We can do it
Needing to win both games at home presents a tall task for the Dodgers. In their franchise history, they have trailed a best-of-7 series 3-2 eight times. They forced a Game 7 twice, but lost all eight series.
Ignoring the historical record, I can find some reasons for optimism.
For one, Clayton Kershaw won’t be pitching the win or go home game on just three days rest. The largest eggs that Clayton laid in the postseason were the game six starts in the NLCS against the Cardinals and Cubs in which the Dodgers lost by a combined score of 14 – 0. Of course, even if Clayton had pitched brilliantly they could still have lost both those games by the score of 1 – 0 because they hadn’t scored.
If the Angels could do it in 2002 against the Giants, the Dodgers can do it.
The games are at home, and until game two of the World Series the Dodgers have been undefeated at home in the postseason, and more times than not, they win that game.
Along with the Dodgers being at home, Houston is on the road, and while they are a devastating force in Houston, not so much on the road. It should still be fresh in everyone’s mind how Houston looked invincible in the first two games of the ALCS, and pathetic in NY against suboptimal starting pitching.
Rich Hill wasn’t allowed the chance to outpitch Justin Verlander in game two last week but Dave Roberts said he’d have a longer leash tonight. He left down 1 – 0 when he was pulled after just four innings. He’s fully rested and Mr. Hippity Hop is haring to go.
Cody Bellinger has found his swing, and Justin Turner is due.
This could be a repeat of game two in that both starters do their jobs, but once it gets to the bullpen all bets are off because even with the off day, you have to think the arms are still tired. The ball won’t be flying though, it will be cold in Los Angeles night with some drizzle which I think helps the Dodgers more than Houston.
This kind of series is begging for a game seven.
Game on
Throw it out the window
I’d have bet on most of these outcomes becoming true.
Dodgers strike early and take a four-run lead in route to winning game five
……throw it out the window
Clayton Kershaw staked to a four-run lead cruises to another postseason victory
…..throw it out the window
Cody Bellinger breaks four / four tie with a three-run blast for the first Dodger rookie home run in the World Series since Lou Johnson to lead the Dodgers to a game five victory.
…..throw it out the window
Cody Bellinger becomes the first LAD in the World Series to hit a home run and triple in back to back at-bats to break a seven / seven tie to lead Dodgers to a game five victory.
…..throw it out the window
Dodgers trailing 12 – 9 in the 9th inning score three runs on a two-run home run by Puig and a two-out game-tying single by Chris Taylor to set up Dodgers for a game five victory.
…..throw it out the window
Halloween Horror in Houston
Halloween came early for the Dodgers on Sunday night in Houston with the first five Astro hitters scaring the bejeesus out of the Dodger pitching staff. Not since a game at Coors was I so scared of a group of hitters as I was last night.
For three innings it felt safe. Clayton Kershaw had a four-run lead and he had cut through the Astro lineup like butter. What could go wrong?
How about everything?
From the fourth inning on, this wasn’t a baseball game, this was a heavyweight fight and the biggest problem I had was figuring if the Dodgers were Mohammed Ali or Jolting Joe Frazier. Those of us who witnessed the Thrilla in Manilla will never forget two fighters who almost fought to the death .
No lead was safe last night. Especially a three-run lead which was normally very sacred ground for a World Series game.
The Dodgers had never lost a game in 2017 in which they led by four runs. They lost last night.
At least they lost the game, what they didn’t lose was their heart or the hearts of their fans. I’ve never seen a game like this and likely never will. This loss wasn’t heartbreaking, it was just one team outlasting another team on a night when no one could pitch and just about everyone could hit.
If the game turned on a managerial move, it might have been the bizarre bunt sign put on by Dave Roberts for Kiké Hernandez. Yes, Kiké was facing a right hand pitcher but this guy was on the ropes and what was one run going to mean in this game when multiple three-run leads had meant nothing? You had two exhausted and ineffective bullpens going at each other. I expect Dave is being grilled over the hot plate for that decision and maybe it cost the team the game, but that is only if you subscribe to the idea that Kiké got a hit and who really knows. I just think his chances were higher than normal given the situation.
You had to bring in Morrow but you also had to have someone ready just in case the guy who you knew was on fumes, was lit up. Of course it only took seven pitches for the fire to explode into an inferno but those five Astro hitters are the darndest arsonists.
So many baby field home runs.
So many bad calls by the umpire on both sides of the plate.
It seemed as a Dodger fan the Dodgers got the worst of the umpiring but I suspect that an Astro fan would say the same thing about his team.
All I know is that was entertaining if not exactly baseball as we know it in Los Angeles.
I fully expect Tuesday night to be a 3 – 1 game. All those offensive records have to come to a standstill.
And Joc, run. This game had no place for lollygagging a fly ball toward an 18 foot fence.
One final thought for me. I’m on twitter now, and maybe I shouldn’t be. I see a lot of comments and I’m bewildered how one bad decision in a dugout makes a person so vilified. It is the actions of a lifetime not of a second that determine the makeup of a human being, and while the slant eye jab by Gurriel was wrong in every way, it does not make him a horrible person unless backed up by other actions in his life. Have some perspective people, most of us will do something stupid in our lifetimes, just be happy it isn’t caught on tape for everyone to see.
What was that?
As a Dodger fan that was a cruel ending, as a baseball fan I’m pretty sure I just finished watching the most exciting World Series game I’ve ever seen. If you want to read a recap that can bring justice to that game you came to the wrong place. I’d try Joe Posnanski
HOUSTON — Nobody wants to leave the ballpark. Maybe we are too tired to leave. Too numb. We just saw something. It’s hard to explain what we saw, though. The scoreboard down the right-field line reads like so: 12:40 LAD 12 F HOU 13
The words of the great Inigo Montoya echo in the mind. “Let me explain. No. There is too much. Let me sum up.”
I’m exhausted and don’t have much to say except a few things.
The Dodgers now have to win the next two games to declare themselves World Champions but that is why you have home field advantage. They find themselves in the same situation as Houston did in the ALCS, and Houston won those two games. They will have to do it with Rich Hill and Yu Darvish starting game six and seven. I still like our chances.
After all, they almost won a game in which:
- Clayton Kershaw didn’t protect a four run lead
- Clayton Kershaw was driven from the game before getting 15 outs
- Brandon Morrow gave up four straight hits on seven pitches
- Houston hit five home runs
- The Houston 3/4/5 hitters drove in ten runs
- Houston scored 13 runs and only won by one run
- The Houston bullpen looks like swiss cheese
That is all I got tonight. Good night and we will check back Tuesday Night where I expect to see a pitching duel because those bats gotta be as tired as the Astro fans who endured a five hour game of “Holy Shit”.
So that is how it feels
when your bullpen lets you down again and again. Hinch is being crucified for going to his closer Ken Giles yesterday and watching him implode once again. Dodger fans are quite used to watching the bullpen pieces that you watched be successful all season falter in October so we can empathize with Houston fans while being giddy it is them not us this time.
The Houston bullpen, the ones who helped Houston win over 100 games have been ineffective in October. The reason they are in the World Series and tied at two games are because of the starters who are pitching out of the bullpen. Brad Peacock, Lance McCullers, and Musgrove. During the year Lance McCullers made 22 starts in 22 games but it was his performance in relief that helped defeat the NYY in deciding game seven. Brad Peacock made 21 starts out of 34 games during the regular season but it was his relief performance in game three on Friday that helped Houston take that game. Even Joe Musgrave who gave up the three-run home run to Joc made fifteen starts during the regular season.
The heart of the Houston bullpen, Ken Giles, Chris Devinski, Luke Gregerson, and Will Harris were excellent during the regular season but have lost the confidence of their manager after repeated failures in the postseason. Still, at some point, you still have to use them, and that is what Hince did last night.
Their ALCS stats:
Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Name G ERA IP H ER BB SO WHIP Ken Giles 3 9.00 3.0 5 3 3 5 2.667 Will Harris 2 6.75 1.1 2 1 1 1 2.250 Francisco Liriano 1 0.00 1.0 0 0 1 1 1.000 Chris Devenski 2 13.50 0.2 1 1 2 0 4.500 Luke Gregerson 1 0.00 0.2 0 0 1 0 1.500 Joe Musgrove 1 27.00 0.2 2 2 0 0 3.000 Totals 21 3.30 60.0 45 22 19 70 1.067
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/29/2017.
Their ALDS stats:
Play Play Play Play Play Play Play Name G ERA IP H ER BB SO WHIP Ken Giles 2 6.00 3.0 3 2 0 2 1.000 Chris Devenski 3 11.57 2.1 4 3 0 3 1.714 Luke Gregerson 2 0.00 2.0 1 0 0 3 0.500 Joe Musgrove 2 4.50 2.0 1 1 0 1 0.500 Will Harris 1 0.00 0.2 2 0 0 0 3.000 Francisco Liriano 2 13.50 0.2 2 1 0 0 3.000 Totals 18 4.63 35.0 39 18 12 33 1.457
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 10/29/2017.
Dodger fans can only be thankful that the bullpen has had one bad game out of twelve in this postseason.
That was unexpected
Not that the Dodgers won but that Alex Wood kept the right-leaning Astro lineup to zero hits for 17 outs. Nineteen left-hand pitchers have started at MinuteMaid this season:
Rk Player Date Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc IR 1 Patrick Corbin 2017-08-17 W 4-0 8.2 4 0 1 7 82 2 James Paxton 2017-04-05 L 3-5 6.0 2 0 1 5 72 3 James Paxton 2017-07-19 W 4-1 7.0 6 1 1 7 67 WS Alex Wood 2017-10-28 W 6-2 5.2 1 1 2 3 64 4 Drew Pomeranz 2017-06-16 W 2-1 6.1 4 1 3 4 62 5 Daniel Norris 2017-05-24 W 6-3 6.1 4 1 2 5 62 6 Jason Vargas 2017-04-07 W 5-1 6.0 6 1 1 6 61 7 Danny Duffy 2017-04-08 W 7-3 7.0 8 2 2 3 54 8 Ariel Miranda 2017-04-06 W 4-2 5.0 5 2 3 4 50 9 Sean Manaea 2017-08-18 L 1-3 6.0 6 3 1 2 49 10 Jordan Montgomery 2017-07-01 L 6-7 5.1 5 3 1 4 49 11 Sean Manaea 2017-06-27 W 6-4 5.2 9 1 3 3 47 12 Jaime Garcia 2017-05-10 L 2-4 6.0 6 4 5 4 43 13 Alex Claudio 2017-05-02 L 7-8 4.0 4 3 0 1 43 14 Tyler Skaggs 2017-09-24 W 7-5 5.0 6 4 2 3 40 15 Blake Snell 2017-08-03 W 5-3 4.0 7 3 1 5 40 16 Ariel Miranda 2017-07-17 W 9-7 5.2 6 5 1 4 40 17 David Price 2017-06-18 W 6-5 5.0 8 3 3 3 39 18 Wade Miley 2017-05-27 L 2-5 5.0 8 4 3 2 34 19 James Paxton 2017-09-15 L 2-5 1.1 4 3 2 0 32
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/29/2017.
and Alex Wood pitched the fourth best game of the year there, in the World Series, with his team down two games to one. There is a good chance that Alex Wood will never pitch a more important game in his career, and he delivered. Alex Wood had barely pitched in a month and I fully expected him to have 1st inning troubles but he was ready for his big day and pitched his best in the most important game of his career. It might not have been the best-pitched game of the postseason for the Dodgers but given the context, it is right there with Clayton’s game one masterpiece.
Player Date Series Gm# Tm Opp Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-24 WS 1 LAD HOU W 3-1 7.0 3 1 0 11 78 Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-19 NLCS 5 LAD CHC W 11-1 6.0 3 1 1 5 66 Yu Darvish 2017-10-09 NLDS 3 LAD ARI W 3-1 5.0 2 1 0 7 66 Alex Wood 2017-10-28 WS 4 LAD HOU W 6-2 5.2 1 1 2 3 64 Rich Hill 2017-10-15 NLCS 2 LAD CHC W 4-1 5.0 3 1 1 8 64 Yu Darvish 2017-10-17 NLCS 3 LAD CHC W 6-1 6.1 6 1 1 7 63 Rich Hill 2017-10-25 WS 2 LAD HOU L 6-7 4.0 3 1 3 7 56 Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-14 NLCS 1 LAD CHC W 5-2 5.0 4 2 1 4 54 Alex Wood 2017-10-18 NLCS 4 LAD CHC L 2-3 4.2 4 3 0 7 51 Clayton Kershaw 2017-10-06 NLDS 1 LAD ARI W 9-5 6.1 5 4 3 7 51 Rich Hill 2017-10-07 NLDS 2 LAD ARI W 8-5 4.0 3 2 3 4 49 Yu Darvish 2017-10-27 WS 3 LAD HOU L 3-5 1.2 6 4 1 0 26
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/29/2017.
This win means the Dodgers will play again at Dodger Stadium and I don’t have to write a story about how Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers had lost every must win or go home game he has pitched in the postseason.
I got home one inning into the game and was befuddled to find Andre Ethier sitting once again against a right-hand pitcher. This meant that both Kiké and Joc were starting. That seemed like one too many to me but once again Dave Roberts proved to know what he was doing as Kiké delivered a big hit that his fellow Dodgers couldn’t deliver on and Joc struck the big dong that sealed the victory.
Joc Pederson has hit three postseason home runs and each one has been huge. You could already say that Joc Pederson has hit more important postseason home runs than any other Los Angeles Dodger. He hit the home run that allowed the Dodgers to tie Max Scherzer and eventually beat him. He hit the home that broke up the Justin Verlander no-hitter and eventually led to the greatest four innings in the World Series in the second decade of the 21st century. He hit a three-run dong that gave the Dodgers a 6 – 1 lead that felt much more comfortable after Jansen gave up a home run to cut the lead to 6 – 2. A one-run lead after that would have nerve-racking, but Joc had taken care of the nerve tonic.
Cody Bellinger was the story before the game, during the game, late in the game, and after the game. In the beginning, it was all about his horrific slump and how could Dave Roberts continue to bat him cleanup. During the game, he made two more outs and at that point was zero for thirteen with eight strikeouts. With Chris Taylor, Corey Seager, Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger doing nothing since the Seager home run late in game two it was no wonder the Dodgers were down 1 – 0 in the 7th inning. Turner made another out and was no longer our Papi. Bellinger had struck out in his last at-bat and was down two strikes. All I could think was don’t swing at the pitch headed for your toes.
And he didn’t.
Instead, he swung at a mistake pitch that was left up and he drove it toward the strange part of the stadium that has no business existing in a major league baseball park. Marwin Gonzalez couldn’t get to it and bounced off that weird wall for a double. The tying run was on with Puig coming up. Puig has looked confident but had not been particularly productive in the World Series and while he drove the ball well to RCF it was still an out. Logan Forsythe has had a brilliant postseason and once again he came through with a bullet single to bring in Bellinger.
No one is wondering anymore who the Dodger 2nd baseman will be in 2018.
The game was tied, it was now a bullpen game and even after Friday nights bullpen debacle you at least felt as though you had a shot.
Brandon Morrow had gotten the 18th out in the sixth inning and would get outs 19 – 21 in the 7th. Devenski did his job for Houston in the top of the eighth and Tony Watson did his job in as well for the Dodgers and we went to the 9th inning of game four tied at one.
Ken Giles the beleaguered Houston closer came into the game. Three of the four horsemen were coming up. Seager/Turner/Bellinger. Seager somehow found a hole between multiple infielders to start the game with a single. Justin Turner worked a walk. Two on, no out, Bellinger up, 9th inning, tied game. Bellinger at this point was 1 for 14 in the World Series. You could not have been upset if Dave Roberts had asked Bellinger to bunt. If successful they would have walked Puig and pitched to the hottest hitter in the postseason for the Dodgers, Logan Forsythe.
Dave Roberts and the Dodgers have thrown out convention all year and he did it once again. He let Bellinger swing away and Cody Bellinger delivered the biggest hit any 22-year-old Dodger has ever delivered, slamming a shot to LCF to score Corey Seager with the go-ahead run. He also flew into second base for a double that probably shocked those who had never seen him run but it did not shock Dodger fans.
The Dodgers had the lead, they had 2nd/3rd, no outs. How many more runs could they score to make the lead insurmountable? Giles was gone and we may never see him again. Musgrove came in and struck out Puig very easily, might have been his worst at-bat of the postseason. They walked Forsythe to load the bases and it was up to Barnes to increase the lead. Barnes has continued to start every game even though he hasn’t hit a lick since the NLDS. Barnes worked that count to 2-2 and hit the key sacrifice fly that gave the Dodgers a two-run lead. That should do it, every Dodger fan had to feel comfortable with a two run lead and Kenley. Kenley might give up one big fly but he won’t give up two.
Didn’t matter.
Cause Joc changed it all with his huge three-run home run.
The Dodgers had tied the series, and now had the advantage with Kershaw in game five in Houston, and whoever in Los Angeles.
Bullpen can’t make up for dump by Yu
There is no way to spin this well for Yu Darvish. He took a dump in Houston and it was such a big dump that he may take the Dodger World Series hopes down the toilet with it. It is one thing to lose a game, but when you can’t get six outs in the first of three games on the road, it makes your manager burn through his bullpen, and you put the team in a very tough spot to come back from.
Kudos to the bullpen for keeping the game close enough that from every inning on, the Dodgers had a look at the game but the key hit they needed never happened. With the bases loaded and zero outs, Corey Seager hit into a killer double play plating a run but killing a rally. The Dodgers scored on ground balls and wild pitches which works when the other team only scores two runs but not so much when you are chasing a five spot.
Cody Bellinger is having a hellacious World Series, and has looked so overmatched you have to consider benching him but the only option is Chase Utley who hasn’t had a hit in the postseason in over two years. You could go with Grandal and Barnes but not like either of them are doing anything in this world series. At least Bellinger looked better in his last at-bat before striking out. It is a lot to ask of a rookie to be the cleanup hitter in the World Series and so far he has not been up to the task. I don’t expect Cody to be batting clean-up tomorrow.
Yu will have his chance for redemption in Los Angeles in a game seven if the Dodgers can win two of the next three games which is a tall task but one that a team with championship aspirations will have to accomplish.
At least Houston can’t use McCuller or Peacock in relief tomorrow of Morton. It would behoove the Dodgers to play a cleaner game on the defensive side. A lot of pressure on Alex Wood to deliver some quality innings because Kenta is not going to be available and next time Ross Stripling won’t be so lucky.
Dodgers pin hopes on Yu
Unlike Kershaw and Rich Hill, Yu Darvish has faced the current Houston roster quite a bit since they played in the same division while Yu was playing for the Rangers.
Name PA H 2B HR BA OBP SLG OPS Jose Altuve 38 7 2 0 .219 .342 .281 .623 George Springer 18 6 0 2 .333 .333 .667 1.000 Josh Reddick 27 4 0 0 .160 .185 .240 .425 Carlos Correa 15 3 1 1 .200 .200 .467 .667 Jake Marisnick 7 3 1 0 .429 .429 .571 1.000 Marwin Gonzalez 15 2 0 0 .143 .200 .143 .343 Brian McCann 12 2 1 0 .182 .250 .273 .523 Carlos Beltran 11 2 0 0 .200 .273 .200 .473 Alex Bregman 10 2 0 0 .222 .300 .222 .522 Cameron Maybin 11 1 1 0 .111 .273 .222 .495 Evan Gattis 7 1 0 0 .143 .143 .143 .286 Yuli Gurriel 7 1 0 0 .143 .143 .143 .286 A.J. Reed 3 1 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 Total 186 35 6 3 .205 .263 .304 .568
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/27/2017.
Games Started:
Pitching in the same division in the AL, Yu has made five starts against this roster over the past two years. He beat them in his last start on June 12th but was pounded by them on June 2nd. Dodgers fan would prefer the June 12th version over the June 2nd version.
Date Opp Rslt IP H ER BB SO GSc 2016-08-07 HOU W 5-3 7.0 5 0 0 8 75 2017-06-12 HOU W 6-1 7.0 1 1 3 4 72 2016-06-08 HOU L 1-3 5.0 3 1 4 7 60 2017-06-02 HOU L 1-7 5.0 7 3 1 8 48 2016-09-04 HOU L 6-7 4.0 7 5 3 4 29
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/27/2017.
A few of my favorite things from Game 2
The Brim bounce
The Umpire peg
The Puig mini tantrum
The Culberson celebration
The Seager emotional outburst – he’s not a bot
The Puig bat lay down
The Joc Velocity Drive
This game
Since this had the possibility of being the last game played at Dodger Stadium in 2017 I had to seriously contemplate plunking down $1200 and going to this game.
Cooler heads prevailed once I did the math. Not only would it cost me $1200 but given the traffic situation from game one I estimated it would take nine hours, and six of those would be in a car and my old ass hurts after being in one for twenty minutes.
This left me with several options. Walk to my Numero Uno sports bar and watch the game while ogling the pretty bartenders or stay at home and listen to my wife complain about a team that is in the World Series, hear my cat constantly complain because I’m watching the World Series instead of taking him outside, and get pawed at repeatedly by my dog to give her the attention she felt she deserved. I decided for the comfort of home.
I settled into my couch at 04:30 to listen to the inane chatter of pre-game Fox hosts. My wife got home right at first pitch and would wander in and out throughout the game wondering why anyone was on the roster who couldn’t hit or pitch at exactly the moment she wandered in.
I really should have gone to my local bar.
With Justin Verlander throwing a no-hitter for five innings and the defense being saved by a brim I congratulated myself on saving $1200 and the misery of the trip. My cat was purring in my lap, agreeing with my inner thoughts. You belong here he said. Verlander was on tonight, I was starting to wonder if the Yankees won the World Series when Don Larsen threw a no-hitter (they did). Like others I marveled at how this pitcher looked on the wrong side of his career from April – MidAugust only to turn back into vintage Cy Young Verlander simply by becoming an Astro and having something to pitch for. This guy was good, no way were we scoring runs tonight against him. Our only hope was that he would run out of gas.
Right after I completed that thought, Joc Pederson got the first hit of the night, a booming home run to tie the game at one. Dave Roberts had been right again. It was hard to fathom Joc starting this game but Dave said in the pregame that “Joc hits velocity” and damn if he didn’t send a Verlander mistake into the pavilion. My wife happened by right at the moment and smacked me on the head for not going to the game.
One inning later Chris Taylor drew an incredible walk with two borderline pitches being called balls. Corey Seager launched an opposite-field home run off of Verlander and screamed as he hit it. Seager showed more emotion in that home run than he had shown in two seasons as a Dodger. The Dodger winning strategy was at work once again. Chris Taylor would force a tough walk, the next hitter would hit a home run. My dog was barking crazily at me and I knew what she was saying “why are you here, why aren’t you there”. She is a smart dog. My cat had stopped purring.
Since the Dodger bullpen had blown through the weak Astro hitters for two games and we had Morrow with six outs to go, this game seemed to be in the bag. It hadn’t been very exciting, just a couple of Dodger home runs. Same ole same ole.
Springer led off the eighth with a shot down the right-field line that I felt for sure Puig would make a circus catch as he has done all year but this time. ….this time the ball just knicked off the outside of his glove and bounced into the stands. Watching Puig I couldn’t decide which was more impressive how close he came to catching that or how quickly he took his glove off and threw it on the ground in as close to an in-game tantrum you will ever see in the World Series. Dave Roberts wasted no time and lifted Morrow for Kenley Jansen who was now tasked with getting the last six outs.
Jansen did his job in the 8th, the Astros did score Springer but nothing else happened and the middle of the order was done. If Jansen did his job in the 9th, the Dodgers would never see Springer/Bregman/Altuve/Correa again at Dodger Stadium.
With Jansen ready to toe the mound in the 9th I looked at the sold-out Dodger crowd and knew they were about to explode as the Dodgers took a 2 – 0 game lead. It was killing me that I wasn’t there. My dog was barking at me again “you fool, you fool, you fool”
One pitch later the game was tied at 3 and the cat was purring those comforting sounds which said: “aren’t you glad you skipped out on this madness”. Jansen had been Broxtoned. Who’d thunk it? By the guy, I said last winter would be a good guy to get. I can be so annoying.
Still, it was tied 3 – 3 headed to the 9th, and I’ve always said I’d rather watch a walk-off than win 10 – 0. The white knuckler has a bigger payoff. Who would be the Dodger hero in the 9th? Seager, Turner, or Bellinger? None of them, fork it.
Who the hell was going to pitch the 10th now that Roberts had blown through the bullpen? I could only remember Brandon McCarthy until I saw Josh Fields on the mound and my mind sank. I had not been fond of including Josh Fields on the original NLDS roster.
Josh Fields – I could easily see him being the Pedro Baez of 2017 if they let him
Two batters later the Astros had hit two home runs. Jose Altuve had finally put his mark on the game. Watching the Venezuelan Leprechaun jump up and down after his home run I still can’t fathom how he generates such power. Baseball has no great equalizer, you can dominate this game at 6’8 or 5’6. The cat was in full purr mode letting me know once again I’d made the right decision by providing a lap for him. My wife was yelling at the TV about the how the Dodgers suck and why can’t anyone play the game. Why was Fields pitching she yelled at me? I couldn’t answer her without thinking of Ryu.
Tony Cingrani replaced Fields and restored order and we headed to the bottom of the 10th down two runs.
Puig led off and so far had a meh game. He had continued to display his new found patience seeing pitch after pitch in each at-bat, but doing nothing substantial when he finally did make contact. He did the same in this at-bat working the count to 2 – 1. This time….this time he crushed a home run to LF, and also gently laid the bat down which was as cool as any bat flip he had ever done. Down only one, with no outs. My cat had stopped purring again, my wife said it was no big deal, they were still going to lose. My dog, however, was losing it, barking barking barking and I knew what she was saying. I should have been there to witness that Puig home run.
Still, we were down another run and when our two catchers struck out back to back it was up to Logan Forsythe. In a typical Logan Forsythe at-bat, he saw pitch after pitch until he had walked. A wild pitch later Ken Giles looked like that guy who had struggled against the Yankees. Hernandez had barely hit right hand pitching all year but John Smoltz said to throw those stats out. Kiké agreed and aimed a single into right field right at the charging Josh Reddick who was ready to close the game and shut the Dodger fans up. Josh fired to McCann but the throw was on the 1st base side and Forsythe slid in just before the tag and the Dodgers had tied the game.
It was just too much. This wasn’t just a Dodger game, this had turned into one of the greatest World Series I had sat on my ass at home to watch. What a forking maroon I had been not to go to this game.
Now it was upto Brandon McCarthy but Brandon pitched like a guy who hadn’t pitched in a month because he hadn’t. Down two runs the Dodgers had one more surprise in them.
Charlie Forking Culberson hit a home run. In one of the strangest sights of a night filled with strange sights, not only did Charlie Culberson hit a home run, he celebrated as though he had tied or won the game. No one does that. Not even Puig would do that. It was surreal and a perfect ending to a game the Dodgers would lose 7 – 6.
Dodgers, Yesterday and Today 