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Gibby Who?

October 26, 2024 //
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Freddie Freeman made history with a walkoff Grand Slam, the first in World Series history!

The most unbelievable Game 1 of a World Series ever! Hear that, Kirk Gibson?

First baseman Freddie Freeman — who this season battled a broken finger, a sprained ankle and the life-threatening illness of his little son — hadn’t played in most of the postseason games so far this year. When he did, he practically had to be carried off the field by Mookie Betts! So what does he do? With the bases loaded in the bottom of the 10th inning, he hits it out of the park on the first pitch!

I literally started crying, it was so beautiful!

The roar of the crowd was deafening. The feeling of triumph was overwhelming. It was a moment that will live forever in the minds and hearts of Dodger fans everywhere.

I didn’t take score for most of the games this postseason. Too crowded, plus I wanted to roam and see folks around the stadium. But yesterday, right before we left to walk up the Ravine, I decided, “It’s the freaking World Series, Dodgers vs. Yankees! Of course I have to keep score!”

I’m so glad I did.

We go again tonight, but it will be difficult to top Game 1 — for intensity, exhilaration and satisfaction! History isn’t made every day.

MY SCORECARDS
WORLD SERIES Game 1: Dodgers 6-Yankees 3

Side note: Very sad about Fernando Valenzuela. He was so young, just 63. The Dodgers are honoring him and his contribution to baseball at the World Series and next season with a patch on their uniforms. Simply “34.”

Sure, he’s happy now, but you should have heard him complaining about the Dodgers all through the game. “The pitching sucks!” “They can’t bring guys home!” “They’ve got Ohtani’s number!” OMG! It’s hard to take. But then again, maybe his negativity was the right energy to engender tonight’s miracle? Who knows? (I still think it’s my earrings.)
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Blue Heaven

October 7, 2024 //
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My former seat neighbor Liz Kim and I in Blue Heaven before Game 1 of the NLDS.

Despite a poor start by Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sat., Oct. 5, the Dodgers managed to eke out the crucial Game 1 win, 7-5, over the really quite repulsive San Diego Padres. (I won’t even start with Manny Machado‘s innate ugliness, but Fernando Tatis Jr.s’ 3rd base twirl after hitting home runs is grossly arrogant.)

Sadly, said Padres responded by spanking us, 10-2, the next day to even the NLDS series at 1-1.

It’s really hard to play baseball without starting pitchers.

Defense has generally been superb. Our hitting in Game 1 did the job, including a 3-run homer that was Shohei Ohtani‘s first ever postseason hit. And our bullpen shone bright in Game 1.

Game 2 was a different story altogether. The Dodger bats were dead against San Diego starter Yu Darvish. Our starter, Jack Flaherty, was shaky at best, and our bullpen SUCKED!

I have to keep hoping some miracle will turn Game 3 starter Walker Buehler into Greg Maddux at his prime. And Landon Knack in Game 4? I have no idea what to expect. Sometimes he’s great, other times he has to be bailed out by the bullpen.

We just have to hope Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Max Muncy, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez can remember how to hit.

NLDS GAME 1: Dodgers 7 – Padres 2
NLDS Game 2: Padres 10 – Dodgers 2

Side note: I was lucky enough to meet the official MLB scorekeeper for the Dodgers, Ed Munson, and we discussed the scoreboard situation. He said they knew they had a problem, because the pitch counts were often wrong, but they didn’t know how they got that way. He said the scoreboard operator was someone new this year. So I told him about the fourth-ball in a walk being counted as a strike, and he said he’d see what he could do about it. Thank you, Ed!

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Fever Pitch

September 12, 2024 //
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This is a screenshot of my fella and me at the game Tuesday (Sept. 10). We never get on Dodgervision. (I think the cameras can’t reach as high as the top row of the Top Deck.) So this is the closest we get to reveling in our fandom.

I only have five more regular home games to enjoy as a Season Ticket Holder. I’m planning to get the most out of them.

Wednesday (Sept. 11), it was Max Muncy Bobblehead Night, and the third baseman delivered a booming homer in the first inning! It was the 4th round-tripper and the 5th run of that opening frame, and it seemed like the Dodgers had it made. Pitcher Bobby Miller’s sloppiness — giving up 2 runs with 2 outs — in the top of the inning didn’t matter anymore. We were ahead of the Cubs, 5-2, to begin the evening.

Two innings later (third inning and third at-bat), designated hitter Shohei Ohtani singled in 2 more runs. The Dodgers had a 7-3 lead without breaking a sweat.

Unfortunately, the Blue Crew has become somewhat adept at blowing big leads this year. And that’s exactly what happened in the fifth when Miller imploded, serving up a single, a walk and a 3-run homer to former Dodger Cody Bellinger, now Chicago’s right fielder. Reliever Daniel Hudson compounded the problem by walking the first two batters he faced and then dealing a run-scoring single to make it 7-7.

The next three innings, our bullpen made it seem like we actually have a good pitching staff. Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia and Evan Phillips retired 10 batters, with just one little walk by Vesia to spoil the perfect performances. In the meantime, we had scored 3 more runs, capped by center-fielder Tommy Edman‘s 2nd HR of the night (4th in 2 games!), making it 10-7.

Cue the fright-factor! Craig Kimbrel lookalike (not a good thing) Michael Kopech came out to close, accompanied by some god-awful country dirge music (like we’re supposed to think he’s tough and drives a truck because the bass line is so heavy). Kopech proceeds to pitch like Kimbrel, too, walking the first 3 batters to load the bases and bring the go-ahead run to the plate.

OMG! This cannot possibly be happening! Not again!

OK. It didn’t.

After the guy on 3rd comes in on a sac-fly, Dodger catcher Will Smith threw out Seiya Suzuki at 3rd on a double-steal attempt, and then Kopech managed to strike out the final batter, former Dodger Michael Busch.

That was a nail-biter, let me tell you.

MY SCORECARDS
GAME 146: Dodgers 10-Chicago 8

SIDE NOTE: I prematurely celebrated the enlightenment of the Right Field scoreboard operator. The idiot who doesn’t know that the 4th ball of a walk is not a strike must have been on vacation the past couple of weeks. He (or she) is back with a vengeance! Last night, when Kopech walked the first Cub batting in the 9th inning, the pitch count read, “STRIKES 1 – BALLS 3.” I kid you not! Where is Jim Bouton when you need him?

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