The opening assertion got here two batters into the sport, Mookie Betts hitting a ball to Chula Vista, the shocked stadium enveloping him within the sweetest of silence.
The follow-up assertion got here quickly thereafter, Shohei Ohtani driving a ball down the right-field line at about 1,000 mph, the silence turning to shock.
The closing argument appeared shortly after that, Will Smith blasting one other weak pitch over the middle subject fence, one dugout dancing, the opposite one sulking — sport over.
Three innings, one message, powerfully delivered Wednesday from the Dodgers to the out of the blue harried and humbled San Diego Padres:
This isn’t 2022. This isn’t taking place once more. This isn’t going to be straightforward. That is going the gap.
The Padres need to steal this Nationwide League Division sequence once more? This time they’re going to must do it in a winner-take-all sport at Dodger Stadium.
Buckle up. Batten down. The fifth and remaining sport on this brawl will happen Friday night time at Chavez Ravine, the Dodgers creating the drama with a desperation 8-0 victory at Petco Park on Wednesday night time.
It was the most important shutout win in Dodgers playoff historical past. It gave life to the potential for one of many biggest postseason sequence wins in Dodgers historical past.
“See … you … Fri-day!” chanted a resilient band of Dodgers followers at Petco and, certainly, it needs to be one thing to see.
Learn extra: Shaikin: Shohei Ohtani was supposed to repair the Dodgers’ postseason woes. So why hasn’t he?
It is going to be the largest playoff elimination sport at Dodger Stadium since Chris Taylor received the wild-card contest with a walk-off homer in opposition to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021.
However this feels larger than that. That is Dodger Stadium versus Machado, Shohei versus Tatis, grinders versus showboaters, the true freeway sequence.
These are the 2 finest groups left within the playoffs. As a result of the New York Mets upset the Philadelphia Phillies within the different Nationwide League division sequence, the winner of this sport possible would be the favourite to not solely advance to the World Collection but additionally win it.
It’s only becoming that this neighborhood standoff, which was swiped and shocked by the Padres in 4 video games two years in the past, would come down to at least one sport, one night time, yet another little bit of drama.
The sequence opener featured a monster first punch by the home-run-hitting Ohtani. The second sport was crammed with showboating Padres who taunted bottle-throwing followers. When Sport 3 got here to San Diego, the Dodgers initially didn’t include it, failing to point out in a lackluster loss.
This arrange Wednesday’s Sport 4, a contest which the Dodgers entered lacking two key injured gamers — Freddie Freeman and Miguel Rojas — and have been pressured to navigate with no starter and all bullpen.
All this, and there was a stat flying round that groups that lead a five-game sequence 2-1 at dwelling win the sequence 82% of the time.
Seems, the Dodgers had the Padres proper the place they wished them.
Throughout pregame exercises they have been so unfastened, they performed mini-golf within the clubhouse. When Max Muncy was requested by supervisor Dave Roberts concerning the crew’s temper, he wanted solely 4 phrases for a solution.
“I informed him, ‘Hey, we received this,’” Muncy informed Fox.
Yeah, that they had this.
The offense swung neatly and freely, particularly in opposition to Padres starter Dylan Stop, scoring three runs in 1⅔ innings after predicting they may hit him on brief relaxation.
“One of many issues we take into consideration is he is not 100% on relaxation, we’ll make him work,” Teoscar Hernández mentioned earlier than the sport. ”That is not a secret for anyone. Attempt to get on base as many occasions as we will and simply attempting to attain some runs early within the sport.”
The aggressiveness additionally returned, with Michael Kopech unapologetically throwing inside to a flattened Fernando Tatis Jr.
“We’re attempting to help one another and attempting to convey the power, that constructive power to everybody,” Hernández mentioned.
Then there was, in fact, the sensible bullpen work, eight Dodgers pitchers combining to carry the Padres to 5 singles and two extra-base hits. The Padres haven’t scored in 15 innings relationship to the second inning of Sport 3, and so they must be fascinated by that Friday once they absolutely will face a few of these Dodgers relievers once more.
The one factor that might cease the Dodgers on this night time, it appeared, was third base umpire Mark Ripperger.
With two out within the fourth, Ohtani daringly sped round third on a pointy grounder simply contained in the third-base line. He might have stolen a run, besides the ball bounced off of Ripperger and ultimately was picked up by Manny Machado, who threw Ohtani out at dwelling.
Cameras later captured Ohtani screaming at Ripperger in a uncommon present of anger.
A day after snoozing their solution to the brink of elimination, the Dodgers confirmed they might be emotionally ready to cope with their intense little brothers.
They’ve yet another probability, yet another second, yet another sport to show it.
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This story initially appeared in Los Angeles Instances.
