For many of us, yesterday felt like Christmas. Back-to-back playoff elimination baseball games? Sign me UP. When you don’t have a dog in the fight, October baseball is all the excitement without the anxiety and tears. Or so I thought at least. Of course I did not take into account that I, a known emotional wreck and romanticist when it comes to baseball, still was reduced to anxiety and tears by the end of the night. It was a bizarre day for baseball. Sure as hell probably got some good ratings, but nonetheless, extremely bizarre.
On the one hand, it’s always cool to see a team most counted out beat the big dog. While I don’t know if I’d consider the Cardinals underdogs by any means, I know the general belief was it would be the Braves who would come out on top. Well with the Cardinals 10-0 in the top of the first inning, without even hitting a single home run, it was fairly evident right away it was the Cardinals’ game to give away, and with a young stud like Jack Flaherty on the mound, the Cards cruised their way through game 5 into an NLCS spot.
In the second do-or-die game of the night, the Nationals were most DEFINITELY the underdogs coming into the series. The 106 regular season win Dodgers have been ranked at the top of the league since the start of the season. The Dodgers’ ace (yes, he’s earned the title of ace) Walker Buehler put on yet another electrifying pitching performance. Though I make fun of the Dodgers for their postseason woes year in and year out, Buehler has certainly made a fan out of me. His final line for the night was 6.2 innings pitched, 4 hits allowed, 1 earned run in the 7th inning, 3 walks, and 7 strikeouts. Buehler is no stranger to pitching under pressure. As a Red Sox fan, looking back on game 3 of the 2018 World Series this year isn’t as painful as it was the morning of October 27th last year, waking up for work just 4 hours after watching the Sox lose in the 18th inning around 2 am. Though the game most certainly turned into a bullpen duel, we often forget the stellar performance Buehler put on that night starting on the mound. Up against the best offense in baseball last year, he pitched 7 innings, allowed 2 hits, let up no earned runs, and struck out 7 batters. Buehler, by far the youngest member of the Dodgers’ starting rotation, has blossomed this season into one of the best pitchers in the league. As a matter of fact, according to @HotStoveStats, “Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler are the only starters 26-years old or younger in postseason history to give up 1 earned run or less in a sudden death game on the same day.” So yeah, it was a pretty big day for both young pitchers. Unfortunately, only one had a happy ending. In a stunning comeback, the Nationals tied the game in the 8th after Clayton Kershaw allowed two consecutive solo home runs to MVP candidate Anthony Rendon, and 20 year old Juan Soto. Relieved by Kenta Maeda, Maeda got the Dodgers out of the inning with the game still 3-3. Right-handed reliever Joe Kelly then was sent in for the 9th, a questionable move with the franchise’s closer Kenley Jansen sitting in the bullpen ready as ever to enter the game. Still, Kelly got through the 9th without any damage and it was onto the bottom of the inning they went. Unfortunately, the offense was not able to produce anything at the plate, driving the game into extra innings. Kelly was put back in for the 10th, another questionable decision considering anyone who has watched Joe Kelly pitch knows he’s not someone who’s meant to go more than one inning in relief. With the bases loaded and no outs, 36 year old Howie Kendrick, who had been having a forgettable October to say the least, hit a grand slam, and well, that was that.
It was a memorable night of baseball, that’s for sure. However my overly-empathetic and soft self can’t help but feel bad for both the Braves and Dodgers. I will say, I don’t feel as bad for the Braves as I do for the Dodgers, which might sound absurd considering the Braves lost their chance at a World Series within the first 30 minutes of their game, in front of thousands of fans who were headed for the door by the second inning. While it stinks to go down in such an embarrassing fashion (I hate to be harsh but no one can deny, it was quite embarrassing), that certainly was not the last we’ll see of the Braves in October. With a slew of young stars such as Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mike Soroka, as well as one of the best farm systems in the league, the Braves are only going to get better. Believe it or not, it’s the Dodgers who I feel most bad for.
Dodgers' pitcher Rich Hill said it best in a postgame interview last night. "We wouldn't be here without him [Kershaw]. He's...[chokes up]...ultimate respect for him. I mean, this means so much to everybody in this locker room. That's the tough part. People say it's just a game. It's a lot more than that," as reported by Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. It's so easy to say it's just a game, but as dedicated and passionate fans of any sport knows, that just isn't true. My heart truly hurts for Clayton Kershaw. It's no secret he's had tough luck when it comes to the postseason, and while every loss stings, I have a feeling last night's is going to be one that sticks with him for a while. Kershaw has spent his entire career with the Dodgers and it's safe to say, the Dodgers would not have had the success they've had the last 11 years without him. He's not called one of the best pitchers in the game for no reason. On top of that, Kershaw has become an essential leader on the field and in the clubhouse, something his teammates can attest to. I think part of that is the reason why manager Dave Roberts sent Kershaw out for the 8th inning, a move by him that I'm sure he is still questioning, like most Dodgers fans. All the analytics pointed to sending in Kolarek to pitch at that point in the Nationals' lineup, who was solely on the Dodgers' NLDS roster to be used against Soto. Even if they didn't want to use Kolarek against Rendon, the Dodgers' bullpen is supposed to be one of their strengths. Kershaw had his moment in the game, getting Buehler out of a jam in the 7th. The story should've ended there. I think Roberts wanted to give Kershaw his Cinderella moment; he wanted him to be able to prove himself as a pitcher in the postseason, similar to last year when Alex Cora handed over the ball to start David Price over Chris Sale in game 5 of the World Series, another pitcher who was forced to deal with the "can't pitch in the postaseason" narrative. While it worked out for Price, it didn't for Kershaw. By now we've all seen the memes and can agree - it was not the right move. I truly hope Clayton Kershaw gets his ring one day, not as a Dodgers fan, but just as a fan of baseball. He deserves it. While him and Roberts both deserve the blame that has come their way for the stunning loss, I think it's important for everyone to take a step back and realize no one is going to be harsher on him than Kershaw himself.
Another year, another crushing loss for the Los Angeles Dodgers in October. The good news is, like the Braves, I don't see the Dodgers going away any time soon. With a mix of young stars, seasoned vets, a strong starting rotation led by ace Walker Buehler, and an impressive up and coming farm system, they'll certainly be back. Until then, I'll be spending the rest of October finding a new team to cry about for the time being, hopefully a team that can beat the damn Yankees.