Dodgers Dugout: A thrilling win. A scary win. What could possibly be next?

Sports Desk

2 months ago

Occasional Digest - a story for you

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Looks like I shouldn’t have listed first base as even.

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We’ll do a bit of stream of consciousness like we’ve been doing throughout the postseason, but there are really a couple of big topics I want to focus on from the first two games.

Before we get to that, it was great to see “34” on the Dodger Stadium mound and to see his family on the field before Game 1. And there seem to be a lot of Valenzuela jerseys in the stands, more than usual.

Game 1

Easy to say now, but you have to trust me that even when the Dodgers fell behind 2-1, I had this sense of calm. Not that anyone expected Freddie Freeman, who lost all his power when he sprained his ankle, to hit the game-winning grand slam.

Let’s look at the events that had to happen for that moment to take place:

—Jack Flaherty had to pitch an outstanding game, which has not been a sure thing the last month or so.

—In the eighth inning, trailing 2-1, Shohei Ohtani doubles off the wall in right. The throw to second from Juan Soto gets past second baseman Gleyber Torres, allowing Ohtani to take third on the error. He then scores on Mookie Betts’ sacrifice fly. Freeman ends the inning with a fly out to center. Without the error, no run scores and the Dodgers lose, 2-1.

—The Yankees bring in Nestor Cortes, who hasn’t pitched since mid-September, instead of Tim Hill, who has been really good this postseason (as evidenced in Game 2).

—With runners on first and second and one out, Ohtani hit a foul fly to left. Alex Verdugo makes an incredible catch, but tumbles over the fence and into the stands, which by rule means the runners move up a base, meaning there are now runners on second and third and two out.

—With first base open, the Yankees walks Betts intentionally.

—Freeman hits the grand slam.

—If Verdugo doesn’t tumble into the stands, then the runners stay at first and second, and the Yankees don’t walk Betts. We have no way of knowing what Betts would have done, of course. But even if he had homered, it wouldn’t have been as magical as Freeman, with a bad leg, who has been through a near-fatal disease to his son, hitting that home run.

You never know what sequence of events will take you to a magical moment. Who expected Mike Davis to walk and steal second in 1988, after he had a terrible season, setting the stage for Kirk Gibson?

I was watching the game with my family. The reaction was incredible, some of us we getting misty-eyed (not me, I have a dust allergy that kicked up right then, plus someone was chopping onions.) My family (wife, three daughters, a son-in-law, a hopefully soon-to-be son-in law, two grandkids, five dogs) has different levels of interest in baseball, but they are all Dodger fans. They all said it was the most amazing baseball moment they had seen.

And how about Joe Davis with the call. Ever since he followed Vin Scully in the job, he has rarely copied him, other than the occasional “deuces are wild.” Paid tribute to him by adding stories to the telecast like Vin did. But, for this moment, he pulled out the perfect reproduction of Vin by saying “She is gone” for the home run, with the same cadence and pause between words that Vin did for the Gibson homer. Then he added “Gibby, meet Freddie.” It was a beautiful call.

And then, in the postgame interview, to hear Freeman talk about how this moment was his dad’s moment, for throwing all those pitches to him, and then talking about his son, I mean, how can you not get emotional.

Freeman has etched his name into Dodger legend, but for the moment to really be extra magical, the Dodgers would have to win the World Series. And, in my mind, just like in 1988, they had to win Game 2 as well to send a statement. Which brings us to . . .

Game 2

—It was hard to hear him on TV, but the opening with Ice Cube was terrific. Even some of the Yankees were into it. Will the Yankees counter with Jay-Z? They have to do better than Fat Joe.

—Tommy Edman is filling the Mickey Hatcher role in this series: Power from an unexpected source. He’s an old-school player and does all the little things well.

—In case you were wondering, Edman is signed through next season. He is getting $7 million this season, $9.5 million next season. A bargain.

—It’s been written before in this newsletter and it will be written again: Teoscar Hernández rises to the big moments.

—People continue to ask me if the Dodgers will re-sign Teoscar after the season, and here’s my best guess based on the Dodgers’ free agent history: They will have a number in mind for him. Whether it’s four years, $80 million or whatever. They won’t really want to go higher than whatever number they have in mind. Some other team will probably offer him a much larger contract. And at some point Teoscar will have to decide if he wants to take a little less money to remain with the Dodgers. Of course, a World Series title could change that equation.

—I’m not sure the message of that Wegovy commercial. What I get out of it is that if you take Wegovy, you will abandon your friends and your job and wander aimlessly down the middle of the street. It is better than that old Clayton Kershaw tire commercial, where a ball is hit so hard off him that he has to get in a car to catch it. Way to make you ace pitcher look like a stud there.

—Speaking of Kershaw, there he is in the dugout every game, cheering on his teammates. He could easily say “Forget it.” and start rehab at home in Texas. Some would. You have to give him a lot of credit for sticking around.

—Union 76 missed out on a great promotional campaign by not changing all their advertising in the stadium from “76” to “34.”

—What an amazing performance by Yoshinobu Yamamoto. One hit, four strikeouts and two walks in 6 1/3 innings. He and Flaherty took care of business.

—Juan Soto is a great player, but seems to be a bit of a whiner.

—Freeman hits another homer! Perhaps they gave him a bionic ankle between the NLCS and now. Maybe Lee Majors or Lindsay Wagner is helping him adjust to it. (Editor’s note: Really, a reference to two shows from the 1970s? How old is the guy writing this newsletter?)

That brings us to the big topic of Game 2: Ohtani.

First, Ohtani always looks awkward on his head-first slides as he sort of crashes into the ground for his slide. When it first happened, it looked like he might of broken his wrist. A Japanese TV station quickly translated the audio from the field:

“Shoulder.”

“Really? Which one?”

“Left.”

“Did it pop out?”

“I think so.”

So, that doesn’t sound good at all. Thoughts immediately went to Cody Bellinger dislocating his shoulder after an enthusiastic high five from Kiké Hernández in the 2020 postseason. He was never really the same after that.

After the game, Dave Roberts said it was a shoulder subluxation, which, according to Johns Hopkins, is slightly different than a shoulder dislocation:

“A shoulder subluxation occurs when the humerus partially slides in and out of place quickly. A shoulder dislocation occurs when the humerus comes all the way out of the glenoid. It may fall back into place after time or may need to be put back into place with medical assistance. The capsule, ligaments or labrum can be stretched, torn or detached from the bone during shoulder subluxation and dislocation. When the humeral head is back in place, these structures can heal in a loose or stretched position that may increase the risk of future episodes of subluxation or dislocation. With each additional episode, further tissue damage can occur, increasing the tendency toward future instability.”

Neither one sounds pleasant, but apparently a shoulder subluxation isn’t as bad. Which is easy to say when it didn’t happen to you. They will conduct an MRI on Ohtani to see how everything looks. On Sunday, the Dodgers said he would be ready for Game 3. But we’ll know for sure when we see him come to the plate.

The final decision on Ohtani will depend on his pain tolerance swinging the bat.

“Guys have had this before and played,” Roberts said Sunday, comparing it to the dislocated shoulder former Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger played through in the 2020 World Series. “But again, it’s just everyone’s tolerance.”

Of course, comparing him to Bellinger is scary, because Bellinger was never the same after that shoulder dislocation, had two poor seasons before leaving in free agency and rebounding somewhat with the Cubs.

But, let’s say it’s the worst-case scenario and Ohtani is out the rest of the series. It hurts, but it’s not the end of their chances to win the title. Ohtani is only one for eight in the series so far, and the Dodgers have won both games. So, they can win without him.

However, what he does, even if he goes hitless, is put stress on the pitchers. Yankees pitchers aren’t giving him anything good to hit, and when they made a mistake, he crushed it for a double. If the pitcher doesn’t have the stress of facing Ohtani, it makes the game a bit easier for them.

The Dodgers won in 1988 without their best position player, Gibson. He had one at-bat, a magical at-bat, but the Dodgers have had their magical at-bat this series too. The ’88 Dodgers also, for about four months, had the best pitcher in history in Orel Hershiser. Yamamoto pitched about as well as Hershiser in Game 2.

There is one more bit of concerning news. In the postgame show on Fox, Freeman said:

“You know, those six days off were huge for me between the NLCS and the World Series. I was able to calm my ankle down. So hopefully with the flight [to New York] tonight, I’ve been swelling a lot on flights. So hopefully tomorrow we can get it down and get it in a good spot for Game 3.”

—The nerves were up in the ninth inning when Anthony Rizzo came to the plate. Their hobbled first baseman had a chance for a magical moment of his own. But the baseball gods said no. You have to wonder if Fernando was whispering in their ear.

—Remember, in 1978, the Dodgers were up 2-0 in the World Series and the Yankees won the next four games.

In 1981, the Yankees were up 2-0 in the World Series and the Dodgers won the next four games.

So, don’t start planning how to take the day off for a parade quite yet. There is work to do, and the Yankees will not go down without a fight.

Your memories of Fernando

From Manuel Dominguez: I find myself deeply saddened at the loss of my hero “El Toro” Fernando Valenzuela. I was a child growing up in Echo Park within walking distance of the stadium. My older brothers first took me to a game against the Phillies at 10 years old in ‘77. I fell in love with the Dodgers immediately. There weren’t too many Hispanics at the park back then and even at my young age, I felt a little out of place. Fernando changed everything.

At 14, watching him being embraced by this wonderful country, I also felt embraced for the first time, also felt that I could achieve something if I gave it a good effort. I finally felt that this country was my new home. Fernando was my hero beyond the diamond. I’m watching old footage, with him and Scioscia, also a baby, a still young Dusty running around and The Penguin waddling around even after getting plunked by Goose Gossage. Time flew by. I’m a happy 57-year-old grandpa now, reminiscing of my “old friends.”

From Mike Merhof: I saw Fernando pitch at Dodger Stadium when I was in junior high. I remember vividly watching him warm up in the bullpen — the windup, the pitch and the smack! of the ball hitting the catcher’s glove. Poetry!

I’ve been a Dodger fan all of my life and seeing Fernando pitch up close is the most joyous moment I’ve ever had as a fan.

————

Please share your memories of Fernando, to be published in upcoming newsletters. Put Fernando memories in the subject line of your email and send to me at fernandomemories@yahoo.com.

Who do you think will win?

We asked “Who do you think will win the World Series, and in how many games?” After 16,391 votes:

Dodgers in six, 52%
Dodgers in seven, 36.1%
Yankees in six, 4.1%
Dodgers in five, 3.9%
Yankees in seven, 2.2%
Dodgers in four, 0.9%
Yankees in five, 0.5%
Yankees in four, 0.3%

World Series schedule

All times Pacific
All games on Fox
All games at 5:08 p.m.

Game 1: at Dodgers 6, New York 3 (10). WP-Blake Treinen. LP-Jake Cousins. (box score)
Game 2: at Dodgers 4, New York 2. WP-Yoshinobu Yamamoto. LP-Carlos Rodón. Save-Alex Vesia. (box score)
Monday: Dodgers (Walker Buehler) at New York (Clarke Schmidt)
Tuesday: Dodgers (bullpen game) at New York (Luis Gil)
*Wednesday at New York
*Friday at Dodgers
*Saturday at Dodgers

*-if necessary
x-left-handed