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PHILADELPHIA — This is over.
Or, from the perspective of the Dodgers, this is just starting.
Because the Dodgers are returning to the World Series.
Technically, they still have to close out their National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. They still have to win the NL Championship Series.
But they will.
They will because they won’t blow the two-games-to-none lead they have after their 4-3 victory over the Phillies on Monday in Game 2 of their best-of-five series.
They will because the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs don’t have the firepower necessary to take down these Dodgers in the next round.
One victory at Citizens Bank Park would have sufficed. The Dodgers won two, and now they’re on the verge of sweeping the greatest threat they will encounter in their title defense.
“To get two in this environment is obviously massive,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “You can’t understate it. This is a really hard place to play in the regular season, let alone here (in the playoffs).”
The Dodgers can officially eliminate the Phillies on Wednesday.
They will be playing at Dodger Stadium. They will have their best pitcher on the mound in Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Call in a priest — or a padre. The time has come to read the Phillies their last rites.
The Dodgers didn’t come close to winning 120 games, and they were underwhelming in the regular season, which explains why they were unable to secure either of the first-round byes that were claimed by the Phillies and Brewers. They entered the postseason with an alarmingly untrustworthy bullpen, and that bullpen nearly blew a four-run lead in Game 2.
But in stealing two wins at Citizens Bank Park, the Dodgers demonstrated they still have that championship something that no other team in baseball has.
That something emerged on Monday night in the six scoreless innings pitched by Blake Snell, the run-scoring slide by Teoscar Hernández on a slow roller by Kike Hernández, the two-run single by Will Smith that broke open the game, the insurance run driven in by Shohei Ohtani. That something was reflected in the two innings contributed by converted starter Emmet Sheehan, and game-saving defensive plays made by Mookie Betts, Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas.
“It’s huge,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’s obviously huge. Guys are really stepping up.”
The Phillies aren’t stepping up, and their championship window that was opened by the likes of Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber could soon be closing. The urgency of the situation was recognized, with Phillies manager Rob Thomson making no effort to downplay the importance of Game 2, saying before the game that Ranger Suarez and Aaron Nola could pitch in relief.
Suárez and Nola were two candidates to start Game 3 (the Phillies announced after the game Nola would get the nod).
Thomson was prepared to deploy Suárez in a high-leverage situation. He was ready to call on Nola if the game went into extra innings.
“And we’ll figure out Game 3,” Thomson said.
The home fans comprehended the stakes. Citizens Bank Park was a madhouse in Game 1, but the crowd for Game 2 was comparatively toned down.
The nervous tension in the stadium quickly morphed into unbridled frustration, as the Phillies’ lineup was unable to do anything against Snell.
There were boos when batting champion Trea Turner struck out in the third inning. There were boos when Brandon Marsh was caught stealing on a pickoff by Snell to end the inning. There were more boos when Alec Bohm struck out for the final out of the fourth.
The first hit Snell gave up was with two outs in the fifth inning, a flare single to center field by Edmundo Sosa. The very next batter, Marsh, grounded out. More boos.
How nervous were Phillies fans? When a warning on the public-address system about streaking was followed by a bare-chested Philly Phanatic running across the outfield before the sixth inning, they offered no reaction. Baseball’s most iconic mascot was completely ignored.
Up to this point, the Dodgers were equally unproductive against the Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo. Betts singled and Teoscar Hernández walked in successive at-bats in the first inning, only for Luzardo to retire the next 17 batters in a row.
The Phillies threatened Snell for the first time in the sixth inning when Turner and Kyle Schwarber drew successive one-out walks. Up next: Harper, a two-time NL most valuable player.
In almost any other postseason, this is where Roberts would have instructed one of his coaches to phone the bullpen. But Roberts wasn’t about to replace Snell, not at this stage of the game, not with the combustibility of his relievers.
Snell struck out Harper and forced Bohm to hit a sharp grounder to Rojas at third base. Once Rojas secured the ball, he dived to the nearest bag, his outstretched glove touching the base before the hand of a sliding Turner.
The defensive stand set the stage for a four-run seventh inning that decided the game.
Thomson inadvertently assisted the effort but not because he removed Luzardo. His error was in the pitcher he chose to replace Luzardo with runners on second and third base with no outs. With closer Jhoan Duran available, Thomson went with Orion Kerkering.
Nothing could stop the Dodgers — not even their own bullpen.
Sheehan pitched the seventh and eighth innings, over which he limited the Phillies to a run.
Reluctant to use rookie Roki Sasaki twice in three days — Sasaki closed out Game 1 — Roberts gambled by calling on Blake Treinen to pitch the ninth inning. The slumping former World Series hero failed to get a single out, giving up a pair of runs on a double by Nick Castellanos. What was once a four-run lead was suddenly down to 4-3.
With Alex Vesia on the mound, the Dodgers executed a wheel play that resulted in Muncy fielding a bunt by Bryson Stott and throwing to third base, where Betts applied a tag on Castellanos. The play potentially saved a run, as well as the game.
Vesia was replaced with two outs and runners on the corners by Sasaki, who forced Turner to ground out.
The game was over.
Unofficially, the most important series of the postseason was, too.
KHAMZAT CHIMAEV is the UFC’s new middleweight champion following a BLOWOUT victory over Dricus Du Plessis.
But MMA fans weren’t happy with his wrestling-dominant display and showered him with BOOS after UFC 319’s main event judges turned in their 50-44 scorecards
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Fan favourite Chimaev, 31, went into his maiden title fight as a HUGE favourite over the dominant champ.
And he ripped the 185lbs strap from DDP’s clutches with a wide unanimous decision victory, a little over five years after his incredible debut in MMA‘s top promotion.
An elated Chimaev said: “I’m happy, happy as always to get my money. Dana [White] send me my money, brother.”
He added: “That guy is strong, I couldn’t finish him. Respect to that guy.
“The only champion was saying my name. This guy has big heart.
“He’s a real lion, an African real lion. Thank you, brother.”
A slew of fight fans flocked to X after Chimaev’s post-fight interview to lambast his style.
One wrote: “I will never watch another Chimaev fight for as long as I live.
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“The absolute most boring, overrated, bulls**t fighter to ever watch.
“I don’t give a f**k if you disagree, you’re wrong.”
Another said: ” Bro, Chimaev is such a boring fighter. Fighters like him are ruining UFC.”
And another said: “I have never seen a more boring fighter than Khamzat Chimaev. Dominant but boring as hell.”
Chimaev, unsurprisingly, immediately shot for a takedown after pawing out some range-guaging strikes and was successful in grounding the South African in the first.
DDP accepted the takedown but remained calm under the relentless top pressure.
But he must have started to panic when he got put into a mounted crucifix.
Du Plessis managed to get out of the precarious possession with just over two minutes of the round remaining, but he remained under the challenger.
That guy is strong, I couldn’t finish him. Respect to that guy.”
Khamzat Chimaev on Dricus Du Plessis
Du Plessis briefly managed to force a scramble with 30 seconds to go, but found himself grounded again just before the horn went.
Chimaev was at his suffocating best once again after the restart, taking down the champion with a double leg after they traded body kicks.
He chipped away at DDP with knees to the body as he looked for the champion to make a mistake.
But DDP didn’t panic as he rode out the round with Chimaev on his back.
DDP looked visibly fatigued ahead of the third round, and his depleted gas tank no doubt played a part in Chimaev securing the easiest takedown of the fight seconds after the restart.
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Chimaev managed to secure a mounted crucifix again, but Du Plessis once again did a good job protecting his head in the body of the challenger.
Chimaev managed to bloody the champion with a few short elbows in the crucifix position.
Du Plessis managed to stuff a takedown for the first time at the start of the fourth, but he was eventually grounded again by a relentless Chimaev.
Du Plessis was given some brief respite with a minute to go when referee Marc Goddard bizarrely separated the pair.
But Chimaev quickly got him to the canvas after eating a body shot.
Du Plessis came out swinging in the fifth, letting his hands go after throwing a flying knee.
But it took Chimaev a mere 30 seconds to take him down for the umpteenth time.
DDP managed to get back to his feet with just over two minutes of the round remaining and wound up on top of the challenger.
And after landing on his back, he went for a Hail Mary guillotine. Chimaev, however, was able to pop his head out.
Chaos ensued after referee Marc Goddard separated the pair on the ground, with Chimaev getting caught by two hard shots.
He then shot for a takedown but saw his attempt to re-ground the fight stuffed.
Du Plessis looked for a rear-naked choke, but Chimaev was wise to it and defended it before ending the round, and the fight, in top position.
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