In his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Logan Forsythe had a subpar year by his standards and expectations. At the time of being acquired for pitching prospect Jose De Leon, Forsythe was tabbed as not only the answer at second base but atop the lineup as well.
He was hit by a pitch on his toe and sustained a fracture that was expected to only require a two-week recovery. But Forsythe suffered from hamstring tightness while on a rehab assignment, and wound up missing one month.
The 30-year-old struggled to find any consistency at the plate throughout much of the season but in September began to reap the benefits of improved swing mechanics and a more aggressive approach.
In Game 2 of the National League Division Series, he looked every bit the player the Dodgers were moved to trade for during the offseason. Forsythe was part of a three-headed attack at the bottom of the lineup, going 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI.
His one-out single in the fourth inning broke up Robbie Ray’s no-hitter. Three batters later, Forsythe scored the tying run on a wild pitch.
He’s among the several Dodgers who are playing postseason baseball for the first time in their respective careers. “It exceeds expectations, for sure,” Forsythe said of the experience.
“Just being able to come out here and the announcements for the first game, it’s like Opening Day again, but it’s like this is what we started Opening Day trying to get to. This is what you play the game for.
“This is what you put the hard work in for. Just to get a chance to be in the postseason, to get a chance to see how far you can go. For me it’s exciting. The energy out on that field, the fans, it’s a different energy than you feel in the season.”
Forsythe is 4-for-8 with four runs scored, one RBI, one walk and one stolen base through the first two games of the NLDS. He’s expected to give way to Chase Utley in Game 3 at Chase Field.
“Logan a heck of a baseball player,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s really made a point to be aggressive and to — that first get-me-over fastball, he’s ready to fire on it. So I think it’s important for him to keep those pitchers guessing and to his credit, he’s trusted it and it’s paid off.”
