Steve Webb
Let’s face it. The year 2020 was a little light on good news. However, there was plenty to cheer about if you were a Dodgers fan. Winning the first World Series since 1988 was just simply finger-licking fantastic, even if we had to do it in a mostly empty stadium in Texas. But hoisting the trophy was only the pinnacle of the many good things that happened for the Boys in Blue this year. And even though “Best of” lists at the end of the year are kind of tiresome, here are some of my personal highlights of the 2020 Los Angeles Dodgers:
Honorable Mention: That Joe Kelly Thing
This one is in a category by itself. Truth be told, reliever Joe Kelly has been a bit of a disappointment for the Dodgers in his two seasons with the club. However, all was forgiven on that road trip to Houston early in the year when he had the huevos to show the Astros* exactly what Dodgers fans had been thinking since news of the cheating scandal broke. The high hard one to Carlos Correa and the subsequent pouty face on the way off the mound after the strikeout were the stuff of legend. He got a suspension, and took a lot of heat in the media, but thank you, Joe Kelly. You did what we all wanted to do.
10. A Resurgent Bat for Austin Barnes
To be honest, I had pretty much given up on Austin Barnes early in the year. He just looked lost at the plate. In first two weeks of the season, his batting average was an anemic .091. But somehow someway, he fought through it. Maybe it was the influence of Mookie Betts hitting after him. Maybe it was a more aggressive approach, but in August Barnsey really started to hit and by the end of the month he had raised his batting average to .283. He finished the season at a respectable .244. And he continued to hit well in the postseason, hitting .320 in the month of October with one home run. And let’s not forget it was that single into center that knocked Snellzilla out of Game 6 and set the table for Mookie’s heroics.
9. Mookie Throws Out Marte
Early in the season, seeds are planted. Dodgers fans had heard about Mookie Betts’s defensive prowess, but on July 31, we got to witness it firsthand. In the 8th game of the year against the Arizona, Ketel Marte led off the bottom of the first with a little broken bat flare to right. The speedy Diamondback thought that he might be able to stretch an easy double into a triple and headed for third. Betts finally corralled the ball of the fence and threw a 305-foot strike to Corey Seager, who was covering the bag. Marte didn’t have a chance. It wouldn’t be the last time Mookie’s defense would come in handy for the Dodgers.
8. Kershaw’s Delayed Debut
When the Dodgers announced that ace Clayton Kershaw was going to be scratched from his opening day start and put on the IL, it was all-too-familiar for the Dodgers faithful. “Here we go again. Another season of Kershaw battling injuries,” they must have thought. But just after missing just two starts, Kersh made his season debut on August 2 against the Diamondbacks. It was a masterful performance, giving up just three hits over 5 2/3 shutout innings. The Dodgers got the win, and everyone in Los Angeles breathed a sigh of relief. Kershaw would go on to have a great season, and finally get his postseason redemption, putting all those demons to bed once and for all.
7. Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin Step Up
Dodger starting pitching was a bit of a question a mark going into the season, as Hyun-jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, and Rich Hill were all pitching elsewhere. That’s a lot of talent to give up in one offseason. But obviously Andrew Friedman knew something that we didn’t know. He was able to plug Dustin May (an emergency Opening Day starter) and Tony Gonsolin into the rotation. May dealt filth all year, and Gonsolin was even better at times. Both pitchers had ERAs south of 3.00 during the season, and gave Dave Roberts an unexpectedly deep rotation. Not only did the Dodgers hold their own in 2020, their 3.11 ERA was the best of any pitching staff in baseball.
6. Bellinger Robs Tatis
This one could easily be higher because of its off-the-chart wow factor, but we need to give some love to Cody Bellinger in Game 2 of the Division series. With the game on the line in the 7th inning and a man on second, Brusdar Graterol faced Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis, Jr., whom the Dodgers had kept in check the whole series. The slugger connected with a Graterol fastball and gave it a ride to straightaway center. Covering 97 feet on the run, Belli tracked down the blast and made a leaping grab over the fence to save the Dodgers’ lead. And don’t get me started on the hat-and–glove-throwing awesomeness and shouting match with Manny Machado that followed. The Padres never challenged the Dodgers again and went quietly in Game 3.
5. Max and Joc Save the Best for Last
To say that Max Muncy and Joc Pederson struggled at the plate in 2020 would be an understatement. Both men hit below .200 in the regular season. They continued to show power, but little else, and the strikeouts piled up for both men. But somehow, they both flipped a switch in October. Muncy’s plate discipline was unworldly, and he hit for power, notching an OPS of 1.043 in the NLCS and .944 in the World Series. Joctober was equally impressive: going the other way, hitting for power, even making a crucial catch in the outfield. It’s safe to say that without these two performances, the Dodgers don’t even make the Fall Classic, much less win it.
4. Bellinger’s Go-Ahead Home Run in the NLCS
Like Muncy and Pederson, Cody Bellinger was kind of a mess in the regular season. His MVP season of 2019 seemed a million miles away as he struggled at the plate the entire year. Every so often, you would see flashes of his old self, but he never seemed to be able to put together a sustained run. However, there were moments when he rose to the occasion. Game 7 of the NLCS was one of those times. Facing reliever Chris Martin with two out in the bottom of the 7th, Bellinger fouled off pitch after pitch to stay alive. Then, on the 8th pitch of the at-bat, he just laid into one. It was gone the moment it left the bat. Bellinger punctuated the effort with an awesome bat drop and swagger around the bases. And maybe the less we say about the dislocated shoulder, the better.
3. Walker Buehler Saves the Day
There was a moment during the NLCS where the whole season hung in the balance. After getting smoked in Game 4, the Dodgers found themselves down 3-1. They then managed to win Game 5, setting up a rematch of Game 1 starters, Walker Buehler and Max Fried. After an easy first inning, the Braves greeted Buehler with three straight singles to open their half of the second. Bases loaded, nobody out is scary to some, but not to Walker F’n Buehler. He struck out two and got a ground ball to short to get out of the inning, and the Braves didn’t touch him the rest of the way, thanks to a huge catch by Mookie Betts to rob Marcel Ozuna of extra bases. Six innings, no runs, six strikeouts. All kinds of awesome.
2. Mookie Betts Becomes a Dodger
This list could easily have been “10 Awesome things Mookie Betts Did in 2020”, because the dude was amazing. Five tools, all of them on display almost ever game. However, none of that would have happened if the Dodgers hadn’t pulled the trigger on the trade for him back in February. Kudos to the Dodgers front office for making the trade with the Red Sox happen, and kudos to them for having the foresight to sign him to a long-term deal before the season started. The sheer joy that he brings to the stadium every day is infectious. I won’t mind writing about him for the next decade. He’s that good. As for favorite moments? Too many to choose from. You pick your own.
1. (tie) Seager Rakes All Year
What can we say about Corey Seager’s 2020? Almost from the first at-bat, he was locked in. And he just was pulverizing the ball all year. One could make the case that he was the Dodgers MVP of the whole season, not just the playoffs. All season long, the Mookie/Corey Show was something to behold. Andrew Friedman, give this guy a blank check and let him fill out the amount. I’m sold.
1. (tie) Urias Pitches Dodgers to the Title
We couldn’t let this list finish without mentioning Julio Urias. After starting and pitching well in that insane Game 4, Dave Roberts brought back Urias with only two days rest to close out Game 6 after the Dodgers broke through against Blake Snell and Nick Anderson in the bottom of the 6th. And he was awesome (I’m using that word a lot, I know). Over 2 1/3 innings, Urias was perfect. No runs. No hits. No walks. And four strikeouts, including the final out of the series when he caught Willy Adames looking at a 97-mile-an-hour fastball. The drought was over. Goodbye, 1988. Say hello to 2020.
Now let’s do it again with fans!
