Win or Go Home

It was the single worst inning of the season – or ever – in MLB history:

That inning was the top of the second of Game 3 of the National League Division Series between the NL West first-place Los Angeles Dodgers and their division-rival San Diego Padres in front of a Petco Park crowd of 47,744, with millions more watching on television and listening on radio with the Dodgers up 1-0.

That inning saw:

• Dodgers starter Walker Buehler assessed a pitch clock violation and automatic ball when he was unable to hear his PitchCom device amidst deafening chants of “Manny! Manny!” for Padres slugger Manny Machado, who roped Buehler’s 2-1 / 92.8-mph cutter up the middle for a single.
• This was followed by a fielder’s choice ground ball by Padres center fielder Jackson Merrell to Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who airmailed his throw into left field, allowing Machado to take third.
• This was followed by a fielder’s choice ground ball by Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts to Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas, who airmailed his throw well over the head of Freeman, allowing Machado to score and Merrill to take second to tie the game at 1-1 … still with no outs.
• This was followed by a double to right by Padres designated hitter David Peralta, scoring Merrill and Bogaerts, to make it 3-1 Padres … still with no outs.
• This was followed by an infield single by Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth to Rojas, allowing Peralta to take third … still with no outs.
• This was followed by a sacrifice fly to center by Padres catcher Kyle Higashioka, allowing Peralta to score to make it 4-1 Padres, but now (finally) with one out.
• This was followed by a pop-out by Padres first baseman Luis Arráez to Rojas for the second out of the inning.
• This was followed by a devastating 396-foot two-run home run to center by Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. to make it 6-1 Padres.
• This was followed by an infield single by Padres left fielder Jurickson Profar to Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, bringing Machado to the plate for his second at-bat of the inning. Fortunately, Machado flied out to Dodgers centerfielder Tommy Edman to mercifully bring the nightmare inning to an end.

“It was the kind of inning that has doomed the Dodgers so often in recent Octobers, full of defensive miscues, poor pitching and – once the tide started to turn – an inability to steady themselves before it was too late,” wrote LA Times Dodgers beat writer Jack Harris of the Dodgers single worst inning in franchise history.

The Dodgers did make things interesting when, with one out in the top of the third inning, Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernández slugged a 403-foot grand slam home run to center to make it a 6-5 ballgame.

Unfortunately, the Dodgers managed only one additional hit after Teo’s granny, a harmless single to center by Freeman in the top of the eighth.

As for Buehler, he finished his five innings of work, allowing six runs (all earned) on seven hits while walking one and striking out none.

“You can’t give up six runs in an inning in the playoffs and expect to win,” Bueller said postgame. “You know, there are some things that I have some pride about about that game, but at the end of the day, I put us in a really bad spot, and we fought back, and I just… the spot was too big.”

Dodgers international superstar Shohei Ohtani summed Tuesday’s nightmare game up best:

“What’s done is done now, so at this point, it’s really very simple: it’s to win two games,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.

In other words, it’s Win or Go Home.

Play Ball!

  *  *  *  *  *  *