Steve Webb
CHAVEZ RAVINE, CA — In the words of the great baseball statistician and commentator Sarah Langs, “Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!” Whenever there is a wild game with a huge swing in win probability, Langs will post the chart on social media with just that one word, indicating the wild ride that was the game. You couldn’t get much wilder than the final innings on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium. Going into the bottom of the 9th, the win probability for the Blue Jays was 98.8%. Twenty minutes later, the Dodgers were celebrating a walk-off 8-7 win. Wheeeeeee indeed.
For most of this game, it looked like the Blue Jays were the better team on Tuesday night. Toronto starter Chris Bassitt was outpitching Julio Urias pretty handily. While Urías labored to get through his innings, Bassitt was cruising through the Dodgers batting order. The two teams traded runs in the first, but a Bo Bichette homer in the the third gave the Jays a 3-1 edge. The Dodgers got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning on a Max Muncy sacrifice fly, but went into the middle innings trailing by one.
Though he didn’t have his best stuff, Urías battled through six innings and didn’t surrender any more runs. Visibly frustrated at times, Urías was constantly dealing with Toronto runners on base, but somehow he managed to keep the visitors off the scoreboard in his last three innings of work. His final line on the night: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K. Not great, but a gritty performance that set the stage for what was to come.
In the eighth inning, the two teams traded runs once again. Dodger reliever Caleb Ferguson walked the leadoff man Matt Chapman, who came around to score on a double from Alejandro Kirk. Then, in the bottom of the frame J.D. Martinez connected for his 25th home run of the year to make it a 4-3 game in favor of the Blue Jays going into the 9th.
However, the top of the ninth was pretty much a disaster for the Dodgers. Lefty Justin Bruihl came into the game, and he simply didn’t have it. He got one quick out, but things escalated quickly after that. Pinch hitter George Springer drew a walk (after being soundly booed by the crowd, natch). Then, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walked as well. Matt Chapman followed it up with a singled that loaded the bases, and now Bruihl was knee-deep in blue jay droppings for sure. Reserve catcher Danny Jansen came up to the plate and delivered a bases-clearing double over the head of Chris Taylor to make it a 7-3 ballgame, and many of the home fans headed for the exits, sure that this one was going to end up in the L column for the Dodgers.
Not so fast, Dodger fans. Those few thousand who hung around until the bottom of the ninth got rewarded lavishly for their faith in their team. The Dodgers staged one of the most epic and unlikely comebacks that you’re likely to see anywhere, anytime. James Outman started the rally with a solid single to right. Miguel Rojas then came through with an infield single of his own to put two on with nobody out. And, more importantly, it turned over the lineup. Mookie Betts, who was not having a great night at the dish, changed all that with an RBI single to make it 7-4. After a Freddie Freeman flyout, Will Smith loaded up the bases with a single that was a bit of a misplay by usually sure handed third baseman Matt Chapman. And things were just starting to get interesting.
Max Muncy walked home another run to make it 7-5, which brought Chris Taylor to the dish with a chance to tie the ballgame with a hit. These big moments always seem to find Taylor, and more often than not CT3 comes through. This time, Taylor hit a hot shot to the opposite field. The ball went off first baseman Vladdy Jr.’s glove and bounced weakly toward second baseman Santiago Espinal. Betts scored easily on the play, but Will Smith, who had no business scoring from second on a ball that didn’t leave the infield, read the play perfectly and barreled toward home with the tying run. Max Muncy got nabbed at second after the run had scored, but the Dodgers had done it, coming all the way back from a four-run deficit and sending the game into extra innings.
The tenth had more excitement. With the speedy Kevin Kiermaier stationed at second to open the extra frame, Brusdar Graterol was charged with keeping the game in check for the Dodgers. He got a strikeout of Monday night’s hero Daulton Varsho to secure that all-important first out, but Bo Bichette struck again with his fourth hit of the night, a single to right field, which on most nights would have scored a run.
However, the Dodgers’ have somebody special in that position. Mookie Betts, who started the game at second base, fielded the ball and fired a one-hopper to Will Smith at the plate. To be honest, it wasn’t one of his better throws, but what Smith did with it was amazing. He fielded the ball just outside the left-hand batter’s box and then lunged toward the baserunner, swiping Kiermaier with a tag a millisecond before his hand could touch the plate. It was an incredible play and it kept the Jays off the board completely in the tenth.
That set the stage for the heroics in the bottom of the inning. With Chris Taylor placed on second, the Dodgers only needed one run to walk this thing off. So, manager Dave Roberts tasked Yonny Hernandez to lay down a bunt off former Dodger Mitch White to move the runner to third. However, Hernandez instead popped the ball down the third base line, allowing Matt Chapman to make a nice sliding catch for the first out. It was up to James Outman now. Outman, who has been having a low-key great July, was already 2-for-2 with a couple of walks in the game. But in the tenth, he got off his best swing of the night. On a 1-1 pitch from White, Outman drilled a long fall to straightaway centerfield. Kevin Kiermaier made a valiant effort on the ball, but it eluded his glove and bounced high off the wall. Chris Taylor scored easily on the play and the game was over. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
“It’s just the compete, the fight of our guys,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts after the game. “I’ve said it many times over, it was a team win. And you can tell those guys really wanted that game, and to our credit, we didn’t quit.”
The Dodgers will attempt to win the series with an afternoon game on Wednesday. Tony Gonsolin will be toeing the rubber for the Dodgers, and the LA hitters will have to contend with Japanese lefty Yusei Kikuchi (7-3, 3.92). This game should feature in the starting lineup returning 2020 champ Kike Hernandez, whom the Dodgers acquired via trade on Tuesday afternoon. Kike is not having a stellar year, but he’s always been solid in Dodger blue, so hopefully the change of scenery will re-invigorate the fan favorite for the rest of the season. Let’s go!
