The 1966 Baltimore Orioles pitching staff will live on in baseball history. Francisco Lindor made sure of it on Monday afternoon.
After finishing the NLDS with 24 consecutive shutout innings against the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Dodgers opened the NLCS with yet another shutout, beating the New York Mets 9-0.
Those 33 straight innings of no-run ball pulled Dodgers pitchers into a tie with that fabled Orioles staff for the longest scoreless stretch in MLB post-season history.
So, entering Game 2, Los Angeles just needed one more frame without allowing a run to break the record.
But Lindor had other plans, greeting Dodgers right-hander Ryan Brasier with a lead-off solo homer in the top of the first. The at-bat, in of itself, was impressive, as Lindor fouled off three straight pitches with two strikes — including one off his ankle — before launching Brasier’s eighth offering 395 feet into the right-field bullpen.
The 1966 Orioles won the World Series over the Dodgers. Their pitching staff included All-Stars Dave McNally, Jim Palmer and Steve Barber.
The Mets shortstop has continued to provide his resilient club with big swings this season, and Monday’s longball signalled that the Game 1 blowout is in the past.
You can watch the rest of Game 2 on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ as New York looks to even the NLCS in Los Angeles.