MLB
Bellinger Delivers Defensively and Offensively in 13 Inning NLCS Game 4 Win!
After losing Game 3 at home, the Los Angeles Dodgers knew last night was a must-win for them. Well, the Dodgers got what they needed thanks to Cody Bellinger delivering defensively and offensively in a 13-inning NLCS Game 4 win! At 5 hours and 15 minutes, last night’s game was the second longest ever NLCS game in MLB history! Let’s take a look at what those over 5 hours entailed.
Dodgers Stike First
The game started off with a 1-2-3 first inning for veteran Rich Hill. His teammates struck first in the 1st with Gio Gonzalez giving up a couple of walks to Chris Taylor and David Freese and then Brian Dozier came up with a big hit to drive Taylor in to put the Dodgers up 1-0. Then, when Kiké Hernandez came to bat, he walked up to Justin Beiber’s, “Sorry”, an apology to the fans for expressing frustration in the game the night before, that got taken out of context. The fans reacted by yelling, “Kiké, Kiké, Kiké!” and being as loud as ever to let him know they were behind him. Although Hernandez flied out, it was clear that he is still a fan favorite.
Gio Gonzalez Exits Early
The second inning didn’t fare well for the Brewers as Gio Gonzalez had to exit the game early after he landed awkwardly and rolled his ankle on a hard hit comebacker from Yasiel Puig. Gonzalez attempted to throw to the next batter, Austin Barnes, but grimaced in pain when landing and that’s when Craig Counsell came in to yank him. Gonzalez was clearly frustrated as he was covering his mouth with his glove while cursing. He definitely did not want to come out of the game. To his further dismay, it was announced earlier today that the Brewers have removed Gonzalez from their postseason roster and Zach Davies will replace him. Gonzalez is not eligible for the rest of the NLCS and World Series rosters if they were advance.
Going Into Extras
In the fifth inning, Orlando Arcia scored tying, the game 1-1. That is where the score would stay for an extremely long time. Both team’s bullpens were on point and not giving up any runs. Once in the tenth inning, things got a little interesting. First, Lorenzo Cain drilled a ball into what seemed like the gap in right field. However, a full speed Cody Bellinger made a full extension dive just in time to rob Cain of what would have been at least a double. When asked about his catch, Bellinger said,
“I played right field in the minor leagues a lot before I started playing center field. I haven’t been there much lately, … But it’s kind of like riding a bike. I saw it hanging up there, and ran as fast as I could and dove for it.”
The catch was an amazing one at that and worth taking the time to see on replay.
Later in the bottom of the tenth, controversy struck when Manny Machado dragged his foot over 1st baseman Jesús Aguilar’s ankle. Did Machado do it on purpose? Well, he definitely didn’t avoid it. Could Aguilar have gotten his foot off the bag faster as he had already made the out? Yes. Either way, benches cleared when Aguliar called Machado out on the incident and instead of walking back to the dugout, Machado chirped back. Nobody was ejected and the game went on. It was actually just announced that the MLB is fining Machado an undisclosed amount for the incident.
Finally, in the bottom of the 13th inning, who else but Manny Machado got himself on base with a single. He then advanced to second on a past ball. Then, a struggling Cody Bellinger made everyone forget about his postseason slump when he pulled a ball to rightfield with 2 outs for a walk-off single to score Machado just in time to get the win 2-1. Bellinger got attacked by his teammates multiple times as they chased him out to the outfield. Even Dodger Manager Dave Roberts ran out onto the field to join his team in celebrating the big win.
Up Next
The Brewers and Dodgers won’t be getting much time for rest and recovery after last night’s marathon game, as the NLCS Game 5 is today in just a few hours at 2:05 pm PST. For the Brew Crew, Wade Miley will be pitching on short rest. Miley pitched beautifully in Game 2 of the NLCS, where he held the Dodgers scoreless and only gave up 2 hits in 5.2 innings.
For the Dodgers, they have longtime ace Clayton Kershaw on the mound. Kershaw’s first postseason performance was dominating and spectacular. Throwing eight scoreless innings allowing just two hits, no walks and three strikeouts all with just 86 pitches! His second outing in the NLCS Game 1, however, didn’t go over quite the same, as he gave up 4 runs in just 3 innings. It should be noted that the Dodgers also had four errors that day, two made by catcher Yasmani Grandal, which definitely could have gotten into Kershaw’s head. So which Kershaw are we going to get today? Pitching back in L.A. might just be the ticket to get things back on postseason track for Kershaw. Everyone knows he has the stuff, now he just has to bring it.
Photo Credit: KAB Sport via Flickr
