Tim Leary pitched 13 years in the big leagues and had his best season in 1988, going 17-11 with a 2.91 ERA in 35 games to help the Dodgers win the World Series over the Oakland Athletics.
Now 58 and living in Santa Monica, Leary is serving as a guest analyst for the World Series between the Dodgers and Houston Astros with an assist from Times staff writer Mike DiGiovanna.
DiGiovanna: With two on and no outs in the sixth and the Dodgers down by a run, Fox analyst John Smoltz was adamant in his opinion that Chris Taylor should bunt the runners up. Be honest. Did you agree?
Leary: Well, no. He’s been swinging the bat too well. These guys don’t even practice sacrifice bunting very much anymore.
And it’s not like the pitcher is up there bunting, and he’s going to automatically get a fastball down the middle.
It’s a different strategy with a position player up. He might get breaking ball, breaking ball, breaking ball, and it’s going to be a lot harder to bunt. You’ve got the top of the order up. You want to throw up a big number.
Taylor got a 97-mph, 1-and-2 fastball and hit it the other way for a double. That’s what I mean, this guy’s been on fire.
Kenley Jansen, who Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said would “probably be limited to three outs,” got a six-out save but threw only 19 pitches, 18 for strikes. Will he be able to throw multiple innings again in Game 7?
Definitely. Monday’s off day helped, and 19 pitches for him is like a one-inning outing. He’s a horse. He’ll take the ball for three innings. It’s the way pro athletes are wired. Kenley has struggled some in this series, but he looked dominant Tuesday. That will be good for his confidence.
Cody Bellinger had another rough night at the plate with four strikeouts, but he made a game-saving scoop of Justin Turner’s one-hop throw to first with two on to end the seventh and preserve a 2-1 lead. Does Bellinger’s defense get lost amid all the home runs he hits?
Oh yeah, he’s great defensively, without a doubt. I mean, I’ve never seen him not make a play. Defense at first base is one area that doesn’t get the kudos that it deserves.
Cody’s a Keith Hernandez-type, a left-handed thrower who can take away the bunt, make all the throws, make all the plays … that’s a huge defensive position. If you have a way-above-average player at first, it’s a big bonus.
The Astros put runners on second and third with no outs in the fifth, and Dodgers starter Rich Hill fell behind Josh Reddick with a three-ball count. How did they not score there?
That was a huge at-bat, definitely a turning point that prevented the Astros from putting up a crooked number. Hill got a called strike, a foul ball and struck out Reddick with a nice curve.
Then Justin Verlander, the pitcher, struck out, and George Springer is intentionally walked.
I liked that Roberts went to [setup man] Brandon Morrow there against Alex Bregman. Morrow is dominant, he has overpowering stuff, and the off day refreshed him. He kept the ball down and got the ground ball from Bregman. You want to go with your best there. There’s no tomorrow.
What did you think of Roberts’ bullpen management for the rest of the game?
Tony Watson looked a little wobbly when he hit Brian McCann with a pitch to put two on with two outs in the sixth. Clearly, that’s not the strategy of the game.
But he got out of it when [Marwin] Gonzalez hit a little line drive to the second baseman.
The leadoff walk to Reddick in the next inning could have turned into a disaster, especially when Kenta Maeda replaced Watson and fell behind [pinch hitter] Evan Gattis with a two-ball count.
Maeda’s next pitch, a fastball, was about three inches off the plate and called a strike. That was the biggest break ever. It changed the complexion of the at-bat. You go from 3-0 to 2-1.
Maeda threw a great slider that Gattis swung over for strike two, and then Gattis hit a low fastball for a fielder’s choice. Gattis is more of a high-ball hitter, so Maeda executed the pitch.
How do the teams line up for Game 7, with Yu Darvish scheduled to start for the Dodgers and Lance McCullers for the Astros?
I thought the teams were so even that it would go seven games.
The difference in the teams is that the Dodgers have a deeper bullpen when they’re on, but the Astros have that extra starter in the bullpen, and that’s what it could come down to in Game 7.
McCullers to Charlie Morton is Plan A for the Astros. Darvish needs to get the Dodgers reasonably deep into the game, then it’s gonna be all hands on deck. It’s gonna be a war.
Clayton Kershaw and Alex Wood will both be available for the Dodgers, and Dallas Keuchel will be available for Houston. Kershaw could throw 30-40 pitches. He’s not gonna say, “Take me out,” I know that.
Will the Astros need more from Bregman, Altuve and Carlos Correa, the two-three-four hitters who combined to go one for 12 Tuesday night?
The Dodgers got their three runs Tuesday from the bottom four hitters, so it’s not like you can stay the top four batters in each lineup need to do it. It’s gonna be more about the pitching.
When you get to this level, baseball games are lost. Whoever makes the most mistakes, whether it’s a poor pitch, a guy getting behind in counts, walks, errors, you name it, the team that makes the most mistakes loses.
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Joc Pederson celebrates a home run in the seventh inning.
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Joc Pederson celebrates his solo home run against the Astros with 3rd base coach Chris Woodward in the seventh inning.
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Joc Pederson celebrates his solo home run against the Astros in the seventh inning.
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Joc Pederson hits a solo solo home run in the seventh inning.
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Kenley Jansen celebrates at the end of the game after striking out Astros’ Carlos Betran in Game 6.
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Chris Taylor hits an RBI double against the Astros in the sixth inning.
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Cody Bellinger reacts after striking out in the eighth inning.
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Yasiel Puig, left, Joc Pederson and Chris Taylor celebrate as the Dodgers win game 6.
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Kenley Jansen reacts with his teammates after winning game 6.
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Fans celebrate as the Dodgers beat the Astros 3-1 in Game 6.
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Cody Bellinger strikes out in the eighth inning of game 6.
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Chase Utley is congratulated by teammates after scoring a run against the Astros in the sixth inning.
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Fans celebrate as they exit Dodger Stadium after the Dodgers beat the Astros 3-1 in Game 6.
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Kenley Jansen embraces Cody Bellinger after the Dodgers win game 6.
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Joc Pederson celebrates a home run in the seventh inning.
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Kenta Maeda reacts after escaping a seventh inning jam holding a 2-1 lead.
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Dodgers fans cheer in the 6th inning.
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Chase Utley is congratulated by Enrique Hernandez after scoring a run in he sixth inning.
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Chris Taylor hits an RBI single against the Astros in the sixth inning.
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Chris Taylor shakes his hands as he celebrtes an RBI double in the sixth inning.
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Chris Taylor races down the baseline after hitting a double to score the tying run against the Astros in the sixth inning.
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Kenta Maeda pitches against the Astros in Game 6.
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Justin Verlander wlaks back to the dugout after giving up the lead to the Dodgers in the sixth.
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Justin Turner tosses his bat while popping-out in the 6th inning against the Astros in Game 6.
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Fans cheer as the Dodgers pull ahead of the Astros in the sixth inning.
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Chase Utley is hit by a pitch in the sixth inning.
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Fans celebrate after the Dodgers beat the Astros 3-1 in Game 6.
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Dodgers reliever Brandon Morrow receives a pat on the back from Cody Bellinger as he waits for manager Dave Roberts to pull him from the game in the sixth inning.
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Dave Roberts calls for relief pitcher Brandon Morrow to replace starter Rich Hill, right, in the fifth inning in game 6.
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Joc Pederson reacts as he flies out in the fifth inning.
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Lakers legendary basketball player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar waves the Dodgers flag to rally Dodgers fans.
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Astros George Springer celebrates his solo home run in the 3rd inning.
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Dodgers fans cheer in the 6th inning in Game 6.
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Houston Astros center fielder George Springerruns the bases after hitting a solo go-ahead homer in the third inning.
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Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig climbs the wall but can’t reach a home run ball hit by Astros George Springer in the 3rd inning.
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Chris Taylor calls off Corey Seager on a third inning pop up from Astros batter Josh Reddick.
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Dodger fans cheer the team before the start of Game 6.
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Allen Estrada eats a Dodger dog while wearing a hot dog costume during Game 6.
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George Springer homers off Rich Hill int he third innnig.
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Dodgers center fielder Chris Taylor tosses his batting helmet after striking out in the third inning.
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Yasiel Puig reacts after hitting a single in the second inning.
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LOS ANGELES, CA, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2017 -Justin Verlander pitches a scoreless first inning in game six of the World Series at Dodger Stadium. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times) (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
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Rich Hill gets Astros’ Carlos Correa to hit into an inning ending grounder in the first.
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Tommy Lasorda, left and Orel Hershiser hug after throwing out the first pitch in game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
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Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw walks to the bullpen at the start of Game 6.
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Maggie Ethier, right, takes a photo of her husband, Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier, and their 16-month-old daughter, Everly, wearing a witch costume for Halloween before the start of Game 6.
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Fans painted with blue faces rally with fellow Dodgers fans.
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Dodgers’ fan Angel Rodriguez, of East Los Angeles shows his Dodger pride as he watches game 6.
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Jarratt Rouse, of Santa Barbara, sports his popcorn Halloween costume before the start of Game 6.
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Madison Jack, 3, of Rancho Santa Margarita, wears her Tinker Bell costume while taking in the World Series scene before the Dodgers game.
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“Great Bambino” watches as the Dodgers play the Astros in Game 6.
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Mark Morocco, of Palm Springs, shows off his Vin Scully tattoo and his Dodger dog “Great Bambino.”
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Marissa Arnold and her son, Aidan Arnold, 14, of Break, sport their painted faces on Halloween before the Dodgers game against the Astros.
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Joseph Argilagos Sr. and his son, Joseph Argilagos, of Los Angeles, sport beards.
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Yasiel Puig takes in batting practice before Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts laughs during batting practice before Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.
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Dodger fans share a light moment before Game 6 of the World Series against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium.
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An Astros fan cheers on her team as the Dodgers play the Astros in Game 6.
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Dodger fans watch batting practice before Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
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Dodger fans dressed for Halloween watch batting practice under cloudy skies before Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
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A Dodger fan takes a photo with former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager before Game 6.
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A fan dressed as a Dodger dog before Game 6 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
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Dodger fans dresses in costume for Halloween watch the team take batting practice before Game 6 of the World Series.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) The Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series
mike.digiovanna@latimes.com
Follow Mike DiGiovanna on Twitter @MikeDiGiovanna
