Saturday League Championship Series Open Thread

The afternoon game will draw many Royals’ fans attention for the fact that the Brewers are playing but the pitching matchup might be more interesting than you imagine, at first. Hyun-Jin Ryu, making the start for the Dodgers, is definitely an interesting name to keep an eye on if you’ve never heard of him before. This was his fifth year in the league and he managed a 1.97 ERA, this year. The issue is that he only did it in 15 starts. He’s never made more than 30 starts in a season and that was his first, in 2013. It’s too bad the 31-year-old can’t stay healthy because he has a career ERA of 3.20.

Journeyman pitcher Wade Miley gets the start for Milwaukee and he has a 2.57 ERA this season in 16 starts. His career ERA is nothing compared to Ryu’s at 4.26 but he seems to consistently pitch better than anyone thinks he will.

The nightcap is a no-brainer for exciting pitching, however. Two of the best starters in the entire world will face off against each other as Chris Sale takes the hill for the Red Sox and Justin Verlander does the honors for the Astros. This matchup should make Astros fans feel pretty excited. Last season was Sale’s first in the post-season and he took the loss in two of the games while the Astros won the series 3-1. He had an 8.38 ERA while losing his start in Game 1 and as a reliever in Game 4. Justin Verlander was the winner in both matches as he also started the first game and relieved in the fourth.