, be sure to visit the link here.

ABOUT THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS TRUST

Major Leaguers contribute their time, money and celebrity to call attention to important causes. Each year the Players Trust distributes more than $1 million in annual grants and programs. For additional information, please visit www.PlayersTrust.org. Follow the Trust on Twitter (@MLBPlayersTrust) and Instagram (@mlbplayerstrust).

ALCS: RAYS-ASTROS

TONIGHT’S STARTERS: The Astros will start RHP
José Urquidy tonight, who started both Game 2s for
the Astros this postseason, tossing 4.1 innings in each
outing…he last pitched on Oct. 7 vs. OAK, allowing four
runs on five hits, but did not factor into the decision…
Urquidy will be opposed by LHP Ryan Yarbrough,
who made his only postseason appearance this year
as the bulk pitcher for the Rays in Game 4 of the ALDS
at NYY, tossing 5.0 innings and allowing two runs on
six hits…both starters pitched in relief in their 2019
ALDS against each other, with Urquidy tossing 1.2
scoreless in one appearance and Yarbrough tossing
3.0 scoreless frames across three appearances.

Urquidy has been solid in the postseason in his brief career, posting a
1-0 record and a 2.89 ERA (6ER/18.2IP) in six games
(three starts)…he had his biggest postseason moment
in Game 4 of the 2019 World Series at WSH, earning
the win after tossing 5.0 shutout frames, allowing just
two hits with no walks and four strikeouts.

Yarbrough will be making the first start of his postseason career…is 1-0 with a
2.25 ERA (8-IP, 2-ER) in four career postseason apps, all in relief…made three scoreless apps in last season’s ALDS vs. HOU, appearing in Game 2 (1 IP), Game 4 (2 IP) and Game 5 (1 BF)…recorded the win in a bullpen game in Game 4, stranding an inherited runner with a Josh Reddick lineout to end the 2nd…pitched a perfect 3rd, then went single, flyout, double in the 4th and was replaced…was the beneficiary of a well-executed relay on a Yordan Alvarez double, with an 8-6-2 putout of Jose Altuve.

— Becomes the second non-opener in franchise history to start a postseason
game after previously making his Rays postseason debut in relief…joins David Price, who pitched out of the bullpen during the 2008 postseason

BY THE NUMBERS—In postseason history, teams leading 2-0 in a bestof-seven series have gone on to win the series 72 of 85 times (84.7 pct.),
according to MLB.com…the Rays have taken a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven
series for the first time in club history…once they held a 2-0 lead in a
best-of-five series: the 2008 Division Series vs. CWS (led 2-0, won 3-1)…
the Rays swept their Wild Card Series over the Blue Jays and defeated
the Yankees in a decisive Game 5 of the Division Series to advance to the
League Championship Series for the second time in club history (2008).
— The Rays have won five of their last six postseason games since
losing Game 1 to the Yankees…the Rays are 23-22 all-time in the
postseason, 7-2 in 2020 and 9-3 since Game 3 of the 2019 ALDS.
— Combining regular season and postseason, the Rays have only lost
once in their last 18 series since Aug 4, going 13-1-4 in series play.
— Over the last two postseasons, the Rays are 1-3 when facing HOU/
NYY Gerrit Cole and 9-2 when facing any other starting pitcher.
CLOSE SHAVES—Between the regular season and postseason, 38 of the
Rays’ 69 games (55.1 pct.) have been decided by 2 runs (or fewer)…the
Rays are 28-10 (.737) in them, going 5-0 in the postseason in addition to a
majors-best 23-10 (.697) in the regular season…the Rays are 16-5 (.762) in
1-run games, including 2-0 this postseason and 15-3 (.833) since Aug 7.
Ê Combining regular season and postseason, the Rays have a major-league-record 13 different pitchers with a save and are 34-1, 31-0
and 38-0 when leading after 6, 7 and 8 innings, respectively.
— Since July 28, 2019, the Rays have won 61 straight games when
leading after 7 innings, the longest active streak in the majors.
ABOUT THE OFFENCE—In Game 2 vs. HOU, the Rays became the second
team in major league history to win a postseason game with 13 SO (or
more) and 0 BB, joining the Reds in Game 1 of the 1973 NLCS vs. NYM…
that Reds team won, 2-1, on a Johnny Bench walk-off homer off Mets
starter Tom Seaver, and their lineup also included Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez and Ken Griffey…in Game 2, the Rays were outhit, 10-
4, and became the first team to win a postseason game while allowing
double-digit hits and recording 4 hits (or fewer) since the Giants in Game
4 of the 2002 NLCS vs. STL (Giants won 4-3 despite being outhit, 12-4).
— The Rays have been outhit, 19-10, this series…according to the Elias
Sports Bureau, the Rays are the eighth team to be outhit in each of
the first 2 games of a postseason series and win both, done most recently by the Cardinals in the 2013 NLCS…the Rays are the second
team to be outhit by three (or more) in each of the first 2 games of
a playoff series, both wins, following the 2005 Cardinals (NLDS).
— Game 2 was the first time the Rays won a postseason game when
being outhit by six (or more)…the last team to do that was the Blue
Jays in Game 2 of the 2016 ALDS vs. TEX (won 5-3, outhit 13-6).
— Game 2 was the third time the Rays won a postseason game on
4 hits (or fewer) and the previous occurrences all came in 2020:
Game 5 of the Division Series and Game 1 of the Wild Card Series.
— The Rays have 3 wins this postseason when striking out 13 times
(or more), the most for a team in a single postseason in major league
history…prior to this season, the Rays had never won a postseason
game on 13 SO (or more)…all three of these wins have come in succession: Game 5 vs. NYY, Game 1 vs. HOU and Game 2 vs. HOU.
— The Rays are 5-0 in the postseason when scoring first, after going a
major-league-best 25-6 (.806) when doing so in the regular season.
— The Rays are batting .182 (8-for-44) with RISP this postseason, including .100 (2-for-20) in the last 4 games (since ALDS Game 4).

RAYS vs. ASTROS—The series opener was the first game between these
two clubs since Oct 10, 2019, when the Astros ended the Rays season in
Game 5 of the Division Series…the Rays-Astros and Dodgers-Braves series mark the first time there has been a League Championship Series
between teams that did not face each other in the regular season…this
series represents the largest difference in winning pct. between teams
meeting in League Championship Series history…the Rays went an AL-best 40-20 (.667) in the regular season, while the Astros were the No. 6
seed with the 8th-best record at 29-31 (.483)…the largest difference prior
to this series was in 1998 between the Yankees (.704) and Indians (.549).
— In the regular season, the Rays went 21-9 (.700) against teams that
finished .500 or better, best in the majors…the Astros went 4-13.
— The Rays have not lost a season series to the Astros since 2008, going 8-0-1 since…the Rays went 4-3 in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and the
Astros finished with 101, 103 and 107 wins in those seasons…according to Stats LLC, the Rays were the first team in major league
history to win the season series in three straight years against an
opponent who finished with 100 wins in each of those seasons.
— According to Stats LLC, this is the fifth time two teams have met
in the League Championship Series a season after meeting in the
Division Series (all occurring in the AL)…in three of the other four
times, the team that lost the ALDS won the next season’s ALCS.


The Dodgers’ bullpen problem is complicated; So are the potential solutions — Press Telegram

Editor’s note: This is the Tuesday Oct. 13 edition of the Inside the Dodgers newsletter from reporter J.P. Hoornstra. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. Blake Treinen faced four batters in the ninth inning of last night’s game. He threw a total of 12 pitches with two strikes. That’s a difficult…

The Dodgers’ bullpen problem is complicated; So are the potential solutions — Press Telegram

Alexander: Dodgers’ bullpen (shudder) makes news again — Press Telegram

So maybe it’s not all Kenley Jansen’s fault after all. Blake Treinen appeared to be the next man up. Jansen’s problems with velocity and command had moved him out of the ninth-inning role, though Manager Dave Roberts declined to ever come right out and say so. Treinen, who had closed games before (38 saves, when…

Alexander: Dodgers’ bullpen (shudder) makes news again — Press Telegram

Altuve’s 2 early throwing errors doom Astros in ALCS Game 2 — MLB | NBC Sports

Altuve’s two throwing errors were the lowlight of Houston’s 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of the ALCS.

Altuve’s 2 early throwing errors doom Astros in ALCS Game 2 — MLB | NBC Sports

“I think one of the biggest things, besides the social injustice, all the things I mentioned, we had zero positive tests. We had zero positives tests for as long as we were here, 90-some days, 95 days maybe for myself. I had a little calendar I was checking off. But on a serious note, no positive tests. That’s a success for everybody that was involved.” — LeBron James.

October 11, 2020

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers

Game 6: Postgame

Los Angeles Lakers – 106, Miami Heat – 93

Q. Three seasons ago after you beat Toronto, you told Cleveland.com that you didn’t have anything left to prove when you were asked what you have left to prove. I wanted to know if that’s changed over the past three years. Did you feel you had something to prove, and why is this one so important for you?

LeBRON JAMES: I think personally thinking I have something to prove fuels me. It fueled me over this last year and a half since the injury. It fueled me because no matter what I’ve done in my career to this point, there’s still little rumblings of doubt or comparing me to the history of the game and has he done this, has he done that.

So having that in my head, having that in my mind, saying to myself, why not still have something to prove, I think it fuels me.

Q. All the circumstances surrounding this one, being in Orlando, having a four-and-a-half-month hiatus away from family, everything going on in the country, how does that add context to this fourth ring versus the other three?

LeBRON JAMES: I think they are all special in their own right. They all have their obstacles, things that went on throughout the course of the year, both on and off the floor.

But one is not less than the other, because when you’re able to put yourself in this position to be able to win a championship, first thing you start to think about is how much work you’ve put in over the course of the year. How much you’ve sacrificed, how much you’ve dedicated to the game and to your craft. That’s always been the most fulfilling thing for me, besides seeing my teammates as happy as they are. Being able to know that you can put the work in, literally trust the process, live about the process and then see the results. I think not only from a basketball player, but from everybody, whatever craft, whatever workspace you’re in, to be able to put the work in and live along the process and build along the process and be able to see results, I think we all live for that moment.

Q. Could you sense with the mental wear of the bubble that it was getting to other teams? And in the last few days, was there kind of a weird feeling of you’re reaching not just possibly winning a championship but reaching the end of this journey? Did that feel different than the other title runs?

LeBRON JAMES: To answer your first question, with so much going on inside the bubble and everything and us going into the unknown, it was kind of hard for me personally — once I got inside here, I said, okay, this is my mission: I want to win a championship; this is why I’m here. It was hard for me to focus on other teams and what other players were feeling. I didn’t engage in that. I didn’t look for it. I wanted to keep my energy in the right space.

And over the last couple days, you definitely thought about it. You thought about just being here, how successful it is. I commend Adam Silver and the NBA, Michele Roberts, Chris Paul and everybody at the NBPA to make this happen and to make this work. I think we can all say from the social injustice conversations, the voter suppression, police brutality, to have this platform, have our players be able to unite like that, it’s something that you will miss. You will think back on it.

I think one of the biggest things, besides the social injustice, all the things I mentioned, we had zero positive tests. We had zero positives tests for as long as we were here, 90-some days, 95 days maybe for myself. I had a little calendar I was checking off. But on a serious note, no positive tests. That’s a success for everybody that was involved.

Q. What about this partnership that you have with Anthony makes it particularly special to you?

LeBRON JAMES: I can’t really explain it. There’s just certain things you just know. And any type of relationship, you kind of just feel, you know that vibe. You have that respect. You have that drive. Sometimes you can’t explain what links you with somebody, and then it’s that organic.

Sometimes, you don’t even try to explain it. You guys ask me about my relationship with AD, the first thing I think about is the respect, the no ego, the challenging each other. We want each other to be better than actually ourselves. I want AD to be better than me. AD want me to be better than him. Every single night, every single day. And we challenge ourselves. I think that’s a part of it.

Q. With about three minutes left, you looked over and you saw Anthony sitting there, probably the realization of what you guys accomplished hitting him for the first time. I’m wondering, how much of that reminded you of 2012 for you? And what did that first title do for your career and what can this do for AD moving forward?

LeBRON JAMES: It definitely reminded me of it, just the excitement, the “I can’t believe this.” I definitely saw myself, 27 LeBron, 27 AD. I definitely saw myself in that.

And what it did for me in my career, it basically let me know that the work I put in on my craft, and the way I play the game, how I was taught to play the game when I picked up a basketball when I was eight years old, it’s okay to play that way and be able to win. No matter how many people tell you, you should maybe shoot more, you should maybe do this more, you should maybe be like him more, it let me know that the way I play basketball and the way I was taught to play basketball is the right way to play it, because you do see results.

And then it just continues to boost your confidence. Not saying that AD doesn’t already have confidence, but it takes it to another level.

Q. You talk about how you can’t focus on other teams and their bubble experience, but for you outside looking in, it seemed like you were locked in from the beginning of the entire journey to now. I imagine you had your days off the court when it comes to the personal sacrifice, when it comes to keeping this group together. Is that the case? Were there ups and downs? How different is just is this championship feeling?

LeBRON JAMES: To answer your first question, absolutely. I think you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t have ups and downs in the bubble. At times I was questioning myself, should I be here? Is this worth sacrificing my family? So many things. I’ve never been without my family this long. Missing the days of my daughter being in kindergarten, even though it’s through Zoom. Missing my son’s 16th birthday, which we all know is a big birthday if you have kids. Seeing my middle child continue to grow and be who he is. First of all, big-time shoutout to the late great Steve Jobs, because without him, without his vision, those FaceTime calls wouldn’t be possible.

Absolutely, I’ve had ups and downs throughout this journey. For some odd reason, I was able to keep the main thing the main thing. When I talked about all the stuff that I missed, they understood that, too, and that made it a lot easier for me.

To answer your second question, it doesn’t matter where it is if you win a championship. A bubble, Miami, Golden State — it doesn’t matter. When you get to this point, it’s one of the greatest feelings in the world for a basketball player to be able to win at the highest level.

Q. Does any one of your championships stand out in terms of the difficulty?

LeBRON JAMES: Well, I can’t sit here and say one is more challenging than the other or one is more difficult than the other. I can just say that I’ve never won with this atmosphere. None of us have. We’ve never been a part of this. If you’ve been here throughout the start — I mean, we got here July 9th. Our ballclub got here July 9th. It’s October what — I don’t even , October 11th now.

So this was very challenging and difficult. It played with your mind. It played with your body. You’re away from some of the things that you’re so accustomed to to make you be the professional that you are. So this is right up there.

I heard some rumblings from people that are not in the bubble, oh, you don’t have to travel, whatever. People just doubting what goes on in here. This is right up there with one of the greatest accomplishments I’ve had.

Q. When you signed with the Lakers, over the course of the first year, Magic stepping down and everything that went into your start here, was there ever a moment where your mind wandered or you thought maybe the hill would be too high or hard to climb to get back to this point in L.A., or if not, how did you know or what gave you faith that you guys would get here?

LeBRON JAMES: What gave me faith is that Rob Pelinka told me he would do whatever it takes to make sure that we would become a winning franchise once again. Obviously, championships are not promised, and I don’t expect that. But he said he would do whatever it takes to make this franchise, whatever personnel changes he needs to make, any part of our organization, he would do it, because he wanted to win just as much.

And for me, being able to get Jeanie back to this point, that’s something that fueled me as well. This is a historic franchise and to be a part of this is something that I’ll be able to talk about and my grandkids and kids will be able to talk about; their pawpaw played for the Los Angeles Lakers. It’s like playing for the Yankees and winning or playing for the Cowboys and winning a Super Bowl, or the Patriots. It’s like playing for the Red Sox.

So to be able to win with a historical franchise is something that, no matter if your mind wavers away, you can always remember what you’re doing it for.

Q. You and Jeanie shared a long hug right after as the trophy presentation was being prepared. Did you say anything to her?

LeBRON JAMES: I don’t want to lie to you. I did, but if Jeanie at some point would ever want to reveal what I said to her, that’s up to her. It was just a special moment and I know how special it was for her. So it was just in the words of, “I’m proud to be a Laker.”FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP sports

TFC 1, FC CINCINNATI 0 — summary and quotes.

TORONTO FC (1) – FC CINCINNATI (0) POST MATCH SUMMARY

SCORING SUMMARY

TFC – Patrick Mullins 29’ (Richie Laryea, Alejandro Pozuelo)

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY

TFC – Omar Gonzalez 9’ (caution)

TFC- Jonathan Osorio 21’ (caution)

FCC – Andrew Gutman 66’ (caution)

FCC – Nick Hagglund 67’ (caution)

TFC – Laurent Ciman 72’ (caution)

MEDIA NOTES

  • With tonight’s victory, Toronto FC becomes the first team in MLS to clinch a playoff spot in the 2020 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs
  • Jayden Nelson made his first MLS regular season start in tonight’s match

RECORDS

TORONTO FC:                         11-2-4   37 PTS.

FC CINCINNATI:                         3-10-4   13 PTS.

LINE-UPS

TORONTO FC – Quentin Westberg; Richie Laryea (Tony Gallacher 70’), Omar Gonzalez, Eriq Zavaleta, Auro Jr.; Jonathan Osorio (C), Marky Delgado (Pablo Piatti HT’), Liam Fraser, Jayden Nelson (Nick DeLeon 60’), Alejandro Pozuelo (Laurent Ciman 89’); Patrick Mullins (Ayo Akinola 59’)

Substitutes Not Used: Kevin Silva, Tsubasa Endoh, Erickson Gallardo, Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty

FC CINCINNATI – Przemyslaw Tyton (Spencer Richey 81’); Mathieu Deplagne (Andrew Gutman 41’), Maikel van der Werff, Nick Hagglund, Saad Abdul-Salaam; Frankie Amaya (Kamohelo Mokotjo HT’), Haris Medunjanin (C), Yuya Kubo; Joseph-Claude Gyau, Brandon Vazquez (Siem de Jong HT’), Alvaro Barreal (Allan Cruz 64’)

Substitutes Not Used: Robert Edwards, Zico Bailey, Caleb Stanko

GREG VANNEY – HEAD COACH, TORONTO FC

There was a fair bit of excitement in stoppage time. What was your take on the penalty non call and then the somewhat dangerous back pass?

“The back pass was nonsense. I’ll just leave it at that. The penalty…the ball was crossed in and Omar had a good line on the ball. His eyes were on the ball and he was attacking the ball. At the same time their player was moving backwards, trying to get to the ball, so I think our guy had the initial position. Their player runs into our player as he’s trying to get to it, and he goes down. That shouldn’t be a foul on us if we’re in the right spot. So that that was my read on it and they must’ve seen what they saw as well. But it was a little fuzzy there for a few minutes for sure and we definitely had a bit of tired legs. Things weren’t super sharp on the turf, a lot of balls bouncing up on us, again, like the other night in New England. Just the weight of the passes sometimes is wrong and or the ball comes a lot faster than we think. And we’re not quite prepared for it. Little things like that, but we are playing these games so close together. There’s some rotation and the lineup tonight and guys just had to compete and work it out and get the three points. And they saw it out.”

What are your thoughts on the significance of clinching the playoffs here at this stage given the long list of challenges you’re facing?

“I know the guys are proud of it, but they have their eyes on something a little bit bigger here over this stretch. And so, it’s nice to have the playoff spot, but we’re in that position where I know our guys … we don’t talk about it … but they’re looking at the fact that they’re at the top of the. table and competing every play to try to stay there. But really proud of the group. To stay focused, there’s lots of challenges here, not just for us but for everybody. But some special challenges for us for sure and the guys are staying focused. They’re giving it every single day for each other and that’s huge. When you’re getting good results and competing like this, then it makes the difficult times a little bit easier. And so, we’ve been able to manage to do it the right way. So, we’ve got a tough two games ahead of us. This was the hump game, if you will, in the middle of this thing and now we’ve got to turn around in three days and play again, with a little shorter rest. So, we’ve just got to regroup and keep battling.”

Would you say this was a tough, workmanlike performance?

“I’d say so. I mean we weren’t fantastic with the ball, for sure. At times we were rushing things. In the first half we were a little all over the place with our movement. We weren’t getting the runs and the positioning that we needed to, and we wanted to. It got to be a little bit random and so because of that, and just with the turf, and maybe a little bit of fatigue, we were losing too many balls between our lines that then turned into transitions. And when you lose a ball between the lines you have to transition you have to work double hard in recovery and the field starts to get long. So, I think it starts to wear on us over the course of the game, which really kind of made it a grind. We didn’t hold the ball as much as we needed to, and that would have brought the tempo down. There were a few stretches where we were able to, but not enough over the course of the game for us to really manage the tempo the way we’d like to. But we defended hard. We protected our goal. They didn’t have a lot of great looks.  Obviously, some crosses that we had to deal with. So, we defended well nevertheless.”

JONATHAN OSORIO – MIDFIELDER, TORONTO FC

Thoughts on being the first team to clinch a playoff spot…

“It just goes to show how great of a club this is and the mentality that we have here to keep going no matter what’s thrown at us. Obviously, there’s been a lot of obstacles that have been thrown to every team in the league. Us, here at Toronto, we have dealt with that in the best possible way from top to bottom and it just goes to show on the field when we’re getting results. The team has such good character and guys that have experienced so much in the last several years so, we believe here, we know what we’re capable of, we have high expectations for ourselves now and I think to clinch a playoff spot so early, to be the first ones in the league to clinch, with everything going on it’s a huge compliment and says a lot about this club.”

Last three road games were all 1-0 victories what does that say about the team and your ability to find different ways to win games?

“Yeah I think especially in these last two games, there’s a lot of different factors that made them both very difficult games whether it was the field condition, little bit of tired legs, guys coming back from injury, guys trying to avoid injury it’s been tough but we’ve been able to grind and like I said just shows the character and mentality we have here. We know that we’re able to score goals and obviously we want to score more than one goal in a game, but I think championship DNA you have to be able to win 1-0. This is the way games are sometimes in the playoffs and you have to grind it out and defensively you have to be really sharp, I think this is really good for us right now and this is showing us we can do this and gets us ready for when we go into the playoffs.”

Greg gave some guys like Mullins, Zavaleta and Liam a chance to start tonight, what did you think of the way the guys that haven’t played a lot played tonight?

“Amazing. I think everybody who stepped in did their part and exactly what was asked of them and more. Amazing by everyone who came in, Jayden also came in and did a great job for us. Zav, Pat and then Liam with me in the middle, all great jobs by them to come in, having not had a lot of minutes and coming into a difficult game and grinding that result, it’s not easy and they did an amazing job. Like I said championship teams have depth, when your depth is called upon and they’re always ready to perform. We’re really happy right now with where we’re at as a team and the results we’re getting and the performance of everybody who’s getting called upon. It’s been really good.”

You’ve worn the captain’s armband for a few games, do you have a different understanding of what that means to wear the armband now that you’ve had experience with it?

“Yeah for sure. Like I’ve said I’ve been learning every game that I’ve have it on. Getting put in different situations and trying to get the best of everybody on the team. Now I understand how that feels in that role, it’s actually helped me understand more of what Mike has done all these years and it’s opened my eyes to how good of a job he’s done for this club. Being in that role has made me appreciate even more than I already did of what Mike has done for the club and also has helped me to learn to try and get the best out of your teammates in different situations, trying to find what the team needs and what you need to emphasize in certain games. It’s a good learning experience for me and I’ll keep learning every time that I get a chance to wear it.”

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-