The Franco-Files Postseason Edition #2 (10/8)

In which we track the exploits of Julio Franco, the oldest player in the post-season.

Game 3 of the National League Division Series Between the Braves and Astros.

Julio sat out Game 2 of the series, unfortunate because Roger Clemens, the oldest pitcher in all of baseball, started the game for the Astros. It would have been very interesting to see 90 years worth of life experience combine in a head-to-head batter-pitcher match-up.

Julio had faced the Rocket during the regular season, on April 18. He went 0-for-3 with two groundouts and a strikeout against Clemens, so perhaps that's why Bobby Cox went with Adam LaRoche at first base for the ballgame. That's irrelevant, as the Braves won the Game, 7-1. Of course, when Julio faced Clemens in April, Roger wasn't the oldest player in all of baseball. He wasn't even the oldest pitcher on the Astros. That honor, obviously, belonged to John Franco, and we here at GPC are very disappointed that our similarly monikered heroes will not get the chance to go up against one another in the postseason.

Anyway, let's get to the matter at hand. No, not the matter that is always at hand, the eternal now...ah, the hell with it.

Let's talk about Julio's performance in Game 3. Julio was called into the game in his first pinch-hitting appearance of the postseason. The situation? One out and no one on in the ninth inning, with the Braves losing, 7-3. Julio was batting for Atlanta reliever Jim Brower, facing dominating Astros closer Brad Lidge.

Julio went 1-for-3 against the 28-year-old Lidge during the regular season, with his hit coming on May 7, the same game in which he homered off of Andy Pettitte. Julio is now 2-for-4 off Lidge in 2005, as he golfed a 2-2 pitch out of the dirt into left field for a base hit. This was Julio's first hit in the postseason in four at-bats, raising his average to .250.

Pete Orr, whose role on the Braves seems to be Julio's exclusive pinch-runner, immediately replaced Julio on the basepaths. Orr did not advance past first base, however, as Rafael Furcal flied out to right and Marcus Giles struck out to end the game. Atlanta loses, 7-3.

Like the Yankees, the Braves (and, by extension, Julio) are on the brink of elimination. They are staring death in the face. Root for Julio to help extend Atlanta's season today against the Houston Astros!

GPC wants to live, dammit!