By Ron Kaplan, contributor
Max Fried made his third start and didn’t do badly. He gave up one earned run (two total) on seven hits in 5.1 innings, striking out two and walking one while taking the first loss of his Major League career as the Atlanta Braves (71-85) fell to the host NY Mets, 3-2, in the nightcap of a doubleheader. Fried was 0-for-2 at the plate.
Ryan Sherriff fared well in his relief outing for the St. Louis Cardinals, giving up a hit and striking out two in two frames. Unfortunately, the Cards (81-75) were clobbered by the visiting Chicago Cubs, 10-2, falling two-and-a-half games back in the standings for the second Wild Card spot.
Alex Bregman was 2-for-3 with his 37th double as the Houston Astros (96-60) beat the host Texas Rangers, 11-2. Bregman also scored a run and drove one in on a sacrifice fly. That put the Astros on the scoreboard and got the ball rolling in an 8-run 4th inning.
Kevin Pillar was o-for-4 as the Toronto Blue Jays (74-83) beat the host Boston Red Sox, 6-4.
Joc Pederson struck out as a pinch hitter and remained in the game at centerfield as the LA Dodgers (100-57) finally won their 100th game, beating the visiting San Diego Padres, 9-3. There was a time when it looked like they had a chance to break the all-time ML win record of 116, set by the Chicago Cubs in 1906 (in a 154-game season, although they actually played 155 that year) and tied by the Seattle Mariners in 2001.
Danny Valencia did not appear for the Seattle Mariners (76-81), who beat the host Oakland As, 7-1. If the Ms win their remaining five games, they will finish at the .500 mark. Hey, it’s better than my Mets can do.
All other Jewishly-populated teams had the day off.
Sure enough, the Yom Kippur “dilemma” is starting to make the rounds in the Jewish media. Here’s a story from the LA Jewish Journal on how Sandy Koufax’s decision in 1965 continues to impress.
Ron Kaplan (@RonKaplanNJ) hosts Kaplan’s Korner, a blog about Jews and sports. He is the author of three books, including The Jewish Olympics: The History of the Maccabiah Games and Hank Greenberg in 1938: Hatred and Home Runs in the Shadow of War.
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