The Baseball Gods and Karma in the 2024 World Series

Nice try, meddling kids. We get hardware. You're out.

Lots has been written about the Yankees' absolute implosion in last night's World Series Game 5, in which the Dodgers came back from a 5-0 deficit and a 6.1% chance of winning, clawing back in a fateful top of the fifth inning.

But I haven't seen anyone yet link the Yankees' multiple-position on-field meltdown to the deplorable off-field behavior of Yankees fans, and the Yankee organization, the prior evening in World Series Game 4.

These two events are definitely and inextricably linked. There is no other logical explanation for how the Yankees could have crumbled like that without divine intervention The baseball gods took note of the Game 4 malfeasance, and then, when one least expected it, the baseball gods took action.

And you don't ever want to piss off the baseball gods.

So let's breakdown this story chronologically First of all, here's the Yankees thugs in action in the bottom of the first inning of Game 4, with absolutely reprehensible behavior in the stands molesting Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts:

And then, though Yankees security escorted these two out of the game--getting high five slaps from many Yankees fans around them on the way out of the stadium--the season ticket holders were initially told they were scheduled they would be back on their season seats for Game 5:

Capobianco and Peter were escorted out of Yankee Stadium but said they were told they would be allowed back for Game 5 on Wednesday. The Yankees did not immediately respond to ESPN's request for comment regarding if that was indeed the case.

Only when MLB got involved did the Yankees change tack and say the pair of miscreants were in fact banned from Game 5. And let's be clear, even other baseball fans not involved with the series thought the Yankees fans, and the spineless organization behind them, were total bullshit.

And those two horrible individuals still spent a great night out on the town, "slamming drinks," and lavishing in their newfound infamy.

Meanwhile, the Yankees organization clumsily tried to spin this into a heartwarming tale, belatedly giving the tickets to a young cancer patient.

But don't let that PR diversion distract one from the facts: Yankees fans were way out of line, and the Yankees organization was initially complicit in their turpitude. They loved the action from their goons, and the outcome of that game.

But the baseball gods took note. And they remember.

Mookie was steely-eyed and focused after the Game 4 loss. In the locker room, Betts spoke to the press, including a swath of New York reporters trying to bait him into a hyperbolic comment that could be bulletin board material or fodder for the New York tabloids. Betts wisely just called the play "irrelevant" and remained focused on the next day's task at hand. And you could see he was simmering.

So then we get to World Series Game 5. Gerrit Cole was absolutely dealing through four innings, and the Dodgers didn't even have a hit to that point in the game (just two baserunners, walks to Gavin Lux in the third and Mookie Betts in the fourth). Things looked bleak. Yankee fans were fired up, taunting, cocky, confident--just like those two unrepentant idiots in the stands for Game 4.

And then, the baseball gods struck.

What a fifth inning. An error by Aaron Judge. An ill-advised throw by Anthony Volpe, and a missed catch at third by Jazz Chisholm Jr. Gerrit Cole's failure to cover first base on a grounder to Anthony Rizzo. Solid two-RBI shots from both Freddie Freeman and Teoscar Hernandez to tie the game at 5.

Earlier this game, Aaron Judge hit his first World Series HR and appeared if he would finally get that monkey off his back. The gods firmly put that monkey right back in its place. (And I do feel a little badly about this, but that's another post for another day.)

Wow. What an amazing turn of events. I'm going to watch highlights of that inning, and the Game 1 Freddie Freeman walkoff grand slam, forever.

Later in the game, the baseball gods taunted Yankee fans even further, allowing the Yankees to retake the lead in the sixth inning, while the Dodgers appeared to be exhausting all viable pitching options. And Cole heroically soldiered on and kept the Dodgers off the board in the sixth and seventh innings, while the Yankees went up 6-5.

But then, in the top of the eighth inning, two sacrifice flies from Gavin Lux and Mookie Betts (bookending another fielding gaffe, a catcher's interference call on Austin Wells that allowed Shohei Ohtani to take first base despite clearly having trouble with his swing) put the Dodgers back in the lead. This time, it was for good.

Yankee Stadium was quiet. The baseball gods had spoken.

And the Dodgers pull off the biggest World Series comeback ever in a clinching game, responding to a five-run deficit to earn the crown.

Here's Mookie describing the Game 4 brouhaha on the Game 5 postgame show, when he said (with a laugh) that this was one of the two times in his whole life when he wanted to fight somebody:

And here's FanGraphs' win probability on World Series Game 5. The Yankees' expected win percentage was 95.6% in the bottom of the fourth inning, and even back up to 79.3% at the seventh-inning stretch.

We'll see if the Yankees have the spine to actually punish those two season ticket holders further. Maybe other Yankees fans, many of whom want him banned for life, will mete out their own judgment on these two idiots.

All I know is, the Los Angeles Dodgers are the 2024 World Series Champions.

Karma is a bitch.

2024 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS: LOS ANGELES DODGERS

DODGERS 7, YANKEES 6

Your 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers are World Series CHAMPIONS.

THe 2020 World Series title was incredible. But this one...what an amazing comeback victory, to cap a wonderfully magical season.

I'll post more later, but...I've got work to do. More later!

2024 World Series Game 5 Thread

Jack Flaherty vs. Gerrit Cole, 5p.

The 2024 World Series isn't about me, I know. But for the first time, I felt good about a game in advance (Game 4)...and it did not work out well. The Dodgers got bombed, and they wake up Wednesday to face the best pitcher in the game, Gerrit Cole.

My stomach is already turning as I write this, on Tuesday evening.

I mean, have you seen the bottom of our lineup? I sure as hell haven't, because they've been disposed of rather quickly this postseason. Max Muncy is batting .178 and went 0-for-3 with 3 Ks on Tuesday. Kiké Hernandez then follows; he was 0-for-4. Gavin Lux went 1-for-3 to *raise* his average to .188. Will Smith had a HR and he's still only batting .154.

At least we've got Tommy Edman batting ninth, but even he went 0-for-1 yesterday, plus he had his second fielding error of the series.

We just got punched in the mouth in Game 4, and we rolled over. I know, you could argue it wasn't our best set of arms, save maybe Daniel Hudson. But I still expected better from the Dodgers in Game 4. There is a clear path for the Yankees to win this World Series, starting with their ace, Gerrit Cole, winning tonight.

If the Dodgers have any fight, they'd better start showing it--and it was great to see Mookie Betts pissed off in the locker-room interviews post-game.

Here's hoping the rest of the team shows that same amount of fire in Game 5.

2024 World Series Game 4 Post-Game Thread: Dodgers Sacrifice Hudson, Knack, Honeywell to Appease Fox Overlords

YANKEES 825, DODGERS 4

The Dodgers were always scheduled to throw a bullpen game for World Series Game 4, forgoing the opportunity for a World Series sweep and making the Fox network overlords happy. But even if it was planned, it doesn't mean today's loss was at all palatable.

Daniel Hudson was the sacrificial lamb tonight, throwing a meatball to Anthony Volpe for a grand slam that breathed life back into the Yankees' lineup. And though Landon Knack--who did the same thing against the Mets to lose the lead in NLCS Game 2--threw admirably from the fourth inning onward, Brent Honeywell served up some serious BP and let this game get way out of hand late.

Final score: Yankees 11, Dodgers 4. Yankees score a franchise record number of runs in a World Series game.

So now, the Dodgers are at a critical juncture. Either this was a brilliant tactical maneuver, resting all of our high-leverage arms while the Yankees had to use all of theirs. Or, we've just breathed life to a sleeping giant (including, literally, Aaron Judge), whose momentum won't be able to be stopped for three more games.

I'm really worried it's the latter.

This is a mess.

2024 World Series Game 4 Thread

Undisputed:
Ice Cube > Fat Joe

Ben Casparius vs. Luis Gil, 5p.

Can the Dodgers actually win this 2024 World Series? Now up 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, and with a 94.7% chance of winning the series (albeit, only a 43% chance of winning Game 4, according to FanGraphs ZiPS projections)...I'm finally starting to believe, just a little bit?

I mean, if Freddie Freeman, who is building a great case for the 2024 World Series MVP, can keep mashing home runs each game, like he did in Game 3 to completely silence the Yankees crowd (who were cursing epithets at him at the time):

And if Mookie Betts--now batting .291 with 14 RBI in the 2024 postseason--can keep adding runs on the board:

And if the Yankees keep trying to get on the board by sending Giancarlo Stanton from second base on a single, when Stanton's speed ranks 549th out of 566 MLB players:

I almost feel bad for Stanton on that one, he was dead to rights by the time he rounded third base. And check out Will Smith's reaction (and do your own lip reading!) on this amazing field view:

Sure, Shohei Ohtani isn't hitting and has a bum shoulder; Will Smith isn't hitting and who knows what the hell is wrong with him; and Max Muncy is back on one of those bad offensive streaks again. It's not all good in Dodgerville.

But so far this World Series, we've played pretty good defense at all positions, the bullpen has been incredible in all sorrts of weird situations, our starters have outpitched the Yankees' formidable starting rotation, and Dave Roberts is making all the right calls.

And I know we've been successful with bullpen games...but we're starting Ben Casparius for Game 4. Casparius is making his first major league start in the World Series. This is a big stage for Big Ben!

No time to rest. We need to keep the pressure on the Yankees.

Let's do this.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!

2024 World Series Game 3 Post-Game Thread: Buehler, Freeman, Betts Come Through Again

DODGERS 4, YANKEES 2

The Dodgers just throttled the hell out of the Yankees in the 2024 World Series Game 3, a game which would have bifurcating narratives depending on the outcome. Lose, and the Dodgers see a steamroller of a Yankees team with two more home games and the potential revitalization of a somnambulent offense. Win, and the Dodgers are fully in control of a World Series, up 3-0 in a best-of-seven.

Fortunately for the Dodgers, it was the latter outcome tonight in the Bronx. But what's more, the Dodgers' offense was not necessarily overpowering--fewer than the 6+ run outbursts we've seen from other crooked scores this postseason--but it still sucked the life out of the Yankees and Yankees fans, and the silence was palpable.

Credit Shohei Ohtani for his leadoff four-pitch walk, and Freddie Freeman, for yet his third home run of the series, one each for the first three 2024 World Series games, to silence the crowd with a big swing of his bat. Watching this highlight, you can hear the neanderthal Yankees fans cheering "F' you, Freddie!" before he silences them with this shot:

Also, credit Mookie Betts and Tommy Edman for manufacturing another run in the top of the third inning; and then Kiké Hernandez for poking another RBI to center, scoring Gavin Lux.

And credit Teoscar Hernandez for nailing Giancarlo Stanton at home in the bottom of the fourth inning, ending the inning and spoiling Stanton's one-out double and keeping the Yankees off the board.

But those heroics aside, the most telling moment of tonight's game occurred well after Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler left the mound (5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 5 Ks). When Alex Verdugo hit a two-run HR in the bottom of the ninth on Michael Kopech, all the body language from Verdugo and the whole Yankees team wasn't about rallying for a comeback. Even by halving the deficit, they looked like a beaten team.

And that play was the dagger. If the Yankees, as a team, don't even feel good about closing the gap to have the tying run on deck--well yes, this series might be over.

I was shocked to see this behavior, but honestly I was even a little shocked that we took the game in the first place. The Dodgers are absolutely rolling--and we haven't even yet had one of the breakout offensive games that we've seen throughout this 2024 postseason. Maybe that outburst i still coming. I'd sure like to think so.

2024 World Series Game 3 Thread

The World Series shifts to the Bronx for Game 3.

Walker Buehler vs. Clarke Schmidt, 5p.

After two thrilling victories in Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers see the series shift to Yankee Stadium, where the Dodgers took two of three back in June. Much has changed since then, though, including the most recent news that Dodgers leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani, who suffered a partial shoulder dislocation in Game 2, is slated to play Game 3 but might not be at full strength.

The Dodgers are already trying to muscle through injuries up and down the lineup, including our whole starting rotation, a hobbled Freddie Freeman, and a recuperating Miguel Rojas. Adding Ohtani to this mix of walking wounded is pretty devastating. On top of that, some Yankees fans were cheering Ohtani's injury, which is just distasteful and horrible.

The Dodgers enter this Game 3 as the underdog, starting Walker Buehler. Buehler has pitched in two World Series Game 3s so far: in 2018 against the Red Sox, where he went 7.0 IP of two-hit ball (0 ER) and got a ND (that was the Max Muncy 18th inning walkoff); and in 2020, where he went 6.0 IP of three-hit ball (1 ER) and earned the win over the Rays. Buehler, injured for most of this season, has spent this year still trying to find himself, including some really dreadful outings along the way. I suppose that's part of the reason why we're the underdog tonight.

Not to mention, when the Yankees had the Dodgers down two games to none in the 1981 World Series, the Dodgers responded by winning the next four games, including all three at home. And when the Dodgers last had the Yankees down 0-2 in the 1978 World Series, the Yankees took the next four games, again including all three at home.

In fact, in 1978, the Dodgers also started the World Series struck by a tragic loss, when Jim Gilliam paased away from a brain hemorrhage two games before the start of the World Series. And now we just lost Fernando Valenzuela. The parallel is eerie.

Gulp.

I'll be watching this one and commenting throughout the game. Hope to see you all in the GT!

Let's go, Dodgers!

2024 World Series Game 2 Thread

Freddie Freeman, ladies and gentlemen.
(And, some beautiful people in the crowd behind him.)

Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Carlos Rodon, 5p.

I have SO MUCH to write in a Post-Game Thread after attending last night's Game 1, an unbelievable extra-inning walkoff grand slam 6-3 victory. But those details will have to wait until later, as I want to keep this momentum rolling with today's Game Thread for World Series Game 2.

The Dodgers have not fared well in Game 2s this postseason. In the 2024 NLDS, the Dodgers followed up their comeback 7-5 Game 1 victory with a clunker of a game, losing 10-2 to San Diego and watching fans melt down by throwing trash on the field during the game.

Then, in the 2024 NLCS, the Dodgers again followed up a 9-0 spanking of the Mets in Game 1 with a pathetic 7-3 loss in Game 2, when Landon Knack got taken to the woodshed in the second inning. Both of those series lost all momentum for Los Angeles, as each series went 1-1.

The Dodgers MUST keep up the pressure on the Yankees today at the Stadium. I will be cheering on this one at home, so I'll be on the Game Thread more actively tonight.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!

2024 World Series Game 1 Thread

Jack Flaherty vs. Gerrit Cole, 5p.

Recent presidential candidate news notwithstanding, McDonald's sure is getting a lot of press this October--and I suddenly realized that it's the Dodgers who have been challenged by the fast food giant throughout this 2024 postseason.

First we had to beat the San Diego Padres, a team once owned by McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc, and former home to the San Diego Chicken, who just might be related to Birdie.

Then, we had to defeat Grimace and the New York Mets.

And now, we get an opponent in pinstripes--evocative of the Hamburglar himself.

It's a fast food conspiracy!

2024 World Series, Game 1. No wonder why my stomach is already churning.

UPDATE 10.25 10:45a: Here's the Dodgers' World Series roster. Alex Vesia and Brusdar Graterol in; Evan Phillips out (injury). Kevin Kiermaier off; Andy Pages on. Gavin Lux and Miguel Rojas back.

UPDATE: LET'S GOOOOOOO DODGERS!!!!!

MLB Posts Bulletin Board Material for World Series

In MLB.com's position-by-position comparison, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are not selected at their respective positions.

Sure, Freeman is nursing a bad ankle. And Juan Soto patrols right field for the Yankees.

But...really?

Here's hoping Betts and Freeman take this comparison personally.

A Sign from the Baseball Gods

SoSG AC just got this in the mail, having redeemed the Unocal 76 pin months ago:

Let's hope we're all wieners in the World Series!

RIP Fernando Valenzuela

Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela has passed away at 63. From ESPN:

"His charisma was unbelievable," Hall of Fame Dodgers Spanish language announcer Jaime Jarrin, who served as Valenzuela's interpreter early in his career, said in 2023. "The fact that he came here to the major leagues [in September 1980] after spending just a few weeks in San Antonio at Double-A -- and from the beginning, he was just amazing. And the people fell in love with him. ... He was only 19 years old. Little bit chubby, long hair, Yaqui Indian features. Those things really cultivated the people and they fell in love with Fernando in a matter of a few weeks."

Valenzuela finished the 1981 season with a 13-7 record, 2.48 ERA, 11 complete games and 8 shutouts. He led the National League with 192⅓ innings pitched and topped the majors with 180 strikeouts, becoming the first player to win Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award.

RIP, El Toro.

photo from the Dodgers' Instagram account

Plunging for the Dodgers in the 2024 Playoffs

The baseball gods are smiling upon the Los Angeles Dodgers this year. And I am doing a little extra to make sure that this continues.

The Dodgers' last World Series Championship came in 2020. You all remember the year: a season cut short due to COVID-19 policies; early-round playoff series played with cardboard cutouts in stadium seats; a World Series played in a sparsely-attended, socially-distanced, and sterile Globe Life Field in Texas; the culmination of an amazing 13 playoff victories in the postseason--in fact, the most postseason victories ever in one season, until last year, when the 2023 Texas Rangers matched the feat. 2020 was a weird time, with us all watching this postseason play out at empty stadiums, cheering for our Dodgers but also saddened that we couldn't be there in person.

I wanted to feel this postseason, though. So I started a tradition: after every playoff victory, I would go jump in my pool to celebrate the victory.

This routine got to be known in my neighborhood. It was already well-established that I am a huge Dodgers fan. But the post-game plunge became known as well. And when it culminated with the final World Series Game 6 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, I uttered screams of joy from inside, revelled with my family nearby, had a couple of tears fall, and then, about 15 minutes after the final pitch was thrown, I ran outside to jump in my pool.

Amazingly, one of my neighbors across the street came over to our side gate, and, along with his two small boys, watched me jump in. They had been waiting there for 15 minutes, knowing I would plunge. And they were stoked for me, as well as the crazy sight of a grown man jumping into a freezing cold unheated pool at almost 10pm on a late October night.

------

Fast forward to the 2024 MLB Postseason. I went to NLDS Game 1, and saw a great comeback victory for the Dodgers over the Padres, reversing the momentum with Shohei Ohtani's three-run HR in the second inning, tying the game en route to a 7-5 victory. I wore my Rotowear Shohei Ohtani shirt and everything, and I was ecstatic.

When I got home, I took off the shirt--not washing it--and then went to bed.

I didn't jump in the pool.

Then came Game 2. I put the same shirt back on, and went to the game along with SoSG Orel. That game's outcome was not favorable. In fact, the game itself was pretty miserable all around, offset by the great company and the fact that the later innings just got laughable as the score got out of hand.

I came home, dejected. Of course, the first thing I did was I throw that shirt in the wash.

And then the next morning, I realized--I had not jumped in the pool after the NLDS Game 1 victory.

The baseball gods must have been mad.

Freaked out, I jumped in the pool on the evening of October 7, the off-day. I made some extra noise so the baseball gods would know I was contrite, and apologized for my indiscretion. But the baseball gods were still angry, allowing the Padres to win NLDS Game 3.

I vowed to jump in the pool for every Dodgers postseason victory. I was sorry I had lapsed after NLDS Game 1.

Remember, at this stage of the series, on October 8, down 2-1 in the NLDS to the Padres, the Dodgers had only a 26% chance of winning the NLDS, not to mention a mere 9.4% chance of winning the World Series.

NLDS Game 4 was a high-leverage bullpen game that Dave Roberts managed perfectly, and the Dodgers won 8-0 in hostile territory at Petco Park. The baseball gods were giving me another chance.

But here was the problem: I flew on Thursday morning to the east coast for a quick weekend trip. How was this plunge thing going to work now?

------

On that Friday, October 11, back on the east coast, I had driven six hours that day across two states, spanning two separate appointments with my family and fighting some horrible traffic along the way. The seasons were definitely changing back east, with leaves turning colors and crisp winds roaring through town, blowing leaves everywhere. By the time we had made it to our hotel in Connecticut late that evening, it was already the seventh inning of NLDS Game 5, and the Dodgers were precariously nursing a 1-0 lead. My wife stayed up in the hotel room with me, while my kid went down to the hotel gym to get in a treadmill run.

Those final three frames were torturous. When Teoscar Hernandez homered in the bottom of the seventh, the 2-0 lead felt a bit safer, even though Padres pitcher Yu Darvish had largely kept the Dodgers at bay all game. The two solo home runs Darvish gave up, though, were enough for the Dodgers to earn the hard-fought 2-0 victory, clinching the NLDS series victory at home, in front of rabid Dodger fans.

And now, it was my turn to celebrate.

Step one was to run to the hotel bar, which was closing by now. I cajoled the bartender to pour me a pint of beer--and wouldn't you know it, they had Elysian Space Dust IPA on tap. Elysian! This was a sign from the baseball gods, indeed. I brought the beer back up to my room and set it by the television for a second, while the post-game show played in the background on the television.

My 2024 NLDS celebratory beer.

Now for the hard part. It's around 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside and windy here in Connecticut. And for this night, we had selected a hotel that was probably the least-luxurious stay of our weekend, because we had to be out early the next morning and it was just a quick overnight stop. But strangely, this hotel was equipped with an indoor pool! However, the pool was closed at this hour, so I had to explain to the overworked / understaffed front desk operator that I really needed her to open the pool for me so I could quickly jump in the pool. When I explained that my actions reflected a pact with the baseball gods and in celebration of the Dodgers' victory, she obliged.

The indoor pool at our hotel. Perfectly suitable for a mid-winter night-time plunge!

The clerk unlocked the door to the pool area and I thanked her, then I stripped down to my boxers and did a quick jump in the pool. It was cold, but not nearly as cold as it would have been if it were an outdoor pool. My kid, running on the treadmill in the gym next to the pool, was trying to figure out what the hell I was doing, but ended up just laughing as he realized I was going for a celebratory plunge.

And oh man, that jump in the hotel pool that evening felt EXCELLENT. As did that ice-cold Elysian Space Dust IPA, back in the hotel room.

I toasted the Dodgers' victory in the 2024 NLDS. And it was good.

-------

For the 2024 NLCS against the Mets, I was back at home and faithfully plunged after every one of the Dodgers' victories: Game 1 (Sunday, October 13), Game 3 (Wednesday, October 16), Game 4 (Thursday, October 17), and Game 6 (Sunday, October 20). Each time, it is wonderfully refreshing (actually, it's a little crisp). It's cold outside, and pretty eye-opening jumping into the pool, but I happily send post-plunge photos to my Dodgers-crazy family on our text thread.

And I NEVER take for granted the opportunity to even be in a position to jump in the pool. I'm very grateful.

And I hope that I can continue this celebration ritual in the 2024 World Series.

I stand ready to plunge again.

Let's go, Dodgers!

---------

Some past SoSG superstitions:

• Nomo Chips In
• The Lucky Dodgers T-Shirt Dilemma
• Post-Game 134 Thread: You Mess With Superstitions, You're Gonna Pay

2024 NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!

DODGERS 10, METS 5

Heroic performance from the bullpen, as well as from Tommy Edman, who had the Dodgers' first 4 RBI and subsequently won NLCS MVP.

More on this game later. I have to get good and drunk now--THE DODGERS ARE GOING TO THE 2024 WORLD SERIES!!!

2024 NLCS Game 6 Thread

Manaea Manaea (doo doo, doo-doo-doo)

Sean Manaea vs. TBD, 5p.

Manaea absolutely shut us down in Game 2 (5.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 Ks), allowing the Mets time to squish our bullpen (mostly Landon Knack) and win the game.

I anticipate more of the same misery in today's Game 6. So sing along, people!

2024 NLCS Post-Game 5 Thread: Shake Brain Freeze

METS 12, DODGERS 6

Well, that was disappointing. Jack Flaherty couldn't find the strike zone, unless he was serving up meatballs to the Mets, giving up 8 ER without recording a single strikeout in his 3.0 IP. Flaherty was uncharacteristically outdueled by David Peterson, who himself only lasted 3.2 IP (2 ER, 4 BB, 3 Ks), but it was enough of a lead stoked to the Mets that they could coast to victory in Game 5.

If there's any consolation, it's that Brent Honeywell stepped up hugely, taking the ball in the fourth inning and almost going the full game only ceding four more runs. That was nothing short of heroic from the turtlenecked reliever, saving our bullpen for Game 6 (and possibly 7).

But now it's the Dodgers' turn to suffer through a bullpen game, as we don't have a starter available for this one. Nervous time in Los Angeles, that's for sure.

2024 NLCS Game 5 Thread

Don't sleep on Grimace; Modelo is the mark of a fighter.

Jack Flaherty vs. David Peterson, 2p.

When the Dodgers are good this NLCS, they've been very, very good: cruising to a nine-run margin in Game 1, and eight-run margins in Games 3 and 4. And the Dodgers are hoping to close this one out today at Citi Field, starting Game 1 winner Jack Flaherty, despite some reindeer-game scenarios that could make Flaherty unavailable for Games 1 and 2 of the World Series, if both LCS are decided in five games.

Teams with a 3-1 lead in the LCS have won 37 of 45 times (82%), with spoilers including the Dodgers, over Atlanta, in the 2020 NLCS @ neutral Globe Life Field. But of those eight times where the team down 3-1 actually came back to win the LCS, only three of them happened with the team on the road for Games 6 and 7: the 2004 ALCS (Red Sox over Yankees, the Dave Roberts steal), the 2003 NLCS (Marlins over Cubs, the Bartman incident), and the 1985 ALCS (Royals over Blue Jays).

I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Mets showed they still had some fight in them. They're not ready to roll over, not with MVP candidate Francisco Lindor and third baseman Mark Vientos still swinging hot bats (both were 2-for-5 yesterday). Flaherty will need to bring his A game again.

We're the early game today. Let's go!

2024 NLCS Game 4 Thread

Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Jose Quintana, 5p.

Jack Flaherty started, and the Dodgers got a shutout in Game 1. Walker Buehler started, and the Dodgers got a shutout in Game 3.

So now it's up to Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Game 4, to see if the Dodgers can keep their non-bullpen-game shutout streak alive here in the 2024 NLCS (that's right, I'm just trying to block Game 2 out of my memory).

Quintana has been great for the Mets this year: 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA during the regular season (2.5 WAR), and 11 innings across two 2024 postseason games in which he hasn't given up an earned run, leading the Mets to two victories (NLWC G3 vs. the Brewers; and NLDS G4 vs. the Phillies). Yamamoto has only gone 8 innings across his two postseason starts, lasting a mere three innings in NLDS G1.

Will Yoshi's story have length tonight? Or will he be shut down by an early boss battle?

2024 NLCS Game 3 Thread

Even the mayor of New York City is conflicted.

Walker Buehler vs. Luis Severino, 5p.

Some fans aren't happy with the Dodgers' decision to go with a bullpen game in NLCS Game 2, as the team now plays three games in enemy territory at Citi Field. To be fair to the Dodgers and Dave Roberts, it wasn't necessarily the bullpen game in Game 2 that doomed us, it was a bad second inning by Landon Knack--after which time, the Dodgers outscored the Mets 3-1.

But it's a 1-1 series tie nonetheless, so the next step forward rests with Walker Buehler, 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA in the postseason this year (having lasted 5.0 IP in NLDS Game 3 against San Diego, yielding 6 ER including a HR in a nightmare second inning--what is it about the second innings here?!). Can Buehler get crafty, given he's no longer the overpowering pitcher of his youth?

And though the Dodgers were largely powerless against Sean Manaea in Game 2, Luis Severino has yielded 3 ER in each of his post-season starts this year (1-0 record, with 1-1 game outcomes), lasting six innings each time. If the Dodgers are going to have a chance in Game 3, they're going to need to sever Severino early. That means you, Shohei Ohtani!

Let's go!

2024 NLCS Post-Game 2 Thread: So, Apparently There's A Limit To This "Bullpen Game" Strategy

METS 7, DODGERS 3

Brimming with confidence after a Game 1 drubbing, the Dodgers came out for the afternoon NLCS Game 2 and wasted no time getting behind the eight ball. Ryan Brasier gave up a run to the first batter (a solo HR by Francisco Lindor), putting an end to that record-tying 33 consecutive scoreless postseason innings streak. And then, in short order, Landon Knack gave up a grand slam to Mark Vientos in the second, putting the Dodgers in a 6-0 hole from which we could not claw back.

Not that we didn't have opportunities, and I'm particularly looking at Kiké Hernandez, who hit into an inning-ending double play in the bottom of the sixth, squashing that rally (Tommy Edman's 2-RBI single brought us within three runs, 6-3). And then Kiké came out again in the eighth inning, with two RISP, and weakly popped to right to end that inning as well. It's tough to get on Kiké Hernandez just yet, though, given his heroics in NLDS Game 5.

And it's tough to get on Landon Knack, who ceded the big blast but also, as a rookie, shouldn't even be in the mix in the first place. But with all the injuries to the rest of the pitching staff, Knack is there. Sure, maybe he shouldn't have been inserted in that slot in the game. But we didn't pitch Michael Kopech, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, or Evan Phillips today (or yesterday, for that matter)--so I'm not questioning Dave Roberts' bullpen decisions at all (and certainly not after his mastery in NLDS Games 4 and 5).

It's not tough to point the finger at Will Smith, though: batting .087 this postseason, including an 0-for-4 day today. Mookie Betts is also subpar this postseason: 0-for-4 today with a run scored, but three Ks (one of three strikeouts to Edwin Diaz in the ninth). And even Shohei Ohtani, 0-for-3 today, is only batting .222 (and I don't recall a huge Ohtani hit since NLDS Game 1).

The Dodgers were 1-for-9 with RISP today, with 10 total left on base.

We need to get these bats going here. Three games at Citi Field means we may not even play another home game this year.

Get it together, Dodgers!

2024 NLCS Game 2 Thread

TBD vs. Sean Manaea, 1p.

Before you get too excited over the Dodgers' 9-0 romp over the Mets in NLCS Game 1, might I remind you that the Dodgers don't really have another starting pitcher for the next three games. The cupboard is bare, so to speak. As such, Dave Roberts sounds like he's pushing back a start from Walker Buehler and instead going with a bullpen game against the Mets' Sean Manaea, who just went 7.0 IP in NLDS Game 3 to lead the Mets to a 7-2 win over the Phillies.

Manaea went 12-6 in the regular season, leading the Mets to a 23-9 record when he played. His 3.47 ERA (114 ERA+) and 3.0 WAR are impressive, and I'm girding myself for a 1-1 series split going back to New York for three.

SoSG Orel will be at the game today, and I'm really hoping he gets to see a win. LET'S GO, DODGERS!

2024 NLCS Post-Game Thread: Flaherty = Nails

DODGERS 9, METS 0

Jack Flaherty threw seven scoreless innings, the deepest that a Dodger starter has gone in the postseason in three years. And that was a big piece of how the Dodgers tied the longest streak of consecutive scoreless postseason innings: 33 innings, tied with the 1966 Baltimore Orioles. This Dodgers pitching staff has been absolutely unbelievable.

And the Dodgers' bats also showed up today. Shohei Ohtani was 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI; Mookie Betts as 1-for-4 with a eighth-inning three-RBI double; and Freddie Freeman was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

Max Muncy got the Dodgers on the board early with a two-RBI single on a shaky Kodai Senga (who had walked the bases loaded in the first, after getting Ohtani to ground out to second. Senga lasted only ten batters and four outs, yielding three runs despite the short leash.

But it was Harvard-Westlake's own Flaherty who was amazing tonight, snuffing out any Mets fires before they could even get a spark.

Day game tomorrow, so not a lot of time to rest! Let's get after it, Dodgers!

2024 NLCS Game 1 Thread

Jack Flaherty vs. Kodai Senga, 5p.

Fresh off a thrilling NLDS Game 5 victory Friday night, the Dodgers took a day off after celebrating the victory and now face the upstart Mets at the Stadium. It appears the Dodgers will be without the services of fiery reliever Alex Vesia, whose intercostal muscle will prevent him from facing this intercoastal opponent.

The Mets come into this series with rest and a whole ton of momentum, backed by the big bat of 2024 NL MVP candidate Francisco Lindor. No way am I sleeping on the Mets. This series should be a doozy.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!

2024 NLDS Game 5 Thread

Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Yu Darvish, 5p.

This is the perfect example of a coin-flip game.

Fangraphs has the Dodgers' chances of winning this deciding NLDS Game 5 at 50.1%, which is pretty much a coin flip. This game could literally go either way.

Except it can't. The Padres start Yu Darvish, who absolutely shut us down in NLDS Game 2, yielding only three meaningless hits and one earned run across seven innings. The Dodgers were absolutely befuddled by his stilted delivery, with the raised left leg pausing with his thing perpendicular to the earth, before hurling an array of pitches which [disrupted] the hitters' balance and timing....[Darvish] was able to do that masterfully tonight."

The Dodgers have a bullpen that expended every last bit of energy to eke out the Game 4 8-0 victory, pitching out of jams to keep the Padres 0-for-9 with RISP. But we used everybody in that game. The Padres kept Robert Suarez, Tanner Scott, and Jason Adam fresh.

Let's assume Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas are still hurt and can't play in Game 5. Are we going to send Chris Taylor up there for another four-strikeout game? Will Max Muncy ever go yard again? Can the Dodgers maintain any semblance of momentum after a day off?

SoSG Sax's mother will be at this game. I'll be far away but watching on television.

LET'S GO, DODGERS!!!

2024 NLDS Game 4 Post-Game Thread: I Will Not Go Quietly

Apparently, Don Henley never made a music video for this track, so this is all I could come up with for a visual image.

DODGERS 8, PADRES 0

Dylan Cease lasted 3.1 IP in NLDS Game 1 against the Dodgers. But the Padres, brimming with confidence after winning Game 3 and taking a 2-1 series lead in a best-of-five, sent Cease out there again, on four days rest, for the first time in his career.

Wednesday night, in Game 4, Cease lasted only 1.2 IP. His three ER tonight raised his ERA to 14.40. And the Dodgers jumped on the Padres pitchers all night at Petco Park, with home runs from Mookie Betts (his second in two days, in the first inning off of Cease); Will Smith (his first hit of the 2024 postseason, off of vowel-heavy Bryan Hoeing; and Gavin Lux (off of a fish called Wandy Peralta in the seventh inning).

Max Muncy even had a double, raising his postseason average to .188. Teoscar Hernandez went 2-for-5, and Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-3 with two walks (including an epic nine-pitch AB in the sixth that chased Jeremiah Estrada). Kike Hernandez went 2-for-4.

And sure, Chris Taylor looked like the 2024 CT3: 0-for-4 with 4 Ks (the famous golden sombrero). But in a 8-0 win, we can stomach that malaise.

The Dodgers were 5-for-9 with RISP on a 12-hit evening. The Padres were 0-for-9 with RISP.

And that's because Dave Roberts' use of the bullpen tonight--eight pitchers, in total--was masterful. Ryan Brasier, Anthony Banda, Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson, Blake Treinen, and Landon Knack: you guys all stepped up and were superb. And as Ben Clemens of Fangraphs pointed out, a bullpen game usually doesn't go well--especially for the Dodgers--but tonight was a master class:

In a few days, no one is going to remember this game. It was a laugher where no one got eliminated. There were no unforgettable plays. Neither Ohtani nor Tatis made me spit out my drink in sheer wonder. These two rivals are about to play again, with higher stakes and a better pitching matchup. Why would you dwell on this one?

But without the Dodger bullpen, there wouldn’t be a fifth game. Every reliever did his part, with no hiccups. These games go wrong all the time. So give them their due. This was the platonic ideal a of bullpen game, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Friday is going to be spectacular. Buckle up.

I didn't watch this game, but I heard Stephen Nelson and Rick Monday indicating that Padres fans left Petco Park in a hurry tonight. I can't wait to watch the condensed game highlights.

On we go to a winner-take-all Game 5! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2024 NLDS Game 4 Thread

TBD vs. Dylan Cease, 6p.

Four games into this 2024 postseason, and the Dodgers are already facing their first elimination game. That Game 2 debacle through which I suffered with SoSG Orel would turn out to be the final home game of the 2024 season.

What a mess.

Mookie broke out of his slump in Game 3 with a first-inning home run, and Teoscar Hernandez had a grand slam to keep the game close. But the Dodgers still lost, 6-5--thanks in large part to complete disappearances from five-hole Max Muncy (0-for-4 with 3 Ks) and six-hole Will Smith (hitless in all three games). Because we have Austin Barnes as our backup, Smith has to be in the lineup. For Muncy, I'm not so sure.

We don't have a starter named for tomorrow. But I can tell you, it won't be Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, or Emmet Sheehan.

Yay.

Look, it's still a winnable series. Fangraphs has us at a ~25% chance of advancing, which is directly in line with what one would expect from two coin flips and one desirable outcome. These are coin-flip games that can go either way.

If there's any consolation, it's that we'll face Dylan Cease again on only four days rest. Oh, and in the otner NLDS, the Phillies--favored by many to win it all this year--are also on the brink of elimination in Queens.

What an absolute mess.

It's a cruel summer.

2024 NLDS Game 3 Thread

Walker Buehler (1-6, 5.38) vs. Michael King (13-9, 2.95), 6p.

Time, as it is said, heals all wounds.

I write this post 24 hours after I was at Dodger Stadium to witness probably the worst playoff loss, if not the worst-ever loss, suffered by the Dodgers...and I have to say, the pain has subsided a bit.

Some of this is a situational comparison, made possible by watching the two ALDS games play out on Monday. As of Tuesday morning, all four 2024 Division Series are tied. Which means all four series go to best-of-three series, held in the lesser seeds' parks: in San Diego, New York, Detroit, and Kansas City.

So for all the Dodgers' many foibles in Game 2: their unlucky GIDPs, their just-short home run balls, a spate of mediocre at bats from key players, their inappropriate fans chucking shit on the field like idiots--we are in exactly the same boat as the Yankees, the Phillies, and the Guardians.

In fact, of the 16 Division Series starters so far, only five of them have gone more than five innings, and that includes Dodgers Game 2 starter Jack Flaherty (5.1 IP), who unfortunately faced off against Yu Darvish, who tied the Dodgers up in knots for seven innings, escaping the few jams into which he got. So every team is highly reliant upon its bullpen.

That's baseball in 2024.

And to be fair to Dave Roberts: his use of the bullpen in Game 1 was a master class (SoSG Orel and I talked about this in Game 2, since there was nothing on the field worth discussing), with brilliant moves like bringing Michael Kopech in for the eighth inning--and then pulling Kopech early, causing Blake Treinen to have to get five outs to win the game (which he did). Treinen capped six innings of scoreless relief for the Dodgers in Game 1.

Conversely, the bullpen let the game get out of hand late in Sunday's game (six runs in the last two frames), but we were cooked by then anyway, with Freddie Freeman already on the bench. This Game 2 loss wasn't on Doc.

One could make the argument that the Dodgers are in a relatively worse state than their top-seeded peers, and it's a fair opinion. We're throwing Walker Buehler, who has had more trouble finding a strike zone than most men finding a g-spot. Mookie Betts was close to a first-inning HR on Monday, but he is still on a 0-for-26 playoff streak and has only 3 XBH since our World Series Championship in 2020 (78 AB, 92 PA). Freddie Freeman's ankle is hanging on with duct tape and popsicle sticks.

Not to mention, we're going to face a hostile Petco Park environment, against the Padres' best arm. It doesn't look good for the Dodgers in Game 3.

Let's see if we can punch back.

2024 NLDS Game 2 Thread

Taking Cease downtown, to tie NLDS Game 1.

Jack Flaherty (13-7, 3.17) vs. Yu Darvish (7-3, 3.31), 5p

Yesterday's game showed some grit for the Dodgers, and it was a pleasant surprised after the last two years of quick playoff exits. Shohei Ohtani's second-inning, game-tying three-run HR brought the Dodger Stadium crowd back into the game, and it was a rollicking time from then onward. Now if we could just get Mookie Betts (0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored) to banish his recent postseason monkey, as well as Max Muncy (0-for-4 with 2 Ks) to be more than an automatic out, we'll be really rolling.

The production from the bottom of the order--5-for-14 with four runs scored, across Will Smith, Gavin Lux, Tommy Edman, and Miguel Rojas--was exactly what the Dodgers needed to take Game 1. Yoshinobu Yamamoto wasn't sharp, but Padres starter Dylan Cease had a similarly bad pitching line--and the Dodgers came out on top in the slugfest.

Today's Game 2 is another critical game. I'll be going to the Stadium again, this time with SoSG Orel. Let's go!

The Dodgers promoted Shohei Ohtani for Game 1. Game 2 highlights Mookie Betts. This will be Mookie's breakout game!

2024 NLDS Game 1 Thread

Yoshinobu Yamamoto (7-2, 3.00) vs. Dylan Cease (14-11, 3.47), 5.30p

The Padres were the inevitable opponent for the Dodgers in the 2024 NLDS, but I'm still not mentally prepared for this. We've lost eight of 13 games against the team down south that is built for the playoffs, not to mention also fueled by trying to honor team owner Peter Seidler, who recently passed. The Padres steamrolled the Braves in the Wild Card round and have all the momentum.

The Dodgers, on the other hand, come into the 2024 postseason cobbling together what they can of a starting rotation, having lost ace Tyler Glasnow and workhorse Gavin Stone, not to mention a whole host of arms through the course of the year. Our best option for Game 1 is a guy who just returned to the active roster after missing most of the second half of the season with an arm injury.

I'll be at Game 1 tonight, expecting the worst (but hoping for the best).

Scoreboard Watching: NL Wild Card Game 3

NYM Quintana vs. MIL Myers

Whoops, there's one more game today! (And it's an elimination game, to face the Phillies Saturday.)

Scoreboard Watching: NL Wild Card Game 2 (Braves @ Padres)

It would be great if the Braves could score a run, or even win a game.

ATL Fried vs. SD Musgrove, 5.30p

Other games:

• DET Hlton vs. HOU Brown, 11.30a
• KC Lugo vs. BAL Eflin, 1.30p
• NYM Manaea vs. MIL Montas, 4.30p

If this series could go to three games, I'd feel a little better.

Scoreboard Watching: NL Wild Card Game 1 (Braves @ Padres, 5.30p)

Braves' TBD vs. Padres' King, 5.30p

other games:

• Tigers' Skubal vs. Astros' Valdez, 11.30a
  
• Royals' Ragans vs. Orioles' Burnes, 1p
  
• Mets' Severino vs. Brewers' Peralta, 2.30p

If the Braves can even take this series to three games, with all three games in San Diego and Chris Sale probably out of action for any Wild Card game, it will be an upset victory. But the Padres have been relaxing at home since Sunday, whereas the Braves had to gut out a must-win second game Monday to advance to a postseason berth.

UPDATE 10/1 11a: Chris Sale has been left off the Braves' Wild Card roster. Really wish he was available for the WC series, but unavailable for any NLDS work. But hope he gets well.