The evening began on a negative note as indignant Dodger fans booed the manager of their beloved team.
During the pregame introductions Dave Roberts got an earful for his controversial removal of dominant pitcher Rich Hill, who woulda, coulda, shoulda been the hero of Game 4 the night before.
So, instead of a series tied 2-2, the deflated Dodgers took the field on the brink of elimination clinging to the hope that their uncertain ace, Clayton Kershaw, could punch their ticket back to Boston.
With the future Hall of Famer’s dubious postseason past, and the odds so out of LA’s favor, even the best of bookies would’ve had a hard time wagering any bets.
And, to coin Vin Scully, “just like that” in the first-inning Dodger killer Steven Pearce crushed Kershaw’s four-seam fastball for a two-run homer and Boston never looked back.
For the second straight year, the battered boys in blue watched the opposing team clinch the World Series from their home dugout taking a barrel full of “with only’s” into the off-season.
How many more consecutive postseason appearances before the brain trust realizes that a strong bullpen is crucial to winning the Championship Crown? The front office failed the Dodgers by pursuing a shortstop in lieu of an additional arm that could have prevented the epic meltdown of Saturday night.
Granted, Roberts made some unfortunate moves – allowing his analytic head to rule his decisions instead of just embracing what was enfolding on the field. But if he had all of the ingredients to make the meal – removing Hill, whether you agreed or disagreed, may have been more palatable.
And in what could’ve been Kershaw’s final appearance in a Dodger uniform, it was painful to see the three-time Cy Young Award winner’s postseason struggles continue – which was only compounded by Red Sox counterpart David Price successfully disposing of his own October demons.
With 114 days until pitchers and catchers report, I’ll miss the game that I love and lament about the Mets bizarre choice for their new general manager – Brodie Van Wagenen – a former CAA agent with no front office experience who negotiated contracts for current Mets Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes and Todd Frazier.
Come on, there’s no conflict of interest in baseball!
