Murray won 24 straight matches, from corse178's blog
CHICAGO -- Theyre not just winning the World Series. Custom New York Knicks Jersey . Theyre not just puncturing dreams all over Chicago. The Cleveland Indians are winning this World Series behind an ace who feels as if he just dropped into this postseason out of a time machine.Hes Corey Kluber. And at this point, were not sure which October legend we should be comparing him to. To Christy Mathewson? To Jack Morris? To Orel Hershiser?What Kluber is doing, no one does anymore. Not in the 21st century. Give him the ball in Game 1. Give him the ball in Game 4. Give him the ball in Game 7 if you have to.His team realized weeks ago it had no choice but to try to win this way. So you know what the ace said when the Indians asked him if that would be OK?I said, Thats what Im planning on, Kluber said Saturday night, after his latest October masterpiece lifted his team to within a game of winning its first World Series in nearly seven decades.He stood on the grass of Wrigley Field an hour after pitching the Indians to a 7-2 Game 4 win over the Cubs. The giant video board over his shoulder flashed, 2016 WORLD SERIES. And the Indians now lead that World Series, 3 games to 1.But the ballpark around him was as quiet. And frankly, that was mostly his fault.It was almost like a party, Kluber said, to have 40,000 people yelling your name.But by yelling his name, that wasnt to be confused with cheering his name. Because the single biggest reason the Cubs are in the mess theyre in right now can be summed up in two words: Corey Kluber. So he would not be the most popular human in Chicago these days, no matter how loud they were yelling his name Saturday evening.The ace has started Games 1 and 4, and won Games 1 and 4 -- by giving up a total of one run in 12 innings. Its no big deal to him. But who does this in the modern world of pitch counts, innings thresholds and third-time-through-the-order phobias? Nobody does this. That would be your answer. Hes the first starting pitcher to win Games 1 and 4 of any World Series since Jose Rijo -- in 1990.You dont see that stuff happening anymore, his pitching coach Mickey Callaway said.Correct. And because the ace keeps taking the ball on short rest, everybody in this rotation takes the ball on short rest. So the Indians have set themselves up, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, to become just the second team in the past 22 years to win a World Series while using only three starting pitchers.The only other team to do it, if youre curious, was the 2009 Yankees. But those 2009 Yankees at least had three viable starters, in CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and A.J. Burnett. The Indians went into this postseason with, basically, an ace and a prayer.So when they mapped out their postseason pitching plans, they werent formulating those plans out of some sense of futuristic innovation. They were formulating their plans out of sheer desperation. Because someone has to pitch. Every night. The rules say so. So it didnt take a whole lot of deep sabermetric thinking for the Indians to come to the conclusion that the more the ace pitched, the better off theyd be.The injuries made us do it, Callaway said with a laugh. I dont think this was the plan at all. But when you lose two of your starting pitchers, then you have to adjust.Kluber has started five times since then. His ERA, after those five trips to the mound, is a spectacular 0.89. Only one pitcher in the history of baseball ever rolled up a better ERA in his first five postseason starts. That would be Mathewson at 0.38.So its true that unlike Kluber, Mathewson made all of those starts in the World Series. But he also made them over 100 years ago. In a very different time and place.Meanwhile back in Cleveland, the ace also has started twice in this postseason on three days rest. Thats something hed never done before this October and something only three other pitchers in the last decade (Sabathia, Chris Carpenter and Clayton Kershaw) have done in a single postseason.Now the Cubs would have to rise up and win Games 5 and 6 to force Kluber to pitch again in this World Series. But the ace is prepared to come back on short rest one more time in Game 7 if he has to. And if he does, that would make him and Curt Schilling the only pitchers to start Games 1, 4 and 7 of any World Series in the last quarter-century.It wasnt like this was some deal where we had to adjust on the fly, Callaway said, where we just said yesterday, Hey, youve got to pitch tomorrow. He knew two or three weeks ago, when the postseason started, that he was going to have to do this. So thats even more pressure on him. When we lost those two starters (Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar), he knew right away, like, Ohhhh crap, Im going to have to throw a lot more innings. He has now thrown 30? of those innings in this postseason, which is two more than all other Cleveland starters combined. And hes up to 245? innings since Opening Day. Thats the most he has ever pitched in his life. But when asked Saturday night if he was feeling the weight of all those innings, Kluber spoke like a man who had decided to will himself not to feel anything until all this is over.When its all said and done, I might feel it, he said. But right now, youre running in these games on so much adrenaline that once you get out there, it all goes out the window.Four weeks ago, he might have been the most top-secret Cy Young winner on earth. But October is a time when secrets like that are revealed. Kluber has shown this month, and especially in this World Series, that he can not only shut down the best lineups in baseball, but he can also do it with four different pitches.He dazzled the Cubs with his darting two-seam fastball last Tuesday. Then four days later, he overmatched them with the curveball that is really his signature out pitch and one of the best pitches in baseball.He probably hasnt even thrown a changeup to these guys yet, Callaway said. So if he has to face them again, you might see some really good changeups.Two years ago, you might recall a fellow named Madison Bumgarner turning himself into a one-man rotation because thats what it took for the Giants to win themselves a World Series. Well, outside of the fact that Kluber hasnt made any emergency five-inning relief outings yet, isnt this practically the same thing?Thats what it seems like, left fielder Rajai Davis?said. To hold em for so long, thats what you need in the postseason. You need a pitcher like that to be able to lean on.Hes our rock. Hes our foundation. ... Hes been our everything. If we can, we might have to put him on our shoulders in the celebration and march around the field.His team is now one win away from unfurling that celebration. So if you see Kluber riding on all those shoulders as the fireworks pop and the champagne flows, youll know why.This guy hasnt gotten his due. Hes won a Cy Young, and he still hasnt been a household name, Jason Kipnis said. But after this, I dont think hes going to have to worry about that anymore.Charles Oakley Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. New York Knicks T-shirts . Speaking to the Chicago Tribune at baseballs Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Boras called the former home of the Expos a "tremendous environment" for baseball. http://www.nbaknicksauthority.com/kristaps-porzingis-knicks-jersey-c-20/ . I cant pinpoint a date, but I do remember a player from my youth. Brian Downing was with the Chicago White Sox at a time when I listened to every game I possibly could on the radio. That particular season the late great Harry Caray was calling the White Sox games. NEW YORK -- After falling short at the Rio Olympics, Serena Williams?returns to the court at the US Open. The world No. 1 will be featured in Arthur Ashe Stadium in Tuesdays first night match (7 p.m. ET on ESPN). While Serena will headline Day 2, heres everything else you need to know:Watch every matchAt 11 a.m. ET, the first wave of matches will begin on ESPN3 for the entire day. Click to watch.?At 1 p.m. ET, ESPN2 and WatchESPN begin coverage. Click to watch.?To view starting times of upcoming days at the US Open, click here.?Live scoringOur real-time scoreboard, updated stats and social handles can be found on one spot, US Open CourtCast.?BracketsFind out whos moving on (and whos not) with our US Open mens and womens brackets. ?Tuesdays key matchesNo. 6 Venus Williams versus Kateryna Kozlova, third match in Arthur Ashe Stadium (Watch)Hard to imagine Venus, 36, would still be viable on tour 16 years after winning her first US Open -- never mind being the No. 6 seed. Its been a roller coaster of results for Venus, who reached the semifinals of Wimbledon last month but then fell in the opening round of Rio in singles and doubles with sister Serena. However, Venus teamed with Rajeev Ram and reached the mixed-doubles final. On Tuesday, Venus, who made the US Open quarterfinals last year, will meet Kozlova for the first time.Juan Martin del Potro versus Diego Schwartzman, third match in Louis Armstrong Stadium (Watch)Fresh off a magical Rio run, del Potro has to be the most dangerous unseeded player in the draw. The 6-foot-6 Argentine stunned Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at the Olympics, only to lose a hair-raising four-set final against Andy Murray. Del Potro, who made it clear that his goal was nothing more than to be able to play pain-free in Rio, won the 2009 US Open. Since then, he has undergone four wrist surgeries and has missed more than two years worth of action. No question, del Potro will be a sentimental favorite here in NNew York. Charles Oakley Knicks Jersey. .No. 1 Serena Williams versus Ekaterina Makarova, 7 p.m. ET in Arthur Ashe Stadium (Watch)All eyes will be on the world No. 1, who will be vying to break a tie with Steffi Graf as the Open era leader in Grand Slam titles. But there are concerns over Serenas level of play and health as she enters the final major of the season. She lost in the third round of the Olympics to Elina Svitolina and then pulled out of the Western & Southern Open with an ongoing shoulder injury. Serena is 4-1 lifetime against Makarova, including two wins against the Russian at the US Open.No. 2 Andy Murray versus Lukas Rosol, after Serena-Makarova (Watch)The red-hot Scot will be riding the momentum of his Wimbledon and Rio titles into New York. Murray won 24 straight matches, a streak that was stopped in the Cincinnati final by Marin Cilic. Still, Murray is rife with confidence, and many believe he, not defending champ Djokovic, will leave New York with the title. Murrays first opponent, however, wont be a pushover. It could also be contentious. Last season, Rosol bumped Murray on a changeover in Munich, to which Murray retorted: No one likes you on the tour. Everyone hates you. Murray is 2-0 in his career against Rosol.No. 14 Nick Kyrgios versus Aljaz Bedene, fourth match in old Grandstand (Watch)?Big things have been expected from Kyrgios, 21, since he stunned Nadal at Wimbledon two years ago. The Aussie is finally showing his game can be just as loud as his antics. Hes won two titles this season, including the Atlanta Open just a few weeks ago. But can he leverage his stellar play in New York? Last year, Kyrgios had the unfortunate luck of drawing Murray in the opening round. But this year, he takes the court ranked a career-high No. 16 (and seeded 14). The courts in New York suit his hard-hitting game well. Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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