Well, I don't think any team has ever been swept and shutout in a series. The closest I found was the 1998 and 1999 ALDS. Both times, TEX was shutout vs. NYY in 2 of the games, and lost 3-1 in the 2nd game, at Yankee Stadium.

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Even though this game is blacked out on pretty much every website and TV channel (minus this Spanish broadcast on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvW...), I noticed that if Maddon goes with Hammel for G4, then he will have used the same rotation, same order that he did last year in the NLDS.

G1 last year, road team got shutout, G1 this year, road team got shutout. G2 last year, Hendricks drove in a run. Here, he drives in 2 runs.

<Jayson Stark
ESPN Senior Writer

I do wonder if the Dodgers lose the next 2 games, would they bring Kershaw on short rest? They've done that in the past, but looks like they can't now, as they would have to go with Hill in Game 5, or Maeda on 2 days rest (which isn't happening).

As for the Nats, Giants, Sox and Rangers, I can see them possibly bringing back their G1 starter in a possible G4.

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<ESPN Stats and Information

<This year’s big league average on 2-1 counts is .327 with a .521 slugging percentage; batters have been about half as productive on 1-2 counts, hitting .164 with a .233 slugging percentage. Averages on all two-strike counts, meanwhile, range from .148 on 0-2 to .210 on full counts, while every average on balls put in play for all other counts is at least .319. (While modern-day baseball fans know that batting average fails to adequately reflect a player’s overall offensive value, the metric still indicates a hitter’s approach and quality of swing on a particular pitch, as well as the quality of the pitch he is facing.)>

What batters hit on a 2-1 count vs. a 1-2 count doesn't mean a whole lot. What has value is what batters hit in at-bats when the count has reached 2-1 vs. 1-2, not just on that one pitch.

That batting averages are much higher on 2-1 vs. 1-2 is just too obvious. At 2-1 a batter can choose to swing at a strike or not, depending on whether he thinks he can hit it. And of course he can't strike out. If he swings and misses it just doesn't count in the calculation.

With a 1-2 count a batter must swing at any strike or strike out. And if he swings and misses he's out.

A chart of hitting on different counts:

<Count Average on that pitch

0-0 .342
0-1 .321
1-0 .337
1-1 .319
1-2 .164
2-1 .327>

Well, yeah, if a guy likes a pitch with less than two strikes and does hit it fair (already partially successful), he's going to hit over .300. And no strikeouts.

And with a 1-2 count the average is clearly going to be much lower. Once again, swing and a miss, out. Let a strike go by, out. Have to swing at pitches he wouldn't swing at with one or no strikes.

It's an interesting subject, from both the pitcher and batter point of view.

If a batter never swings at a first pitch, pitchers will just throw fastballs down the middle of the plate.

And woo, Jays advance to ALCS. Odor (out of all guys) commits the error that eliminates Texas.

This year Andrus made a poor throw to second, tough play though, which led to Odor making a bad throw to first and letting in the winning run.

Rangers made three consecutive low throws on that play.

Could be 2004.

I did have the Sox making it all the way to the WS, losing to the Cubs. I think I like the Jays' chances against the Indians better than the Sox, but oh well, let's just play.