Steve Webb
BOSTON, MA — In a game that had a little bit of everything, the Dodgers came up about eight feet short. When Mookie Betts‘s ninth inning blast landed harmlessly in the glove of Red Sox centerfielder Adam Duvall shy of the wall, it ended a last-gasp rally that had loaded the bases with two outs. Instead, the long flyout put Mookie and the Dodgers on the wrong end of an 8-5 score.
For the first two-thirds of the game, it looked like it might be a W for the Boys in Blue. Thanks to a Mookie double and an infield hit from Amed Rosario in the first, the Dodgers got on the board early. However, that early lead was quickly erased on yet another leadoff homer from old friend Alex Verdugo (his third straight leadoff dinger). But the Dodgers scratched across a run in the fourth to take a brief 2-1. The lead didn’t last very long because in the bottom of the frame it was time for another revenge homer, this one from Justin Turner.
However, the game didn’t stay tied long either, because in the top of the fifth Max Muncy cleared the fence in right with Will Smith aboard to give the Dodgers a 4-2 lead at the halfway point of the game.
The second half of the game didn’t go nearly as well. Going into the sixth inning, pitcher Julio Urias seemed to be cruising. Other than the two solo homers, he seemed headed for another quality start, retiring nine Red Sox in a row at one point. However, the sixth inning proved to be El Culichi’s undoing in this one. Urías started the inning by giving up a ringing double to Justin Turner, who must have relished his good performance against his former team. Rob Refsnyder singled Turner to third and suddenly the Bosox had runners at the corners with nobody out.
Julio dug deep and got a strikeout of Rafael Devers, but the inning sort of unraveled after that. He got slugger Adam Duvall into an 0-2 count, but then Urías threw a cutter that didn’t quite get out of the strike zone. Instead, Duvall jumped on the ball and drove it to left field. Now, in most stadiums, a high 353-foot flyball is the second out of the inning, but this is Fenway Park that we’re talking about. It cleared the Green Monster, landing in the arms of a waiting Red Sox fan perched in the seats atop the fence for a three-run homer. And with that tater, the Red Sox had a lead that they would not relinquish. The Red Sox would score one more run off Urías before the inning came mercifully to an end, but the damage had been done, and Dodger fans were left with a lot of uncertainty when it came to their prized lefty.
“I think that Julio, given this series, I think he was really looking forward to this series and building on his momentum,” said manager Dave Roberts. “And the way it started, to the way it ended, I think he’s pretty frustrated and rightfully so. It’s a good environment. But as far as [we are concerned], we’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”
The less said about the rest of the game the batter. The Dodgers were able to load up the bases in the eighth AND the ninth, but only came away with one more run the rest of the game. Instead, they went 2-for-13 on the day with runners in scoring position, and left a huge FOURTEEN runners on base in the game. Yes, Max Muncy got robbed on a bad call from home plate ump Jordan Baker, and yes, Jordan Baker threw out both Muncy and Dave Roberts, but that is not why the Dodgers lost. It didn’t help, but the team had plenty of other chances in this game.
That final chance came with Mookie at the plate in the ninth. Mookie had already had a good day at the plate, going 3-for-4 up until his final at-bat. A game-winning grand slam would have just been an epic cherry on top of an awesome cake. And, while he gave reliever John Schreiber‘s sinker a ride, it just wasn’t meant to be. Instead, Betts’s flyball was the final out of the game and the Dodgers would have to wait until Sunday’s bullpen game to have a chance to win the series and end the road trip with a winning record.
“I didn’t come through,” Betts said. “It is what it is. Put a good swing on a pitch and it went in his glove. But the moment is just a moment.”
It was a vastly entertaining game. Just one that that Dodgers ended up losing. It happens.
