Furthermore, in 13 of those 18 games, including 10 of the last 12, the starters pitched six or more innings.

Torre said that all the starters had pitched big games, but he considered recent history in deciding how to line them up.

It was not supposed to be so close, not with the way the starters pitched.

Torre said he could ask the other starters to pitch on short rest but was not inclined to do so this late in the season.

In 36 games, the starters had pitched into the seventh inning or beyond 27 times.

There is one more detail, which may or may not mean anything - all five starters are pitching very well.

But both starters pitched well enough to win in masterly displays of their art.

But in the last 16 games, the starters have pitched as many as seven innings only four times.

Each team's starters have pitched a total of 21 2/3 innings, or four and one-third per start.

Both starters pitched into the sixth inning but could not get an out then.