Florida pitchers Josh Beckett and Carl Pavano have never thrown on three days' rest. They've never been in the World Series before, either.
Beckett gets the ball for Saturday's Game 6 against the New York Yankees and if things don't work out for the Marlins, Pavano will try it in Game 7 on Sunday.
Modern MLB's five-man rotations usually provide four days off for pitchers. Recent history is not terribly encouraging for teams departing from that regimen.
According to statisticians Elias Sports Bureau, over the last five postseasons, pitchers have made 37 starts on three or fewer days off. The results: a 6-20 record with a 5.93 ERA. That includes Andy Pettitte's win for the Yankees in Game 2 of the Series against the Marlins. Pitching on three days' rest, Pettitte came within one out of a shutout.
There was a time, though, when three days' rest was considered the full complement of time off. And there are several World Series examples of pitchers coming back, not on three, but rather just two days' rest.
It was nothing special for Bob Gibson.
"If I had Bobby Gibson out there today on three days' rest, would anybody be asking me how I pitch Bobby Gibson?" Florida manager Jack McKeon cracked.
The last time the Yankees were in the Series, Arizona's Curt Schilling made two starts on three days' rest, both no-decisions. Randy Johnson won Games 2 and 6 and came out of the bullpen to win Game 7 with no days' rest.
In the 1965 Series between Minnesota and LA, Sandy Koufax declined the Game 1 start because it fell on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur. The Twins beat Don Drysdale in the opener and then defeated Koufax in Game 2.
Koufax came back for Game 5 on three days' rest and threw a four-hit shutout. When the Twins won Game 6, Koufax came back for Game 7, this time on two days' rest, and threw a three-hit shutout to win the Series.
The year before, Gibson did the same thing for St. Louis.
Gibson lost Game 2 of the Series and then came back for Game 5 on three days' rest to pitch a complete-game 10-inning victory. When the Series went to Game 7, Gibson was back again, this time on two days' rest, for another complete-game victory to clinch the Series.
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