DYK: Save puts Peacock in elite company

The Astros remain perfect at home this postseason, and they have a pitcher who was drafted in the 41st round to thank.
Right-hander Brad Peacock, far from a household name before the 2017 season, continued his astonishing rise on Friday night in Game 3 of the World Series. His gutsy 11-out save at Minute Maid Park wrapped up a 5-3 Astros victory over the Dodgers and delivered a 2-1 lead to Houston in the Series.
Peacock's 3 2/3 innings tied Dodgers pitcher Steve Howe (Game 6, 1981) for the second-longest save in a World Series game since 1969 when the save became an official statistic. Better yet, Peacock did not allow a single hit, tying Yankees pitcher Ken Clay (Game 1, 1978 American League Championship Series) for the longest hitless save recorded in a postseason game.
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How important was the Astros' Game 3 victory? Since the World Series moved to the 2-3-2 format in 1946, teams taking Game 3 at home to grab a 2-1 Series lead have become champions 11 of 16 times -- including eight of the past nine. In 2013, the Cardinals jumped ahead of the Red Sox at Busch Stadium but then lost the next three. Before that, no team had fallen short in the Fall Classic in such a scenario since the 1964 Yankees against the Cardinals.
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Before the Astros and Dodgers meet tonight at Minute Maid Park for a crucial Game 4, here are facts and figures you should know from Houston's big win:
Peacock saves the day
• The only World Series save longer than the one recorded by Peacock on Friday was the legendary one of five innings by Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner in Game 7 of the 2014 Fall Classic.
• No pitcher had ever recorded a save of at least 11 outs in a World Series game without allowing a hit before Peacock.
• Peacock became just the 13th pitcher to record a save of at least 11 outs in a postseason game, and the seventh to do so in the World Series. The previous record for longest hitless save in World Series action was Mets pitcher Tug McGraw's 2 2/3 scoreless innings in Game 5 of the 1973 Fall Classic.
• Following Lance McCullers Jr.'s four-out save in Game 7 of the ALCS, the Astros are the first team since the save became an official stat (1969) to win two games in the same postseason in which two pitchers recorded a save of at least three innings. The '64 Cardinals, who enjoyed heroic save efforts from Barney Schultz (three innings in Game 1) and Ron Taylor in their World Series victory, would have also qualified under today's rules.
• Until now, there had not been a postseason with multiple saves of 11-plus outs -- even from players on different teams.

They have it made at Minute Maid
• By improving to 7-0 this postseason at Minute Maid Park, the Astros tied the 2008 World Series-champion Phillies for the best home record in a single postseason. That Philadelphia club is the only other team to start a postseason by winning its first seven home games.
• Houston is the eighth team to win at least seven home games during a playoff run, with each of the previous seven capturing a championship, most recently the 2015 Royals (7-1). The '02 Angels (8-1) were the only club to win eight home games in a postseason.
• Overall this postseason, home teams are 25-9 (.735), setting an all-time record for victories. That's also the highest home winning percentage since home teams went 15-4 (.789) in 1987, eight years before the postseason expanded to include the Division Series.

• Houston has outscored its opponents 36-10 at home this postseason, outhomering them 11-2.
• Houston's latest home win certainly put it on the right side of history. In all best-of-seven postseason series, teams ahead 2-1 have won the series 94 of 134 times.
• The Dodgers can take solace in the fact that three of the past four teams to fall behind 2-1 in the World Series have come back to win. The 2016 Cubs, '14 Giants and '13 Red Sox all accomplished that feat.

Astros knock out Darvish early
• Dodgers starter Yu Darvish lasted just 1 2/3 innings in the shortest outing of his career. Darvish had completed at least three innings every time he took the ball in the Majors. It also was the first time he didn't record a strikeout.
• Darvish surrendered six hits and four earned runs -- one more than in his past five starts combined. Over his final three regular-season outings and first two in the postseason, Darvish allowed just three earned runs in 30 2/3 innings.
• Darvish generated only one swing and miss from the Astros -- who struck out the least of any team in baseball this year -- over 49 pitches. The fewest swinging strikes Darvish had previously recorded in any of his previous 135 outings of at least 50 pitches thrown was two (April 28, 2014, against the A's).

• Houston knocked six different batted balls with exit velocities of at least 100 mph, according to Statcast™, while recording only five outs against Darvish. Those six scorchers tie for the most 100-plus mph batted balls Darvish has allowed in any game since Statcast™ began tracking in 2015, with the other game coming in a start in which he lasted six innings and allowed only two earned runs to the Indians on June 28.
McCullers throws Dodgers for a loop
• The last time we saw McCullers, he was ending the ALCS with 24 straight curveballs against the Yankees. Together, he and Charlie Morton combined to throw curveballs on 60.2 percent of their total pitches -- which was the highest use of curveballs by a team in any game, regular or postseason, since pitch tracking began in 2008.
McCullers doubled down on his high-velocity, high-spin curve Friday night, throwing it on 54 -- or 62.1 percent -- of his 87 pitches against the Dodgers. That set a new standard for the highest use of curveballs by any pitcher in any start of at least 50 pitches -- regular or postseason -- since pitch tracking began in 2008. The previous high mark was 61.1 percent by Red Sox starter Drew Pomeranz on April 28.
• Overall, McCullers has thrown 166 curves out of 271 pitches (61.3 percent) this postseason. Batters have gone just 10-for-60 (.167) against the right-hander in October.

• All three of McCullers' strikeouts came against Cody Bellinger, who saw just 10 pitches in those three at-bats. Nine of them were curves, three of which Bellinger swung at and missed for strike three.
• Left-handed batters have gone 3-for-27 (.111) with 10 strikeouts against McCullers this postseason. Joc Pederson's fifth-inning double marked the first extra-base hit recorded by a lefty against McCullers in October. He allowed just a .573 OPS to left-handed batters during the regular season, second only to Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg (min. 200 at-bats).
Dodger blues
• Kenta Maeda came up big for the Dodgers after Darvish's short start, tossing 2 2/3 scoreless innings while allowing one hit and one walk and striking out two. Maeda has faced 30 batters this postseason, retired 27 and not given up a run over nine innings.
Only two pitchers have ever finished a single postseason with at least nine innings and no more than three baserunners allowed -- Dennis Lamp of the 1985 Blue Jays and Mike Timlin of the 2003 Red Sox.

• Bellinger had a tough night at the plate, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts, becoming the first Dodgers player to do that in a World Series. He has company in this Series, though: George Springer also recorded four strikeouts in four at-bats in Game 1. This is the first World Series in history in which at least one player on each team recorded a "Golden Sombrero."
• The Dodgers went homerless for just the second time in 11 games this postseason. They had gone deep at least once in eight straight contests and at least twice in five straight, tying a record for a single postseason held by the 2004 Astros and '08 Rays.