Dodgers Recap: Late Power Burst Propels LA to the Title!!!

TORONTO — In the words of the immortal Jack Buck from a few decades ago, I don’t believe what I just saw. The Los Angeles Dodgers overcame an early haymaker from Bo Bichette, and slowly, steadily worked their way back into Game 7 of the World Series, tying it in the top of the ninth in the unlikeliest ways, and then winning it with a Will Smith blast in the eleventh by a score of 5-4. It will go down as the capstone of a great World Series, and probably the best Game 7 ever played. And with this win, you can start using the “D-word.” And I’m not talking about Dodgers. This team is officially a dynasty. Here’s how everything went down:

Shohei Ohtani got the start, pitching on just three days rest, and right away you could see that this wasn’t going to end well. He worked around a baserunner in the first, and wriggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, and that’s where his night should have ended. It was clear his command was off and he was struggling. But Dave Roberts inexplicably sent him out for a third inning of work and…. BOOM! Bo Bichette connected on a one-out, three-run homer to left center. If the Dodgers had lost, that move would have been talked about for years to come. But as it is, it will only be a footnote to an amazing comeback.

So how did that comeback get rolling? Pretty modestly as it turns out. They got a sacrifice fly from Teoscar Hernandez in the fourth, and another from Tommy Edman in the sixth to cut into the deficit and knock starter Max Scherzer out of the game. Scherzer actually left in the fifth, and Chris Bassitt, who’d been so great all series, gave up the run in the sixth. The game went into the late innings with the Dodgers down by one, but we were just getting started in this one.

After the Bichette homer, a parade of Dodger pitchers were tasked with holding the line and gettting the team back to the bat rack with a chance to win. And basically that’s what they did. Justin Wrobleski was the first out of the pen and worked 1.1 scoreless, his outing highlighted by a little bench-clearing dustup when he hit Andres Gimenez with a pitch.

Gimenez exacted his revenge in the the bottom of the sixth when he doubled a run home off Tyler Glasnow. Things were looking pretty grim at that point. The Dodgers were getting scoring chances, but couldn’t get the big hit. The game went into the late innings with the Dodgers trailing 4-2.

But finally in the late innings, the Dodgers’ slug decided to make a late appearance to the dance. First, it was Max Muncy in the eighth. He absolutely obliterated a pitch from Game 5 hero Trey Yesavage, sending it into the upper tank in right field. The lead was trimmed to 4-3, and the Dodgers were within striking distance.

What happened next is only the stuff of legend. Closer David Robertson came in to finish off the eighth, and then after the Jays stranded a runner at second in the bottom of the inning, Robertson came out to finish off the game. Or so he thought. Kiké Hernández struck out to begin the frame, but at least with the Muncy homer, Shohei Ohtani would get up in the inning, batting third. But first Miguel Rojas looked to set the table. Not only did he set the table, he cleared the damn thing, smashing a middle-in slider DEEP, DEEP, DEEP to left field. The ball landed among a sea of stunned Canadians, and as Rojas rounded the bases, it began to dawn on our neighbors in the Great White North that the game was tied, and that they were going to have to get up off the mat themselves.

It looked like Vladdy Jr. almost did that himself in the bottom of the ninth when he took a Blake Snell pitch and ripped it to straightaway center. But he just got it off the end of the bat, and it landed in Tommy Edman’s glove for the first out. But Snell gave up a couple of baserunners on a walk and hit, and needed to be bailed out. So who did Doc call on with the season on the line? (Hint, it wasn’t Will Klein).

Yep, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Friday night’s starter went to the mound, charged with getting two more outs to save the Dodgers trophy dreams. It didn’t start great. He plunked Alejandro Kirk on the hand to load the bases. But then, he dug deep. He got Daulton Varsho to hit into a force out that an off-balance Miguel Rojas gunned to home for the second out. Then, another insane play. Ernie Clement ripped a flyball to the deepest part of the park, and it looked like a sure-thing walkoff winner. Both Kiké Hernández in left and the newly installed Andy Pages in center were playing shallow to cut off a potential winning run at the plate. But both outfielders got on their respective horses and chased after the ball, tracking it perfectly. Pages had a better angle on the ball and essentially bowled Hernández over to make a spectacular catch. The game went into extras. Bonus baseball on the last day of the year!

After trading zeroes in the tenth, the Dodgers came up against Shane Bieber in the eleventh. Bieber recorded two quick outs, retiring Rojas and breaking Shohei Ohtani’s bat on a groundball to the right side. Dodger fans looked nervously to the pen. How many innnings did Yamamoto have in him? However, the inning wasn’t quite over yet. Will Smith, newly installed in the two-hole, stepped into the batters’ box, hoping for a chance to do something special.

He got it. Bieber threw him a couple pitchers low and away to put Smith ahead in the count. Then, the pitch that will live in Dodger lore forever. A hanging slider that was about as center-cut as you could hope for. Smith demolished the pitch, and deposited in among the paying customers just beyond the Jays bullpen. For the first time, in the entire game, the Dodgers had a lead and could smell the Budweiser cooling in the clubhouse.

But first there was the matter of three more outs in the bottom of the inninng. And sure, why not send Yamamoto out for another inning. Dude’s been carrying the team all series, what’s another few hitters? But the Jays didn’t go quietly. Vladdy Jr. ripped a leadoff double into left field to give the Jays’ faithful hope for another Joe Carter moment. With Bo Bichette out of the game, Isiah Kiner-Falefa bunted Vladdy to third (a questionable decision to give up the out there), leaving it up the the heart of the Jays’ batting order. Addison Barger drew a four-pitch walk. Whether by design or by chance, it set up the double play and brought up the slowest runner in the big leagues, Alejandro Kirk.

But Kirk was not in the lineup to steal bases. He’s one of the peskiest hitters and best contact guys in the sport. And just a ball on the green would tie up the game. Yamamoto got ahead quickly, first a foul ball and a curveball that landed in the heart of the zone. And then, another bananas play. Yamamoto threw a perfectly placed splitter on the outer third of the plate that shattered Kirk’s bat.

The bat and ball both went flying to the left side of the infield. The bat landed on the grass, the ball went straight to Mookie Betts, who ran to second base, stepped on the bag, and then gunned the ball to Freddie Freeman to get the lumbering Kirk by two steps.

Game over! Repeat Champs! Dynasty Activated!!!

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