The Los Angeles Dodgers punched their ticket to the National League Division Series after coming from behind in a walk-off win against the St. Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Game, setting the stage for a historic postseason matchup with the San Francisco Giants.
The Giants and Dodgers posted the two best records in baseball this season, with San Francisco winning a franchise-record 107 games to claim their first NL West title since 2012.
Prior to this year, the longtime rivals had never met in the postseason. As one would expect with such a high-stakes series, several public figures have taken to social media to reveal where their allegiance lies.
A native San Franciscan, California Gov. Gavin Newsom shared that he is cheering for the Giants, while U.S. Senator Alex Padilla — an L.A. native — hopes the Dodgers advance to the next round.
The two placed a friendly bet on the outcome of the NLDS, with the loser agreeing to donate memorabilia to the winner’s charity of choice.
As Senator of CA…excited that we’re guaranteed an historic playoff series between @MLB’s two best teams — the @SFGiants and @Dodgers. One way or another a CA team is moving on to the next round.
But as a native Angeleno, I may have a different opinion…#LetsGoDodgers https://t.co/PxWdV7L5yA
— Senator Alex Padilla (@SenAlexPadilla) October 7, 2021
I see what you did there.
You’re on. How about a good ol’ fashioned bet, @AlexPadilla4CA?
Loser joins winning team's grounds crew, raking the infield & mowing the grass, with memorabilia to benefit charity. In my case — @vetshelpingvets.
Go Giants! #ResilientSF https://t.co/PhecEd1iOt
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) October 8, 2021
Newsom picked Swords to Plowshares as his charity, which is a veteran service organization that provides wraparound care to approximately 3,000 San Francisco Bay Area veterans each year.
Padilla chose the L.A. Regional Food Bank as his charity, which the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation and Jaime & Blanca Jarrín Foundation have donated to in the past.
It isn’t uncommon for politicians to make friendly wagers on their favorite sports teams. During the 2018 World Series between the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, California Senator Dianne Feinstein joined now U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in placing a bet against Massachusetts-based Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren.
Roberts doubling down on Dodgers
After the Dodgers finished second to the Giants this season, manager Dave Roberts lost a bet with former skipper Bruce Bochy in which he was due to pay for dinner and a bottle of wine.
Roberts has since revealed plans to raise the stakes with Bochy, by doubling down on the Dodgers defeating the Giants in the NLDS. “I’m going to shoot him a text,” Roberts said after the Wild Card Game. “We’re going to go double or nothing for the series.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
