For the third game in a row, one team took the lead and held it throughout. This time it was the Dodgers, who rolled to an easy 6-2 victory behind timely hitting and a dominant pitching performance by Walker Buehler. This is the first time since 1988 that the Dodgers have had a 2-1 lead in the World Series.
Los Angeles leads Tampa Bay 2-1.
For the second night in a row, Justin Turner with two out and nobody on in the top of the first. This homer was a towering drive to dead center field. Dodgers with the early 1-0 lead.
ReplyDeleteMuncy is retired, and the inning is over. As we had to the bottom of the first, it's the Dodgers 1, and the Rays coming up to bat.
ReplyDeleteThe Rays get a runner on a hit by Randy Arozarena, but he's thrown out trying to steal second. Dodgers lead 1-0 after 1.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers waste a leadoff single, and still lead 1-0 after 1 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteThe Rays are retired in order, in part thanks to a leaping catch by Betts in right field. He is amazing. Dodgers lead 1-0 after 2.
ReplyDeleteIn the top of the third, Seager blasts a home run to right, and the Dodgers lead 2-0.
ReplyDeleteNow in the bottom of the fourth, Randy Arozarena hits a solo home run for the second day in a row. The Dodgers now lead, 2 home runs to 1 home run.
ReplyDeleteIn case you're wondering who Randy Arozarena is, and why you've never heard of him, he's 25 years old, he's from Cuba, and he's only played 42 games in the majors.
ReplyDeletePrescient note.
DeleteThe Rays don't hit any more home runs, so LA continues to lead 2-1 after 4.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Jose Urias has thrown all four innings for the Dodgers. The Rays are using their bullpen for this game. Pete Fairbanks is starting the fifth -- he's their third pitcher of the game so far.
ReplyDeleteWith one out in the top of the fifth, Corey Seager singles and advances to second on a wild pitch.
ReplyDeleteTurner flies out to right on a 3-0 pitch, and it's up to Max Muncy.
ReplyDeleteFairbanks v. Muncy (2 out, man on second):
Pitch one: Called strike (0-1)
Pitch two: Called strike (0-2)
Pitch three: Ball low (1-2)
Pitch four: Muncy laces a single to right. Hunter Renfroe tries to throw out Seager, but Seager beats the throw to the plate. Dodgers lead 3-1. Zunino, catching, cuts off the throw and whips the ball down to second, trying to get Muncy (who's going for two). Muncy beats the throw, but trips over the bag and falls into shortstop Willy Adames. This pulls Muncy off the bag, and he's tagged out. Inning over. But the Dodgers get a run.
Key moment in retrospect.
DeleteRenfroe leads off the bottom of the fifth with a towering homer to right -- the fourth solo HR of the game. Dodgers now lead 3-2.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell any difference between the Rays who are not Arozarena. He's basically a hall of famer, and the rest of them all seem to be interchangeable. Renfroe is their number-7 hitter. Kiermaier is batting 9th. They can all hit home runs.
ReplyDeleteWith two out in the bottom of the 5th, the Dodgers pull Urias, which means he can't get the win. They are bringing in Blake Treinen to face Yandy Diaz.
ReplyDeleteDiaz grounds out to third on the first pitch and the inning is over. Dodgers lead 3-2 after 5.
ReplyDeleteTampa Bay's pitcher for the sixth inning will be Diego Castillo.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea who all these pitchers are for Tampa Bay, and I have no idea how you end up with 10 pitchers who are all good. Last year the Nats won the World Series with only three good starters and (at most) two good relievers. If they'd tried to change pitchers every inning, they would have been blown out.
ReplyDeleteCastillo walks Will Smith, strikes out Bellinger, and walks A.J. Pollock. The Dodgers have men on 1st and 2d with one out. Castillo gets a mound visit. Then he faces Chris Taylor, who flies out to left.
ReplyDeleteSo it's up to Kiki Hernandez, the Dodgers' second baseman:
ReplyDeleteCastillo v. K. Hernandez (2 on, 2 out):
Pitch one: Swinging strike (0-1)
Pitch two: Called strike (0-2)
Pitch three: Ball outside (1-2)
Pitch four: Hernandez laces a double past the third baseman. Smith scores. Pollock advances to third. Dodgers lead 4-2.
Now Betts is up with a chance to break the game open:
ReplyDeleteCastillo v. Betts (2 on, 2 out):
Pitch one: Ball (1-0)
Pitch two: Foul (1-1)
Pitch three: Betts flies out to center. He's 0-4 on the night, and the inning is over. But the Dodgers lead 4-2 after 5 1/2.
Also huge.
DeleteTreinen comes out for the 6th, and is quickly in trouble after a single by Arozarena and a walk to Choi. Still no one out. And a Rays homer now will put TB in the lead. The Dodgers huddle at the mound.
ReplyDeleteAfter the huddle, Treinen strikes out Austin Meadows, and that's it for him. The Dodgers are turning to Pedro Baez to protect their lead.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's the three-run homer. Brandon Lowe smashes a 2-2 pitch to left field, and the Rays lead 5-4. As in Game Two, the Dodgers kept changing pitchers until they found one who wasn't good.
ReplyDeleteThat's the first time the lead has changed hands since the World Series began.
ReplyDeleteBaez completes the inning with no further damage, but the Rays have taken a 5-4 lead with three innings left.
ReplyDeleteFor the seventh inning, the Rays are going with Aaron Loup.
ReplyDeleteSeager greets Loup with a leadoff single to left. That's his third hit of the game.
ReplyDeleteTurner doubles to center, and Seager races to third. The Dodgers have men on second and third with no one out.
ReplyDeleteLoup strikes out Muncy, because it's unmanly to do anything other than swing as hard as possible when you have the tying run on third with no one out.
ReplyDeleteSo that's all for Loup. He's going to be replaced by Nick Anderson, who will want to strike out Will Smith to prevent the tying run from coming home.
ReplyDeleteN. Anderson v. W. Smith (2 on, 1 out):
Pitch one: Swinging strike (0-1)
Pitch two: Foul (0-2)
Pitch three: Swinging strike (0-3)
The Dodgers had two chances to bring Seager home, with their 4 and 5 hitters, and they both struck out.
Anderson intentionally walks Bellinger to load the bases for Joc Pederson. After getting a strike on Pederson, he throws three balls in a row. Now it's a 3-1 count with the bases loaded. And Pederson hits a rocket to right field. Lowe, playing in short right as part of a shift, leaps at the ball, deflects it, but doesn't catch it. Seager scores. Turner scores. Renfroe, out in right field, throws out Bellinger at third to end the inning.
ReplyDeleteFor the second time tonight, the Dodgers have made the last out of the inning on a play where they scored a run. But they have retaken the lead. LA leads 6-5 after 6 1/2 innings. What a game!
ReplyDeleteI should have made clear that Pederson was pinch-hitting for Pollock.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers trust their small lead to Baez in the bottom of the 7th.
ReplyDeleteIn the bottom of the 7th, Kiermaier -- the Rays' number 9 hitter -- whacks their fourth homer of the game, a long drive deep into the right field seats. The game is tied at 6, and Baez has blown two leads in one game.
ReplyDeleteBaez walks Diaz, who is replaced by Wendle as a pinch-runner. Now it's time for Arozarena, who has a home run and two singles already. The Dodgers have apparently decided to concede this game, because they are leaving Baez in to face Arozarena.
ReplyDeleteBaez v. Arozarena (1 on, 1 out):
ReplyDeletePitch one: Called strike (0-1)
Pitch two: Arozarena laces a hard grounder right over the second base bag, for what used to be a single. But the Dodgers have placed their second baseman right behind the bag. He scoops up the ball, steps on second and throws out Arozarena at first. Double play. Inning over. We are tied at 6 after 7.
That was a big surprise. I was expecting a two-run homer.
ReplyDeleteThe Rays have already used six pitchers in this game, so Nick Anderson will continue his labors into the 8th.
ReplyDeleteChris Taylor leads off the 8th inning with a double to left-center.
ReplyDeleteAfter a mound visit, the Rays leave Anderson to face Hernandez, who tries to bunt, but pops up to third. Now it's up to Betts, who is 0-4 on the night.
ReplyDeleteN. Anderson v. Betts (1 on, 1 out):
ReplyDeletePitch one: Foul (0-1)
Pitch two: Betts grounds out to third. Two out.
And now Seager. The Rays have scored four innings in a row, so the pressure is on here.
ReplyDeleteN. Anderson v. Seager (1 on, 2 out):
Pitch one: Swinging strike (0-1)
Pitch two: Ball low (1-1)
Pitch three: Ball inside (2-1)
Pitch four: Foul (2-2)
Pitch five: Seager is jammed, but bloops the ball into short center field. No one can catch it, and Taylor races home to give L.A. a 7-6 lead. Oh, Doctor!
Now the Rays change pitchers, bringing in John Curtiss to face Justin Turner.
ReplyDeleteDodger Blues, one of the best feeds on Twitter, just tweeted: "That's good. It gives Pedro Baez more time to rest."
ReplyDeleteTurner singles, but Muncy grounds out to end the inning. Dodgers lead 7-6 after 7 1/2 innings.
ReplyDeleteHere is where I fell asleep.
DeleteThe Dodgers are finally done with Baez. They are bringing in Adam Kolarek to pitch the 8th. The Rays have homered in each of the last four innings. Can they do it again?
ReplyDeleteKolarek immediately walks Choi to start the bottom of the 8th. If I were the Dodgers, I would seriously consider bringing in Buehler at this point. I'm not sure they have anyone else who can pitch a shutout inning.
ReplyDeleteKolarek gets Meadows to fly out. Lowe, trying to match his three-run homer with a two-run homer, strikes out on three pitches. And that's all for Kolarek. Brusdar Graterol is coming in to face Adames.
ReplyDeleteGraterol v. Adames (1 on, 2 out):
ReplyDeletePitch one: Ball inside (1-0)
Pitch two: Swinging strike (1-1)
Pitch three: Ball inside (2-1)
Pitch four: Adames hits a soft single to left. Runners on first and second.
It's so weird to see the Rays hit a single. OK, now it's up to Renfroe, who homered in the fifth.
ReplyDeleteGraterol v. Renfroe (2 on, 2 out):
Pitch one: Ball outside (1-0). Dodgers huddle at the mound.
Pitch two: Ball high (2-0)
Pitch three: Renfroe thought he had a great pitch to hit, but he flies out to right. The inning is over, and the Dodgers lead 7-6 after 8.
That was the first half-inning since the top of the 4th in which no runs were scored.
DeleteThe Dodgers have scored in each of the last four innings. The way this game has gone, they will want some more runs.
ReplyDeletePederson gets a two-out hit -- the Dodgers' 15th hit of the game -- but it leads to nothing. LA will defend a 7-6 lead going into the bottom of the 9th.
ReplyDeleteThis whole game is basically a model for how you are supposed to play MLB in the year 2020.
ReplyDeleteThe Dodgers will rely on Kenley Jansen to save the game. The Rays will remember that he gave up a home run last night.
ReplyDeleteYoshi Tsutsugo, pinch-hitting for Zunino, strikes out. But Kiermaier hits a broken-bat single, and now the Rays can win the game with a home run.
ReplyDeleteKiki Hernandez almost caught Kiermaier's single, but it landed just out of his diving reach.
ReplyDeleteJoey Wendle, now batting leadoff after he pinch-ran for Diaz, comes up.
ReplyDeleteJansen v. Wendle (1 on, 1 out):
Pitch one: Ball low (1-0)
Pitch two: Foul (1-1)
Pitch three: Ball high (2-1). Arozarena is on deck.
Pitch four: Wendle hammers the ball to the opposite field in left, but Pederson runs it down for the out.
So it all comes down to Arozarena. The Dodgers have a meeting at the mound. This would all be really exciting if anyone on the East Coast could see it.
ReplyDeleteJansen v. Arozarena (1 on, 2 out):
Pitch one: Called strike (0-1)
Pitch two: Ball low (1-1)
Pitch three: Foul pop (1-2)
Pitch four: Ball outside (2-2)
Pitch five: Ball outside (3-2)
Pitch six: Foul
Pitch seven: Ball low. Arozarena walks.
Fast asleep in the Central, too.
DeleteNow it's up to Brett Phillips, a backup who happens to be batting third because he entered the game as a pinch runner. But he only needs a single.
ReplyDeleteJansen v. Phillips (2 on, 2 out):
Pitch one: Ball (1-0)
Pitch two: Strike (1-1)
Pitch three: Called strike (1-2).
Pitch four: Phillips laces a single to right field. Kiermaier scores. Arozarena is racing around third as the ball is thrown back in. He actually falls down about thirty feet from home. The ball gets to Smith at home plate, and Arozarena appears to be caught dead to rights. But when Smith turns toward Arozarena, the ball ROLLS OUT OF HIS GLOVE AND SCOOTS AWAY FROM HOME PLATE. Smith goes to get the ball, and AROZARENA DIVES HOME WITH THE WINNING RUN! He lies in the third base line, slapping the plate with his hand over and over, with an enormous grin on his face.
So the Dodgers pitch around Arozarena, only to give up a single to a backup. Arozarena should have been out to end the inning, but the Dodgers lose the ball, and he scores the winning run. The Series is tied at two games apiece, after one of the greatest World Series games ever played.
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, find the footage of Arozarena hitting the plate with his hand over and over to score the winning run. It's one of the best baseball images I've ever seen. What a joyous game this is.
ReplyDeleteI stirred momentarily about here to see a happy Ray being interviewed. I wasn't awake enough to tell who he was, but it was probably either Arozarena or Phillips.
DeleteThe Dodgers showed tremendous heart and courage, but they just ran out of pitching. I never thought, not for a second, that Jansen would save this game.
ReplyDeleteThat was Jansen's fourth blown save in the World Series.
DeleteOf course, the Dodgers were lucky to retire Arozarena in the seventh, but their luck ran out in the ninth.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Rays, you could see that they had utter confidence that they could take any Dodger pitcher not named Buehler or Kershaw, and they were right.
ReplyDelete