Doug Kern 7y

The interesting and unusual stats of the 2016 postseason

By next week, we're already guaranteed to see something that hasn't happened in at least 68 years. But until we decide which "C" logo claims the 2016 World Series, a look at the interesting and unusual ways they got here. Thanks to Baseball Reference for research assistance.

The Cleveland Indians swept their way past the Boston Red Sox, with the American League Division Series opener featuring six home runs. It was the first postseason game ever with six or more homers where all were solo shots, and just the third such game ever played at Progressive Field (the others were in 2013 and 2004).

A rainout delayed the sweep by one day, but Game 3 marked the seventh time Cleveland has won a postseason series on the road. Four of those have been in Boston, including their last World Series title, won in 1948 at Braves Field.

Andrew Miller started his run to the ALCS MVP by recording five outs, all strikeouts, in Game 1. He was the fourth pitcher to do that in a postseason game, the last being Kelvim Escobar in 2005. (Escobar also allowed a homer and lost the game.) Miller's 21 strikeouts currently rank third in a single postseason in Indians history, behind starters Orel Hershiser (35) and Jaret Wright (25).

Francisco Lindor accounted for all the scoring in Game 1 with a two-run homer. He was the second Clevelander whose homer(s) were responsible for all their runs in a postseason win, joining Tony Fernandez, who clinched Cleveland's previous pennant with a solo shot in 1997. Lindor then had the game-winning RBI in Game 2, joining David Justice (also 1997) as the only Indians with go-ahead hits in Games 1 and 2 of the same series.

Travis Wood and Jake Arrieta punctuated the Chicago Cubs' National League Division Series victory with homers in Games 2 and 3 respectively. They joined the 1970 Orioles and 1924 Giants as the only teams with two pitcher home runs in the same postseason. Arrieta's was the first three-run postseason dinger by a pitcher since Steve Carlton hit took Don Sutton deep in the 1978 NLCS. Wood, meanwhile, became the first Cubs reliever to go deep since Carlos Marmol hit his only career round-tripper in 2006.

Aroldis Chapman closed out the series in Game 4 with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, all via strikeout. The only other pitcher to do that in a postseason road clincher was Jim Palmer in the 1971 ALCS.

Jon Lester continued the pitchers' odd batting lines by drawing two walks in NLCS Game 1. No Cubs pitcher had done that in any home game since Rick Sutcliffe-- who threw out the ceremonial first pitch for Game 1-- on Sept. 8, 1990.

After back-to-back shutouts, the Cubs rebounded for 10 runs in Game 4, the first time they had scored 0-0-10 within any series since July 1956 against the then-Milwaukee Braves. It was also their first double-digit total at Dodger Stadium since May 11, 1999 (won 10-5).

In Saturday's pennant-clinching Game 6, the Cubs collected extra-base hits in each of the first five innings, the fourth team to do that in postseason history (first since 2004). The Dodgers, meanwhile, had only four baserunners in the game, had one picked off, and grounded into three double plays to erase the others. The Cubs thus became the first team this season to face the minimum number of batters in a game, something they hadn't done since May 24, 2001 (a Jon Lieber one-hitter against Cincinnati). And the only other time it happened in the postseason was also against the Dodgers. That was Oct. 8, 1956-- a date forever associated with Don Larsen's World Series perfect game.

Other postseason oddities:

Conor Gillaspie, wild card game: Hit Giants' first 9th-inning homer to break a scoreless tie since Rich Aurilia on July 28, 2000. Team's first ever in postseason.

Corey Seager, NLDS: Second player with a first-inning RBI in each of first three games of a postseason series. "Disco" Dan Ford did it for the Angels in the 1979 ALCS.

Carlos Ruiz, NLDS Game 3: Hit Dodgers' first multi-run, pinch-hit postseason homer since Kirk Gibson's famous shot in the 1988 World Series.

Denard Span, NLDS Game 3: First Giant to triple and double in same postseason game since Irish Meusel in 1923.

Adrian Gonzalez, NLCS Game 2: Second Dodger ever to win a 1-0 game at Wrigley Field with a solo homer, joining Dolph Camilli on July 21, 1938.

Rangers: Eliminated in Toronto for second straight season. Join 2013-14 Dodgers (in St. Louis) and 2000-01 Mariners (in the Bronx) as only teams to repeat that "feat" in same road city.

Nationals/Dodgers Game 4: First postseason game ever with five hit-by-pitches; also first to have two with bases loaded.

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