Mookie’s Glove and Corey’s Bat Push Dodgers to Game 6

Okay, the 25 year old Fresh Prince also comes through in the clutch as he has done so many times.  Biggest hit in his 2 year career…a well timed 3-run HR.

After the first three innings my headline was:

Dodgers Look For Walks, Braves Look For Hits

A.J. Minter has never started an ML game. Minter’s previous high in IP was 1.2 (once).  He goes 3.0 IP, faces 10 batters and gets 7 K’s.  On the other side, Dustin May is pulled after two innings.  I did not read any comments from the game, but this turned out to be a good decision.  May was not on his game, but while the decision to pull Dustin may have been positive, inserting Joe Kelly was questionable.  Braves get a couple of lead off line drive singles up the middle, and an Ozzie Albies grounds out to 2^nd moves runners to 2^nd and 3^rd with one out, and Dansby Swanson coming up. Swanson goes the other way again and hits a little fly ball into RF where Mookie makes a fantastic grass top catch and makes a throw to the plate.  If Marcell Ozuna tags at the right time, he gets thrown out, but because he left early, he still gets called out. Momentum change to LAD.

Tyler Matzek enters for the third game in the last four, and Seager’s hits HR #3 in the NLCS.  A couple of warning track fly balls and a K, but there was life.

Blake Treinen relieves Kelly and throws two perfect innings to quiet the Braves bats, and the Dodgers enter the 6^th still down 2-1.  Mookie, who has been quiet all NLCS, beats out an infield single and steals 2^nd.  JT hits a ground ball to Albies, and Mookie attempts to go to 3^rd, but Albies throws to 3^rd to try and get the lead runner.  Mookie stays in the run down long enough allowing JT to make 2^nd.  At first thought, the Braves have to be happy about getting the still hobbled JT at 2^nd rather than the fleet footed Mookie Betts. 

“The Other” Will Smith enters to relieve Shane Greene.  Max Muncy, who John Smoltz earlier mentioned that Max will either walk, strike out, or hit a HR, watches 6 pitches and gets the walk.  LAD’s Will Smith comes up to bat against The Other Will Smith, and watches the first 5 pitches to get a 3-2 count.  The Other leaves a slider in a very hittable location and The Fresh Prince loses the ball into the LF stands for a 3-run HR and a 4-2 Dodger lead, they would never relinquish.

Pedro Baez continues the good relief pitching with a scoreless 6^th with 2 K’s.  LAD comes up in the 7^th hoping to extend their lead.  They will be facing Jacob Webb who has been outstanding all season.  After a couple of K’s, CT3 comes to bat.  CT3 has been struggling all NLCS and an inside pitch hits him, or at least that is what the umpire thought.  Webb loudly complains and after a review, the pitch was correctly ruled to have hit the bat.  Webb probably now wishes he had let CT3 take first on the HBP, because he proceeds to hit a double bringing up Mookie.  Mookie gets his first RBI of the NLCS with base hit into left field extending the lead to 5-2.  On the very next pitch, Corey goes deep for the 2^nd time in Game 5, and the 4^th time in the NLCS.  LAD is now leading 7-2 and looking for 9 outs with their questionable back end of the bullpen.

Baez goes back out, but gives up a lead off single to Austin Riley.  Victor Gonzalez is called on to shut down the mini-threat, but walks the first batter he faces.  Christian Pache gets to a full count and proceeds to hit into a 5-4-3 DP.  Riley is at 3^rd with 2 outs and the dangerous Ronal Acuna coming to bat.  Gonzalez induces Acuna to hit a routine fly ball to Mookie in RF.

Freddie Freeman leads off the 8^th with a double to LF.  CT3 makes a good play on the batted ball and makes a great throw to 2B that JT was unable to hold on to.  Doc shows confidence in his young heat throwing RH Bazooka after his poor performance in Game 4.  Brusdar gets Ozuna to hit a long fly to CF and Freeman moves to third.  With the infield playing normal, d’Arnaud hits a ground ball to Seager who makes the out at 1^st with Freeman scoring.  Brusdar gets the third out with his K of Albies to end the 8^th. 

The Dodgers went quietly in the 9^th, and now the excitement begins.  KJ comes in to pitch the 9^th and all Dodger fans are holding their breath.  KJ needs all of 12 pitches to strike out the side (Swanson, Riley, and Camargo).  His cutter was consistently at or around 91, and he struck out Camargo with a 94 MPH sinker.  Doc put KJ in the right spot to succeed, and KJ came through.

Oh BTW, just for Eric, Kike’ got yet another single and is batting .429 with a 1.357 OPS in the NLCS.  Dodger relievers pitched 7.0 innings allowing 1 run on 4 hits, 1 walk, and 7 strikeouts.

With his 4^th NLCS HR, Corey Seager became the first SS in MLB history to hit 4 HRs in a postseason series, and tied Steve Garvey (1978 NLCS) and Duke Snider (1952 and 1955 WS) with most HRs as a Dodger in a postseason series.  With his 10 RBIs, Seager now has more RBIs than any Dodger in a postseason series.

A couple of other gems from Jessica Camerato: 

“Seager became the first Dodgers shortstop to record a multi-home run postseason game. He joined Carlos Correa (Game 1 of the ALDS) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series) as the only shortstops to achieve multi-homer games during the 2020 playoffs. This year marked the first time in Major League postseason history there were three multi-home run performances by shortstops; heading into these playoffs, there were only seven such games.”

“And this particular neutral site gives Seager and the Dodgers an advantage: Seager’s five home runs at Globe Life Field this year (regular season and postseason) are tied with Rangers center fielder Joey Gallo for the second most by any player this season. Only Rangers second baseman Rougned Odor hit more in 2020 (six).”

Game 6 on Saturday at Globe Life Field at 1:38 PM.  The Dodgers will be the home team and will match Walker Buehler against Max Fried.  The Dodgers look to give Fried his first L of the season.