According to Wiki, that ties a record held by 3 others:
Max Carey, July 7, 1922 – six hits, three walks (18-inning game)
Johnny Burnett, July 10, 1932 – nine hits (18-inning game)
Stan Hack, August 9, 1942 – five hits, four walks (18-inning game)
I’m worried that the current commissioner, who cares nothing about the traditions of the game, is going to look at this game as proof that the ghost runner needs to apply for post season games or (shudder) that the home run derby tie breaker be adopted for all games.
It may be Kershaw will be Ohtani’s first relief tonight, as for some odd reason he only faced one batter.
Did you see the graphic displayed during game 1, in the top of the 6th? The one about the World Series matchups between teams that swept the LCS vs teams that won the LCS in 7 games? It has happened 4x before, and this World Series is the 5th time. In the previous 4x the team that swept the LCS lost to the team that won their LCS in 7 games.
➤ 1988 the Oakland Athletics lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers
➤ 2006 the Detroit Tigers lost to the St. Louis Cardinals
➤ 2007 the Colorado Rockies lost to the Boston Red Sox
➤ 2012 the Detroit Tigers lost to the San Francisco Giants
2025?
Said it just above you, so me too. I ain’t even going to touch the chance for a home run derby.
25th inning, Freeman pitches. No ghosts, no derbies.
That’s weird. It suggests time off is good and time off is bad all at once. For pitchers it’s usually good.
The Blue Jays have a hill to climb. They need to score early (1st inning before Ohtani’s lead off HR would be good). Either team wants a pitcher who can go 8, or 9. I reckon Ohtani’s only done that once this year.
I posted that before the series started
The good news is that after last night’s game, if this does go the distance we can all claim to have seen the first 8-game World Series. 
It is a record though because, as the wiki entry states, no one has done that in a post-season game before.
//i\\
The advantage may go to whichever team can get their starting pitcher to pitch the longest and rest their bullpen relievers the most after the ordeal last night. Toronto and Los Angeles, in theory, both ought to ask their pitchers to pull a “Yamamoto” tonight and go the complete-game distance.
The Jays also have got to be at a big morale/mental disadvantage after such a grueling effort ended in a loss.
They’re pros and they must get over that. They’re pros and facing a pitcher and hitter who is at the top of his game. Make him throw a lot. Give him nothing to hit. What little I’ve seen of him he’s too cool to be shaken up, yet you can’t let him go 1-2-3 and then crack a double or HR.
eta: a couple brushback pitches then a couple sliders, yet I don’t know what the Jays pitchers has. And if it’s okay (or wise) to throw inside to Ohtani.
Actually, it might be better to say:
And if it’s okay (or wise) to throw to Ohtani.
The Jay walked him 4 times (ETA: 5, 4 times intentionally, but really all 5 were), and that was probably one too few.
i’ve been waiting for one of the saber sites to discuss this. My understanding from some old articles is that walking even peak Babe Ruth with the bases empty, regardless of the outs, is likely a poor choice, and note that Ohtani had been in a slump before his big game in the NLCS and last night’s 2 double 2 HR game.
Yeah, after four straight hits it’s like enough is enough.
Right now, esp. after last night’s game, go ahead intentionally walk him every time. I gotta think it’d be a first for a leadoff hitter in the 1st inning. The Jays need to manufacture some early runs, get him up to 90+ pitches by the 5th or 6th and not let him beat them offensively. Of course the Dodgers don’t totally need his bat yet I’d rather him on first and try and pick him off than letting him hit anything good.
Yes, but the Jays will be encouraged by the fact that none of the Dodgers batting after Ohtani made Toronto pay in any way for this approach.
Ohtani was walked 5 times. At no point did any Dodger behind him get hits that sent Ohtani to home base. Los Angeles had 10 consecutive scoreless innings during this strategy. Toronto only lost because of Freeman solo-HR-ing it. With the method working for them, Toronto would be wise to keep using it from here on out.
Figured Fangraphs would be on top of the IBB thang, and they are [quasi paywall warning: if you are below their max free article count, which I think is 5, you should be able to read the whole thing]:
I guess once you decide Ohtani’s not going to beat you, you kinda stick with the notion even when walking the bases full (I don’t recall if the article mentioned if that set up an any-base force play, i.e. 1st/2nd and 3rd walk which would have mitigated the stubborn idea a little).
That and I suppose Ohtani doesn’t chase bad pitches and/or it’s not worth throwing four off-plate pitches when you are nearly out of bullpen.
The conclusions in the article were unanimous, in that walking Ohtani in each situation was a bad plan. Yet not once did it cost the Jays a run, which in each case would have ended the game.
ISTM that the strategy worked.
The Jays’ manager says that this will continue to be their strategy with Ohtani.