This is what MLB wants, the casual fan wants, the sport of baseball wants, and what YOU want!
In a best-of-five series, the Dodgers and Padres will play each other Friday evening in Los Angeles to determine who will make it to the NLCS versus the red-hot New York Mets.
The atmosphere at Chavez Ravine will be electric. With their backs against the wall, the Dodgers destroyed the Padres by a score of 8-0 in San Diego — thus tying the series and sending it back home for the grudge match. Mookie Betts continued his torrid pace with yet another 1st inning home run. Teoscar Hernandez had a few hits, as did Enrique Hernandez coming off the bench. Gavin Lux clubbed a home run to right field. Most important, the team opted for a bullpen game. Using eight different pitchers, LA shut out San Diego’s prolific offense.
As we head to Game 5, there are storylines galore. Will Freddie Freeman play after sitting out Game 4? Will the Dodgers fan base stay in control and not throw trash onto the field/toward players? How will the Padres players react towards the crowd? Can Yu Darvish dominate his ex-team for the second time in this series? Will Yoshinobu Yamamoto prove why the Dodgers gave him over $300 million? Will the Dodgers and Dave Roberts opt to utilize another bullpen game?
Should the Dodgers lose, an era might be officially over in more ways than one. There’s a real chance the existing core of this team — which has been together for years — might soon be broken up. A win in theory could keep Roberts and his job safe. San Diego on the other hand is looking to vault itself into the upper echelon of baseball. The ownership group has done a great job investing in the club’s health. The next step is to best Big Brother residing north up the 5 freeway.
At the very least, this should be one of the most highly-anticipated MLB playoff games in recent memory.
