While much was made of a dominant Milwaukee Brewers bullpen, the Los Angeles Dodgers made headway against the group in Games 1 and 2 of the National League Championship Series. At the center of their offensive attack was Justin Turner, for both good and bad.
On Friday night, Turner went 0-for-4 in what was the first four-strikeout game of his career (regular season and postseason). A factor in that was some borderline pitches getting called against Turner.
Rather than dwell on the subpar performance, Turner responded in Game 2 to hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the eighth inning. His blast down the left-field line proved to be the difference for the Dodgers in their 4-3 comeback win.
Turner naturally maintains an optimistic viewpoint in cases where he’s struggled, and after Game 1 he also recalled a message former teammate A.J. Ellis would deliver, via Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
“It’s something A.J. used to tell guys: ‘Fortunately, I’m lucky enough to play in that many games to have the opportunity to strike out four times in a game,'” Turner said.
Ellis and Turner spent two and a half seasons together before the backup catcher was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in August 2016. In his final interview at Dodger Stadium before joining his new team, Ellis referred to Turner as the “heart and soul” of the Dodgers clubhouse.
It’s praise that’s continued to be heaped upon on Turner. The admiration and respect he garners was further evident by the dugout’s reaction to Turner’s go-ahead home run. That type of response was something Turner noticed and enjoyed.
“I knew it was a homer, and it’s cool to run around the bases and see all your teammates going crazy, jumping up and down waiting for you,” he said. That’s pretty cool.”
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